Blake Richardson
Encyclopedia
Cartland Blake Richardson is the drummer for the American heavy metal
band, Between the Buried and Me
as well as the drummer for the deathcore
band Glass Casket
with fellow member of Between the Buried and Me, Dustie Waring. Joining in early 2005, Richardson replaced Between the Buried and Me's former drummer Mark Castillo.
Richardson is notably the only member of Between the Buried and Me who is not vegetarian.
and was a member of the Junior Civitan
service club and performed an annual drum solo for the club project named 'Spartan Spectacular'. Playing drums since he was 11 years old, he became an immediate fan of 90's grunge music. Being inspired by bands such as Soundgarden
, Nirvana
, and Smashing Pumpkins, his passion for heavy music grew as much as his love for drumming did. After taking lessons for several years from local jazz percussionist/drummer Robert Crutchfield, he developed his skills and started playing out with his first band, Glass Casket
at the age of 17. After significant touring throughout the US, he graduated high school in 2003 and attended NC State University for two years.
After getting an offer to play drums for home state friends, Between the Buried and Me, he helped to start writing the bands third full length album Alaska and finally left school in 2005 to tour full time. Since then, the band has toured relentlessly. Sharing the stage with friends in Black Dahlia Murder, Bleeding Through, Every Time I Die, and Dillinger Escape Plan helped land them a spot on Ozzfest 2006 with System of a Down and Ozzy Osbourne. After seemingly endless touring to support his first album with Between the Buried and Me, the band began writing for their fifth studio album entitled "Colors." This album helped push the band, as well as Richardson's drumming style, into the more progressive metal element. Not going unnoticed, the band's developed new sound and groundbreaking new album helped earn them a spot on the first ever "Progressive Nation Tour", featuring Dream Theater, Opeth, and Three.
and metalcore
elements as well as jazz
influences. Noted for his blast beats, odd timing, double bass drumming, and fill-heavy style, Richardson is considered a standout in his field. His favorite drummers include Terry Bozzio
, Dennis Chambers
, Dave Grohl
, Simon Phillips
, Mike Portnoy
and Tomas Haake
.
During the Progressive Nation 2008 tour Blake performed alongside Mike Portnoy (ex Dream Theater
) where the two soloed together.
Sabian Cymbals:
Tama Iron Cobra Kick Pedals, Tama Hardware
3A Vic Firth Drumsticks
Evans Drumheads (Hybrid on snare, EMAD on kick drums, and EC2 SST on toms)
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band, Between the Buried and Me
Between the Buried and Me
Between the Buried and Me is an American heavy metal band from Raleigh, North Carolina. They have released a total of five studio albums, as well as a cover album, an EP and a live DVD/CD...
as well as the drummer for the deathcore
Deathcore
Deathcore is an extreme metal music genre that combines elements of death metal with elements of metalcore or hardcore punk, or both. It is defined by an "excessive" use of death metal riffs, blast beats and use of hardcore punk breakdowns...
band Glass Casket
Glass Casket
Glass Casket is a deathcore band from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. They were originally called Gadrel when they released their first demo To Cherish A Falsity. The band formed after several members previous band Narayan broke up. Dustie Waring and Blake Richardson are also currently members of...
with fellow member of Between the Buried and Me, Dustie Waring. Joining in early 2005, Richardson replaced Between the Buried and Me's former drummer Mark Castillo.
Richardson is notably the only member of Between the Buried and Me who is not vegetarian.
Life
Richardson attended to middle school at Calvary Baptist Day School in Winston-Salem, later attending Mt. Tabor High SchoolMount Tabor High School
Mount Tabor High School is a high school located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It is part of the WS/FCS School System. As of 2010, Mount Tabor has a student population of over 1,600 9th through 12th grade students and is a North Carolina 4A school. Mount Tabor was previously part of the Metro...
and was a member of the Junior Civitan
Junior Civitan International
Junior Civitan International is a student-led service organization for middle and high school students. There are 11,000 Junior Civitan members in 400 clubs in North America, Africa, Asia, and Europe. It is the longest lasting project of its parent organization Civitan International.-History:The...
service club and performed an annual drum solo for the club project named 'Spartan Spectacular'. Playing drums since he was 11 years old, he became an immediate fan of 90's grunge music. Being inspired by bands such as Soundgarden
Soundgarden
Soundgarden is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984 by singer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto...
, Nirvana
Nirvana
Nirvāṇa ; ) is a central concept in Indian religions. In sramanic thought, it is the state of being free from suffering. In Hindu philosophy, it is the union with the Supreme being through moksha...
, and Smashing Pumpkins, his passion for heavy music grew as much as his love for drumming did. After taking lessons for several years from local jazz percussionist/drummer Robert Crutchfield, he developed his skills and started playing out with his first band, Glass Casket
Glass Casket
Glass Casket is a deathcore band from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. They were originally called Gadrel when they released their first demo To Cherish A Falsity. The band formed after several members previous band Narayan broke up. Dustie Waring and Blake Richardson are also currently members of...
at the age of 17. After significant touring throughout the US, he graduated high school in 2003 and attended NC State University for two years.
After getting an offer to play drums for home state friends, Between the Buried and Me, he helped to start writing the bands third full length album Alaska and finally left school in 2005 to tour full time. Since then, the band has toured relentlessly. Sharing the stage with friends in Black Dahlia Murder, Bleeding Through, Every Time I Die, and Dillinger Escape Plan helped land them a spot on Ozzfest 2006 with System of a Down and Ozzy Osbourne. After seemingly endless touring to support his first album with Between the Buried and Me, the band began writing for their fifth studio album entitled "Colors." This album helped push the band, as well as Richardson's drumming style, into the more progressive metal element. Not going unnoticed, the band's developed new sound and groundbreaking new album helped earn them a spot on the first ever "Progressive Nation Tour", featuring Dream Theater, Opeth, and Three.
Style
Richardson's drumming is characterized by a fusion of death metalDeath metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
and metalcore
Metalcore
Metalcore is a subgenre of heavy metal combining various elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. The name is a portmanteau of the names of the two genres. The term took on its current meaning in the mid-1990s, describing bands such as Earth Crisis, Deadguy and Integrity...
elements as well as jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
influences. Noted for his blast beats, odd timing, double bass drumming, and fill-heavy style, Richardson is considered a standout in his field. His favorite drummers include Terry Bozzio
Terry Bozzio
Terry John Bozzio is an American drummer best known for his work with Missing Persons and Frank Zappa.-Biography:Terry Bozzio was born December 27, 1950 in San Francisco, California. He started at age 6 playing makeshift drum sets. At the age of 13 he saw The Beatles premier performance on The Ed...
, Dennis Chambers
Dennis Chambers
Dennis Chambers is an American drummer who has recorded and performed with John Scofield, George Duke, Brecker Brothers, Santana, Parliament/Funkadelic, John McLaughlin, Niacin, Mike Stern, Greg Howe, and many others. Despite a lack of formal training, Chambers has become well known among...
, Dave Grohl
Dave Grohl
David Eric "Dave" Grohl is an American rock musician, multi-instrumentalist, and singer-songwriter who is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter for Foo Fighters; the former drummer for Nirvana and Scream; and the current drummer for Them Crooked Vultures...
, Simon Phillips
Simon Phillips
Simon Phillips is an English jazz, pop and rock drummer.-Career:Phillips began to play professionally at the age of twelve in his father's Dixieland band for four years. He was then offered the chance to play in the musical Jesus Christ Superstar...
, Mike Portnoy
Mike Portnoy
Michael Stephen "Mike" Portnoy is an American drummer primarily known as the former drummer, backing vocalist, and a co-founder of the progressive metal band Dream Theater, as well as the temporary drummer for the hard rock band Avenged Sevenfold. Known for his drumming prowess and technical...
and Tomas Haake
Tomas Haake
Tomas Haake is the drummer and main lyricist for the Swedish experimental metal band Meshuggah.-Musical career:Haake is noted for his technical abilities; his drumming style is characterized by heavy use of polyrhythms while often maintaining a steady 4/4 beat. This signature style has become one...
.
During the Progressive Nation 2008 tour Blake performed alongside Mike Portnoy (ex Dream Theater
Dream Theater
Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 under the name Majesty by John Petrucci, John Myung, and Mike Portnoy while they attended Berklee College of Music in Massachusetts. They subsequently dropped out of their studies to further concentrate on the band that would...
) where the two soloed together.
Equipment
Tama Starclassic Performer B/B:- 2x 20" x 18" kick drums
- 8" x 7" rack tom
- 10" x 8" rack tom
- 12" x 9" rack tom
- 16" x 16" floor tom
- 14" x 6.5" snare drum
Sabian Cymbals:
- 9" Radia Cup Chime
- Sabian Low Max Stax
- 10" HH Duo Splash
- 18" HHX Evolution Crash
- 19" AAXplosion Crash
- 17" AAXtreme China (on left)
- 19" AAXtreme China (on right)
- 21" HH Raw Bell Dry Ride
- 12" Chopper Cymbal
Tama Iron Cobra Kick Pedals, Tama Hardware
3A Vic Firth Drumsticks
Evans Drumheads (Hybrid on snare, EMAD on kick drums, and EC2 SST on toms)