Big Fat Five: Jason McGerr (Death Cab for Cutie)
Notes de l’épisode
This week on Drummers on Drumming, I’m revisiting a conversation I had with Jason McGerr back in 2021.
Jason has been the drummer for Death Cab for Cutie since 2002. He’s also a longtime teacher, session player, and engineer.
This was originally a Big Fat Five episode. For anyone unfamiliar with the format, I ask drummers to choose five records that shaped how they approach the instrument. It’s less about ranking favorites and more about tracing their musical DNA.
I went back and reworked this conversation for the current feed because it’s too good to leave buried in the archive.
In this episode:
- Jason's obsession with collecting practice pads and how each surface can change the way his hands respond
- What Jason wants every student feeling after a lesson
- What joining Death Cab taught him that books and practice rooms couldn’t
- Learning to frame drum parts around songs and lyrics
- Why a drummer's sound can be responsible for half of the feel
- The value of happy accidents and leaving some rough edges in a recording
- Making odd-time grooves feel natural
- Why becoming a better drummer sometimes requires playing fewer notes and listening more
Jason’s Five Choices:
Artist - Talk Talk
Album - Laughing Stock
Release Year - 1991
Key Track - “Ascension Day”
Drummer - Lee Harris
Artist - Can
Album - Tago Mago
Release Year - 1971
Key Track - “Mushroom”
Drummer - Jaki Liebezeit
Artist - Led Zeppelin
Album - Led Zeppelin IV
Release Year - 1971
Key Track - “Four Sticks”
Drummer - John Bonham
Artist - Soundgarden
Album - Badmotorfinger
Release Year - 1991
Key Track - “Jesus Christ Pose”
Drummer - Matt Cameron
Artist - Jon Hopkins
Album - Immunity
Release Year - 2013
Key Track - “Abandon Window”
Drummer - No drummer
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