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Jay Weinberg on playing with Bruce Springsteen
Max's son raves about "the ultimate education"
Joe Bosso, Thu 7 Jan 2010, 8:03 pm GMT
Jay Weinberg is walking on air. Given that he spent most of 2009 playing with Bruce Springsteen And The E Street Band, this is understandable. But just 24 hours earlier, the 19-year-old drummer finally jammed with another rock icon: his father, the Mighty Max.
"I know it sounds incredible, but we never really played together," says Jay, who is in Los Angeles, along with a host of drumming legends (Tommy Lee, Chad Smith, Matt Sorum, Taylor Hawkins, Jason Bonham, Tool's Danny Carey, among others) for Guitar Center's Drum-Off Finals.
Before five unknown sticksmen compete for the ultimate prize of 'Guitar Center Drum-Off Champion 2009,' there will be an all-star performance at the Wiltern Theatre called Bezerk, and during a rehearsal Jay and his illustrious dad indulged in some serious bonding.
"It was the only time we ever sat down at two drum sets, side by side, and played together," marvels Jay. " It was wild! So many emotions ran through my head as we were playing: 'Wow, what a killer drummer he is.' 'Geez, that little fill he did, I never would've thought of that.' My dad's amazing. Beyond anything else that happens with the Drum-Offs, I'm so grateful for the experience of playing next to him."
Although Jay admits to being "slightly intimidated" around the array of notables taking part in the Drum-Off Finals, he's excited about what he calls "a total celebration of drums and drummers. The camaraderie and sense of community we share is really something special."
Even at this point in his brief career, Jay Weinberg should be anything but nervous, not after the summer he's had, subbing for his father as the drummer for the E Street Band on the Working On A Dream Tour. "Believe me, not a second goes by when I don't think about how fortunate I am," he says. "That I have, you know, a certain family lineage, I don't take that lightly. If anything, it gives me a sense of responsibility and a standard I have to live up to."
A devotee of heavy metal, who plays in his own band, The Reveling, while attending Stevens Institute Of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey, Jay sat down with MusicRadar to discuss "being thrown into the E Street fire on stage" and what it's like to learn 200 songs in only a matter of months.
What was it like growing up with a famous father?
"It was strange at times. Actually, strange a lot of the time. [laughs] Now that I'm in college in Hoboken, I go to this club called Maxwell's, and that's where the video to Glory Days was shot. Most people watch that video and to them it's a great moment in their lives that they remember. I see it differently. I watch it and I see my parents - my mom is in the video, too - so it's like watching a home movie before I was born. At the same time, it's a video of this iconic song, one that I've played on huge stages in stadiums. The whole thing is incredible, and I don't take for granted how lucky I am."
Being that you're still in college, what are your plans? Do you want to be a professional drummer, or are you eyeing another kind of career?
"I definitely want to be a professional drummer, and I would've said that before playing with Bruce. This is what I do and I love it. It's my passion. You know, I used to play hockey; I was a goalie. As a goalie, you're that last line of defense, and that's how I see drumming: I'm the last line of defense for the band. I've got their backs and I allow them to shine and get the job done."
