Mark Pusey (Ed Sheeran, Tom Jones, Olly Murs) - Interview

Mark! Thanks so much for taking the time out to do this. Straight in with this question. How did you discover the drums?
 

Hey mate! Absolutely my pleasure! It's always nice to chat drums with likeminded people, happy to hang! Well, I would like to say that it was some sort of noble reason, but the truth was we were on holiday at a holiday camp, and the guy in charge of the kids club, who did all the best activities, (who all the girls fancied and all the guys thought was the coolest rep), also played drums in the house band. One night he invited a kid who was younger than me, (he was about 11 years old I guess) up to the stage to play the song "My Girl". The young lad absolutely smashed it, and in the crowd went crazy, at which point I was sold. It looked like so much fun!

Let’s talk a bit about your projects. Who are you currently touring with? Who have you worked with in the past?

Well, COVID has put a stop to pretty much everything in the music world for the last five months or so, so the truth is NOBODY! In the last few years I have been lucky enough to be involved in some very cool stuff including playing live with, or recording with Ed Sheeran, Elton John, Tom Jones, Andrea Bocelli, Nicole Scherzinger, Leona Lewis,Olly Murs, Sarah Brightman, Ronan Keating, Il Devo, Katherine Jenkins, The Shires, Hilary Duff, Ella Eyre, Nina Nesbitt, Hurts, Saturdays, JLS, John Barrowman and Pixie Lott among others.
 

I saw on Instagram, you recently played on the soundtrack for the Elton John Biopic ‘Rocketman’. Can you tell us a little bit about how that came about and what the recording process was like?

It was a really great time with some people I really respect and admire, I'm very proud of my small part in that movie. The producer was Giles Martin, and we met a few years back after I was recommended by a friend Jenny White. The sessions took place over the course of 9 months or so, with sessions sometimes being booked in at the last minute as the film was changed and edited going along. The sessions were mostly at AIR and Abbey Road studios, sometimes just me, sometimes myself and a band, and sometimes a combination of everything else in between. It was such a great trip, playing those songs I grew up listening to and loving. Sometimes the brief was to copy Nigel Olsen's parts exactly, sometimes they wanted something COMPLETELY different depending on the place it was in Elton's timeline. It was a fantastic project to be a part of.
 

What’s your favourite piece of gear you own?

I've been a DW Drums endorsee for almost 15 years now, and I love their drums, I think it'd have to be a 1990 DW kit that used to belong to my hero Carlos Vega, that came along with a Ludwig snare and a load of cymbals. He used that kit with James Taylor, Madonna, Bette Midler and the snare was used on the Grease soundtrack (among hundreds of other things). To me it's the equivalent of a guitarist owning Jimmy Hendrix's guitar, or a keys player owning John Lennon's piano. It has magic inside it.

How are you keeping yourself busy during these strange times?

I have volunteered for the RNLI for years, but in lockdown, that has gone pretty much full time, as there has been no music around. I'm on lifeboats on the Thames, doing medic jobs, stopping boats sinking, picking people out of trouble.. all that sort of stuff...

Can you tell us a little bit about your rig? How does it differ depending on the gig you're on?

The rig I take out is entirely dictated by the music. If it's a session for a jazz record, I won't be taking the 26" bass drum! Usually, you'll be aware of what you're about to play so you can pick the appropriate gear for the music. You can't go wrong with a DW Collectors series 22", 10,", 12" 16" and a selection of Zildjians. That'll cover ALMOST any bases, as a starting point.
 

Finally, can you share a quick tip or give us a small exercise you always use?

Master the six stroke roll! It's a great exercise for your hands as a warm up, and and I love the fluidity that comes with it's application. It's a nice way to roll in rhythm, and sounds more impressive than the sticking implies!

Find Mark Online:

@MarkPusey