Skip to main content
MusicRadar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Artist news
  • Guitars
  • Guitar Pedals
  • Synths
  • Keyboards & Pianos
  • Controllers
  • Guitar Amps
  • Drums
  • Software & Apps
  • More
    • Recording
    • DJ Gear
    • Acoustic Guitars
    • Bass Guitars
    • Tech
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • Buying Guides
    • About Us
More
  • Radiohead theory
  • Steely Dan's drum machine
  • Deep Purple in the dungeon
  • Prince's drummers
  • 95k+ free music samples
Don't miss these
Sleep Token
Drums “We tried it as a laugh and now it’s our standard setup”: The secret sauce behind Sleep Token’s live drum sound
Colin Brittain of Linkin Park performs at the I-Days Festival at Ippodromo Snai La Maura on June 24, 2025 in Milan, Italy
Drummers “I love this band, I love the people and the music": Colin Brittain on life behind the kit with Linkin Park
Zak Starkey
Drummers "I dropped some beats apparently. I’ve looked and I can’t find them!": Zak Starkey on Who sacking and more
Eloy Casagrande in Slipknot
Drummers Slipknot’s Eloy Casagrande reveals the secret lessons he gave his Sepultura replacement
Frank Ferrer on stage in 2012
Artists How drummer Frank Ferrer powered Guns N’ Roses for 19 years
Zach Myers of Shinedown plays a hunter green PRS NF53 live onstage at Download Festival 2025.
Artists Zach Myers on Shinedown’s secret weapon, the limits of shred guitar, and getting schooled by BB King
Yungblud
Artists Yungblud reveals his secret to making acoustics sound massive – and hints at future signature model
Daron Malakian of System of a Down performs live in a wide-brimmed had with a custom Flying V with an open-book Gibson headstock.
Artists Daron Malakian on how synth leads the guitar on his new album and why he doesn’t stick to one style
Brent Smith of Shinedown performs during the US rockers' Dance, Kid, Dance Tour 2025.
Artists Shinedown’s Brent Smith on finding inspiration in a hurricane and why you don’t need to be play guitar to write a great song
Adrian Smith and Steve Harris of Iron Maiden lock in onstage as they perform Long Beach in 2003. Smith plays his Olympic White Fender Strat. Harris is on his trusty Precision Bass.
Artists Adrian Smith on how Steve Harris is the secret behind Iron Maiden’s triple-guitar attack
Orbit Culture's guitarists
Electric Guitars Orbit Culture show us their ESP guitars – and tell us why the EverTune bridge is a game-changer
Brent Smith [left] performs in a blazer and white T-shirt as flames from pyro light the stage behind him. On the right, Rick Beato is photographed in a denim overshirt at NAMM 2022.
Artists Shinedown frontman Brent Smith on what makes Rick Beato a great producer
10 people drummers will encounter at gigs
Drummers The 10 people drummers will inevitably encounter when playing a gig
Josh Freese performs onstage with The Vandals during day 1 of Warped Tour at Shoreline Waterfront on July 26, 2025
Drummers “It wasn’t music that I really resonated with”: Josh Freese lifts the lid on his exit from the Foo Fighters
Zach Myers of Shinedown is bathed in blue stage lights and plays his custom-relic'd Silver Sky.
Artists Shinedown’s Zach Myers on Paul Reed Smith, signature model updates, and that relic’d Silver Sky
  1. Artists
  2. Drummers

Sleeping With Sirens' Gabe Barham

News
By David West published 30 June 2015

The Sleeping With Sirens, man reveals his approach to groove and why singer Kellin keeps attacking his drums

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Gabe Barham

Gabe Barham

Gabe Barham started playing with vocalist Kellin Quinn and bassist Justin Hills in the band For All We Know, before they formed Sleeping With Sirens in 2009. They released their debut, With Ears To See And Eyes To Hear in 2010 and built their following with relentless touring.

Their third album, Feel, hit Number 3 in the Billboard charts in the US and they’ve just
released their fourth album, Madness, as their sound has evolved from the post-hardcore of
their early releases towards a more radio-friendly, emo vibe.

Here Gabe tells us about his ghost-note approach to groove, why lead vocalist Kellin attacks his drumset and keeping the rust off his technique while touring.

Page 1 of 9
Page 1 of 9
Keeping it simple…

Keeping it simple…

“We were a little bit heavier on the first couple of records, a lot more double kick, a lot more over-the-top drum fills where the newer stuff has become more poppy. In worship band at church, the popular term is ‘less is more’. That’s one of the hardest things to do.

"I’m behind my drumset, the song is building up and I’m feeling I want to do this massive fill but sometimes just keeping it simple is the best, especially to make the drums fit the music in a tasteful way. But at the same time, I want to play parts like, ‘Oh, that was a nice drum fill,’ or, ‘That was a nice drum part, nicely placed.’ This new record, I love these songs. ‘Kick Me’ is really fun to play. ‘Go Go Go’ is fun to play, ‘We Like It Loud’… ‘Parasites’ is really fun to play too.

Page 2 of 9
Page 2 of 9
Working with demanding producers…

Working with demanding producers…

“We did a record in Nashville that we didn’t end up releasing, with Nick Raskulinecz who did Foo Fighters, Deftones, Alice In Chains. He was fun to record with. Well, I hated recording with him. I’m the type that I can go in the studio and do the whole song in one take, nail it. I’d do that, he’s like, ‘That was good, give it to me again.’ I do it again, I’m sweating by take two, he’s telling me, ‘All right, play harder.’ I’m playing as hard as I can. My hands are blistered up, bleeding.

"He would have me do each song like 20, 30 times. He wouldn’t be like, ‘This one part was a little off, can you do this one part?’ He’d be like, ‘Do the whole song again.’ I’m like, ‘Dude, you’re killing me!’ It was cool recording with him though, because he’s worked with Dave Grohl a bunch. I’d do some fill or some certain drum part, he’d pull out his phone and start recording, ‘I’m sending this to Dave, this is sick. What you’re doing is awesome.’ I’m nervous, ‘Stop filming me! He’s going to think it sucks!’ I was to the point where I had to get gloves. I’m like, I’m not wearing drumming gloves. He’s like, ‘Dave does when he comes in the studio.’ Alright, if Dave does, I guess it’s good.”

Page 3 of 9
Page 3 of 9
Keeping the groove…

Keeping the groove…

“Playing a lot of ghost notes]. I feel like they help with the groove. Even though we’re playing to a click I feel like it helps me stay in the pocket. It might look a little fancy but I guess most people don’t notice. It feels natural. If I don’t do it, if I’m riding with my right hand and my right foot’s going, what is my left hand doing? Just sitting there, so I’ve got to do something with it.

"One song in particular where I do a lot of ghost notes is ‘Congratulations’. Jack has a guitar solo and that whole part is filled with ghost notes, my left hand is going the whole time. But it’s not too much. I can’t do blast beats and stuff like that, I’ve tried, but I can have my left hand going with ghost notes all day.”

Page 4 of 9
Page 4 of 9
Dealing with a mercurial lead singer…

Dealing with a mercurial lead singer…

“Sometimes Kellin [Quinn, vocals] will get mad because the cymbals are too loud and I play hard. He’s like, ‘All I can hear is your drums!’ He’ll come up and start ripping my drumset down, ripping cymbals down off the drum riser and throwing them, which makes me nervous – my drum tech even more! My drum tech is freaking out, having a heart attack.”

Page 5 of 9
Page 5 of 9
Locking in…

Locking in…

“It depends on how the song comes together. There is one song in particular called ‘Trophy Father Trophy Son’, that’s in 6/8, in the chorus, he [Justin Hills, bassist] just stares at my kick drum. We’re locked. It depends on the feel of the song and how the song comes together. I can follow the rhythm guitar but I like playing with the bass. You’ve got that rhythm section locked. If the drums and bass are locked, we can carry the song. The guitar can go out and we can hold it down. I’m going to say I like to stick with the bass.”

Page 6 of 9
Page 6 of 9
Evolving his playing…

Evolving his playing…

“As far as this band goes, I’m pretty sure playing the actual parts aren’t going to be more complicated than any of our old stuff. It’s probably going to be pretty straightforward so the most I can do as far as making our shows better is just performance, putting on a good show while playing. Being entertaining to watch.

"As far as the technical side, I really want to get back into jazz. Tony Royster Jr crushes it. Ilan Rubin, he’s a crusher. Ambidextrous, he can go from his left hand to his right hand and actually when I’m home I like to practise that. I’ll try to take one of our songs and play it leading with my left. It’s challenging. Sometimes I’ll try to lead with my left foot too and it’s not easy but if I can get to be more ambidextrous, more independent with each limb, that would be cool. It just takes a lot of work.”

Page 7 of 9
Page 7 of 9
Keeping The Rust Off

Keeping The Rust Off

"I have a kick pad where I set up my pedals and a practice pad on a snare stand and I’ll just practice rudiments and stuff with my feet. I really enjoy putting on hip-hop records and making up my own drums to them. The guys will get really mad at me because it’s loud and I’m in the green room being obnoxious, but that’s what I have to do otherwise I’m playing the same songs every night, not getting any better.

"When I’m home, I’ve got the Remo Silent Strokes on one of my kits and the Zildjian Gen-16 cymbals, they feel like real cymbals but they’re not loud. I can be jamming away and if the door is shut you can barely hear it in the next room. It’s not easy to practise on the road, but you’ve got to do it, you’ve got to stay fresh.

Page 8 of 9
Page 8 of 9
Want more?

Want more?

You can read the full interview with Gabe Barham in July’s Rhythm, available here!

Page 9 of 9
Page 9 of 9
Categories
Drums
David West
Read more
Sleep Token
“We tried it as a laugh and now it’s our standard setup”: The secret sauce behind Sleep Token’s live drum sound
 
 
Colin Brittain of Linkin Park performs at the I-Days Festival at Ippodromo Snai La Maura on June 24, 2025 in Milan, Italy
“I love this band, I love the people and the music": Colin Brittain on life behind the kit with Linkin Park
 
 
Zak Starkey
"I dropped some beats apparently. I’ve looked and I can’t find them!": Zak Starkey on Who sacking and more
 
 
Eloy Casagrande in Slipknot
Slipknot’s Eloy Casagrande reveals the secret lessons he gave his Sepultura replacement
 
 
Frank Ferrer on stage in 2012
How drummer Frank Ferrer powered Guns N’ Roses for 19 years
 
 
Zach Myers of Shinedown plays a hunter green PRS NF53 live onstage at Download Festival 2025.
Zach Myers on Shinedown’s secret weapon, the limits of shred guitar, and getting schooled by BB King
 
 
Latest in Drummers
Allen Blick with Baroness in 2010
"I treasure every moment we shared”: Baroness pay tribute to fallen bandmate Allen Blickle
 
 
Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit performs onstage during Leeds Festival at Bramham Park on August 24, 2025 in Leeds, Englan
"Please don't put it on the internet": Limp Bizkit tease new song with the help of a young social media drummer
 
 
Josh Freese performs onstage with The Vandals during day 1 of Warped Tour at Shoreline Waterfront on July 26, 2025
“It wasn’t music that I really resonated with”: Josh Freese lifts the lid on his exit from the Foo Fighters
 
 
Photo of Mike JOYCE and SMITHS and MORRISSEY and Andy ROURKE and Johnny MARR; L-R: Andy Rourke, Mike Joyce (drums), Morrissey, Johnny Marr (playing Gibson ES-335 guitar), performing live on The Tube
“This book truly conveys what it felt like to be a member of the Smiths”: Mike Joyce’s memoir to be published in November
 
 
Drum Recording Techniques
How the rules of drum recording were shaped over decades of trial and error
 
 
Neil Peart performing with Rush in 2012
“To those I inspired to start drumming, I apologise to your parents!”: A rare interview with Rush legend Neil Peart
 
 
Latest in News
Ed Sheeran attends the European Premiere of F1 ® The Movie at Cineworld, Leicester Square on June 23, 2025
“It would be ‘Stop’ and then ‘Eject’”: Ed Sheeran reveals that plans for posthumous album are in his will
 
 
Zultan FX cymbals
“A versatile tool for sharp, modern accents and cutting effects”: Zultan add to their effects cymbal range
 
 
ELMONT, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 07: Sombr performs during the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards at UBS Arena on September 07, 2025 in Elmont, New York. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for MTV)
“In the actual song you hear today, the guitars, the riff, the bass, the drums and all the vocals are from those initial takes I did in my bedroom”: Sombr on the making of viral hit Undressed, and his formula for creating "a legendary indie rock song"
 
 
Adrian Sherwood
Dub pioneer Adrian Sherwood on embracing AI and playing the studio like an instrument
 
 
Ronnie Wood, Mick Jagger and Keith Richard of The Rolling Stones perform during the final night of the Hackney Diamonds '24 Tour at Thunder Ridge Nature Arena
“They’re all hyped up”: Marlon Richards says that the Stones have been recording a new album in London
 
 
Jacob Collier
Using his signature ‘DAEAD’ tuning, Jacob Collier recorded a 5-string acoustic guitar album in just four days
 
 

MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...