DRUM Magazine "NEW BLOOD" 
By Waldo the Squid

JOEY SCRIMA 
Age: 36 
Equipment: Pearl Masters Series Drums, Zildijan cymbals,
DW pedals 

Even though it's great to check out great drummers who I otherwise might never hear, I don't always care for the music.  That shouldn't matter, since I'm supposed to evaluate the drumming regardless of what I think of the songs.  Every once in a while I get lucky, though, such as when I get a package like the one that came from Joey Scrima.  It contained “Trying to Believe” - the new CD he recorded with Thaddeus Hogarth, a local legend on the Boston music scene that formerly fronted the Heavy Metal Horns.  Hogarth blew my mind with a sound that combined the best elements of Stevie Wonder, Lenny Kravitz and Sly Stone.  Naturally, with these kinds of influences, Scrima had plenty of room to play the drums on the CD's ten tracks.  While he takes full advantage of the mid-tempo grinder "Cold Shack" by throwing complex licks around the kit, he also lays down a thick carpet on tracks like "She Loves Me".  We especially dug "Back Street", where Joey Scrima plays a second-line pattern on brushes to soften the groove while adding congas to provide an island vibe.  This is smart drumming and Thaddeus Hogarth is a singer to look for.

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