otto Conroy, drummer - knotslip
We asked Otto a little about how he got into drumming and what he loves about it: Q. What drumming technique/style do you use? A. Being in a Slipknot tribute band it's essential that I have a hard hitting metal style of drumming to match that of Joey Jordison to the best of my ability, with plenty of double bass pedal work, speedy tom fills and rapid snare action... it's like a mini gym!! Q. How did you get into drumming? A. I'd love to say I'd been banging pots and pans since I was in nappies... but I wasn't!! I was a very late bloomer to drumming.. I was around 20 when I used to travel around with a local band doing sound and lights for them while they played.. and I always found myself tapping to the beat the drummer was playing.. so I asked the drummer one night if I could have a go?? he did a beat and asked me to copy it, and I did it straight off the bat.. I'd never done that before with anything!! I felt so confident when I was hitting them and the encouraging praise I'd gotten for it that I saved up for a while and got my first kit about a month later, and since then all I've ever done when I've had the free time was get onto the kit, put he headphones on and just jam to whatever comes on.. from Slayer to Stevie Wonder!! no limits! Q. What is the best and worst part about playing on the road/tour? A. For me there is far more pros than cons to touring.. You get to visit a different city or town, check out it's local talent and what kind of vibe that place has for music, you meet and make new friends at every gig on and off the stage... and of course... the after parties!! the cons.. when members of the band have family and partners back home and it's hard spending time away from them, that's the most obvious reason... other than that there's just the boring stuff like motorway travelling! Q. Do you use your custom drumsticks for merch, playing or both? A. I haven't sold not one stick yet, and I don't intend to either! I play with them throughout the set and at the end I'll throw the pair into the crowd, depending on crowd size I'll throw 2 or 3 pairs!! I once caught the pleq of Roope from Children of Bodom, and that feeling was so intense that me.. out of hundreds of people, caught it!! And the sticks are the ones everyone wants to catch! So if I can make that person feel like I did, even if for a few seconds, then I can leave the venue with my head held high and a job well done.. plus with KnotSlip plastered all over it makes for a nice memory souvenir of the gig!! Otto pounds with Foxy's 7A nylon tip personalized drumsticks *This is an archived post. Of this writing, Foxy Drummer no longer sells 'custom to spec' drumsticks but we do still offer custom imprinting. Thank you to all of the drummers and artists that have supported us through the years. For more information on Otto, please visit:
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