Ray Luzier

Last updated

Ray Luzier
Ray Luzier of Korn.jpg
Luzier performing with Korn in 2010
Background information
Birth nameRaymond Lee Luzier
Born Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Origin West Newton, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)Musician
Instrument(s)
  • Drums
  • percussion
Years active1988–present
Member of
Formerly of
Website kornofficial.com

Raymond Lee Luzier is an American musician. He is the drummer of nu metal band Korn, having become a full-time member of the band in April 2009. [1]

Contents

Life and career

Luzier was raised in West Newton, Pennsylvania, a small town an hour outside of Pittsburgh on a 118-acre farm. He began playing drums at age five, and participated in high school jazz, concert, and marching bands. After graduating in 1988, Luzier moved to Hollywood, California, to pursue an education at the Musicians Institute. He graduated in 1989 with a degree from MI's Percussion Institute of Technology. Luzier later returned as an instructor at Musicians Institute (19922001), where he taught rock-style drumming classes and gave private lessons.

Luzier is well known for his work with David Lee Roth, for whom he played drums from 1997 to 2005. Luzier has also played with the Hideous Sun Demons, a progressive-rock/fusion trio formed with DLR bandmembers Toshi Hiketa (guitar) and James LoMenzo (bass). Luzier became the drummer for Steel Panther shortly after the band formed in 1997. He remained with Steel Panther for six years until his DLR touring schedule interfered. In 2004, Luzier released an instructional DVD. It features a wide variety of lessons, including double-kick technique, drum fills, motion exercises, and warm-ups. It was released through Hal Leonard Publishing Co.

In January 2006, Luzier appeared at the NAMM Show in Anaheim, California with Billy Sheehan and Toshi Hiketa. Robert DeLeo and Dean DeLeo of Stone Temple Pilots appeared at the same NAMM venue as part of an impromptu band put together by Steve Ferrone. After seeing Luzier's performance, the DeLeo brothers invited Luzier to join Army of Anyone, the band they were putting together with vocalist Richard Patrick of the band Filter.

In 2007, after original drummer David Silveria had left (in 2006), Korn hired many touring drummers including Joey Jordison of Slipknot. Jordison left due to preparation for the recording of Slipknot's new album All Hope Is Gone . Consequently, Korn was then looking for a new drummer; and Luzier reportedly flew to Seattle to audition for Korn with James "Munky" Shaffer and Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu. When told to learn only five of their songs, Luzier learned 30. At his audition, Luzier was immediately invited to join Korn. [2]

Luzier played his first show with Korn on January 13, 2008, in Dublin, Ireland, and played with the band throughout 2008. Korn recorded their ninth studio album together with Luzier and their original producer Ross Robinson. Korn frontman Jonathan Davis said in March 2009 that Luzier was now an official member of the band. [3] Luzier made "UltimateRockGods" Artist Of The Month for July. [4]

Luzier also played live with Stone Temple Pilots for a couple of the band's shows on their reunion tour in October filling in for drummer Eric Kretz, who took time off due to the death of his father. In November 2010, Luzier played drums for the Japanese pop group KAT-TUN on their song "Change UR World." It was Kat-Tun's thirteenth number one single on the Oricon charts.

In 2014, he released the self-titled CD,"KXM" with his side project KXM, which consisted of Luzier, ex-Dokken and Lynch Mob guitarist George Lynch, and King's X vocalist and bassist Doug Pinnick.

Luzier has two sons, born in 2011 and 2015.

Equipment

Luzier in 2016 Ray12.jpg
Luzier in 2016

Luzier's kit changes to fit the style of the artist he performs or records with. He currently endorses Pearl Drums, [5] Sabian cymbals, [6] Remo drumheads, DW hardware, Vic Firth drumsticks, and Factory Metal Percussion Cymbals. He previously endorsed ddrum, Orange County Drum and Percussion (OCDP), and Promark drumsticks.

Discography

David Lee Roth

Studio Albums

Army of Anyone

Studio Albums

Korn

Studio albums

EPs

Compilation albums

Jonathan Davis and the SFA

KXM

Studio albums

Other releases

  • 2018: Black Labyrinth , Jonathan Davis
  • 2010: Change Ur World - Kat-Tun with Luzier on drums
  • 2009: A Song for Chi, Various artists
  • 2008: Billy Sheehan "Holy Cow"
  • 2008: Repo! The Genetic Opera Official Soundtrack
  • 2008: Goaded "To Die Is Gain"
  • 2006: Billy Sheehan "Cosmic Troubadour"
  • 2005: Goaded "Goaded"
  • 2003: "Hideous Sun Demons"
  • 2002: "Honky MoFo" (featuring Ricky Wolking)
  • 2002: Tracy G "Deviating from the Setlist"
  • 2001: Tracy G "Katt Gutt"
  • 2001: Zac Maloy Band
  • 2001: Jason Becker Tribute CD
  • 2001: Freak Power Ticket "Rock Hard Compilation"
  • 2000: Driven 4 Song Promo Cd With Tracy G
  • 1999: Tracy G's "Driven"
  • 1998: Medicine Wheel "Small Talk"
  • 1998: Mike Hartman "Black Glue"
  • 1998: Freak Power Ticket
  • 1997: Medicine Wheel "Immoral Fabric"
  • 1996: Jeffology (Tribute to Jeff Beck) with Jake E. Lee
  • 1995: Darren Housholder "Symphonic Aggression"
  • 1994: Hard Rock Magazine Compilation CD. Band: Medicine Wheel
  • 1994: Wicked Alliance "Twisted Beatuty Demos"
  • 1994: Michael Lee Firkins "Howling Iguanas"
  • 1994: Metal Edge Compilation "Best of L.A."
  • 1994: Medicine Wheel "First Things First"
  • 1993: T.J. Martell Foundation Benefit CD. Band: Ivory Tower
  • 1993: Darren Housholder "Generator Man"
  • 1993: Toby Knapp "Guitar Distortion"
  • 1993: Tony Fredianelli "Breakneck Speed"
  • 1993: Shrapnel Guitar Greats Compilation
  • 1993: Concrete Foundations Forum Compilation
  • 1992: Darren Housholder
  • 1990: 9.0 "Too Far Gone"

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hi-hat</span> Percussion instrument

A hi-hat is a combination of two cymbals and a pedal, all mounted on a metal stand. It is a part of the standard drum kit used by drummers in many styles of music including rock, pop, jazz, and blues. Hi-hats consist of a matching pair of small to medium-sized cymbals mounted on a stand, with the two cymbals facing each other. The bottom cymbal is fixed and the top is mounted on a rod which moves the top cymbal toward the bottom one when the pedal is depressed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terry Bozzio</span> American drummer (born 1950)

Terry John Bozzio is an American drummer best known for his work with Missing Persons and Frank Zappa. He has been featured on nine solo or collaborative albums, 26 albums with Zappa and seven albums with Missing Persons. Bozzio has been a prolific sideman, playing on numerous releases by other artists since the mid-1970s. He was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brooks Wackerman</span> American drummer

Brooks Wackerman is an American musician. He is the current drummer of heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold, which he joined in 2015. His first album with Avenged Sevenfold was The Stage (2016). He is most known as the former and longest-standing drummer of punk rock band Bad Religion. Wackerman has also performed, either as a member or a session or touring member, with Blink-182, Bad4Good, Infectious Grooves, Glenn Tipton, Mass Mental, Suicidal Tendencies, The Vandals, Avril Lavigne, Korn, Kidneys, Fear and the Nervous System, Tenacious D, Farmikos, Tom Delonge, and Big Talk. His brothers, Chad Wackerman, and John Wackerman, are also drummers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gene Hoglan</span> American drummer

Eugene Victor Hoglan II is an American drummer, acclaimed for his creativity in drum arrangements, including use of abstract devices for percussion effects and his trademark lengthy double-kick drum rhythms. Though his playing style is very technically demanding, he retains high accuracy at extreme tempos, earning him the nicknames "The Atomic Clock" and "Human Drum Machine".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Young (drummer)</span> American drummer

Brian Young is an American drummer and music producer. He is best known as the drummer of the New York–based, Grammy-nominated power pop band Fountains of Wayne and Seattle-based alternative rock band The Posies. From 2012 to 2021 Young was the drummer for the Scottish alternative rock band The Jesus and Mary Chain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joey Jordison</span> American musician (1975–2021)

Nathan Jonas "Joey" Jordison was an American musician. He was the original drummer and co-founder of the heavy metal band Slipknot, in which he was designated #1, and the guitarist for the horror punk supergroup Murderdolls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shawn Drover</span> Canadian drummer

Shawn Drover is a Canadian drummer, best known for his work with the American heavy metal band Megadeth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Wengren</span> American drummer

Michael Wengren is an American drummer, best known for his work with heavy metal band Disturbed. He is one of the founding members of the band, which was formed in 1994. Wengren is known for his bass drum techniques that have become a staple of Disturbed's music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morgan Rose</span> American drummer

Morgan Jay Rose is an American drummer and a founding member of Atlanta-based rock band Sevendust. He is also responsible for much of the background vocals. He has also played drums for Call Me No One and Methods of Mayhem. Rose is vice president of Imagen Records.

<i>DLR Band</i> 1998 studio album by The David Lee Roth Band

DLR Band is the fifth full-length studio album by David Lee Roth, the former vocalist of Van Halen, and the first and only credited to the DLR Band. It was released in 1998 and remains the only installment on Roth's own Wawazat!! label.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Yeung</span> American drummer (born 1978)

Tim Yeung is an American extreme metal drummer. He currently performs in the band I Am Morbid, which plays Morbid Angel songs and also features Morbid Angel's former vocalist/bassist David Vincent.

Michael Jochum is an American rock/jazz/nu metal drummer. Although a session musician early in his career, he gained more recognition as a touring member of the band Korn.

<i>Korn III: Remember Who You Are</i> 2010 studio album by Korn

Korn III: Remember Who You Are is the ninth studio album by American nu metal band Korn. It was released on July 13, 2010. It is the band's second album recorded as a quartet since their 2005 album See You on the Other Side. Vocalist Jonathan Davis stated that the album is "simple" due to the absence of the multi-layered effects present in the band's other albums; he added that the album is "about the vibe". The album features a return to their roots. It is their first album since 1996's Life Is Peachy to be produced by Ross Robinson, as well as their first to feature drummer Ray Luzier, who was previously a fill-in member.

The David Lee Roth Band was Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth's backing band, formed in Pasadena, California. Originally featuring a supergroup lineup of guitarist Steve Vai, bassist Billy Sheehan, and drummer Gregg Bissonette, the band released numerous popular songs and albums from the mid-1980s until the late 1990s. Other well-known musicians in the David Lee Roth Band have included guitarist Jason Becker, guitarist Steve Hunter, guitarist John Lowery, bassist Matt Bissonette, drummer Ray Luzier, and keyboardist Danny Wagner. The backing band's well-known songs include "Yankee Rose", "Goin' Crazy!", "Shy Boy", "Just Like Paradise", "Stand Up", "Damn Good", "A Little Ain't Enough", "She's My Machine", and "Slam Dunk!".

Shane Valdez, is an American drummer, drum technician, music producer, and songwriter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony "Tiny" Biuso</span> American drummer

Anthony "Tiny Bubz" Biuso is an American musician, best known for playing drums in the punk bands T.S.O.L., The Dickies, and Hed PE.

<i>Dark Blue Dream</i> 2006 studio album by Steve Weingart

Dark Blue Dream is the second studio album by composer and keyboardist Steve Weingart. Produced by Weingart, the album features guitarist Frank Gambale, bassist Jimmy Earl and drummer Tom Brechtlein. The album was released worldwide in 2006 by Skeewa Music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walfredo Reyes Jr.</span> Musical artist

Walfredo Reyes Jr. is a Cuban American musician who is an expert in drum set and auxiliary percussion, and a music educator and clinician. He has performed with many jazz, Latin, World music, World fusion, Afro-Cuban, and rock bands as a touring, session recording, and full-time player/performer. Reyes is known for his fusion of many of the world's percussion techniques, including the ability to play a drum set with his hands in addition to the traditional use of drumsticks; it was said that he can "sound like a drummer and a percussionist at the same time" He was a long-term member of Santana. He was also a member of Chicago as the percussionist from 2012 to 2018, at which point he took over the drum seat. He also performed in the band of former Nazareth guitarist Manny Charlton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joey Muha</span> Canadian drummer

Joey Muha is a Canadian drummer, best known for his YouTube videos, many of which have millions of views and have been featured on multiple websites. He is a member of the industrial metal band Threat Signal, death metal band Jungle Rot. and pop band Liteyears. He has also played for bands associated with Nuclear Blast Records, Victory Records, MapleMusic Recordings, etc.

<i>Scatterbrain</i> (KXM album) 2017 studio album by KXM

Scatterbrain, released on March 17, 2017, is the second studio album by band KXM, a rock band formed in 2013 featuring King's X bassist and vocalist Doug Pinnick, former Dokken and Lynch Mob guitarist George Lynch and Korn drummer Ray Luzier.

References

  1. "What's Up: Front". Whatsuppub.com. Archived from the original on June 26, 2009. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
  2. Ray Luzier audition Youtube.com Retrieved:2009-04-04
  3. "The order of Korn". Star-ecentral.com. March 13, 2009. Archived from the original on June 18, 2009. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
  4. Archived February 10, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  5. "Pearl Drums - All Artists". Pearldrum.com. Archived from the original on September 28, 2011. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
  6. "Ray Luzier | SABIAN Cymbals". Sabian.com. Retrieved October 21, 2011.