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| nuERA photo credit Pamela BendezAs |
In part 2 of our Unsigned and Uprising Series, we bring you Don Cadman, nuERA's Drummer!
Who is nuERA?
They aren’t "spectacular in theatrical appearance" like Black Veil Brides or Kiss; they don’t harness the nature of the disguise, like Slipknot and others have. They’re middle-class men that enjoy making music, and they do so very well. There’s no gimmick, and honestly, after listening to the music of NUERA for the past six months, there does not need to be. This music, along with lyrics that fit like a glove, essentially “speaks for itself” and the only thing better than that, is the fact that these six guys let it.
Modesty is a virtue...
There’s nothing more annoying than being told by a band how great their music is (& we all see and hear this with the popularity of "adding bands" on Facebook). Of course your music is great! If you don’t believe in yourself, how can you expect anyone else to? But don’t Tell me it’s great, let me figure it out for myself. I think that’s why I was almost eager to give nuERA a listen. There's six guys in the band, so I figured at least one of them would eventually say "You'll love it!" but nope. Not one of them touted their own self-worth. They sent the music over, politely and modestly said “Thank you, hope you enjoy it, have a great day.” Love it when that happens, it leaves a certain “mystery” lingering, makes me want to hear it.
What's the music like?
A little rock, a little rap, it isn't my usual digs; I'm a metal head and I love Hard Rock! I am Not a fan of bands that have mixed rap with rock, such as Lincoln Park and Papa Roach. But this - this I like. It has more of the "middle class rock n roll" vibe than a hip-hop sentiment (not that there's anything wrong with that, but it's not for me) so perhaps that's why I like it. I honestly don't know how else to say it, than to just tell you they do it right, correctly even. It WORKS here, where I think others may be lacking or have possibly even failed. Maybe I'm odd and it's just me that thinks rapping for the sake of rapping in a rock song is stupid, but for some reason there's a timeliness and accuracy here that I can't put my finger on, so maybe you should just listen and see for yourself.In our interview with nuERA guitarist, Jay Mueller, he describes the nuERA music as "Killswitch Engage meets Linkin Park. We have "metal" songs, ballads, hard rock, nu-metal, we have an acoustic set, movie samples, turntable scratches, rapping, breakdowns, melodic choruses, screaming, singing." Well, there you go, then! An accurate description indeed!
After listening to the first nuERA release, a 6 song EP, Nu Life Nu Blood, avail on Itunes,(7 tracks, if you include the intro) I trotted over to the nuERA youtube channel and checked out the vids of their live shows and some of their bonus stuff. This stuff is good! Don't you love it when you go into something with no expectations and BOOM you love it? I know you do! When was the last time you tripped over new music and loved it? It doesn't happen often does it? See why this gets me so excited, then?
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| NUERA Drummer Don Cadmanphoto courtesy Pamela Bendezu |
Don the Drummer:
I can’t talk to this one guy without music coming into the conversation, not that I’m complaining, trust me. Even when he’s not on stage he is constantly thinking about music and coming up with parts, that's how much a part of his life the music has become. We talk often, and when we do, it most often gravitates towards classics like Dream Theater and Rush, then we discuss new music we’ve heard lately or maybe some new release we’re both anticipating (including his own upcoming CD). His name is Don Cadman, and he’s the drummer behind nuERA. It’s an honor to call him a friend and to know I enjoy the music they've made thus far and to be able to look forward to new stuff from the band! Don says he doesn’t get as much time to practice as he wants on his own, since he’s usually so busy with work, family and all the other things he has on his plate. If there’s a lack of practice or a need for it, I clearly can’t see it, nor can it be heard. He plays a clean, unblemished set every time and the songs they’ve recorded divulge the talent behind the drumming skills he’s mastered over the years. His ability to balance his home life (with his wife and children) with his time in the studio and playing shows around Florida is nothing short of admirable. Keeping a level head, he remains positive, focused, diligent, fun-loving and very modest. He also said “I just try to make everyone in my life happy and remain positive.” Well he’s made us very happy with the music he makes with his band nuERA. We appreciate Don taking time out of his hectic days to answer some questions for Hard-Rock-Reviews.com!
Make a wish...
Oh, and one more thing before we get to the interview: HAPPY BIRTHDAY DON!
Make a wish...
Oh, and one more thing before we get to the interview: HAPPY BIRTHDAY DON!
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| Orlando based band nuERAphoto credit Dynesha Cadman |
Don: I've been married 4 and a half years to a wonderful woman I've known over half my life, and my kids are my whole world. We bought a house almost 3 years ago. I am aware that this doesn't sound like the ideal setup for someone trying to get somewhere in today's music industry, but I really did not want to slow my personal life down at all.
Angela: Are you a full time musician or do you have to keep a day job?
Don: I do have a day job; I work for a Phone Company. I handle customer issues that come directly from the Executives, so my job can be stressful so it fuels me a little behind the kit!! As stressful as it may be, at the end of the day it's pretty rewarding.
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| Don Cadman Photo credit Pamela Bendezu |
Don: I'm on a whole other nerd-core level when it comes to Roller Coasters. My wife and I love to take trips whenever we can to ride new Coasters, and I spend a lot of time researching them. I've been trying to get back into Art as well. After high school I shifted my artistic focus into drumming and music, so I've been ignoring that part of my life too long, its time to get back to it.
Angela: What's something about you that not even your band mates might know!
Don: One thing they may not know is that I was one of the first featured drummers on sickdrummermagazine.com. That site has grown into something huge! I definitely couldn't hang with half the featured drummers on that site today! They also may not know that aside from alcohol, I've never done any drugs. I've never even smoked a cigarette. I was just never interested, believe it or not. I try not to put this out there because sometimes this comes off as pretentious to people, but really I don't mean it that way at all. I have nothing against people doing whatever they want to do. As long as it doesn't affect me or anyone that I care about, that is.
Angela: When did you first start playing with a drum set? What was the first kit you owned?
Don: I played in middle school & high school band including drum line. During these years, I always really wanted to play an actual set of drums. Since I couldn't really wait to get a set, I would literally air drum in my room along to my favorite bands at the time, no matter the style. It was kind of embarrassing but I'll tell you, even if you can't afford a kit, air drumming does help! It will help you gain your sense of coordination so that things aren't so foreign when you finally get behind a kit.
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| Don's current Pearl kit |
When I was 16, I got a used, white Pearl Export. I must've spent 4 plus hours after school every day trying to learn everything I could, and applying my most excellent air drumming skills until things sounded okay. I was reading every piece of drum notation I could get my hands on. If I had an idea I'd jot it down on a piece of paper, and as soon as I got home I'd not leave my kit until I could play it. My weekends were pretty much spent behind the kit as well. I'd break out a tape recorder and just go ape-shit. Those were the good old days!
Angela: What type of kit do you have now and what do you hope to play/own in the future?
Don: I play a forest green Pearl Master Series Birch Custom, and my go-to snare is a Yamaha Mike Bordin signature. I love this kit to death. I hope to stick with this kit and with Pearl, but there are quite a few new awesome and innovative companies out there. Who knows what the future holds, I just know I probably will never give up my Pearls!
Angela: Who inspires you to be a better man? Who inspires you to become a better drummer?
Don: My mother inspires me of course; she's definitely shaped who I am. Neil Peart (Rush) has been a huge inspiration on me musically, as he has been with so many other drummers. However, he inspired me to be a musician rather than just a drummer. What I took away from Neil's drumming is, try to be intelligent about your parts and focus mainly on making them fit within the big picture of the song, instead of trying to stand out on your own. My band inspires me to be a better drummer, ‘cause I never want to let them down. They also inspire me to stand out on my own from time to time!
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| practicing... |
Don: There are so many, but here are the ones that stand out to me in a huge way: Travis Orbin, Matt Halpern, Gene Hoglan, Morgan Rose, Shannon Larkin, Jason Costa. These guys remind and inspire me every day that I still have a lot to learn. Thanks for keeping me grounded guys!
Angela: How diff. is it playing with nuERA than it was your other bands? Do you find the rap/rock mix that’s done so well makes it more fun for you personally?
Don: My very first band was rap/metal oriented, so it was the closest thing to nuERA that I've done. However, I always hoped my first band would go a direction that had less screaming/rapping to one that had more singing/rapping like nuERA has. After that, I was in some significantly heavier bands, and I think they were more stressful than they were fun, honestly. I'd really beat myself up if I felt I didn't play well instead of focusing on having a good time. I was at a point where maybe one out of 10 shows I thought I played well, even if that wasn't the case. I don't think I've had a moment where I've felt like that since I've been in nuERA. It’s been a good time. After all these years, I feel like music has come full circle for me, and I'm having more fun than ever.
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| the upcoming 11track nuERA CD DIALYSIS finished artwork. Badass! Pig lady is winning! |
Don: We are working on recording the last 3 songs of the full length DIALYSIS with Adam Barber at IBK Studios. Right now we still need to go in and put the vocals down on the last of those 3 songs and then we’re done with the recording phase. The artwork is complete (see photo), so now we can take that and move on to figuring out what goes where with the CD jacket and so forth. After that’s done, Adam will take master copy of the tracks as well as the completed Jacket art and send it out for duplication. Hopefully we will be able to release the new material soon!
Angela: What are your hopes for NUERA for this year? For the future?
Don: The hope of all hopes is that we can transition nuERA into a career, but for this year I just hope we can continue to have the opportunity to play great shows, and hopefully play with even more of our favorite National bands. We've been very fortunate so far this year and I hope it continues.
Angela: Any bands (signed or unsigned) that you want to plug?
Don: Absolutely. It was very awesome to meet our Hard-Rock-Reviews.com Band-of-the-Week buddies in Absolution, great guys who kill it live! Of course Eye Empire, hope to play some more shows with those guys again soon. Check out our Orlando friends in Traverser, they are on tour right now. Another local Orlando band to check out is Gorillafight. Check out Allele from Jacksonville, FL as well!
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| Don Cadman, nuERA drummer Photo credit Dynesha Cadman |
Angela: What was the last CD you bought?
Don: The last CD I bought was Born in Babylon by SOJA. If you like Reggae and haven't heard them before, check them out!
Angela: Closing thoughts…anything you want to add!!!
Don: Thanks for the opportunity, and hopefully everyone enjoys nuERA as much as I do!
If you liked this interview and already are a fan of nuERA, don't miss out on Jay's interview HERE.
nuERA is -
Jeremy Hyson - Vocals, John ROBOT - MC/Samples, Jay Mueller - Guitars, Sean Stahl - Guitars, Ryan Shelton - Bass, Don Cadman - Drums
The HRR inside scoop….On the new nuERA CD, there are 3 songs that you’ve never heard, and you won’t hear them til the new CD is released! Those 3 are the very last 3 that they’re recording now! This CD is the original 6 song EP plus 5 songs and this is their first full length release. Total tracks on the new CD – 11.
CONNECT WITH NUERA!- nuERA REVERBNATION
- nuERA FACEBOOK
- nuERA MYSPACE
- nuERA YouTube channel
- nuERA MERCH
- nuERA Official Street Team
- Booking Agent: jtm503@hotmail.com
Written by Angela Villand All Rights Reserved
ang@hard-rock-reviews.com
© Hard-Rock-Reviews.com
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