STEVE ASHEIM (Deicide) – Determination

Man tager et intervju som Blast Beast og sender til de man ønsker skal delta. Mange har man ikke stor tro på skal komme i retur og da jeg sendte i vei spørsmålene til Earache og ba dem videresende til Deicide og bandets trommis Steve Asheim, var det vel mest for syns skyld at det ble gjort. Men Steve overrasket med sitt bidrag i løpet av ganske få dager og her er det snakk om en kar som er skikkelig hekta på trommene. 13 utgivelser med Deicide er det blitt til nå og flere blir det sikkert siden Deicide har fått en ny vår med The Stench of Redemption.

ET – When did you start to play the drums?
STEVE – At a very young age, banging around on toy kits and destroying them at around age 5. Moved on to some rudimentary lessons around 10 – 11 years old. First actual playable kit at around 12 – 13 and never stopped taking drums very seriously since then.

ET – Why did you start playing drums?
STEVE – Isn’t it obvious? It’s because the drums are thee coolest instrument to play and probably the most challenging as well.

ET – How often do you practice?
STEVE – It depends on what’s going on. If we’re touring a lot, there’s really no need to practice. You’re about as good as you’re gonna get when you play that much. When we’re not touring, I go play once or twice a week just to stay loose. When we’re about to go record, that is when the serious practicing starts; I’d say about 3 hours 4 or 5 days a week for 3 or 4 weeks. By then I’m ready to get in the studio and get it done, no bullshitting around, no wasted time or money and no need to have my tracks pro-tooled all to hell.

ET – Which drummer did you look up to when you were young and is there anyone today that you admire more than the rest?
STEVE – I was really, and still am into Clive Burr’s drumming. His playing for the time was very energetic, tasteful and precise. Those are qualities I like in the playing of any instrument. There’s really no one around today that I’m like "Wow, he’s awesome". A lot of very good players; don’t get me wrong, but they’re all doing the same thing; trying to be "the fastest". Which is fine, playing fast is certainly cool and fun and useful in the writing of heavy music, but for my tastes, there has to be more to it than that. The creation of "drum hooks" to add to a piece of music, and style and a little individuality is at least as important as speed, in my opinion anyway. That’s how I approach playing to my own music.

ET – What kind of equipment do you use? Which equipment is in your ears the best?
STEVE – I’ve been using a Yahama kit since the early 90’s, but I am waiting for the delivery of a custom Ddrum kit, it’sgonna be beautiful, dark green stain shells, black-chrome hardware, custom tom dimensions. Can’t wait for that one! Also Paiste cymbals, they hooked me up with the new Alpha series and they’re great; very powerful, cutting sound with those. Plus Vater sticks as well as Axis pedals.

ET – Which qualities do you think is most important to succeed as a drummer today?
STEVE – Definitely determination, it’s the # 1 thing needed to succeed in anything. But a good piece of advice I’d like to give drummers which has served me well over the many years I’ve been doing this is to learn other instruments, especially guitar. Writing music is a key factor to keeping yourself employed. There’s nothing worse than waiting for some lazy-ass guitar player (and they are notoriously lazy) to get around to writing music so a  drummer can have something to play to. So drummers, learn to write music so you can tell these flakey, giant-headed guitarists where to go!

ET – Have you ever played a solo during a gig?
STEVE – A few times. I don’t make a thing out of it, but it’s good to have one ready in case you have to cover for something live; a technical issue, usually a guitarist (again w/ the damn guitar players) breaking a string or something like that.
  
ET – If you haven’t become a drummer, what would you most likely been doing?
STEVE – I probably would have joined the marines. My dad and uncles were all in the corps, so I probably would have done that. Which means by now I’d be up my neck in jihads or six feet under in Arlington.

ET – Do you workout a lot?
STEVE – I work out pretty often I guess. Not as much as I’d like to, but enough to keep from getting too fat or too skinny.

ET – Do you have any special rituals you have to go through before you enter the stage?
STEVE – I wouldn’t call them rituals exactly, but things I like to do before I go on stage are:

 

1. Take leak or a shit
2. Drink plenty of water
3. Smoke plenty of weed (super sticky, not that crappy brown shit)
4. Warm up a little, rudiments and stuff, nothing to energy exerting. Save the energy for the stage.
That’s about it really.

 

 

ET – Which releases have you been a part of so far? (Band name, title, release year)
STEVE –
DEICIDE – Deicide -1990
DEICIDE – Legion -1992
DEICIDE – Amon, feasting the beast, the ’87 and ’89 demo -1993
DEICIDE – Once upon the cross – 1995
DEICIDE – Serpents of the light -1997
DEICIDE – When satan lives, live from Chicago -1998
DEICIDE – Insinerhatehymn – 1999
DEICIDE – In torment in hell – 2001
DEICIDE – The best of – 2001
DEICIDE – Scars of the crucifix – 2003
DEICIDE – When London burns DVD – 2004
DEICIDE – The stench of redemption – 2006
DEICIDE – Doomsday L.A. DVD – 2007
  
ET – Before we end this, you now have the opportunity to challenge another drummer to take part in this series. Pick a drummer and explain why?
STEVE – Get Dave, Nick and Pete, all buddies of mine and challenge them to slow the hell down already. I also challenge them to see who can take the biggest bong hit without choking.