A couple of years after New York City's Interpol formed, drummer Sam Fogarino signed on. Shortly after that the band signed to Matador Records and, in August 2002, released their first disc, Turn on the Bright Lights.

In 2004 the follow up CD, Antics, was released. Gearwire had a chance to chat with Fogarino , a veteran of years playing in the underground ,about the gear he uses, changes made and lessons learned.

"I play Gretsch these days. I am a very happy Gretsch endorser," says Fogarino. "If they are good enough for Charlie Watts to play his whole career they are good enough for me."

This move to Gretsch is part of a progression. Many years back Fogarino was the quintessential garage rocker. One drum was--more or less-- as good as another. In one of his old bands, the South Florida based Holy Terrors, Fogarino says he played using mini-baseball bats. Even today he says there is a place for the unorthodox. But in 1992 he came into possession of an old Slingerland drum kit that used to belong to the Jazz Department at the University of Miami. This led to a new appreciation for the old school craftsmanship of American made drums.

"From then on I was sold. It was this old American drum kit. It sounded so natural. It sounded like a drum." says Fogarino.

Gretsch, now made in Savannah, may once have "lost their way" according to some. But these days Fogarino says Gretch have found their way back to this a high level, an artisan level of drum making.

Fogarino has also played an old GMS kit, a Long Island based company.

"It served me well," he says "Gretsch was interested so I hopped on board."

Even now Gretsch isn't the only drum Fogarino plays. When Interpol were recording at Magic Shop a friend from Main Drag Music shop in Brooklyn called his attention to a Ludwig kit made of stainless steel (model L8264). Introduced in 1976 and then discontinued the re-issue consists of only 100 sets in the world--50 in the USA and 50 for the rest of the planet. The shells are made by drum-smith Ron Dunnett in Vancouver.

"He (Dunnett) makes instruments out of unusual materials like titanium, " says Fogarino. "I thought; I am in a band that's doing good but, still, while I am salivating, its $9,000."

A friend told Fogarino he had heard the drums in a Mars Volta recording session and that they were fantastic. Fogarino bit and Main Drag Music was light one set of Ludwig stainless steel drums.

"I barely had to tune them, " he says. "It was just heaven. It sounded so good, so massive, so musical. I used them for most of the recording."

But this kit is not exactly one you haul out on tour with you. For one your crew might mutiny. For another they might get trashed.

"I don't believe in collecting instruments just to let them sit but this kit is not to take out." says Fogarino.

On the road he uses his Gretch drums. They are what you hear booming through the PA at an Interpol show. Even in the big rooms Interpol play the other frequencies from two guitars, a bass and keyboards impact the choices a drummer makes with his or her Kit.

"If you dampen them down they will sound like little pitter patters." says Fogarino.

Little pitter patter is not what Fogarino is going for in a drum sound. One of the ways he gets the big sound he is aiming for is tuning. A basic element for a drummer but one the new drummer may overlook.

"Some Drummers forget you have to tune them to make them sound good. I used to be one of them," says Fogarino. "Here's the thing, it is indeterminate pitch. You are not tuning to a note like a stringed instrument. It is possible to do that. Some companies have the shell tuned to a pitch."

And while he doesn't see the point in tuning the shell (although he grants that maybe some fans of Emerson, Lake and Palmer fans might disagree) drummers need to be aware of what tuning means and how it effects your playing.

"What you are doing is trying to create even resonation between the top and bottom head. There are many techniques --tuning the bottom head low and the top head tight to achieve a certain sound," says Fogarino. "I go for getting both heads evenly matched. It is easier to get even resonation. You can avoid hideous overtones. I find with my technique I to tune top and bottom evenly. It might be off a little but that is what I go for--that John Bonham-esque , big, open sound."

In addition to using tuning to summon the spirit of John Bonham Fogarino has some other suggestions for new, or inexperienced drummers.

"A lot of young drummers don't know there is a part of the drum, where you take of the head off there is an edge--the bearing edge that needs to be maintained. It tends to warp," he says. "If a young dude gets a cheap kit make sure the bering edges are smooth and even and in good shape. Put a good drum head on and it is going to sound good. It is not hard to maintain. It evens out the circumference of the drum, it is where the tone comes from. It is something I let go on my Slingerland out of ignorance."

Even though you can maintaining it he says that trying to fix it yourself falls into the "don't-try-this-at-home" category unless you have really studied it.

"It is a job for an artisan, a drum-smith." he says.

Other tips for new drummers have to do with gear choice. Fogarino says he is all too familiar with the fact that young drummers starting out may well not be rolling in cash. But there are two parts of the kit you really cannot get cheap--or if you do you will pay for it with a bad sound--the snare drum and the cymbals.

"The snare drum is the heart of the drum kit. If you are going to spend any money get a decent snare drum," he says. "Any of the major brands make metal or maple wood snare drum. Gretsch, Ludwig, even some of the Japanese ones like Pearl. It is a very critical thing. You are hearing that constantly in any rock genre. You hear it the most and it should sound the best."

Cymbals, he says, have to do with taste but there is also a quality issue. Zildjian and Sabian are fine brands he says but he uses Paiste.

"They all have their characteristics tonally. I like Paiste because I have played them forever," he says. "They are all good cymbals. Save money and do it."

Finally there are the sticks. He says you can get into minute detail but the basic issue is using mylar tipped or wood tips. Fogarino likes mylar Vic Firth sticks and how those sound and feel on the ride cymbal and the crash.

"Jazz cats like to play with wooden tips. It really comes down to comfort," he says "How it feels in your hand. Durability has a lot to do with it."

Sticks also impact the sound though the comfort level of the drummer. A comfortable drummer plays comfortably and a new drummer could be uncomfortable and not know it. A new drummer needs to experiment. And a really new drummer need not despair. You can learn on your own.

"I am totally self-taught," says Fogarino. "Learn a simple rock beat and take it from there. Listen to old simple R&B. i listened to really simple rock songs, early Stones."

So break out the drum key, the cymbals and your mini-baseball bats and start saving your pennies for an American made kit.