100 Drummers #1: Starring Robby Cosenza (These United States)

There’s probably no better drummer to start things off with than Robby Cosenza of These United States. For many a year Robby’s been bringing the backbeat with a certain gusto and panache to the wonderful quirky Americana made by wandering DC/Lexington/NYC/VA band These United States. I had the pleasure of sitting down with Robby for a little all drums, all the time chat under the watchful eyes of a photo of Alice Cooper before the band’s show at the Rock’n’Roll Hotel, and the results of our delightful chat are below for your reading pleasure.
Fuzzy Logic: How old were you when you first picked up the drumsticks?
Robby Cosenza: I was 8. There was a summer program, I lived on Long Island, like keep the kids off the street and do something creative with your life, so I took lessons at one of the high schools. I think it was for high school kids, and they were like aww little kid, and I liked it and I did pretty well, and then I got a drumkit.
FL: Which drum is the best drum, and why?
RC: Well, all the drums are pretty important…I don’t know how to answer that. I mostly stick with the kick and snare, I don’t have a lot of like toms and cymbals and a lot of shit, cuz I’ll try to use it all cuz I’m a Rush fan and then it becomes a problem for me…so I guess I’m a kick drum guy, really, which is the bass drum.
FL: Who’s your favorite drummer of all time?
RC: Well, I would hate to say Neil Peart from Rush, but he is the reason why I started playing drums, as with many drummers of my era. I started playing drums in ’82, so that was big arena rock/prog rock stuff. I always wanna say Ringo Starr, cuz he’s probably like the first memorable drummer I know, or Max Weinberg from Bruce Springsteen’s band, which I know seems maybe cliché since he is like Conan’s drummer and stuff, but honestly he was probably my first big influence.
FL: Singing drummers: On the cool side like Levon Helm, or more on the questionable side like Phil Collins?
RC: Oh, I don’t think Phil Collins is questionable. I think he’s right up there. I mean, I sing and play drums, so…I think it’s good. I think it’s hard, when you see like the frontman as the drummer, like Phil Collins it seems maybe lackluster as a performance, you know, cuz you can’t move around and the front guy is generally gonna be more entertaining than not. But I support it, Levon Helm, I mean, no questions really. I’m a fan. I have to be.
FL: Say you break a stick during a show and you don’t have a spare. What do you do?
RC: I use my cock, actually, if I can, depending on where I am. [chuckling] If you don’t have a spare? You just one hand it, do the Rick Allen/Def Leppard, you know? You just fake it til you make it, really. But I have spares.
mp3: I Want You to Keep Everything (These United States from Everything Touches Everything)
[photo of Robby Cosenza by Megan Petty]
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