This article is an excerpt from the 05/2004 issue of Modern Drummer Magazine. Check your newsstands today to read the full article.

by Waleed Rashidi


"I don’t know the guy’s name, but the drummer from Interpol is like a modern-day freakin’ Stewart Copeland," says Puddle Of Mudd drummer Greg Upchurch, regarding drummers he’s been impressed by recently. "It’s not like he’s doing anything incredible, but he’s very unusual in the way he approaches the drums. That’s what I appreciate."

Perhaps Upchurch’s words can be borrowed to summarize his own playing. You see, it’s not the actual transcribed licks and fills that have kept Upchurch in the spotlight of all things modern rock over the past few years. Rather, it’s the Oklahoma native’s thoughtful approach and killer feel, particularly on display during the extensive touring Upchurch undertook after joining Puddle Of Mudd four years ago.

But Upchurch’s credits go far beyond that of the most recent Mudd full-length, Life On Display. Although that’s not his work on the band’s 2001 multi-platinum major-label debut, Come Clean (session ace Josh Freese clutches that honor), Upchurch is an accomplished multi-instrumentalist, proving his talents several years earlier in stints with Soundgarden/Audioslave frontman Chris Cornell and avant-garde rockers Eleven.

Backstage at the CBS studios in Los Angeles for a taping of The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn, Upchurch is resting in the green room, gathering a brief moment to relax from a hectic schedule. He’s then interrupted by a summons to head into the show’s studio, under the lamps and in front of the cameras, and give his absolute finest four minutes.

As he methodically slams tribal tom patterns in the verses of the band’s latest hit single, "Away From Me," Greg’s flying sticks and whipping long hair are perfectly in sync with the track’s rock-solid tempo. But these rock mannerisms hide another side to this musician. You see, Upchurch isn’t merely a pulsing and pounding rocker. He’s a university-schooled jazz percussionist. Furthermore, Upchurch has been able to apply his fruitful musical upbringing to his current role as one of the most understated drummers in present-day commercial rock.

MD: First and foremost, how did you hook up with Puddle Of Mudd?
Greg: I guess my name had been around from playing with Eleven and Chris Cornell. In fact, whenever Chris performed, musicians would always come out to see us. I guess Yogi, the guitarist from Buckcherry, mentioned me to Barry Squier, who knows the guys in Puddle Of Mudd. Barry called and asked if I’d be interested in auditioning for the band.

MD: They didn’t have a drummer at the time?
Greg: They had a drummer, but I guess he wasn’t working out. I actually met the guy and he was really cool. As for the audition, it was a bit strange, and I had initially turned it down.

MD: Really? Why?
Greg: Because I wasn’t sure if it was what I wanted to do. I knew of two other bands looking for drummers at the time. I wasn’t sure which one I wanted to go for. But when I heard Come Clean, it was clear that this is what I really wanted to do.

MD: What were your initial impressions of the material?
Greg: I thought it was pretty good. To me, the most important thing is the singer and what his voice sounds like. And I loved Wes Scantlin’s voice because it reminded me of the whole Seattle scene. That’s what drew me in.
That said, I don’t really remember what the reason was that I initially said, "No, I won’t go down and audition." But then I got a call back saying that I should just come down and give it a shot. So I went down to the audition, and it was bizarre, because it looked like a movie audition.

MD: I’m picturing a ridiculously long line of drummers in a hallway.
Greg: That’s it! They auditioned something like fifty drummers in two days. I’d never seen anything like that. I just expected to see the band in the jam room, walk in, and play. It was very clear that this was going to be a huge project. "Management is happening and the label’s behind the band. Wow, something’s really going to happen. This is exciting."
So I auditioned, and I hadn’t even listened to the CD that much. I guess I learned the material by hearing some of the other drummers auditioning—and I hoped that they were playing the right parts! [laughs]
I did the audition and left, and then I got a callback to audition again. The list of drummers got down to five, then three, and then two. It came down to one other guy and me, and we basically just rehearsed with the band for several days. He would go in for a few hours and work with them, and then I’d go in for a few hours. We did that for three weeks. Then we had one last day, where the two of us had to play in front of everyone from the label and management on a big stage. After I played, they offered me the gig on the spot.

MD: They put quite a bit of thought into this audition process.
Greg: Another weird part of the audition was that the band made all of the drummers fill out a questionnaire. It was just a silly thing to see if you had a sense of humor, and I thought it was kind of clever. But I’d never been through anything like that before. I could tell that everyone involved in the Puddle Of Mudd camp was very serious about the band. And they really wanted to make sure they picked the right drummer.

MD: Who in Puddle Of Mudd was the most instrumental in getting you the gig?
Greg: I think one thing that helped me was that Doug Artido, our bass player, saw me play with Chris Cornell. I think he also saw me play in my old band, Eleven.

MD: So he already had some insight into your performance.
Greg: Right. He knew I could play and sing. But I didn’t know any of this during the audition process. That said, I’ve never not gotten a gig that I tried out for. I don’t mean to sound cocky, but I’ve tried out for something like twenty bands in my life, and I’ve always gotten the gig. I should mention that most of those bands were in Oklahoma, where I’m from. I was a big fish in a small pond there. Plus my mother’s extremely lucky, so maybe some of that has rubbed off on me. [laughs]

It’s a weird thing, though, because Puddle Of Mudd gets a lot of criticism because people are like, "The bandmembers didn’t grow up together." But I’m like, screw off, because half the bands out today met in LA or New York.