Logan Michaels is a New York based drummer that is doing great things. He is a drummer and and an educator. And he’s making a living doing what he loves.
That’s really impressive given all the talk about the current state of the music business. It is hard out there for sure, but Logan is an inspiration in the “Making it Happen” Department. If you look at his events page is easy to wonder how he even had time to sit for this interview.
What are some of the things you tell young drummers?
There are so many subjects to cover, and so much information that’s out there. I just try and give them advice that worked for me. I think that drumming has a tendency to be a double edged sword. The more you learn, the more you discover you can learn. I try to give my students a proper foundation to work with, and always push them to find their own path and discover everything that’s out there.
How important do you think hearing protection is for young drummers?
Crucial. I think most drummers don’t really think about it when they start out. They just want to play. The first genre I ever got into heavily was thrash metal. For years I played in bands that rehearsed, gigged and toured constantly. I almost never wore earplugs. Sometimes I would walk out of a venue thinking a grenade went off next to me. I was lucky and never technically suffered from an audiologist’s definition of hearing loss, but I certainly have some tinnitus that could’ve been prevented.
How did you find out about Ultimate Ears?
I was attending the NAMM convention, and wandered past the booth. They were doing free impressions, and I decided to check it out. Not only did I test out all the different options, but I then decided to go to all the different IEM booths to compare them, because I just couldn’t believe the quality that I had experienced. I even wound up going to a presentation on IEM’s the next day just to understand how I was able to hear that kind of audio!
Do you think using UE’s have improved your playing at all?
Without a doubt. I play on some pretty big stages, often with large bands. With my UE’s, I feel like I could be playing in a controlled studio environment no matter what type of gig I’m on. When I can hear everything that’s happening, every note, every dynamic, it allows me to play with more confidence, open up more, know when I can stretch a bit, or when I need to pull back. Whereas before when everything sounded jumbled from a wedge that was next to me, now I can really work with every individual musician that I’m performing with.
