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Michael Bissonnette has been studying drum set and percussion since he was 10 years old. He has built a name for himself pursuing his love for world rhythms and currently plays with multiple bands in continual roatation featuring music from West Africa, Ireland, Brazil, India, Italy and other countries around the globe. Current ensembles include Katie McMahon ( of Riverdance), Boiled in Lead, Sarah Groves, Terminal 3, East Side, Louis and Clarke, Laura MacKenzie, Brass Lassie, Dean Magraw, Heart of the City, and The Robert Everest Expedition. Michael is endorsed by Remo and Vic Firth.
In this episode, Michael talks about how he got into world rhythms and how he built his expansive collection of world percussion instruments. (The display in his studio is quite impressive!) He discusses his approach of learning traditional rhythms on instruments from each country, then interpreting them on the drum set.
Michael is constantly listening to rhythms of other nations and has even created a West African drum curriculum that is now being used in several music education institutions.
He talks about how he no longer practices for chops, but focuses on depening the style and culture in his playing. He describes his role as a drummer is to listen to the rest of the band and play with passion and sensitivity to make everyone sound better. He creates a new groove by listening to the other players and placing accents to accentuate the lines from their instruments.
Michael talks about the huge influence world percussionist Marc Anderson (https://www.marcanderson.org/bio) has had on his playing and his gigging. He advises other drummers to not let old band friendships keep you from moving forward. Get out and seek new relationships to keep you from stagnating. Always be gig-ready for when you get the call for new opportunities.
- Intro/Outro music from Louis and Clarke featuring Michael Bissonnette
- Follow Michael at https://www.facebook.com/michael.bissonnette
