Patrik Caccia's Interview
a cura di Alessandro Grassi
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Intervista a Patrick Caccia --> Italian Version

I had the honour to see him for the first time at the Alcatraz of Milan. He was giving the beat to Eric Sardinas, in a terrific way. They were opening for Steve Vai. He impressed me a lot, and so I started to gather information about him; finding out that in fact he comes from Monza, that he lived for 20 years in my same city, that we even have friends in common.
So, with my best smile, I contacted him to ask him for a chat via email, since the possibility to meet him in LA for me was scarse. The answer was an invitation to one of his Italian tour shows in march 2006; a warm invitation, with that warmth familiar in those who have seen the light under our sky.
I set off for Brescia the 14^th of march, destination: “Buddha Cafè” (Orzinuovi), along with a good friend and great photographer. Patrick received us during the sound-check: confident, poised and silent, with a smile of one who is really living his childhood dreams. Cap just above the eyes, he orders three beers and points at a table at the side of the stage. And so, one of the most enthralling, compelling conversation I have ever taken part in begins: everything converges towards passion, commitment, gratitude and an unexpected humility, for someone of his level.
I thank Patrick Caccia for his indulgence and his patience towards me: for having welcomed me as a brother and above all, for having given me a few hours of true existence, a life that begins with dreams and with passions...

So Patrick: you live in the States but your surname is not really “made in U.S.A”. Tell us about your origins!
I was born in Monza and practically grew up in Milan. At the end of 2000, at the age of 23, I moved to LA.

Do you remember your first approach to drums? I heard about your conscription…
I remember my first approach to music as if it were yesterday: I was about 18, I heard music coming from a basement and so I went down to have a look.
There were some friends of mine who were playing (“Anarchy in the UK”, Sex Pistols) and at a certain point the drummer left for a phone call: the other musicians asked me to play, and I really had no idea of how to handle a drum kit.
They sang the beat to me and I played, in an absolutely spontaneous and natural way.
Then for various reasons I didn’t have the possibility to start musical studies for a long time: no one in my family is a musician and therefore I was never guided by someone.
Undoubtedly my conscription was the right chance that put me into music 24 hours a day: having so much time to spend allowed me to understand if I could approach music and how I would be able to do this.
Undeniably it was a turning point, for myself and for the music aspect of my life, from which I decided to make music my profession.

Did you always know you would have made music your life? How did your family react to this?
I knew music would have been my life since I was a kid. When I was a little boy I used to go to this bar near my house to listen to records to be able to follow the drum parts. But when you are very young, you haven’t made your mind up yet, and parents usually don’t tend to push you towards musical carriers. Unlike other musicians, who were maybe supported by a family nearer to a music situation than my parents, I started off on this road by myself. When I told them that I wanted to become a professional musician they answered: “sort yourself out, then you can come back home!”.
Only after three years of intense studies, after having seen my determination and my confidence, they started to encourage me. They were conscious that I knew what I was doing and supported me in such a crucial way that I wouldn’t be what I am now if it wasn’t for them! Now they have become my number one fans: my parents never miss a concert when I come back to Italy!

When did you start to study? Are you an autodidact or did you take drum lessons from the beginning?
As I was saying, I began when I was 18 practically by accident, and for a long period of time I didn’t consider studying the instrument. After the conscription, when I was 21, I decided I had to study seriously.
I got to know Sergio Pescara thanks to common acquaintance. The first question he asked me was: “ Are you really sure you want to become a professional musician? Do you realise how many there are out there?” He saw my determination and threw himself into my professional formation, with the same passion with which I followed him.

What do you recall of your first steps as a musician here in Italy? Did you have some bands or did you completely immerse yourself in your studies?
I used to jam along with various musicians, like everybody does, before leaving the States.
I remember that when I started taking lessons from Sergio in 1997 I decided to quit playing with other people, lock myself in a room and work on my weaknesses: I used to jam with other musicians and I wasn’t able to play what I wanted to play. My body wasn’t doing what my brain was telling him to do. It was a problem of coordination, I had to teach my body to follow my brain. So I practically stayed 3 years locked in a room, studying.
However, I did have some band situations before moving to Los Angeles. The last experience I remember was with the Exilia band with whom I played substituting Roberto Gualdi. I remember one evening they phoned me from L.A. before a concert with Exilia: we were sat at a table, I hung up and said: “ Guys, I’m afraid I have to leave, they called me at the Musicians Institute!”
Another experience I remember was with the Banda Losca, a reggae band in which I took the place of Ruggero Pazzaglia (teacher at the CPM of Milan). It was  great band, they taught me a lot!

Talking about studies, rudiments, grooves…what do you feel is more “yours”? Do you have a more instinctive or a more techinical approach when you play?
In this moment it is a combination between technique and instinct. I believe that in order to have an excellent musical expression you need a good, solid technique. However, a good technique isn’t the essential component. When I play I try to combine both aspects.
I see music in 2 distinct ways: the first is “me and my drums” the second is
“me and the music”. The first goal at the beginning is to achieve the technique. The second is to become musical. A musician’s last goal is to be musical, spontaneous and play with an absolute free mind.

An important issue for every drummer…where did you study, here in Milan?
When I decided to become a professional musician, I was very determined and focused but my family was a sort of distraction for me. Therefore, I rented a garage, soundproofed it and made it into my second home.
Before renting my garage, I studied in a Youth Centre ran by a church community… actually, I used to steal time from this youth centre! What I mean is that the priest had a space which could be used as a music room and he told me I could used for a few hours a day but at specific conditions: the first mass started at 6 o’clock in the morning and he didn’t have time to supervise me so he would hand me the keys at 5.30 and I had to get along on my own. And so it was. I used to wake up at 4.30 and lock myself inside. When somebody knocked to tell me to stop I ignored them and continued to study. It wasn’t easy at first, but I had to strive to put myself in the position to study, because I knew I had to study everyday all day long.

At a certain point you “emigrated” to the States. What were the reasons for which you preferred the States to the Italian scenario?
I never really “preferred” being abroad but I’ve always loved travelling. Once I finished my studies with Sergio he said to me “Ok, you’re done. You only have to go out now and try yourself”. I left to go to the Musicians Institute but I knew I was leaving for something else. At the beginning the Musicians Institute was my anchor: I was in a foreign country and my english wasn’t very good.
I went to the States because it is a multi-ethnical country: since I was attracted to latin music and percussions, the mexican, indian and african influences which are part of the american cultural background helped me “pick” this country to develop my studies.
To answer the question, I didn’t “prefer” the American scenario to the Italian one: I love my country and I hope to come back in the Italian spot as soon as I can. I listen to a lot of italian pop, I follow Sanremo, this year I really liked Dolcenera!

It was surely a tough decision to begin this journey: giving up everyday life, being in a foreign country, by yourself and with many uncertainties…
A lot of people ask me this question! As a matter of fact, moving to the States was a very natural step in my life: in Italy I used to study and live on sandwiches, in America I study and live on sandwiches… the only difference is that here they put more Mayo!
No seriously, it was a very natural transition for me, “musically” speaking I felt immediately at home.

With whom did you continue your studies? Did you continue to play with local bands?
At the beginning I threw myself into a full-immersion study schedule, for the first year I never had many contacts with the outside world. I lived at the Musicians Institute, I studied and slept there. I began to play seriously and started my tours around America only after a period of time, introducing myself into a variety of situations. The most constructive project was undeniably the tour I began in Los Angeles with Andy Vargas (2004), Santana singer.
The rest of the time was spent looking for stages downtown to play live, because the trick is always the same one: the more you play, the more people get to know you and above all, the more you learn to appreciate the difference between a didactic approach and pure improvisation. I also arrived at a crossroad in my life: the Musicians Institute was interested in keeping me there as a clinician, and so I had to decide between this and playing live. I decided to play, and I did it because now, at this point of my life, I feel I have to play music, to live music with other musicians, and not merely live music as “me and my drums”.

I know that one of your main reference-models in Los Angeles has been Joey Heredia. How did this friendship begin?
Joey Heredia is one of the main reasons why I play the drums the way I play the drums today. He has had a great influence on me and is part of my “expressive vocabulary”.
I got to know him when I came back to Los Angeles from one of my tours, I went to take lessons from Richie Garcia (Phil Collins percussionist) because I wanted to enrich my knowledge of the latin music culture. I studied with Richie for 3 or 4 months, but then I realised that I needed to interpret what I had learnt about percussions on the drumset. This is where Joey came in: he is undoubtedly one of the best latin drummers worldwide. We met in a club where I had gone to listen to him play live, and so our friendship and professional relation began.

Tell us about your first contact with Eric Sardinas. “How, where, when and why”?!
It was a very funny thing with Eric, I believe it was very connected with fate. At the Musicians Institute, Eric’s manager had put a notice to find a drummer: I was still a young student, but I participated to the audition anyway.
I went to Las Vegas to see Eric’s show and they introduced me to him: but then, for some reason, we parted, and another drummer was chosen. This was the first sign of fate, and I took it as such.
After about 3 years, coming back from Andy Vargas’ tour, I was in a club drinking a beer and Eric was playing live. The bassist recognised me, he blocked me and asked me if I wanted to play with them the day after for an audition because that night was their drummer’s last night. And so, after a jam session, Eric asked me to tour with him! Furthermore, in February 2005 my first tour with Sardinas brought me back to Italy (at the Naima in Forlì).
At the end of the Italian tour Eric asked me to be officially part of the band, to work with them: I hesitated because I still had an open project with Andy Vargas, and I didn’t know if I could handle both situations. And there came the second sign of fate, because Andy went off for another world tour and… here we are!

Do you remember your first great concert? Excited, afraid…? Tell us about it!
I consider concerts being “great” those in which I can express what I feel, regardless the context. The thrill, the excitement is always present, and this is why I like what I do. I’m glad to go on stage every night because I believe it is the only way for me to be myself. Sometimes I’m not able to express myself the way I want, sometimes I can, but every night is special, unique.
To answer your question, I remember the first big concert with Eric: we opened for Steve Vai, in a theatre in Phoenix with a croud that counted six thousand people: seeing all those people that follow you, that are carried away with the music you are playing is an incredible feeling, and it helps your performance.
But there are times when there are thousands of people and you can’t express yourself and times when there are twenty and you feel you’re at the top and, at a personal level, you enjoy the show much more.

Sardina’s show is a cocktail of blues, rock, funk, supported by power and intensity and by a great stage performance. And there are only 3 of you! How do you find it, being with Eric and Levell (Levell Price at the Bass)?
It’s really a lot of fun! Eric comes from blues, but in fact, he listens to everything and is influenced a lot. The way he plays, the fact that he leaves my arrangements to me, this allows me to implement latin and funk in his blues rock style.
It is probably for this reason that everything takes this particular shape: each one of us has a lot of space to be himself during the shows and we aren’t tied down by planned out arrangements. No one is afraid to say “no, this is to much, I can’t do this here, now”. An american saying goes “Less is more”. For me, in Eric’s band it’s “More is YEAH!”. With Eric there must be a fusion, a persistent question and answer between the drums and the guitar.
In other situations I find myself simply accompanying, giving the groove, because there are maybe many musicians on stage. Instead, in a trio, there is a need to fill, to complete one another, to be able to keep the adrenalin of the performance constantly at its maximum.

I’m delighted to see that in the last months your tour has flown to Europe, and is sharing stages with B.B. King and Steve Vai. Did you imagine all this when you first landed in Los Angeles? How do you feel about it?
It was a great experience with B.B. King! I’ve always listened to him, even before I started to play blues. I consider him as one of the greatest musician this genre has ever had. I listened to Steve Vai before I even began playing the drums! To get to open these concerts is an incredible achievement, an unbelievable target: and the most incredible thing for me is that I’ve made it to where I am now in a natural way. Actually, I don’t know if “natural” is the right word to use. I make music everyday, and I try to do all the things that happen to me with passion: I happened to be on tour with them, and I am honoured for the fact that they chose me, for the fact that I have the privilege to play at these levels. I don’t know what I did to deserve all this, but I’m thankful because I am able to play with musicians who are far better than me. B.B. King and Steve Vai are musicians that I professionally and humanely truly admire: to have the possibility to share the experiences I lived, with musicians like them, is an inspiration, it is an impetus that strives me to improve,  that strives me to want more every time. It is a dream, like it would be for anyone else. When Steve asked me to play a song with him every concert during the tour, I looked at him and said “You’re joking, right? Funny…” He was serious. I was petrified.
I wasn’t expecting all this. When I landed in L.A., I only wanted to captivate every single thing I could learn from the American music background. If you sleep more than three hours and you live in L.A. and you’re a musician, you wake up feeling incredibly guilty: because artistically speaking, L.A. never sleeps…

What type of relation do you have with Jeremy Colson (Steve Vai)? You are both very young and very talented. I’ve noticed that sometimes you use his drumkit!
It was a drastic change for me, but I took it as a positive variation. Jeremy and I decided to use the same drumkit for a matter of convenience, having nearly seven shows per week for three months in a row.
When I placed myself behind his set I asked myself “and now?!”.
For Jeremy’s type of approach, his disposition is perfect; if you look at his drumsticks you’ll notice they are longer than mine, and every piece of his drumkit is placed with a certain criteria. But he is bigger than me, and his arms are much longer than mine! So I had to rearrange my way of playing, and I’ll tell you... at the beginning I was a bit disheartened, I couldn’t express myself during the first few shows.
But then I finally adapted my way of playing to his drumkit: I developed an ‘adapted technique’, which has also helped me take into consideration the “performing” aspect of the show: I came up with new movements that allowed me to be myself on a different drumset.

Do you find any differences between the “american-way-of-working” and the Italian one? How is the atmosphere, the approach to the sessions, to the tours…?
Honestly speaking, I can’t really compare my experiences in studio because I did very little in Italy having left immediately for the States. What I can tell you is that in the States, I’m acknowledged for the way I am, for the way I play, and they give me the opportunity do express myself. If they have a specific need, a groove or a particular beat, I know they call me because they know I can play it. Therefore, the first thing that comes to my mind is that undeniably more space is given for musical expression in America: this doesn’t mean that it isn’t the same in Italy, but again, unluckily I didn’t have the chance to experience Italian sessions.

Gossips talk about a recent terrible fall during one of your tours that forced you into a period of rehabilitation. I hope everything’s ok…
What a knock! It happened in Turkey, in Ankara I think. This country isn’t prepared to organize tours or grand artistic events yet. Compared to Italy, in which the organization has grown incredibly in the last 3 years, the situation isn’t the same in Turkey.
The reason why I fell was the lack of safety precautions. There was an open trapdoor backstage, dark and with no danger sign. I had just finished Eric’s set and I had to go back on stage to play with Steve Vai: I was running to go backstage and I didn’t see the trapdoor.
I fell for nearly 5 metres, landing on some steps breaking my meniscus. I don’t recall much: there were loads of people around me and I overheard that they were playing the song before mine. Everybody wanted to call a doctor, but I stood up and went on stage to play my song. Then I disappeared for 48 hours, dosing up with painkillers. I finished the tour with Eric and Steve and I flew immediately back to Milan to have a knee operation instead of going back to L.A.

You represent the possibility to be successful outside our country, worldwide. You are surely a matter of pride for many of us, and a reference-model for many young drummers. Is there something you would like to say to who is dreaming a professional carrier? Any advice, disclosures…
As for everyday life, the same advices appeal to the world of music. Do what you like to do, and work hard for it. Nothing comes overnight. I didn’t wake up one day on stage with Eric Sardinas or Steve Vai, but nevertheless I didn’t realise I had worked that hard to be there. I always tried to do what I liked to do everyday, putting all of myself into it. The most important thing is to commit yourself and have fun. You need to work hard for everything, including the drums.
I believe that dedication and passion are the keys to success. The sacrifices have been many, the smallest one being giving up a beer with friends because I had to study. They would come to my garage with a beer for me later.
In any case, it should be a natural process, if you force it, it doesn’t work, it isn’t real. Good music shouldn’t be a struggle. You need to be calm and spontaneous. Another advice is to buy and to listen to different music, read biographies in order to understand how the others made it to where they are now.
Therefore passion and dedication…and above all dedication means exploring. Yes, explore is another key-word: exploring triggers passion, for music and for everything else.

Do you have one or more endorsements?
Yes, I was lucky to come into contact with the producing industries that have supported me. I thank those who are following me in this period: Sabian, Pacific, DW, Vater. I’m proud of the partnership with these great companies that make quality products and that I know can follow me everyday, especially during my tours. It is a really great chance for me.

Is there any old friend you want to say hello to, or anyone you want to thank…Take the word!
Undoubtedly I miss Sergio Pescara, I used to spend hours and hours talking about music with him. Even when I used to go to his lessons, we would begin with an hour and without realising four hours would have passed…
I miss the Italian scenario in general, and I wanted to thank and say hi to everyone who has collaborated with me and who has grown up with me musically in my country, especially Michele Quaini and Diego Michelon.

Websites: http://www.patrickcaccia.com/ - http://www.ericsardinas.com/
Sponsors: http://www.dwdrums.com/ - http://www.pacificdrums.com/ - http://www.sabian.com/ - http://www.vater.com/
Others Links: http://www.buddha.it/ - www.tomedia.org/fotoblog

Thanks to Francesco Secchi (alias fracOz), young talented photographer, for his patience and his efficience with which he supported this work.