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​The 'Dragon's Din
Muirsical Conversation with Scott Higham
Picture
Scott Higham is one of the best drummers you have never heard of.

The latter part of that statement might seem like a slap in the snare drum to Scott, fans of progressive rock band Pendragon or those that know Scott and have followed his pre-Pendragon career, but in the vast musical landscape of rock, it’s a valid comment.

Equally valid is the "best drummers" part of that statement, certainly as regards being a power behind heavy, progressive and metal musical genres.

And that’s not just this reviewer and interviewer's critical opinion; those that know a paradiddle from a triplet far better than I do have compared his style to Keith Moon or have no hesitation in believing he could do a job for a band such as Dream Theater (the following conversation took place shortly after Mike Portnoy confirmed he had left the band).

And Scott Higham himself admits that on Pendragon’s 2008 album, Pure, we heard only the beginning of what he can offer; we still have a lot more to hear from Mr Higham behind a kit.

Meantime FabricationsHQ gives you the opportunity to hear more from Mr Higham away from the kit…

Ross Muir: It's been a few months since we spoke in Glasgow when Pendragon were on tour and this, in effect, is an extension of that conversation. During that chat I expressed my thoughts on your ability and what you have brought to Pendragon over the last couple of years...

Scott Higham: Yes, and first of all thank you very much for that. It’s really appreciated when the work is noticed because you don’t need me to tell you drummers are usually the last to be considered. 
We’re sometimes seen as just the guys at the back, keeping a beat!

RM: Indeed; and drummers are sometimes not even seen as musicians.

SH: Exactly. I mean sometimes we are just keeping a beat [laughs], but the best drummers don’t just keep the beat or play out a rhythm; they are playing their kits as musical instruments and add so much more to the song structure.

RM: Absolutely. There are bands that clearly have the drums as a major part of the sound, particularly power trios or the more musically intense progressive rock bands.
But, in general terms, drummers remain under-rated; I’ve said this about you many times over the last couple of years.


SH: Again, thank you so much. For me, it's all about the balance between great technique and performing a great show… both go hand in hand. I just play to the best of those abilities and absolutely love what I do.

RM: I'm not the biggest Pendragon fan in the world - sorry boys [laughs] - but I have seen the band a number of times, primarily because they are such a good live act and there is a real energy around the gigs.
But, also, for me, the final piece of the jigsaw was when you joined; it just seemed to step up another level.

SH: Pendragon are a great band live and just such a great band to play with. I’m very much driven by music. When I’m on stage the music just takes me somewhere else, and I’m taken over by it - depending on the song it can be a really intense energy or very emotional.
Some of Nick’s [Nick Barrett, singer songwriter guitarist] lyrics can really make an impact and I can be in tears.

RM: The power of performance, in the emotional moment.

SH: Exactly. I have to feel it. And there is a great chemistry with this band.

RM: Bassist Peter Gee has been with Nick from the get-go and keyboardist Clive Nolan has been an integral part of Pendragon since 1986. But to repeat myself there was a noticeable difference when you joined.

SH: Funny you should say that. When I first joined and we were rehearsing and running through set songs Nick actually stopped the rehearsal at one point, which he just doesn’t do.
He said something to the effect of the band having "never sounded like this before;" it had never been quite like that before.


RM: But that’s not just chemistry, that’s also ability.

SH: I just play to the best of that ability and want to be the best I can; I love doing this and truly believe it’s what I was meant to do.

RM: As regards that ability, I see and hear parallels with Keith Moon. Keith wasn't the most well balanced individual, bless his drumsticks, but he threw himself around the kit, arms flailing frantically, yet always came down where he should.
Where Keith Moon was manic, you are intense. You attack the kit but, like Keith, you always come down where and when you should.

SH: I’ve had the Keith Moon comparison before… Animal from The Muppets is another! [laughs]

RM: Both bloody good drummers, though [laughter]. You also project a great energy on stage...

SH: Well I’m just having such a great time on stage. Like I said earlier, I become a totally different person. Maybe that's where the energy comes from. You describe me as attacking the kit... well, I certainly give my old mate a bit of a beating from time to time! We've been together since 1985.

RM: Really? You've played that kit for twenty-five years?

SH: Yeah, the stories both of us could tell you! [laughs]

RM: Going back to how you play... it sounds to me like there is also a bit of anger in your playing, but you’re not playing angry. 

SH: I’m not sure…

RM: …you don’t see it that way?

SH: No, it’s just that I’ve never thought of it that way. You know what, there probably is a small part that is driven by anger. Part of my youth, frustration of the early days, pub gigs, feeling like I would never make it. But this is what I always wanted to do; I’ve worked hard to get here and will continue to work at getting better.

RM: Well the best in any profession know that the three things you must continually do to improve and become the best are practice, then practice followed by practice.

SH: [Laughs] Yes, exactly. This is what I’ve always wanted to do but that doesn’t mean it was going to happen.
You have to work at it and continue to work at it.

RM: I’ve always maintained the two D’s - Dedication and Discipline, are as important, arguably more important, than natural talent.

SH: Oh, absolutely. And that’s the difference between those that make it and those that don’t.
You mentioned practice - when I got the Pendragon job I spent hour upon hour behind the kit and listening to the back catalogue, listening to Fudge Smith’s drumming [a mainstay of Pendragon for 20 years].
Fudge was a great drummer and I practiced all his little nuances, all the fills, to try and emulate the original recordings. Because, well you know what it’s like, there are always going to be fans that come up and say to you "that part wasn’t quite right!" or "I noticed you changed a bit there." [laughs].

RM: Every band has their hard-core of fans that are a little more… dedicated, Scott.

SH: [Laughs] Yeah, so I wanted to do the back catalogue justice and pay tribute to Fudge, who is a great drummer, and then be able to bring my own ideas to the table for the new stuff - put my own stamp on it.

RM: Indeed - although Pendragon is very much a dictatorship and driven by Nick’s ideas.

SH: Oh, very much a dictatorship but it has to be. This is Nick’s baby, his songs, his ideas, his lyrics, but when he passes demos over for us to work off and learn we still have some input on the creative aspect.
He will have basic drum patterns down but I can go away and create parts - "here you are Scotty, see what you can do with this!"

RM: Your first album appearance with Pendragon was on the critically acclaimed Pure and you are now working on the follow up, Passion. With the band’s music being very much progressive rock with interesting light and shade, change ups and instrumental sections, you obviously get a chance to stretch or be flexible.

SH: Pendragon is very interesting musically, yes, but on Pure it was really the beginning of what I can offer. On Passion I’m hoping to able to expand on that.

RM: An extension or logical step from Pure?

SH: It’s certainly an extension of the Pure sound, in terms of the light and dark elements, but this time the lighter pieces are even lighter and the darker pieces are definitely darker…
It’s sounding great, even at an early stage. The UK launch will be March 2011.

RM: From that future to your own past. You’ve mentioned already playing drums is what you always wanted to do, maybe even destined to do. Did you start early or come from a musical family?

SH: My dad was a function singer for about thirty years, my nana played piano and my granddad was a singer and drummer, so there was always music in the family.
I’ve been told I was hitting pots and pans since I was four or five years old and my older brother played drums, so I was copying him, too! I started playing drums properly from about nine years old.


RM: But it’s fair to say there was no overnight success.

SH: I played in lots of groups in pubs, jammed, was in small bands you would have never heard of… and through all this I had a "proper job" for nearly twenty years, in advertising.

RM: Really?

SH: Yeah, the whole deal. Office, desk, company car, the lot. And I hated every minute of it!
I wanted to be drumming, because I still believed it was what I should and would be doing, but it wasn’t happening. But one day the phone rang… actually you won’t believe this story but it’s absolutely true…

RM: …try me, Scott. I’ve heard most of them, trust me.

SH: You probably have at that [laughs]. Well first I need to go back to those pub gigs and jams...
This was around 1998, 1999, when I was picking up a bit or a reputation in the London area and another drummer called Tommy - Scottish, as a matter of fact - was telling everyone they should hear me or hire me.
Tommy knew a lot of musicians and played with many of them. He was forever throwing my name about, "Oh you must hear Scotty play" or telling me I should "get up and jam" with so and so.
So, one day, there’s this phone call at work - do you know, or remember, Paul Samson?

RM: As in guitarist Paul Samson?

SH: That’s right.

RM: I do indeed; saw him many times. For me the most under-rated musician that came out of the whole New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement; developed, more importantly, in to one of the best blues-rock guitarists on the circuit.

SH: Oh, awesome guitarist. So I pick up the phone one day at work and it’s Paul Samson looking for Scott Higham. Of course I think it’s one of my mates, or Tommy winding me up, and nearly hung up!
But it’s really Paul; Tommy had given him my name because he's in a bit of a bind.
His band, Paul Samson’s Metallic Blue, have a two-week tour of the UK lined up, with Wishbone Ash on the first night, and his drummer hasn’t made it over from Chicago.
You know how that is, you’re ready to play and your drummer doesn’t make the flight [laughs]… so he’s asking me if I would like to do the tour. Of course I say yes - what an opportunity!
Then I ask him when the tour starts. "Tomorrow night" he says!
"Hold on" I reply, put the phone down and turn to my boss asking if I can have two weeks off.
"Well you have time due, when do you want it?" "Now" I said [laughter].
Thankfully he said yes and I was on tour with Paul Samson! Do you remember the old Sony Walkman’s?

RM: Yep, I owned a few.

SH: Well next thing I know I’m travelling on the tour bus, sorry, tour van [laughs] with my Sony Walkman tape player, learning the songs we would be playing!
Luckily it was pretty much blues standards so I picked it up quickly; I loved every minute of that tour and never looked back.

RM: So if you don’t take that call, or hang up, we’re probably not having this conversation.

SH: Well, I always felt this is what I would be doing but yes, very possibly.

RM: Right place, right time.

SH: Exactly, mate.

RM: Did you work further with Paul?

SH: Not really. He really liked my work and would have retained me but by 2000 he was in the middle of getting some of the old Samson band back together for the 20th Anniversary of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal.

RM: And that, for me typifies the opposite of "right place, right time" because Paul was wrong place, wrong time with the original Samson band and the whole New Wave of British Heavy Metal thing.
That just wasn't his strength; they never had the quality of songs to match bands such as Saxon and Iron Maiden, to whom Samson singer Bruce Dickinson later jumped ship to.

SH: Great guitarist, though.

RM: Excellent player. The mid-eighties Samson line-up with vocalist Nicky Moore recorded a couple of great, heavy blues rock albums, but it was too little too late. Paul never got the recognition he deserved and such a sad demise, too, succumbing to cancer at the age of only forty-nine.

SH: That was a very sad day. Everyone was at that funeral, I mean everyone and... [pauses] well, I owe Paul Samson a lot.

RM: And then it was Angel Witch?

SH: Yeah, that’s right. Pretty soon after leaving Paul’s band I joined Angel Witch, another of the New Wave of Heavy Metal bands who were reforming on the back of the 20th Anniversary thing.
Kevin Heybourne [original Angel Witch singer-guitarist] was putting a version of the band back together.      

RM: This is when I pick up on Scott Higham, because shortly after Angel Witch you were with Shadowkeep. Not once though, not even twice… was it not three separate occasions?

SH: It was a bit in and out wasn’t it? [laughs]. Should have called themselves Revolving Doors with the number of members that band had [loud laughter] but it was all down to management - or rather the lack of.
That band had no business skills whatsoever. Great band, great players and they recorded some great stuff like Chaos Theory and The Hourglass Effect, but hadn’t a clue financially or how to run a band.
They would get a good support slot on a tour but then they would try and organise a tour of their own and it would be five or six dates, across the entire country!
Or they would have festival dates lined up in Europe, or the Bloodstock Festival in the UK, but then have no other dates to promote themselves after it. Do you remember Bad News?

RM: Oh, tragically under-rated band [loud laughter]; I actually replaced the old vinyl with the reissued CD's not too long ago [Bad News was a spoof heavy metal band that featured comic actors and produced two albums and two comedy rockumentaries).

SH: Well, Shadowkeep were Bad News, right down to the arguments and the clueless-ness [laughter].
Really, they could have been modelled on Bad News!.
My final stint was when I was auditioning for Pendragon and that came about because of Clive Nolan; I was recording in Clive's studio with Shadowkeep when he first noticed my playing and he took my number.
Anyway, I was still with Shadowkeep at this point and was asked to sign a deal with them, but I declined, saying I just wanted to be a session player for them. They disagreed and fired me!

RM: Shadowkeep’s loss was Pendragon’s gain. Sounds like Clive also plays quite a part in your story...

SH: Oh, absolutely, mate. He played a massive part in my story, getting me in to his rock opera Caamora, then of course Pendragon...

Eraserhead (edit) - Pendragon (from 'Pure')
RM: We mentioned the Keith Moon comparison earlier, but if you could put one name and only one name forward as an inspiration, or a personal favourite…

SH: Mike Portnoy. I love the guy and I’m a massive Dream Theater fan, I mean massive.
There are others but far too many to mention… Nicko McBrain, Stewart Copeland, Simon Phillips… dozens more.


RM: Before Simon Phillips took the drum seat with Toto, replacing another brilliant drummer, the late great Jeff Porcaro, he was probably the most sought after rock drummer in the session world. Superb drummer.

SH: Yes, but for me it’s Portnoy. I’m a huge fan of the man and admire him so much.

RM: And goes back to what we said earlier about some drummers playing the kit as an instrument.
He is such a huge part of the Dream Theater sound.

SH: Not anymore he’s not!

RM: Yes, sorry, should have said was such a huge part. Mike leaving Dream Theater may be 2010's biggest rock music story, although if you read his statement on the decision, you do start to understand it.
It was almost a case of having to leave once he had made his mind up that he needed the break from the band and those relationships.
 
SH: You know what though? I think he really did believe they would agree to the hiatus or take a couple of years off and then regroup. I don’t think he really expected them to say they were continuing.

RM: Could be, but it’s also hard to conceive of Mike Portnoy not being back behind the Dream Theater kit at some point in the future.

SH: Yes, and that’s the problem for any drummer coming in. In fact, the day after the announcement and for a few days after - and this is something I haven’t spoken of until now - I got a lot of phone calls and emails saying "that job was made for you" or "you have to audition."
It would be awesome to play with guys like that, but at the same time you are only ever keeping the seat warm for Mike and there would be the continual comparisons.
Picture
                                Standing at the shoulder of giants. Mike Portnoy (left) and Scott Higham

SH: It’s funny, but most of my career I’ve been replacing great drummers!
Dave Hogg, the original Angel Witch drummer, Fudge Smith… but this would be completely different.
How do you replace Mike Portnoy?

RM: Well it’s been proven, pretty successfully in some cases, pivotal or seemingly irreplaceable members of classic rock bands can be replaced in this re-imagined era. In fact it’s become almost mandatory [laughs].

SH: Yeah, that’s true, but Mike Portnoy was truly unique. There is only one Mike Portnoy.
And with Dream Theater you would always be looking over your shoulder.


RM: And it’s not as if you’re unhappy with your lot, is it?

SH: Oh I couldn’t be happier. I love playing with Pendragon and I love the guys. I’m a very lucky man.
That’s not to say I wouldn’t love a call from Dream Theater... I spent years learning every drum part of every Dream Theater album Mike Portnoy played on! 


RM: Well, if you’re reading this, boys [laughter]…
Of course Pendragon is not your only family, you have that perfect balance and grounding in your life…


SH: Yes! We have twins, as you know, and that’s my other job [laughs]; when I’m not out recording or gigging I’m at home helping my wife with the twins and enjoying family life.
I remember when we were recording Pure in 2008 I was running back and forward from studio to hospital when my wife was expecting. Hectic!

RM: But probably one of the happiest times of your life.

SH: Oh absolutely. And earlier this year, in June, I became a full-time musician and I now have Christianity and God in my life… in fact I recently had my confirmation. So I have everything I could ever want!

RM: As we head towards a conclusion to this conversation, I’d like to mention a couple of other drummers. One you will certainly know and one you probably won’t.

SH: Okay!

RM: The name I would put up as one of the best and arguably the best, in crossover / fusion terms, is Steve Smith.

SH: The Journey drummer?

RM: He’s certainly known for his time with Journey, back in their days of galactic domination [laughter], but he comes from a jazz, swing and fusion background. He’s played in more bands and worked with more world-class musicians than I can remember. Also bandleader of his own jazz-fusion outfit, Vital Information.

SH: I know exactly who you mean; I’ve watched a lot of his videos and drum clinic tutorials.

RM: That’s why I brought him up. He spends a lot of his time running those drum clinic tours.
He emphasises that all the greats, or those who wish to be one of the greats, in jazz or rock, borrow from the jazz greats of earlier eras such as Tony Williams and Max Roach. They adapt and learn from them whilst using their own skill set to produce a melting pot of drumming, or percussive, ideas.

SH: You have just described perfectly, and Steve Smith is teaching, exactly, what the best drummers do.
They borrow, or just outright steal [laughs], from the greats.
 
RM: Which is what I have been saying about Scott Higham; I see you as a student of the art, wanting to be one of the greats.

SH: Thank you. I have to admit jazz is not really my thing, I come from a heavy rock, metal and progressive background. But those jazz greats, the guys you mentioned and others like Buddy Rich and Art Blakey, laid the foundation.

RM: Exactly. From one jazz drummer you have heard of to one you probably haven’t...
Alyn Cosker drums for not just the Celtic rock band Wolfstone but the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra, no less. He also has his own jazz trio.

SH: Really?

RM: Yeah, a true talent; released his first solo album last year. I mention Alyn because I've intentionally featured the two of you on FabricationsHQ at the same time.
I also believe Alyn to be one of the best musicians to come out of Scotland in the modern musical era.

SH: That’s awesome. He comes from a jazz background while I come from a rock and metal background…

RM: …but both striving to be masters of your craft.

SH: But to be compared to someone like Alyn, with what he has already accomplished and for you to put me alongside him? That’s a huge compliment.

RM: Well you’re deserving of the compliment, but I have to say what jumps out at me from this conversation is that such compliments are, arguably, only able to be given because of a phone call from Paul Samson.
So here’s the Million Dollar question - if you don’t get that call or, to go further back, if you didn’t have that bug to pick up a set of drumsticks, where is Scott Higham now and what is he doing?

SH: Oh that’s a great question…I really don’t know, to be honest. Where would I be… somewhere dark, possibly? And with where I was brought up in London, maybe even crime. Music saved me from that.
I mean I was on my own and pretty much looking after myself by the age of 15 so who knows?
But I do know that drumming was all I ever wanted to do. What I was meant to do, as I said before.

RM: Well, on behalf of those who have seen or heard you drum, I’m glad you had the discipline and dedication to do just that.

SH: Me too, mate! [laughs]

Masters of Illusion (live, closing section) - Pendragon (from 'Concerto Maximo')
RM: We can’t end on such a dark What If scenario though, so before we wrap up our chat I’ll ask the most important question for any drummer.

SH: Which is?

RM: What’s your favourite drummer joke?

SH: [laughs] Oh I’ve heard the lot, mate! Favourite one? I do like How do you know when the stage floor is not set-up level?

RM: Go on…

SH: The drummer is dribbling out of one side of his mouth.

RM: B'dum T'sh! Sorry, couldn't resist [laughs].
And let’s not forget the classic: How do you know when a drummer is at your door?

SH: The knock speeds up! [laughs]. Actually I just remembered my favourite one, it was Clive Nolan who told me it, which is nice coming from your own band mate! Trouble is you can’t print it! [laughs].

RM: I’ll be the judge of that, Scott.

SH: Okay then, here it is…

Turns out Scott was right. I can’t print it.

Which is a pity. Because, like Scott Higham, it’s a bloody good ‘un.

Who is one of the best drummers you have now heard of.

Ross Muir
Muirsical Conversation with Scott Higham
November 2010

Article dedicated to the memory of Paul Samson (1953 – 2002)



Audio excerpts presented to accompany the Muirsical Conversation article by kind permission of Nick Barrett. No infringement of copyright is intended.

Photo Credits: Darren Higham (Mike Portnoy and Scott Higham); Rachel Wilce (Scott Higham drum shot)
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