Tool drummer Danny Carey has pulled back the curtain on one of the band’s most striking pieces of stage gear, sharing a new three minute video that details the story behind his Alex Grey designed touring drum kit.
The kit, created in collaboration with Sonor Drums and the visionary artist whose work has become inseparable from Tool’s visual identity, wasn’t designed as a flashy prop, Carey wanted it to feel like an extension of the music itself.
“I’ve had a lot of people ask me about the drum set that I’ve been playing on the last few years,” Carey said.
“There’s a guy that’s done a lot of artwork for us named Alex Grey. He’s contributed to our onstage visuals and our album covers for — God — probably 15 years now. He’s done a fantastic job, taking the combination, a synergistic quality of the artwork and blending it with the music.”
Rather than micromanage the process, Carey deliberately stepped back and gave Grey total freedom.
“I came up with an idea to have [Alex] do all the artwork on [the drum kit], just to make it more part of the show,” he explained. “I didn’t want to tell him what to do.”
The physical foundation of the kit was just as considered, Carey worked closely with Sonor to build a premium set from scratch.
“I had Sonor make me a really high-quality kit. I got to pick all the woods. The initial kit was beech wood and ebony, which is kind of what the old Sonor drums were made of in the early ’80s.”
Stripped back entirely
Before Grey touched them, the drums were stripped back entirely.
“They just painted ’em white — like a blank canvas — and sent them over from Germany. Then I sent them to New York where Alex’s chapel and studios are. I just turned him loose on it.”
Among Grey’s contributions, one element stood out above all else.
“The coup de grâce was he did a gong drum. He surprised me with that. It’s actually a portrait of me and a native hitting a drum. He represented the sound waves going into my ear and then affecting my brain — kind of the process of inspiration.”
Fearing damage to the original hand painted kit on tour, Carey later commissioned a second version.
“I liked them so much, and I was so worried about damaging ’em, I had Sonor make me another kit. This one’s bubinga and maple instead of ebony and beech.”
That second kit uses scanned wraps of Grey’s artwork, allowing Carey to preserve the originals while keeping the visuals intact onstage.
“They’re both amazing pieces of art, and I’m so flattered to have ’em. It was so nice of Alex to do that for me.”
RELATED
MORE IN News
