Q&A with Kerry Crutchfield
Hollywood Drum Show, October 2009
Hootie and the Blowfish were voted Best New Artist at the Grammy’s the year Kerry “Crutch” Crutchfield and his wife, Patti—while driving home from a particularly “lame” San Francisco Drum Show—conceived the notion of The Hollywood Custom and Vintage Drum Show. Darius Rucker has since moved on to Burger King commercials and country music. Kerry is currently preparing for the 12th Annual Hollywood Drum Show. He might prefer the publishing royalties for “Only Wanna Be with You,” but we’re happy the popular L.A. drum-community event has outlived the Blowfish.
We sent Kerry some questions and his answers are printed unedited.
Hollywood Drum: Congratulations on the imminent 12th Annual Hollywood Drum Show. What are the origins of the show and your history with it?
Kerry Crutchfield: My wife and I drove up to San Francisco in 1996 for the ill fated San Francisco Drum Show. It was pretty lame, held in a hotel banquet room. Including us there were only 6 exhibitors, and virtually no attendees. On the long drive down the coast coming home we started talking about how we would have produced a better event, and the idea for a Hollywood Show was born.
HD: The show is returning to its original home this year at Raleigh Studios, Hollywood. We’ve seen a long residency at Remo Center, and more recent one-offs at Pasadena Conference Center and KFWB Studios. Am I leaving someplace out? It seems locating an appropriate and available venue must be one of the more challenging aspects of putting this event together now. Please describe that process. Has The Hollywood Drum Show found another stable home in Raleigh?
Kerry: In 1998, the 2nd year, we rented the entire 2nd floor of The Hollywood Park Racetrack Casino. It turned out to be overkill, since we tried to buck the trend and held the event on Labor Day Weekend. Big mistake!! Everybody was out of town. Probably the poorest show we did. You would think it would be easy to find a venue here in Los Angeles that we could use every year, but that has not been the case at all. It is extremely difficult to find a suitable place that will allow us to do what we do, provide parking, lots of noise etc at a price that makes sense. It remains to be seen if Raleigh Studios can be a long term deal.
HD: I imagine that you begin work on next year’s show the day after everyone packs their toys and goes home. Give us an idea of what planning these events entails for you throughout the year.
Kerry: First of course is securing a venue. Then we start recruiting the various potential exhibitors, trying to get commitments, wooing and securing guest artists, clinicians, working with their touring schedules etc.
HD: The clinics and performances have become an important part the proceedings. I know that it helps the draw, but I have a feeling that there is more to it for you than that. The show itself is a community gathering and a celebration of drumming. How has this evolved?
Kerry: The first show we had only one clinic. Ian Wallace and I were good friends, and I called him for a favor and sure enough he flew out from New Mexico and did a great clinic, even brought Freddie Gruber up for Q & A afterward. He was scheduled to play at Pasadena for the 10th anniversary show, but tragically became too ill and passed away soon after. It has now become a tradition of great drummers wanting to be part of the gig each year. When you look at the names of past performers it’s pretty awesome. Louie Bellson, Hal Blaine, Ed Shaughnessy, Stanton Moore, Don Osborne, Bun E Carlos, Jeff Hamilton, JR Robinson, Gary Novak, Virgil Donati, Smitty Smith, Clayton Cameron, Peter Erskine, Gregg Bissonette, it is all “A” list talent. Everyone wants to out do each other. It’s great!. Bernie Dresel and I have been trying to get him at the show for years, but he would always end up out on tour with Brian Setzer Orchestra. This year it finally worked out, and I get the luxury of watching him play at our show, very cool!
HD: How many exhibitors will there be this year, and has the number increased regularly from show to show? How is the demand for these shows trending in general, especially given that vintage gear just keeps getting more vintage and rare? What about the custom market? It seems custom-makers are leveling off after a boom. What’s the future for vintage and custom?
Kerry: We have 35 exhibitors this year. It varies each year, up and down. The vintage scene is dropping like a stone, at least here on the west coast. I think most of the vintage gear has found a permanent home or has been sold on Ebay to someone in Japan. The economy has certainly had its effect on the market, as virtually all the music stores I have visited are crying the blues. There are quite a few custom builders making some great gear, and I think that trend will continue, although not as much. The big time vintage boom is over, and I don’t think we will see any new shows popping up that are all about vintage stuff. We actually do not call our show “The Vintage Show” anymore; we just call it “The Hollywood Drum Show”
HD: Are you a vintage or custom man yourself? A collector? Tell us what gear you own and who’s your baby?
Kerry: I stopped collecting a few years ago, as it had gotten out of control. I sold a ton of gear, and kept the stuff I really dig. I have several 60’s Camco sets , 3 Leedy Ludwig sets, some old Slingerland Radio Kings, and a bunch of snares. I got a new Dunnett Classic Titanium snare from Ronn last year that I really love, and a custom made mahogany snare from Stan at Pro Drum Shop that is a killer.
HD: This is a big job you undertake annually. What’s most satisfying for you: The planning, the event itself, or the aftermath?
Kerry: The most satisfying part is seeing the appreciative faces of the guys at the show. When someone comes up to me and tells me they really enjoy the show and thank me for continuing to do it each year, it makes it all worth it.
HD: A simple question, or not: Why do you do it?
Kerry: Originally it was a great way to find and collect vintage drums. After the 3rd show, it kinda became a “drum family” get together event, a big party if you will. Now it’s got a life of its own, and people come together from all over the world to hang out at the show.
HD: Tell us a strange, funny, inspirational, or otherwise remarkable story that comes to mind recalling the past 11 Hollywood Drum Shows.
Kerry: Frankie Capp was to play and do a clinic at the 6th annual show in 2002. He came out on stage, started talking, and sat down at his drums. After playing for about 20 seconds, he stopped and said he found playing drums by himself boring, so he wasn’t gonna play anything. So he is taking questions from the crowd, and telling everyone that his Remo drumset is made out of paper, not real wood. About that time Mr. Remo Belli walked out onto the stage and firmly corrected him as to what his drums were actually made from. Frankie didn’t know what to say, turned beet red. The year before that, Kofi Baker had just finished a long, incredible drum solo and fell of his throne, landed right on his butt. Got a great round of applause!
HD: HollywoodDrum.com always ends our Q&As with an open drum solo—what else would you like to share with the all the L.A. drummers out there?
Kerry: Just to remind them that while our show is not perfect, it is the ONLY show of it’s kind on the West Coast, so they should not complain about parking, or having to pay ten bucks each day to get in, or say we don’t have enough vintage stuff, but embrace the event for what it is and enjoy it. Where else can you meet and chat with the owners and builders of all the great drum companies, cymbal makers etc? Where else can you also see 6 of the worlds greatest drummers perform, talk with them, pick their brains, over a weekend for a 20 dollar bill? It’s not a money maker for us, so we need the support of our community. Our show IS the people. Without the people, there is no show.
The 12th Annual Hollywood Drum Show takes place October 17th and 18th at Raleigh Studios, Hollywood, CA