I caught Thomas Lang in Nashville, Tennessee last night. He is touring and promoting the V-drums. His set up is an exact repica of his Sonor set, but everything is V-drums. He had two Sonor Twin Effect pedals (left and right) and he played these (single pedal) just as easily as he played the double pedals with two feet. I believe he had 8 pedals. Each pedal could be triggered with different sounds along with the pads and cymbal pads.
Speaking of triggering and patches, He took us through a vast array of sounds that the V-drums could produce. And these were just sounds that came the module. But two of the most impressive patches which I never would have thought of were (1), he triggerd all v-drum pads (inclulding foot pedals) to sound like hi-hats and cymbals. It was like someone introducing you to a new drug for the the first time. The sounds just danced in my head. And it was all based on his TOTAL independence and control. Then (2) he triggered all pads and pedals to sound like zil bels, cymbal bells and he proceeded to play something that reminded me of a Geisha dancing. These sounds and his diverse sticking blew me away. Several times I found myself drifting into a world of stimulating sounds that was like a kid being in a candy store and seeing the various colors and smelling array of sweets or looking into the night sky filled with stars and hearing heavenly sounds before "HIS" return. Very impressive, imaginative and fun to hear.
What am I saying. V-drums are not a replacement for drums. They build on drums and Thomas did exactly that. He built on the drums and showed us a new drug for drummers that can be VERY stimulating to the mind. If you have not seen Thomas' V-drum tour, you need to go.
On top of all of that, he started playing at 6:45pm central and did not stop (besides changing patches and wiping sweat from head) until 8:30pm. His shirt was drenched in sweat when he finished. It was as if we had been invited into his private practice session. And he said he never practices.
Go see him. I don't think any drummer is better than another. We each bring someting different to the set even if it's a simple 2,4 funk beat. But what separates us is the voice we project from the drum and how melodic the sounds. Everything Thomas did was melodic no matter whether he was playing a five stroke of 12 stroke roll over some ostinato. I was so blown away (even though I saw his Sonor tour) that the only question I had for him was what is the secret to life. hahahahahahaha
The V-drum tour is a blast on your hearing senses. The trip he took us on was absolutely amazing.
