Drumming News
Ken Mary, sound engineer and drummer for Flotsam and Jetsam, is honoring the late Neil Peart with a new project called “THE NEIL PEART EXPERIMENT.” Mary will be releasing a series of videos over the next four weeks where he re-records Neil Peart’s legendary drum parts to Rush’s classic songs. This project, recorded in 2021 and 2022, features Mary’s attempt to recreate the original tracks as closely as possible, using no editing or adjustments, and recording each song in one take.
The idea came from a challenge posed by a fellow drummer. Mary was tasked with matching Peart’s drum parts while playing along to pre-recorded bass, guitars, keys, and vocals—no click track involved. “I had to know the song well enough to surge where they surged and drag where they dragged,” he explained. His goal was to capture the feel of Rush’s recordings from the late ’70s and ’80s, when everything was done in a more organic and spontaneous way.
As a longtime admirer of Peart, Mary, who considers him one of the top three most influential drummers of all time, views this project as both a personal challenge and a tribute to the rock legend. “I hope that the Professor himself would have been pleased,” Mary shared.
The project’s release is timed perfectly for the holiday season, and each week for the next month, Mary will unveil one full-length Rush song. Fans of both Rush and Flotsam and Jetsam will get to experience Mary’s take on some of Rush’s most iconic tracks, offering a unique blend of tribute and nostalgia.
Mary hopes fans enjoy the journey back in time, offering a fresh look at the foundational music that shaped his career. Stay tuned for the first release in the coming weeks!
Ken’s Studio Pasge: www.sonicphish.com
