Feature Opinion

The Shed Life: Eat, Sleep, Drum

Over the last few years, a small group of drummers have been making a name for themselves around Cape Town. They typically lock themselves away for six hours in an unventilated room, sit across from each other at their drum kits and play together until their arms have nothing left to give. Typically a guitar or bass will be on hand as well, but sometimes the only accompaniment is the eternal clicking of a metronome on a sound system. They call it That Shed Life and it’s all about honing your skills as musicians – trading ideas in the pursuit of rhythmic excellence.

There are many drummers involved, but it is the two Willenberg brothers who make the Shed Life sessions happen regularly. Byron Willenberg’s interest in drums and music came from the church his uncle was attending at the time in Mitchells Plain. He would be watching the drummer constantly. His first lesson took place just down the road from that church at age twelve, and he was soon playing in the church’s youth band. These roots have had a profound effect on his playing, a style known as gospel drumming. He speaks of his first gig at age nineteen – one he was paid sixty bucks for. He’s come a long way since then and thirteen years down the line he counts himself lucky to be a full time musician in a country such as South Africa where the music industry is not always a lucrative endeavour.

Gerris Willenberg is the younger of the two by thirteen years. His drumming career began at the age of three on a kit of pots and pans, no doubt under the tutelage of his older brother. Byron says that Gerris practises too much, which is as impressive as it sounds. I’ve found that many exceptional drummers are also very quiet people. While the two are obviously not mutually exclusive there’s something really intimidating about a drummer who hardly speaks, like they would rather let their music speak on their behalf. But maybe I’m wrong and they’re just really tired from the constant practise. Whatever the case may be, Gerris is one of those people. While big brother Byron does most of the talking Gerris plays fidgety little rudiments on my kitchen table with his fingers, and when Gerris speaks Byron does the same.

The two brothers share a powerful bond not only as family but as lovers of music. When walking past a guitar Byron will whisper to Gerris, pointing out a design feature or brand that interests them. Gerris will invariably give him an enthusiastic nod, soaking up every morsel of knowledge he can. Their whispering is akin to reverence, something their gospel roots may have taught them. When I play them a song in a weird time signature, they both click their fingers every time the first beat, the ‘one,’ comes by. Whenever music starts playing, they have huge grins on their faces.

I asked Byron and Gerris to elaborate a bit on this musical language they spoke of, terms like gospel drumming and shedding. Gerris explained, “Imagine that it’s a music tree. Soul, blues and jazz are the roots. Gospel combines all those influences. I remember seeing that the gospel drummers in church could really play, as long as they keep the time. Most importantly, a gospel drummer has to keep the people clapping, so it’s got to have groove. It’s also about the nuances, the dynamic – you can’t just smash the whole time because people need to sing.”

“Shedding is a term from the States,” Byron went on to add. “It’s going into the woodshed, where you would hone your craft. It’s a musical term for any musicians when they are committed to practising. When we go for a shedding session, it’s about having a conversation. I won’t say that we expect a certain level of skill, but rather that you need to be able to speak the musical language of drums in order to make it work.”

For the Willenberg brothers, The Shed Life sessions are all about having these musical conversations. They believe greatly in sharing ideas and even the greatest of the bunch seem obsessed with the notion of improvement. It’s at the epicentre of everything they’re trying to accomplish. The fruits of their labour are something you can only appreciate in person (although I do recommend ear plugs.) On one particular Saturday I spent hours listening to them improvise over a looped verse from Kanye West’s ‘Gold Digger.’ Putting this many cymbals and drums taps into something primal and volatile that you don’t need a master’s degree in music composition to understand.

The Shed Life sessions happen weekly. If you’re a drummer looking to broaden your horizons and trade fours with some of the country’s greatest drummers you can follow The Shed Life on Facebook.

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