Check out a six-minute behind the scenes sneak preview from the Keith Carlock DVD Shoot!

Keith can also be seen on the 2005 MD Fest DVDs. Click cover to learn more!

Congratulations to Keith Carlock for Carlock placing #1 in the Fusion, Pop and All-Around categories of the new MD Readers Poll, and #2 in Studio!

On April 10 and 11, Hudson Music went into the studio to shoot a new DVD with Keith Carlock. The forthcoming DVD, tentatively titled Finding Your Own Voice (note – final title of the DVD is “The Big Picture”), features Keith performing with his trio and with backing tracks, and features Keith answering in-depth questions from an in-studio audience.

Keith’s answers go into great detail over topics such as technique, setup, feel, improvising, soloing and performing with artists such as Steely Dan and Sting.

Check out the video, above, and scroll down for photo gallery featuring great photos from Andrew Lepley!

Originally from Clinton, Mississippi, Keith chose to attend North Texas State University in Denton, Texas because he wanted to study with Ed Soph. Of his experience with Ed, Keith says, “He completely changed my approach to the drums; thinking of the drums in a musical way instead of only being a timekeeper for songs”.

Keith played professionally in the Dallas/Fort Worth area for several years after leaving UNT, eventually moving to NYC, where he started getting gigs with a wide variety of bands and artists, including Wayn eKrantz, David Johansen and The Harry Smiths. Keith has toured with acts such as the original Blues Brothers Band, Eddie Floyd, Tommy McDonnell, Steve Cropper, Matt “Guitar” Murphy, Donald “Duck” Dunn, Lou “Blue Lou” Marini, Alan Rubin, Birch Johnson, Leon Pendarvis, Harry Belafonte, Chris Botti, and with the late Grover Washington, Jr. He also plays around New York with different groups including Leni Stern, Oz Noy, Richard Bona, and Francis Mbappe’s FM Tribe.

Check out some images from the shoot, provided by Andrew Lepley:

 

It was at the NYC’s famed jazz club, The 55 Bar, backing guitar great Wayne Krantz, where Steely Dan’s Donald Fagen and Walter Becker came by to see the band play a few times, and they offered Keith a shot at playing on the title track of their [then] new record, “Two Against Nature”. (An album that went on to win 4 Grammy’s including 2001’s “Album of the Year”). Fagen and Becker later asked Keith to play on their follow-up record, “Everything Must Go” where Keith played on every track, a first for any Steely Dan studio drummer. Then Keith got the call from Walter Becker to do the 2003 “Everything Must Go” Tour.

During the 2003 Steely Dan tour in support of “Everything Must Go”, Sting learned about Keith via his representatives who were in the audience at the Roseland gig in New York City. Sting subsequently asked Keith to join his tour. Keith was on the road with Sting from October 2003 through February 2005.

“Since his arrival in New York City from Clinton via North Texas State University, Keith Carlock has scurried up the drumming food chain with an inventive style that is equal parts Zigaboo Modeliste fire, Jon Christensen finesse, and Bernard Purdie funk…. Keith Carlock’s achievements prove that talent, skill, and determination is no respecter of locales.”

-Ken Micallef, Modern Drummer Magazine

Upon his return to NYC, Keith recorded Donald Fagen’s critically acclaimed CD, “Morph the Cat,” and toured with Donald in support of the album in March of 2006. He then spent the summer of 2006 touring with Steely Dan, and recording with Walter Becker for his second solo release entitled “Circus Money”. Keith completed a world tour with Steely Dan in September 2007 followed by a tour with James Taylor in the fall of 2007.

In 2006, Keith was honored by being named “#2 Best All-Around Drummer” in Modern Drummer’s Readers Poll, finishing second to the legendary Vinnie Colaiuta. 2007’s poll results tagged Keith as “#2 Best Pop Drummer” and #3 Best All-Around Drummer (following only to Steve Gadd and Vinnie Colaiuta.) In 2008, Keith was honored with winning the “Pop” category and being voted 3rd “Best All-Around” in Modern Drummer’s Readers Poll!

When he’s not on tour, Keith spends a great deal of time doing drum clinics around the world. He’s appeared as a featured clinician at PASIC 2006, completed a clinic tour of the US, Canada and Asia and the UK.

All images are ©2009 R. Andrew Lepley & Hudson Music LLC.