by Rafe Hyatt
DRUMMERS AND THEIR SWAG
(Author's note: I started working on this article in the fall of 2019. Since then, the article has evolved in its scope... it started out just being a personal story, then I asked a few local buddies for their stories, and then COVID hit the world and I thought I'd take a chance and reach out to some industry guys and even some "drum stars" and A-level endorsers.
Lo and behold, just about everyone I've contacted has happily answered a few questions. Seems there's a lot to say about drummer swag, and my heartfelt thanks go out to every drummer who took part: Kerry Denton, Mike Froedge, Mark Drake, Steve Smith, Rich Redmond, David Northrup, Kent Slucher, and John DeChristopher.)
I’m packing for a few days of travel with the corporate gig, and as always I throw in a couple of tattered old Evans logo shirts for bumming around in the hotel room during downtime. Many years ago, I had accumulated several thousand Evans Player’s Points, but the only thing in their swag catalog I liked at the time were the basic black Ts with Evans logos on front and back. So I got 6 of them.
And I got to thinking — there once was a time when every T-shirt I owned and every stationary object in my apartment were plastered with drum industry logos.
(SHIRT OFF YOUR) BACK STORY:
In high school, of course I marched in the drumline. My school’s colors were blue and orange, so naturally the big Paiste logos of the 80s were the perfect way to show school spirit and let the world know I was a drummer. I was into Ludwig drums (because my very first middle school concert snare drum was a Ludwig) and I saved enough McDonald’s paychecks to mail-order a half dozen Ludwig T- shirts, a handful of stickers, a pair of miniature drumsticks on a keyring (keys to what? I didn’t even have a car…) and a black Members Only knockoff jacket with the Ludwig logo across the back.
After high school I worked at Atlanta Pro Percussion, the famous drum shop of the southern US, and met with the sales reps from almost every percussion industry company. They were always generous with drum shop employees, and the longer we worked there, the reps from our favorite companies would bestow the really cool swag on those of us who played their brands. As our swag wardrobes and collections grew, sometimes we would barter and trade like a swap meet, the shop’s Pearl guy trading fanny packs with the shop’s Sabian guy, etc.
Sometimes, controversy would ensue. Different guys had different codes about only wearing the swag of the companies you actually played and liked. So If the Yamaha guy was out of the shop when the Yamaha rep visited, he'd notice that I'd been given a snazzy-looking Yamaha tee. Tempers would flare.
Yamaha guy: "What are you doing?"
Me: "Huh?"
"Are you gonna wear that Yamaha shirt?"
"Well yeah! It's cool looking!"
"Not cool, man. Everybody knows you don't even like Yamaha."
"What are you, the T-shirt police? Get outta here!"
"C'mon. Gimme it."
"What? No way!"
Atlanta Pro Percussion's shop shirts were emblazoned on the back with the phrase "Drummers do it... in rhythm!" But not every drummer who shopped at the store appreciated that risque slogan, so eventually the shop offered shirts with just the store logo on the front and nothing on the back. These became known as Shirley Temple shirts.
If someone came into Atlanta Pro wearing the T-shirt of a competing shop, we would good-naturedly harass them until they agreed to strip it off in exchange for a new Atlanta Pro shirt. We would then use the competitor's shirt to clean and polish drums and hardware, dust off the cymbals in their racks, or even to clean the restroom. It was all in good fun, and I never saw anybody get bent out of shape about it. If you purchased a drum or cymbal from Atlanta Pro between 1992 and 1997, there's a good chance that I personally cleaned or dusted it using a T-shirt from Rhythm City, American Music, Music Mart, or Dirt Cheep.
During my brief time in the retail drum industry, swag offerings really exploded. Beyond just T-shirts and stickers, there were hats, cups, glasses, coolers, koozies, lightweight jackets and heavy winter coats, oxford-style button down shirts with an embroidered logo over the pocket, bar stools, beanbag chairs, sweatshirts, sweatpants, sunglasses, blankets, and even wallets...but after buying all that stuff, who even needed a wallet anyway? Swag was almost a kind of drummer currency, and we all competed for the rarest, fanciest, or coolest looking stuff.
BROS AND PROS: Here are some swag comments from my drummer friends on the local scenes in Atlanta, Nashville, and a couple of big-time industry guys:
(Editor’s note by GEORGE LAWRENCE, drummer to the stars and head drumming cheerleader/instigator)
Little known facts, etiquette and guidelines for wearing and sporting drum swag:
1. Unlike the three hole limit on non-swag t shirts, swag shirts can have unlimited amounts of holes. The more, the better. So no moth balls.
2. Swag clothing must never be thrown away. Once the underarm stains become rigid and obvious, you can still wear it as an undershirt, or use it inside your bass drum as a muffler.
3. If you cover 100% of your drum cases with drum logo stickers, people will notice and you will get more gigs, I swear.
4. Swag from defunct drum and cymbal companies are the s**t.
5. Dave Weckl drum shoes were never cool. Did they end up giving those away as swag after they didn’t sell?
6. Don’t mix stickers from cymbal companies. Especially the round ones that look like cymbals
7. If it wasn’t free, then it’s not swag. If it was free, then you will feel extra special sporty.
(My favorite drum swag t shirt is my old George’s Drum Shop T shirt. On the back is a picture of Rodin’s “Thinking Man” statue sitting on a drum with the saying, “I Drum, Therefore I Am, I Think”. I thunk that up by my own self)
MARK DRAKE of Atlanta band Used Groove, and Spirit Of Atlanta drum corps alum:
"Of course, the swag we get associates us with a passion that's born into our DNA. And because we don't walk around with drums strapped to our bodies, we still want those we come in contact with to be aware of what we do - because WE think it's the coolest thing on earth. And sometimes it's part of the gig - take Spirit of Atlanta for instance. We were sponsored by Zildjian and Ludwig at the time. So we had the shirts and we were required to wear them when doing clinics."
KERRY DENTON of Shyanne, Atlanta based live and studio drummer:
"Tee shirts and hats are always great if they fit well. Cheaply made stuff is a waste of money. Stickers for road cases? Yes, when I was younger. Not so much now. And never on your car window. Just asking to be robbed."
MIKE FROEDGE, Atlanta studio owner and drummer of Dreaded Marco, DoubleDrive and Black Label Society:
"I don’t think younger players are as obsessed with all the posters and banners as many of us used to be back in the day. The internet/digital age seems to have kind of put a damper on all things print-related. I definitely had as much of that stuff as I could get my hands on, though, in my bedroom, apartments, and rehearsal rooms. During my years of extensive touring, I of course had a compelling interest in “representing” for my endorsement companies, so I would often wear the t-shirts and other swag that they would give me. I have a couple of favorite worn-out vintage Slingerland t-shirts, and a great little laptop bag that my Vater guy sent me years ago. I also had a vintage Gretsch logo shirt that I wore until it basically fell apart."
STEVE SMITH:
"It seems that drummer swag is still a part of drummer culture. I have a good selection of shirts from Vic Firth and Zildjian, who seem to have the best shirts in the drum industry. I also have shirts from Sonor, Remo and Drumeo. I think the people at the companies I endorse appreciate seeing me in one of their shirts. If the shirt itself is nice, meaning it's made of nice material and it fits well, I'll wear it. A company that makes very cool drummer shirts is RLRR LRLL, based in France. Their cuts, material and designs are high-level. Check them out!"
RICH REDMOND, drummer for Jason Aldean; sessions, clinician, speaker:
"Logo swag plays a role in educational events like clinics, even if the endorsing artist isn't personally wearing it. I teach educational events where I give away swag for people to enjoy. Companies send out swag, literature and door prizes to give away at events... but they have been cutting way back with the amount of stuff they send because brick and mortar clinics are, regrettably, dying."
DAVID NORTHRUP, Nashville touring and session drummer with Boz Scaggs, Oak Ridge Boys, Travis Tritt, and Wynonna:
"I’ve always had a fondness for drummer swag myself and it always seemed that Drum and Cymbal Companies made the coolest stuff. Once becoming an endorser for that well respected company (which ever ones you were fortunate to represent) wearing their swag was done with great pride. It might be less important than it was back in the day, but personally I still think it’s cool to see guys sporting endorsement swag. Years back when I was still with Zildjian I had a very cool understated back leather jacket with a small Zildjian insignia. Got a lot mileage out of that! I also had a few black Evans T-Shirts I wore forever.... so comfortable."
KENT SLUCHER, Nashville touring and session drummer with Luke Bryant
"In some aspects, drummer swag has changed and some it hasn’t. One way it hasn’t is live concerts. I would always wear my Zildjian shirt to a concert — to show that I was a drummer and a fan of the drummer I was going to see. It was always a good conversation starter as well. I notice when I’m playing shows its easy to spot the drummers because they usually have some swag on! I don’t think it is as important as it used to be, simply because of social media. If i want to know what gear my favorite drummer uses all I have to do nowadays is Google or Youtube. There’s so much content available now that wasn’t back it the day. I had a Zildjian hoodie that I wore out when I worked in a music store many moons ago. I’m pretty sure I used to wear it all winter!"
JOHN DeCHRISTOPHER, Drummer/Singer, Drum Industry Veteran, Artist Representative:
--- John's responses to my questions were so thoughtful, they are provided below in full. Thanks John!
1. How do you view drummer swag as a part of "drummer culture" or "drum shop culture", and how has it changed over the years?
John: "My experience with drum swag began 40 years ago, working in the drum department at E.U. Wurlitzer Music in Boston. It was the early days of drum swag and we all wore it because it was FREE, and it promoted the brands we sold. I didn’t own any Ludwig or Slingerland drums at the time, but I wore their shirts. Over time swag and promotional merchandise became a staple of the music industry. People loved to wear it and it was free advertising. And so it went…
For many people, wearing drum swag makes the statement, “I'm a drummer." It was for me in my younger days. Long before I worked for Zildjian, I wore Zildjian t-shirts because the logo is recognizable and it would prompt people to ask, “Are you a drummer?” or “Are you in a band?” My dad was not a drummer, but he used to wear a Zildjian baseball cap everywhere, and was constantly asked if he was a drummer. He got a big kick out of it! So I think for some people, wearing swag provides recognition, but I see it being less important than, say, 20 or 30 years ago. I think the culture has changed and as people get older, they're more selective about the swag they choose to wear. Style, quality of material and fit become more important. Personally, I don’t wear swag (from any company) with giant logos, or if it doesn’t feel comfortable, or fit right."
2. Is it any longer important for endorsing artists to be seen wearing or using swag from their partner companies?
John: "During my years at Zildjian, I was always sending artists swag, as it was a great and inexpensive way to promote the brand. For example, Joey Kramer is seen wearing Zildjian swag in many Aerosmith videos. On clinic tours or drum festivals, I’d bring t-shirts for artists to wear on stage and for the most part, they'd wear them. Drum Techs and Band Crew were also big proponents of wearing drum swag, but I think artists themselves have moved on from wearing swag, and I don’t think “free” swag is as available as it used to be. Style, quality and fit are also a determining factor for many artists. Most of the artists I know prefer high quality, comfortable swag that fits well, and with a logo that is understated, rather than feeling like a giant billboard. Otherwise they’re not interested in wearing it. One time I brought Ringo Starr samples of a special Zildjian t-shirt with a silver logo, and he held them up and said, “They’re too big and boxy.” I think he kept one shirt that fit and gave the rest back."
3. Do you personally (past or present) have a particular favorite item of drummer swag? Something that looked really cool, or was super comfortable?
John: "I stopped wearing drum swag regularly a long time ago, but one of my favorite Zildjian t-shirts was the Devin T. It was very soft and comfortable and had an understated logo. It’s discontinued, but I have one somewhere. I have a Gretsch t-shirt that’s very soft and comfortable and has a small Gretsch logo above the left breast. Zoom (the company that makes digital video recorders and mixers) has very high quality swag, and sends me swag all the time. It’s not drum swag, but it’s cool looking, comfortable, and great to wear casually."
MODERN TIMES:
As I look back, it seems like wearing drummer swag was most important to me during the years when being a drummer was the single most important thing in my life, the one thing I wanted the whole world to know about me. As life progressed and I matured, other things (family, day jobs, other pursuits and interests) replaced the drum stuff on my T-shirts and in my house. I don’t own a lot of drum swag these days. My wife has gifted me a couple of drummer shirts, but nothing featuring any manufacturer’s logos. I'm also more inclined to buy swag from a drum shop rather than a drum company. It's fun to sport drum shop shirts from different cities just like it's fun to wear concert T-shirts --- a way of saying "I was THERE!" I've got shirts, stickers and other merchandise from Memphis Drum Shop, Tommy's Drum Shop in Austin TX, Lone Star Percussion in Dallas TX, Drum Center of Portsmouth NH, Rupp's Drums of Denver CO, Vic's Drum Shop of Chicago, and of course my own hometown shop, Fork's Drum Shop of Nashville. They've never gotten me any gigs, but whenever I wear one of these shirts out and about, I feel like I'm keeping the old drum shop vibe and tradition alive.
So, comment! Tell us about your swag. Is drum swag cool anymore? Who wears it?
(And by the way, if any of you industry reps are reading this, my shirt size is 2XL!)