John Boecklin - Devil Driver

John Boecklin - Devil Driver

Devil Driver are an American metal band that has grown in stature and popularity over the last couple of years with the release of their last two albums. They have always attracted a dedicated following on their relentless tours and are now receiving the much deserved attention of the music press, not only for their energetic hard hitting performances but also their record breaking attempts at making the largest circle pit at a show… a sight worth seeing in itself!

John Boecklin is the drummer but also multi instrumentalist who takes time with us to discuss recording techniques, practice routines and the importance of not only the gear you play but the relationships you have with the companies that make it.

You actually started out as a guitarist in the band is that right?

Yes, that was around 2001, I had always been a drummer in bands but when the opportunity came to play music with Des there was only a guitar spot open so I took it and then we lost our drummer and we couldn’t find anybody good enough so I temporarily played the drums thinking we were going to get a drummer but it never worked out.

The band were also originally called Death Wire, how did the name change come about?

It was a legal issue, so we changed the name.  The original drummer of this band used to be in a band called Motor Raider and when they got signed he basically left which I think was a good thing because as a drummer I think I have been able to take it in a different direction than he would have done.

You’re known for your touring and hectic schedules while away. How did the writing if new material come about? Do you write a lot on the road?

Not really, we started writing Pray for Villains probably about a month after our third record came out and we’re already writing for the fifth one so to speak now and it’s not even out yet.  I don’t deal with pressure that well and if we just had a month to write something or trying to write something while touring I don’t think it would be any good.

It doesn’t work like that for you, the creative juices flow differently for everybody don’t they?

Yeah, creative juices flow for me when I’m at home watching TV with a guitar in my hand.

With a lot of bands you find that the musicians are multi-instrumentalist and it really adds to their song writing, it gives you another dimension.  When everybody’s just playing the one instrument it gives you an insight into what the other guys are thinking when they’re playing, certainly live as well.

Yeah, I have my own style and if you knew my style, you could tell the songs on the record that I write and which ones aren’t mine.  But in terms of right for drumming what’s really helped me out, I hate to say it, would be the computer. It’s not very natural, but my band members would write riffs and program these beats and I would think ‘damn, I can’t do that’ and they would be like ‘well you’ve gotta learn to do it’, if something’s too fast I was like ‘I don’t know if I can play that man’ and that’s really been a big help for me.  We email each other songs and it’s the product of what the band writes like on the computer, but the drum fills and stuff come together more on the kit.

What is the natural recording process? Do you try and keep it as live as possible or is it a little more methodical?  I was talking to Dave from Dragon Force and he was saying it is a really methodical process, what about you guys?

There’s no live feel to what we do, I just play.  We demo the scratch guitars at our house and I come to the studio, none of the guys are there. I basically just divide each song into three parts; play the first part and if I thought it was good I’ll move on, then maybe do two to three takes of each song and then compile it all together.  If there’s a really hard part I’ll just do that part alone.

Is it also easier to record in that way so that you don’t get too tired because this style of music requires such precision?

You’ve got to keep up the energy, whether you think you’re tired or not; you get tired.  After three or four takes of a track you get tired.

I think for vocalists as well, they very often say, ‘let’s do another bit’, but if you’ve not got it by the fourth take, give it a break.

Absolutely maybe get back the next day.  If I struggle with something I like to move on. I don’t like to get this ‘I’m not getting it, I’m never going to get it’.

So your first and second albums were critically acclaimed and had good success but the third and fourth album have really kicked your popularity up a gear in terms of the fans.

Yeah, I think progressively we get better, especially over here I feel a special kind of movement for us.  We’re getting some press that we never got before; it’s a good pocket for us.

Download seems like a bit of a pilgrimage for a lot of bands, particularly stylistic bands like yourselves, though you have played here before?

Yeah, this is our fourth time

You work with Nathan Cox who directed Lincoln Park. On their videos how did that relationship start?

That’s all related to Des our singer.  He used to be in a band called Cold Chamber and they were pretty big but he basically gave Nathan Cox his first job.  He said you’ve never done a video before, I’ll take you on and he did the video for Loco

This is where the return favour came in

Yes. He actually has just done our third video for us, he keeps returning the favour but for the most part he was a bit out of our league like price range.  He came in and said ‘you gave me my first job, Des and I owe you’ and he still kept that ethos, he’s loyal, that’s really cool.  Because we kind of have weird ideas, the Wander video is very far fetched. With the ideas we had, it’s very hard to put to light and make it come cool, so it’s all green screen and very theatrical - he did a great job.

In terms of being on the road, practising and staying in shape, have you got any routines? Do you practise a lot or is it all sound checks and gigs?

It’s all sound checks.  I play a lot better when I have a sound check because I get the jitters of being on that stage that day.  I just get them out.  I don’t get up there and go ‘oh I’ve never been up here before’.  In terms of practising on the road, I don’t practise at all really.

So the jitters may well still be there on a big gig like this where you don’t get to do your own soundcheck?

Yeah, but I just try and do a little warm up, make sure the blood’s running, but in terms of practising to get better I just do that at home.  I find that kind of irritating.  It’s almost my job; I want to be the best drummer I can so I’ve got to do it. It’s like doing homework on days off but it’s not fun.

You got tracks in TV shows like Scrubs and then you’ve got a video in the Rock Band game, that’s got to be surreal?

Yeah, the Scrubs thing came together real funny because our guitar player was hanging out in a bar, the guy heard we were there or something and for some reason he goes ‘You’re Devil  Driver’ and he assumed we knew Trent Reznor and he was like ‘I’m doing this TV show I need you to get in touch with Trent Reznor for me for our TV show’ and Geoff’s just like ‘just use our shit, I don’t know Trent Reznor’ and he was like ‘you know what you’re right’ so he used our stuff and it was on Scrubs which is a major TV show in America. It’s pretty funny.

Gear-wise, what are you using at the moment?

I use Mapex drums, I just went with them, the best move I’ve ever made. I use the Orion Series and I am endorsed by Gibraltar hardware. I just recently, a year ago, moved to a whole rack unit. And I used Meinl cymbals; I can’t say enough good shit about them.

Norbert is a top guy.  I used to manage a couple of bands whose drummers used Meinl cymbals and it was just German efficiency in the cymbals and personnel.

And not just the product, but what they’ve come from. When I joined them, in 2004, to what they are now, they’ve come miles, but them as people, as a company, they really take care of you.

2004 would have been when Marco Minnemann was with them and Thomas Lang, both really good drummers who know what sound they’re looking for. That’s what they seem to have, the virtuoso guys like yourself and Dave Mackintosh as well

Yeah, when I first joined them I was like ‘I’m really into you guys but I don’t like the rides’ so they worked on what is now the Soundcaster Megabell, they worked with me on that, it’s not my signature cymbal but they worked with me on it and it was really cool.  I had just joined up and they listened to my idea.  If I joined another cymbal company and I was like ‘I’m not really feeling this’, they would be ‘well, get to the back of the line’.

I started off a little bit of a bigger fish in that company and now they’ve flourished and now I’m a real small fish in that company compared to some of the rock start dudes they’ve got, but they still treat me the same.  It’s all you could ask for with a company.  They didn’t forget me, even though the bands gotten bigger and bigger but still they work with some heavy hitters and they’ve still got time for me and I love that.

I also use Vic Firth sticks, love them.

Again, Vic is a nice guy

Marco is my main guy over there, he’s a riot.

Joe Hibbs looks after me at Mapex and he’s the shit.  I met him, basically I was with Ddrum and I was a NAMM and we just drank three nights in a row together and he was like ‘what are you doing over there, come over here’, and I was like ‘yeah, totally’.

Words; Ade Holbrook