Tom Taitano is drummer and co-vocalist in Totalisti, a band from Enumclaw, Washington.



Taitano explains that Totalisti really enjoy to play odd times and really syncopated parts - and trying to make them groove. Comments the drummer: "We tried to make the technicality second to the ability to make it feel good. The guys will come in with a melody and then I approach them with the rhythm and say, ‘Here's how we can do this; here's how we can break it down,’ almost like a math problem. ‘If you want to turn it into a 4/4 feel we can do that; if you want to turn it into a 6/8 feel, maybe a 5/4 or a 7/4, let’s go!’ For example, “Severed Ties” is a song that starts out in 7/8, goes to 4/4 for the verse, then goes to 5/4 for the chorus, and it's just a matter of feel. Our big thing is instead of trying to create these big parts, I think we try to focus on making great transitions from part to part. As far as, ‘Where does the thought go?’ - it's definitely in our transitions."