Jean-Paul Gaster

I was fortunate enough to have been browsing Youtube when it popped up. Anytime this dude is playing drums, I'm hypnotized... It also made me hungry.
 
one of my favorite rock drummers ever

every time I see Clutch I can't take my eyes off JP

while touring with my old band All Parallels for a lot of years....many times I was called mini JP
I guess the beard and some similar mannerisms ....I never minded the comparison

see us here live at Building Studios in Baton Rouge LA in 2008 .....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjmfvklnWcg&t=4m30s
 
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Recently bought the two Five Horse Johnson albums he played on. Have been flogging them incessantly over the last couple of days. Can't get enough of his groove. Honestly the more I hear of this guy, the more I wanna hear. If you're a fan and haven't heard him layin' it down with these cats, it's well worth checking 'em out.
 
I stumbled across Clutch years ago quite by accident. Jean-Paul instantly became one of my favorite drummers. His grooves and live playing have so much soul!

Clutch has got to be one of Maryland's best kept secrets.
 
Only found out about Clutch about a year or so ago, but I'm a massive fan. JP is an amazing drummer, his sense of groove, time, and tasteful musicality are always such a pleasure to listen to. I was going to list my favorite songs, but they're all actually amazing. My favorite album is definitely Robot hive/Exodus though. Guess what's getting lined up in the playlist for tomorrow!
 
Only found out about Clutch about a year or so ago, but I'm a massive fan. JP is an amazing drummer, his sense of groove, time, and tasteful musicality are always such a pleasure to listen to

Yep. I'm only a couple of months ahead of you it would seem. Where the hell have we been......under a rock......in a cave.......on another planet?

For a band that appears to have such a large, dedicated and loyal following, they certainly do tread quietly and move stealthily.......a real hidden (from the mainstream, at least) gem.

But ultimately, JP's playing has affected me in much the same way. I've gone out and bought absolutely everything I can find that he's lent his hand to. Just about all the Clutch albums, naturally. But also The Bakerton Group, and King Hobo, and as I mentioned the last two Five Horse Johnson albums he played on, I just cannot get enough of this guys touch, feel, immense groove, creativity and expression on a drum kit. I reckon he's just awesome. One of the most exciting, creative and musically intelligent drummers I've heard in a long time.

I may be late to this party.....but I'm thankful it's a case of 'better late than never.'
 
Essential Listenings of Mr. Jean-Paul Gaster

Clutch - Impetus
Clutch - Transnational Speedway League
Clutch - Clutch
Clutch - The Elephant Riders
Clutch - Jam Room
Clutch - Pure Rock Fury
Clutch - Slow Hole to China
Clutch - Pitchfork and Lost Needles
Clutch - Blast Tyrant
Clutch - Robot Hive/Exodus
Clutch - From Beale Street to Oblivion
Clutch - Strange Cousins from the West
Clutch - Earth Rocker
Clutch - Live at the Googolplex
Clutch - Live in Flint, Michigan
Clutch - Heard it All Before: Live at the HiFi Bar
Clutch - Full Fathom Five
Clutch - Live at the 9:30

The Bakerton Group - The Bakerton Group
The Bakerton Group - El Rojo

King Hobo - King Hobo

Five Horse Johnson - The Mystery Spot
Five Horse Johnson - The Taking of Black Heart

Wino - Punctuated Equilibrium

Mike Westcott - Justice Road
 
I saw Clutch back around 1997 almost by accident. They were opening for Slayer band at a smallish venue in Boston. (not a real Slayer fan, but I'm down for a show) I'd never heard of Clutch before that night and was blown away by the band and the drumming. I was annoyed by the Slayer crowd's disrespect of Clutch. In my opinion, Clutch handed Slayer their butts on stage that night, but the crowd was too busy chanting Angel of Death!!! to notice the band was killing it live. I've been a fan ever since.

To me, the raw power and massive grunt they generate live doesn't come across on their albums. I wish they could capture more of that in the studio.
 
I was annoyed by the Slayer crowd's disrespect of Clutch. In my opinion, Clutch handed Slayer their butts on stage that night, but the crowd was too busy chanting Angel of Death!!! to notice the band was killing it live. I've been a fan ever since.

That's odd. I've seen Clutch a few times on their own. Also seen em twice with Pantera, whose fans have ripped into more than one opener. Both times the crowd was crazy into Clutch.
 
That's odd. I've seen Clutch a few times on their own. Also seen em twice with Pantera, whose fans have ripped into more than one opener. Both times the crowd was crazy into Clutch.

I guess all it takes is for a couple of guys to set the tone in a small venue and the rest will follow. Speaking of tone, Jean-Paul's live setup always sounds amazing. I'm sure it's as much to do with his playing as the drums.
 
I don't know if I ever related this story, but very early in my drumming days as a youngster, I went to go see a clutch show at a very small but popular venue out here called "Slims". Tiny place, and even from the back of the room the playing would really get into you.

Anyhow, I was really enjoying myself as this was my first clutch show. I remember one moment that really stuck out and still is with me today.

They started playing a instrumental from Blast Tyrant, I think... Called Wyswyg. A very groovy number to start with, but this time, during the kind of "drum solo" part towards the middle-end, JP took off on the theme for a good 10 minutes... And it blew my little mind. He was doing simply amazing things with the groove and "folding" time back on itself and really, there was hardly even anything going on as far as even 16th notes. It wasn't a solo of speed or endurance or how cool he can make his patterns sound, it was a solo of rhythm and musicality I hadn't really heard from a drum set before then.

And that's pretty much the moment I realized that I could actually be a "drummer". I didn't need to worry about the fact that I couldn't play faster or "better" than anyone's favorite drumming phenom. I just had to hit the groove as hard as I could and pay attention to how the rhythms I'm using affect the music, and people would like it.

That was one of the best nights ever, and I finally was able to stop worrying about how fast I could play or how "amazing" I could be from the perspective of a drummer. All I had to do was well, "shut up and play".
 
absolutely love JP and have since the early 90s

semi funny JP story

one of the probably 30 times I saw Clutch .... this particular time happened to be at Starland Ballroom in NJ

it was just after Robot Hive came out

they were opening with "The Incomparable Mr. Flannery" and I'm right up against the stage

JP comes to the stage and sits behind his kit in the dark eating a sub sandwich .... he shoves the last huge bite of the sandwich into his mouth and starts playing that opening groove.

the rest of the band joins in and JP spent the first couple minutes of that song with a huge mouth full of sub sandwich ....

it just struck me so funny watching a sort of big rotund guy slamming a sandwich while opening a show.... loved it

he continued to kill it all night as always

... as a side note the 2 second fill that opens La Curandera makes the hairs on my arms stand up .... I absolutely love it for some reason

in my opinion Blast Tyrant is their Sgt. Pepper

hear that kick ass opening fill here .... so simple.... so perfect ... then he revisits it before the hook.....killer ....and this song just destroys

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-QLikWM2aE
 
I heard that fill in my head as soon as you mentioned it; so memorable. That's exactly the kind of thing that makes a guy love Gaster.

And your story goes back to our previous discussion about proper sandwich-grip and how it relates to drumming. You can bet that JP was certainly using a perfect push/pull technique to get that sammy down; of course, good molar technique would be a necessity.
 
absolutely love JP and have since the early 90s

semi funny JP story

one of the probably 30 times I saw Clutch .... this particular time happened to be at Starland Ballroom in NJ

it was just after Robot Hive came out

they were opening with "The Incomparable Mr. Flannery" and I'm right up against the stage

JP comes to the stage and sits behind his kit in the dark eating a sub sandwich .... he shoves the last huge bite of the sandwich into his mouth and starts playing that opening groove.

the rest of the band joins in and JP spent the first couple minutes of that song with a huge mouth full of sub sandwich ....

it just struck me so funny watching a sort of big rotund guy slamming a sandwich while opening a show.... loved it

he continued to kill it all night as always

... as a side note the 2 second fill that opens La Curandera makes the hairs on my arms stand up .... I absolutely love it for some reason

in my opinion Blast Tyrant is their Sgt. Pepper

hear that kick ass opening fill here .... so simple.... so perfect ... then he revisits it before the hook.....killer ....and this song just destroys

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-QLikWM2aE

HA! That story absolutely just made my day - thank you for that.

That particular fill is quite memorable and it's such a great way to kick off a song. I notice that JP really likes ending phrases with either 2 or sometimes 3 solid bass drum singles when moving into a chorus. A perfect example is on 50,000 Unstoppable Watts. Another example can be found on 'Erase Time', the opening track of Mike Westcott's Justice Road album. Definitely a JP signature.
 
one of my absolute favorites! he was recently on a podcast called "Couch Riffs" where he gave some very nice insights into how he works, how he got started and how Clutch as a band works. Quite interesting to hear some of the backstories and Philosophies of the man.
 
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