JOHN  LASPINA - Drums

PERFORMED WITH:

Rubix KubeBad AnimalsRick Springfield
Brett MichaelsDennis DeYoungDee Snider
Constantine MaroulisMark McGrathDebbie Gibson
Joel HoekstraRussel AllenColin Hay (Men at Work)
TiffanyJeff Scott SotoRob Base
MC HammerTony Hadley (Spandau Ballet)Mike Orlando
Tone LocNaughty By NatureTony Harnell (TNT)
Mike Score (Flock of Seagulls)Lance Bass (NSync)
Richie Cannata (Lords of 52nd Street,Billy Joel Band)Emerald Rising

TV APPEARANCES:

The Today ShowMy Life As Liz (Mtv)
Cake Boss (TLC)Dirty Money (Discovery)
Fuse News (Fuse TV)In The Mixx

ABOUT ME

I am a US based drummer with many years of both live and studio playing experience across the US and abroad. I am currently the drummer for Rubix Kube, Bad Animals and Emerald Rising. I have had the honor of sharing the stage with many notable artisists as a member of Rubix Kube.

Through the years as a live drummer I have gained invaluable experience in most playing situations - especially the ones where things aren't going as planned (bad monitors or no monitors, broken gear, overzealous fans, unstable stages - you name it).

I have a considerable amount of studio experience playing to clicks/loops as well tracking "live" without any of these devices. It all depends on the situation and what the artist's wants. My strength in playing in an ensemble situation is empathy towards with the artist is trying to achieve.

As a drummer I take into consideration many things before constructing a drum track such as overall vibe of the song, rhythm, density and cadence of the vocal line, what the overall production vision is (playing 32nd notes on a snare that is ultimately going to have lots of reverb on it is never a great idea), and what other sorts of instrumentation will there be (horns, keys, accordian)? That said I have also been sent tracks with nothing more than a click, scratch vocal and a guitar along with a text or phone call about general direction of the song.

LIVE GEAR
DRUMS - Pearl
  • 6" Concert Tom
  • 8" Concert Tom
  • 10" Concert Tom
  • 12" Power Tom
  • 13" Power Tom
  • 16" Floor Tom
CYMBALS - Sabian
  • 13" XSR Hi-hats
  • 14" XSR Hi-hats
  • 18" AAX
  • 16" XSR
  • 16" XSR
  • 20" XSR Ride
  • 18" Stagg China
  • 18" Sabian XSR
ELECTRONICS - Roland
  • Roland SPD-SX Sampler
  • KD-7 Kick Pad
  • Snare/Kick Triggers

STUDIO

I have a full studio setup at home which has several advantages to it - both technical and in terms of performance. In addition to the gear I have listed in the Live Gear section I have many other cymbals, snare options as well as various electronics and percussion.

That said in today's age of digital recording, sound replacement can make this (at least some of it) a moot point depending on the situation.

TECHNICAL ADVANTAGES
  • My drumkit is permenantly setup and levels are dialed in; I can pretty much start recording once all the gear is on.
  • Full Pro Tools setup for recording and editing.
  • As listed in the Live Gear section of the website I have various electronics as well as percussion that can be used to augment the drum tracks.
  • There is zero setup time - when lugging gear to an external studio you could spend 2 hours or more just getting things setup (more time for me to track).
  • 30 plus cymbals to choose from.
  • Several snares to choose from
PERFORMANCE ADVANTAGES
  • I have to travel about 60 feet to get to my studio.
  • A MUCH more relaxed environment which facilitates a more creative vibe.
  • I serve as both drummer and engineer.