#149 Randy Schrager- Drummer for the Scissor Sisters, Jesse Malin & More!
Randy’s Photo was taken by Vivian Wang.
This week’s guest is Randy Schrager. Randy was the touring and studio drummer for electro dance-pop band Scissor Sisters, known on stage as ‘Randy Real’. He can be heard on the band’s release Night Work and he toured the world with the band in support of the album. Randy has also toured and recorded with critically acclaimed New York rocker Jesse Malin and his band The St. Marks Social, playing drums on his release Love It To Life. When not on the road, Randy can be found playing and recording with a number of independent artists in the NYC area.
Gig Alerts for this week…..
Damon is playing at the Portsmouth, NH Cisco Brewery with Ken Freeman November 7th-8th. Then he will be at PASIC the 13th-16th.
Marcos is going to see Issac Delgado at Birdland in NYC this coming week. The show Guaracha! Will be at the Pregones Theater in the Bronx starting Nov 15th.
If you’re looking for a session to go sit in at in NYC, a couple that have been going on are Producer Mondays at Nublu, hosted by Ray Angry and Felicia’s Jukebox on Wednesday nights, hosted by Felicia Collins, at the Cutting Room in NYC. Felicia’s session has a $10 cover.
You can still register for and get a badge for PASIC, as well as book a hotel room (or use Airbnb).
If you have musical instruments, GET THEM INSURED!!!!
Two companies we recommend for musical instrument insurance are Music Pro Insurance and Clarion Musical Instrument Insurance.
Product Reviews…..
Vic Firth came out with the Remix brushes in collaboration with (friend of the show) Pete Lockett.
Zildjian also came up with new products including a couple of different options for drum rugs.
The Iconic Recording for this week…..
“Stick on Bongo” performed by Willie Bobo (on bongos), from the 1956 Tito Puente Album “Puente in Percussion”.
Music News for this week……
Most shows are recorded these days, where are all these great recordings going? VEVA Sound has recently created an entire business unit, VEVA Live, to address that exact question. 12 Music Industry Scams: Everything You Need to Know. Managing Chaos on the Road, touring responsibly and staying healthy. How to get your music licensed for films, TV, and beyond. Ticketmaster Focuses on Providing Accessibility Info For Disabled Music Fans.
Damon mentions new TVs and accompanying soundbars for amplification. The two companies he talks about are Bowers and Wilkins and Sennheiser.
The song leading into the interview is “Early Morning Sky” by Raever.
Randy is from New City, NY and his first instrument was piano.
If you are curious about line striping on the highway, there are jobs available.
Randy attended the University of Miami school of music.
University of Miami Alumni
Damon and Randy mention some other great musicians who came from Miami or attended the University of Miami; including, friends of the show Obed Calvaire and Kenny Grohowski. There’s also: Ryan Parrino, Jeremy Goldsmith, Brian Forbes, R.J. Ronquillo, Robert and Mike Rodriguez, Ludwig Alfonso, and many more!
Shout-out to Chrissi Poland who was in the Scissor Sisters with Randy and also to Chevonne Ricci who was on tour with Lady Gaga at the same time the Scissor Sisters were opening for LG.
Randy used to play at the Lakeside Lounge, Arlene’s Grocery, CBGB’s, The Lion’s Den, The Elbow Room, and other venues that don’t exist anymore.
Randy talks about being a band member vs being a sideman. The liberties you can take and the restraints you might have for each.
You can read above for details on sync licensing and placements. Randy touches on how important touring is and this article will give you some more details on that.
Music that has inspired Randy throughout his career would be (most recently) Dead and Co, seeing Kenny Aronoff play with John Cougar Mellencamp, Tommy Lee with Motley Crue, Jon Fishman with Phish and Elvin Jones. Randy also mentions seeing the John McLaughlin trio with Dennis Chambers and Joey DeFransesco.
The Gabe Dixon band at Rockwood Music Hall
Randy and Damon talk about how beneficial the After Party has been in connecting musicians in the NYC scene.
Randy will be on tour with Jesse Malin. Special show at the Bowery Ballroom with Lucinda Williams.
Randy uses DW Drums, Zildjian Cymbals (currently the Keropes), Evans Drumheads and ProMark Drumsticks.
You can follow Randy on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
The music leading out of the interview is “Meet Me at the End of the World Again” by Jesse Malin.
This is THE LINK to the article Damon mentioned about being able to make a song for free with different loops, plugins, apps and more.
