| The Drummers' Perspective - Kevin Reed |
   |
Interview Post: April, 2005
Occupation: Musician & Drum Inventor - Brunswick, Ohio
Website: www.kevinreedband.com & www.thunderechodrums.com
Excerpts from Biography: Kevin Reed's dreams were crushed by a tree felled by a co-worker during spring break in 1994. Sustaining a catastrophic, traumatic brain injury and numerous spinal fractures, he was flown to a level-one trauma center. World-renowned neurosurgeon, Robert J. White, MD, Ph.D. abruptly terminated surgery to announce to the family that they would be spending their last night with Kevin. Kevin's injuries were far too critical. True to form, Kevin challenged authority…and eight-and-one-half more hours of brain surgery was continued a few days later. Dr White had to remove one-and-one-half pounds of Kevin's three pound brain, and the prognosis was dismal. A 75-day coma ensued, and there was a high probability that he would remain in a persistent vegetative state. His coma was punctuated with many life-threatening medical complications. Kevin shocked many people the day he finally awakened. But, he could not talk, was totally paralyzed on the right side, was partially blind and deaf, could not read or write, could not swallow or breath or think properly, and did not even remember what his name was. Now, after more than 2500 therapy sessions, he has relearned to talk, read and walk again. Drumming, however, was never lost, since it was ingrained from the time of his first paid gig at the age of 13. He and his brother, Craig, formed many bands over the years. Music, in fact, forged the mettle of Kevin's incredible recovery. Kevin tapped rhythms on his body brace long before he relearned to talk. As part of his physical rehabilitation, seven years after the accident, Kevin, with the help of Professor Tom Fries, wrote Odyssey, a percussion ensemble rock suite premiered by the talented students of the College of Wooster. It is a musical expression of brain injury, coma, rehabilitation and celebration of life. Craig composed the piano score with such emotional honesty as only a brother could. Tom Fries directed Odyssey, and the Kevin Reed Band joined in the celebration of life. The Odyssey was professionally recorded, and was released in 2002 to quite a bit of publicity in NE Ohio. |
Questions
The Drummers Lounge (TDL) |
Answers
Kevin Reed (KR) |
TDL: If you could describe your playing as a food, what would it be? |
KR: Probably an artichoke! I like to put a different twist on things. |
TDL: Was the drum set the first instrument you learned to play? |
KR: In elementary school, my mom wanted me to get a music foundation in piano. The teacher called a couple of weeks later and said, "Mrs. Reed, why don't you do the three of us a favor and let Kevin learn drums?". I've been drumming ever since. |
TDL: Do you play any other instruments now? |
KR: There are other instruments? |
TDL: Why of how did you pick the drum set over the many choices there are for musical instruments? |
KR: Drums were it, I never gave much thought to learning any other instrument. |
TDL: Before your accident, what was your motivation to play? |
KR: I wanted to be the loudest, fastest double-bass drummer there was...and with the biggest kit! I practiced constantly and early on, learned to repair, recover, and modify drums and racks. With that experience, I kept adding on to my kit with refurbished drums. |
TDL: After your accident, what was your motivation to play? |
KR: I had to prove the doctors wrong...that I would be able to play again. |
TDL: Why didn't you just quit (music)? |
KR: Music is a part of who I am, I just couldn't quit being me! |
TDL: Based on your Bio, many people, including doctors, gave you dismal recovery possibilities and a poor outlook on your future. What brought you through those tough times and self-doubt? |
KR: I never listened much to people who told me stuff that I thought was wrong. There was no self-doubt, I just knew I would get better if I worked at it. (A lesson for all) |
TDL: How soon after the accident were you able to play again? |
KR: While listening to tapes, I tapped out rhythms with my left hand on my plastic body brace shortly after waking up out of the coma. My left arm was about the only body part that worked. |
TDL: How did music aid in your recovery? |
KR: My headphones have not come off throughout the ten years of physical therapy. My drumsticks were at the center of my rehabilitation. At various times we had occupational and physical therapists over to see behind my drum kit so they could see what motions my hands or feet had to make. Then they would design exercises for me to regain function. |
TDL: What was the most difficult part of your drum kit to re-learn, and what was the process you went through? |
KR: All of it!!! I was totally paralyzed on the right side and was spastic in my left hand and foot. I was blind in 50% of my visual field and had double vision on top of that. I gradually started playing an acoustic kit with only my left hand, later adding the left foot on the bass drum. By then, my mom nailed an elastic bandage sling to the ceiling that I used to support my right arm, and she also Velcro'd a drum stick to that hand. I practiced with my right hand hitting the top of one drum forever. Music therapy with Ann Liberatone (at the Cleveland Music School Settlement) helped a lot. My brother, who also plays keyboards, and my other band mates, would come over to jam. Our first gig out was a rehabilitation center in July 1996, and I was just starting to use my right hand a bit around the kit. Through 1998, we continued to play at medical facilities. I then started studying jazz percussion under Tom Fries. He was my drum instructor at the Koch School of Music throughout elementary and high school, and was willing to help me adjust for my disability around the kit as a part of my musical rehabilitation. My first club gig with the newly named 'Kevin Reed Band' wasn't until 1999, five years after the accident, and I still was not able to use my right foot on hi-hat. I didn't get that down pat until around 2002. |
TDL: During the times you have shared your life experiences with others (in regards to music), what is their typical response? |
KR: Most people seem to be a bit surprised at first,, and then cheer me on. |
TDL: You are very modest when it comes to talking about how 'inspiring' you could be to other people. It is people like you that can reach others in similar situations. What is the key to overcoming doubt, physical limitations, and seemingly impossible odds? |
KR: I guess for me that it is still summed up in three things: Humor, God, and music. |
TDL: You also joke that you can't quite play double-bass yet on your drum kit. I have taught students for years and have seen that some of them never quite get it. Is this still a personal of yours for the future? |
KR: I only recently started practicing with my right foot on an electric bass drum trigger since my right foot is still weak. But; playing double bass is still a goal. |
TDL: I have read and seen different accounts of the story behind Def Leopard's drummer Rick Allen, who lost his arm in an accident, and went on to modify his drum kit and continue playing with the band. Your story is similar. In your instance of mishap, that could have easily been left as a tragedy, what was your motivation or drive to continue on beyond your seeming dead-end musically? |
KR: I had to rise up to the challenge - keep going on. |
TDL: What keeps you motivated to play today? |
KR: Music is a form of communication. Often-times, people who see me behind the kit do not realize that I have disabilities until they see me away from the drums. Playing helps me forget that I am disabled. |
TDL: What do you attribute your motivation and positive attitude towards? |
KR: I have always built new things with old parts. Putting my body back together was a logical extension. |
TDL: Have you thought about a career in working with disabled people for the purpose of helping them overcome their personal obstacles of defeat? |
KR: I'd rather help by words and my playing. If I'd try to convince people, I would only sound like the doctors and medical people that I ignored. |
TDL: You wrote a percussion ensemble for the College of Wooster. Where, when, and how did you learn to compose and write music? |
KR: I signed up for some percussion classes at the college of Wooster in 1998 and 1999, to help get back some percussion instrument terminology. My drum instructor from the past, Tom Fries, was the professor, and in 2000 he helped me notate the 'Odyssey', the percussion ensemble suite that I wrote about brain injury recovery. It was performed at the College of Wooster, and directed by Tom Fries. We had it professionally recorded at Suma Recording Studio in 2001, and it was released to a bit of publicity in Ohio in 2002. |
TDL: Emotion is a big part of music. How much of your music is linked emotionally to your life experiences, or does emotion not play a part at all? |
KR: Most of the emotion went into the 'Odyssey' percussion ensemble suite. In the rock and roll that I play, I have to focus more on technique so I don't miss beats or cymbals! |
TDL: TRAP, which stands for 'The Rhythm and Arts Project', works with people that have disabilities. They use percussion as a way to help rehabilitate people and aid in their recovery. You obviously have a testimony for recovery. What would you say to the skeptics who question this type of treatment? |
KR: I have found that rhythm helped me in relearning to walk, overall coordination, hand-eye movements, and cognition. |
TDL: What is the 'Trash Kat', and how did you come up with the idea? |
KR: The Trash Kat is a 20" floor tom which utilizes a garbage can as its shell. It has a cool resonance not unlike the tympani. It can be used as a stand alone auxiliary percussion instrument or as part of a standard kit. I have had the idea since my high school days. I built several prototypes after the accident, and played one in all the band gigs. It caused quite a bit of interest so I applied for a patent and am building and selling them now. |
TDL: I have read that you also have engineered some unique drum kit setups. What modifications have you made to your kit and/or others? |
KR: I constantly modify my rack mounted kits. For practice I have right and left mounted hi-hats, right and left mounted side pedals, and I switch off in order to strengthen my playing. Much of the hardware is modified to satisfy my whims. |
TDL: If you could motivate the many musicians starting out today, what words of hope, perseverance, or determination would you give to them? |
KR: Give it all you got, and enjoy! |
Editor's Notes: Conducting this interview was a breath of fresh air. Kevin is no fake. He is the real deal. He not only speaks of enduring hardships, overcoming seemingly unbeatable odds, and struggling with disabilities...he lives it every day. Those of us that are not in the same shape as Kevin sometimes complain and give up at the slightest struggle. Shame on us. For my readers, if you take nothing else from this interview, take this: Never give up, always persevere, and remember to believe in yourself, no matter what others may say. |
| Copyright © All rights reserved. No pictures or information may be used without permission.Interviews conducted by TheDrummersLounge are the sole property of TheDrummersLounge, and have been approved by the artist.
Any reprints, copies, or use of any part of the interview is prohibited without written permission. |
