I probably have no business writing a dedication about drummer let alone an all time great drummer, but here we are.
Bryan St. Pere passed away yesterday and according to his band Hum it was unexpected with the cause of death still unknown to the public.
I wavered back and forth on writing a full dedication post to St. Pere for the reason above and was just going to add an extra bullet point to my review of Hum’s latest album Inlet that I wrote last summer. That review is here.
Okay here we go…
I am truly devastated. St. Pere really is one of my all time favorite drummers. I was trying to think just now of the best way to describe how much his drumming means to me and there’s few things that stick out to me.
1. The cymbal grab during the bridge of “Stars” (if you know you know).
Look at a young St. Pere just fuckin wailing away. He hits so hard! Love it! Also, check out “I’d Like Your Hair Long” from the same 120 minutes performance here.
2. The unrelenting groove and drive that St. Pere provides to track two on Inlet, “In the Den.”
Like committing to the part transition and just pushing until the rest of band comes along.
3. The master class in cymbal work St. Pere displays throughout the entirety of “Isle of the Cheetah”, the opening track on Downward Is Heavenward.
I could probably go on and on and pick a favorite moment or element for literally each Hum song and say:
“This part, this part right here!”
I mean the drive that he gives to “If You Are To Bloom” and “The Pod” seriously the list could just go on and on and on.
As I mentioned above St. Pere’s was an all timer in my eyes. I truly started to appreciate his drumming and the amount of care and thought he put into everything he played after listening to the episode of The Trap Set with Joe Wong where St. Pere is the guest. I had discovered this episode right after Inlet was released, but it was recorded in some time in 2018 and apparently St. Pere had already recorded the drums for Inlet at this time (I will get to that later).
During the episode he describes his life growing up, approach to drumming overall, his obsession with Rush and Neil Peart, his history with band, and his life after their break up. The highlight though is him describing the writing and recording of his drum parts for both So You’d Prefer An Astronaut and Downward Is Heavenward as painful and agonizing. His battle of “being in a song or being on a song” which was his internal battle of trying to blend into or to stand out on a song.
I found his take / opinion of his drum recording process fascinating. To me it all seemed so effortless and virtuosic, but to him it was more than that. It was of the utmost importance. Each drum hit or cymbal crash, fill, tempo, cadence etc. was painstakingly analyzed and the vibe he gave during the interview was that he still wasn’t happy with the results on those albums.
Bryan St. Pere was a perfectionist and my view of his playing and how I heard his drumming changed for me from that point on. On the surface it sounds like the drumming of someone who clearly has a mastery of their instrument and is just feeling out what’s best for the song, but that is not the case at all. Every little thing is deliberate and knowing that changes Hum’s music for me entirely.
This new perspective gave new life to albums that I had listened to hundreds of times (So You’d Prefer An Astronaut and Downward Is Heavenward). Drum lines and patterns I had memorized now had an entirely new meaning. These weren’t things he played just to fill space or keep songs moving along. Everything he did was on purpose and actually meant something. The middle driving sections of “Green to Me” weren’t just him grooving, this was intentional. It meant something and it was important.
I know I have mentioned that I am not a drummer, but I am a musician (I play the bass) and since learning of St. Pere’s intentional style of playing it changed how I write music and participate in bands. I now ask myself before playing anything “Is this intentional or are you just making noise to make noise and fill space? How does what your playing add to the song? And if it does add to the song are you playing it the way that best serves the song as whole?”.
Look I’m in no way saying that I am as talented as St. Pere was, far from it. I am just saying that knowing how someone as talented as he was took the time to make everything perfect, with purpose, and conviction really resonated with me.
As I mentioned above I promised I would get to what St. Pere said about his drumming on Inlet. To my surprise he said was happy and content with it. He admitted it wasn’t perfect, but he was pleased with the results and that as he had aged he had come to terms with not everything being perfect. The intention was still there just not the agony. It seemed that he finally learned to truly enjoy his talent and his playing and I think that shows on the drumming featured on Inlet.
It makes me happy knowing that he was finally able to find some joy and satisfaction in his playing that had given so many of us that joy and satisfaction throughout all these years.
I highly recommend checking the episode out here.
Another great interview where St. Pere talks about the recording of Inlet is here as well.
In closing I just want to thank Hum and St. Pere for the good times, listens, and inspiration. I am so incredibly thankful that the band was able to release Inlet before St. Pere’s passing. He was truly an amazing musician in a truly amazing band. He will be forever remembered, appreciated, and missed.
R.I.P.