Hi, I'm Frank Dolan, and I suspect that you've already got the feeling that I love drums. I do, but it's probably more accurate to say that music is my passion, and drums are what I do best. I created this site, not because I'm a raving egomaniac (although I am a musician, so a certain amount of vanity was pre-installed at the factory), but in the hope that rhythm-deprived passers-by might decide that they could use my particular style of percussive expression.
I'm at my best when I'm a full-fledged band-member, with ALL of the passion and commitment involved in "chasing the dream"! When that's not an option, I am very much at large and available for recording, performance, touring ... and teaching too. If you're looking for such an animal, or if you're simply amused by the rantings of someone whose profession is noise, please read on.
Although there are drummers out there who take the instrument to a level where you really don't need anything else, I'm not one of them. I prefer to think of myself as someone who plays songs, rather than someone who plays drums. Don't get me wrong; I love rhythmic intricacies (and the raw power of a steady, driving groove), but I really need to feel that I'm helping to bring out the emotion of a piece of music.
I would like to be able to say that the song is the ONLY thing that matters, but the fact is that, like most musicians, I have an ego (or lack thereof ??) that craves attention and praise. To allow Frank the "crafter-of-songs" and Frank the "creator-of-memorable-rhythms" to share a drumkit, I approach music on two levels.
To serve the song, a drum part must have a readily identifiable hook - an element that gets under your skin, whether you're a plumber or a concert pianist. To serve the drummer, a drum part should have a subtle element of difficulty that really only becomes apparent if someone else tries to play it.
Jeff Porcaro was a master of this "split-level" approach - just listen to the simple (??) groove on Toto's 'Rosanna' and try to stop your toes tapping ... then try to play it, INCLUDING all the little ghost-strokes and dynamic shifts.
For me, a drum part should have a subtle level of difficulty, but it MUST have a hook. If the hook is strong enough, my frail ego can get by without the extra credit for difficulty; without the hook, I'm just another drummer showing off. My favorite example of "hook-power" is Cyndi Lauper's 'Time After Time' - the drum part is simple, sparse, no hidden difficulties ... but perfect for the song.
I'm not a songwriter in the sit-in-a-corner-with-a-guitar-sense, but I like to be involved in the song-creation process. I've worked with some people whose preference was to present a finished product to the band, and that's okay too, but there's really nothing to match the feeling you get when ideas start bouncing around the room ... hesitantly at first ... then the flow begins ... all of a sudden everyone's speaking at once and "poof", there's a song ... talk about goosebumps!
Anyway, enough about me ... let's talk about me!
My musical journey began in my native Ireland, where I traveled from one end of the rainbow to the other, putting in "kit-time" with such acts as Gimik, Denis Allen, and Hi Energy. In between shows, I squeezed in as much studio-time as possible, both behind the drums and behind the faders, playing and/or engineering for rock bands, country bands, TV themes, radio jingles ... anything with a pulse! When I had developed my playing somewhat, I began to teach drums (primarily to gratify my compulsion to be addressed as "Sir").
Like many of my countrymen, I have a wandering spirit (why do you think there's an Irish bar in every town in the world?), so it was somewhat inevitable that I would one day set sail for the New World. The tour that brought me to the US finished up in Boston and, after reading a local paper's account of the thriving Boston music scene, I decided not to bother taking the flight home. I spent the next several years performing and recording with some of (in my oh-so-humble opinion) Boston's finest, most notably Terri Bright and One Of Us. Whenever time allowed, I continued to teach, and I also "rediscovered my roots", working with Celtic-influenced acts, like Spike Island, and playing percussion in more traditional Irish ensembles.
I worked with Mike Mangini on Extreme's "Punchline" tour. Mike had been assembling the ideas that were to make up Rhythm Knowledge, and he invited me to join the project. Since then, I've spent way too many daylight hours 'chained to a desk' (combining my love of music and writing with an ever-increasing addiction to computers), helping to write and publish Rhythm Knowledge, Volumes One and Two. While I hope to be equally involved when Volumes Three, Four, etc. roll around, for now I'm turning my sights on the Internet. I've begun work on "Rhythm Knowledge Online", a series of interactive rhythm-lessons. If you're interested, class is in session at www.rhythmknowledge-drumschool.com
After the Extreme tour, wanderlust (or, more accurately, a dread of winter chills) took me westward to San Diego. For the next few years, I took schizophrenia to a new level, juggling SwingTree (an acoustic-tinged rock act); Blue Tomato (a blues band); Mad Dogs and Englishmen (a Joe Cocker tribute); and The Larry Mitchell Band (a unique blend of jazz, rock, and hip-hop). "Way too many balls in the air", you may say, but hey, I'm only a drummer after all ... it's not like I have to play music or anything!
Then I saw an ad that began: "Drummer sought for pop rock power trio Fiction. Super driven, super committed, freak energy...", and I thought "these guys are as obsessed as me, this could work out!". I finished up 1999 with an 11-week national tour, sandwiched between studio sessions to record tracks for the upcoming "Radio Fiction" CD. Unfortunately, it later became apparent that the people didn't mix as well as the music, so I resumed my quest for "the dream gig".
I began Millenium Two by recording a new CD with Sony DemoListen Derby winners SwingTree, and playing an Eat'M Conference showcase with Bishop Jones, as well as recording their Momentum CD.
Next, I embarked on a series of decidedly 21st century projects ... this is the computer age, after all, so it only seemed fitting that I take my craft into cyberspace. Computer-based multitrack recording used to be science-fiction ... then it became possible for those with unlimited budgets ... and now anyone with a PC, a decent soundcard, and an internet connection can record with anyone else ... even if they happen to be on different continents!
Obviously, intercontinental band-practice takes a little longer, and we don't get to go for ice-cream afterwards ... but otherwise everything is pretty much the same. I get the scratch-track (anything from simple voice and guitar, to full-blown arrangements, with everything but drums already in place), as an MP3 file, sent via the internet. I record a drum part, and send it right back ... then we bounce ideas back and forth through a few versions, until everyone is happy!
So far, the internet has allowed me to "cyber-jam" with UR, an Australian-based pop band, to record a track for the ANON compliation with One of Us, and to make noise in my old home town of Limerick, with singer-songwriter Milinda Allen.
Cyber-music is a new and exciting adventure, but I still think that we human-types are at our most creative when we're within yelling distance. Luckily, I didn't have to wait very long for my next flesh-and-blood, real-time collaboration.
In August 2001, I joined LA-based fighting Iris. No, they didn't just forget the "h" at the end ... in fact, I was the only Irish guy in the band, but we shared a common musical heritage, and I was "proud to be Iris!" We had two happy years ... and one a little less so. We parted ways before the good times were forgotten ... and here I am ... drummer at large once again!
Dee Plakas
