Interview with Drew Duthart

D/S of the 2007 World Championship Drum Corp.

This interview will be broken down into three parts, 1) the early years and how Drew became involved in pipe band drumming  2) the Scottish Lion 78^th Fraser’s Pipe Band today and how the corps operates within the band and 3) the future of pipe band drumming.

 
The Formative years:

 Question: Where did this love affair with pipe band drumming all begin? 

 DD – I can’t remember exactly when I actually started to get interested in drumming.  My brother was a drummer, my father (Alex Duthart) had a music shop so there were always lots of drums around the house, I was always going with my brother and dad to band practice however I never started playing in a band until I was 11 or 12 years of age.    It was actually funny how joining a band came about.  I was at an early World’s Solo Drumming contest with my dad and it was Bert Barr’s wife Ilene, who new Robert Dixon the leading drummer for the Newmain’s Pipe Band a local Grade 3 Band back home. She went over and literally dragged him to Bert’s car and said Robert are you looking for new drummers. Well what else is he going to say but yes and the next thing out of Ilene’s mouth is “good, Drew is going to come and play for you”  Well that was about the last thing on my mind as I had no intention of playing in pipe bands.

 Question: What bands did you initially play with prior to coming to Canada?

 DD-  I was with the Newmain’s pipe band for about three years, Robert Dickson was the leading drummer at that time, oh what a chore he had leading a bunch of renegades. After the first year Robert gave it up and became the lead drummer with Carluke pipe band. There was myself, Phil Brown, Sandy Kilgour, Billy Bowes. The four of us stayed with the band and John Scullion came in to teach the drummers. I stayed with the band and I should say we did very well until I was 14 when we went our separate ways. Phil and I went to Shott’s, Sandy went to Red Hackle and Billy Bowes went to Polkement. So that was quite something for a grade 3 drum corp, everyone went to the grade one bands.  After playing for five years with Shott’s we moved on the British Caledonian Airways pipe band which is now the Power of Scotland.            

 Question: Other than your father and grandfather, were there other drummers or bands that influenced you in those early years?

 DD – My grandfather was actually deceased by the time I came along so I didn’t know him. He was a bass drummer however he did play the side and taught a good number of people to play the snare. As to being influential I would have to say the whole Shott’s drum corps from that time period. You had such players such as Jim Kilpatrick, John Scullion, Jim Hutton, Bert Barr, Tom Brown, Billy Stevenson, John Fisher was there before I played, Ronnie Anan and of course my dad ( Alex Duthart). Where else could you have the opportunity to be around and to learn from such players? Every one of them was a terrific player.

 Question: What brought you to Canada? I initially remember you showing up at I believe it was the Burlington Games about 25 yrs ago and if I remember right you were staying with Big Luke (Allan) at that time.

 DD- Well my first visit to Canada was when I was 14 when we came out for the CNE, and then I came back a few years later as I had been seeing Sharon (Duthart, Administrator of the PPBSO). The next year I immigrated. Terry Cleland initially helped me with a job and I worked on the development of his drum in the early years as well as in the shop where he worked on high performance race cars.         

 Question: Once you were in Canada what bands did you play with prior to the 78^th?

 DD- I started out with the 400 Squadron pipe band in 1986, Terry’s band. There were two sides including myself and let me tell you this was a culture shock as I had just come from playing with a top notch winning corps, Shott’s and British Caledonian Airways.    After being with the 400 Squadron band for a year I went to Metro Police as lead drummer where I spent 11 years. >From 1998 I didn’t play in bands for five years as I was busy with my job. Then it was time to get back into a band so I went to the Peel Police for about two years and then to the Fraser’s four years ago. John Fisher was there the first year and then I took over the following year it’s been a great experience being with the Grade One Bands here in Canada and I’ve played with some terrific drummers.

 Question: Who would influence you when it comes to a peer drummer to go over scores, or work with for new material?

 DD – We do this internally within the band.  Once a score is written the drum corps will help with pointers to improve it, if needed.    We really don’t go outside.  It’s not that I wouldn’t, but what we’re doing is working so there’s no need to change at this time.  

 Question: Will you be participating at the World Solo Drumming contest in Scotland in October? If so who’s going as the piper? What are you doing for preparation?

 DD – Yes I’m going in a couple of weeks and John Cairns is coming over again to play the pipes. As far as preparation goes I’m practicing every night of the week to ensure I have the scores spot on. I’m analyzing the music and dissecting it, to ensure nothing is missing. It’s a lot of work but to play at this level takes time and dedication.

 Question: People that don’t know you probably think that all you listen to is pipe band music. Is that the case? What other types of music do you listen to?

 DD – I listen to every type of music other than pipe band music. Now obviously when we’re introducing a new tune, I’ll listen to the tape for sometimes up to a week straight until I get the proper feel so I can write the score. However when it comes to my most favorite music, it is likely Afro Cuban Jazz that is really enjoyable to me.

 Question:  Outside of pipe bands who is your favorite drummer and what style of music most inspires you?  

 DD – There are lots of great drummers out there. Overall, I find pipe band drummers to be very closed minded people who don’t get together to support one another, to share ideas or the tricks of the trade. Outside of pipe bands it is quit the reverse of that. If we went tonight down the street to a club in town, we would find several really good drummers there who just love to get up and play. They are there to have a good time and to share ideas. It’s not a competition to try to show who has the best set of hands etc.  Today there are likely at least a 1000 of what we will refer to as great drummers. I don’t get excited watching a single snare drummer playing all kinds of rudiments. If you like watching back sticking or drummers throwing sticks go watch a DCI drum corps who have practiced their routine for months and are spot on. That’s what they are good at, and work at. If you want to watch a guy with a great set of hands then it could be pipe band drummers and there are a good number of them that are good at it and have the technique down. If you want to see kit players there lots of them. What I’m trying to point out here is that all these other idioms have terrific drummers as well, but they will share and work together to allow others to learn from them. I think the reason pipe band drummers tends to be “close to the vest” is that it is so competition driven and this has caused drummers to react in the way they do. I just don’t see this type of environment as a healthy one!

 Question: I’m sure the readers would be interested to know what it is you do to earn a living.

 DD – I’m the Maintenance Supervisor for two Magna assembly plants.   It’s called P & F Tool and Die.   We have approximately 60 people in our department. I’ve been involved with the company since about 1995.

 Question: Are your daughters in a pipe band?  If so what do they play?

 DD - Our daughter Fiona plays with the Hamilton Police Pipe Band where she plays tenor drum.

 Question: If you had of stayed in Scotland instead of immigrating to Ontario where would you likely be at this point in your life from a drumming perspective?

 DD – That’s a tough one as who knows what would have happened over the years. The one thing I do know is that I would be playing drums as it’s always going to be part of my life.  

 Question: I was told a story about your dad and the Drumming Sash from the Worlds Pipe Band Championship that his corps has just won; maybe you could relate it to our readers as it’s a great one.

 DD – There’s really nothing to tell. When I was a kid the Sash was always in the bottom drawer of my dad’s dresser as he had won it numerous times over the years.  He would take it home after the World’s and put it away for the next year. What I would do was put it on and wear it around the house.  I didn’t know what it was and what it stood for until I was older. However there’s another interesting point to the Sash story and that is when we won it at this years Worlds, I noticed my dad’s name on it at the top for the first year that it was introduced and that was the year I was born 1963. That really hit home!