Tris Imboden Video Interview: Chicago, Kenny Loggins, EFNOTE, Yacht Stars, and Serving the Song
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In the first episode of TCU Mag, I sit down with legendary drummer Tris Imboden for a wide-ranging conversation about music, groove, career, technology, and what it really means to serve the song.
Tris has built an incredible career behind the drums, including nearly three decades with Chicago, classic work with Kenny Loggins, recordings and tours with Michael McDonald, time with Honk, and collaborations with a long list of respected artists. But this conversation goes beyond the résumé.
We talk about the lessons that shaped him as a musician, the importance of rhythm section chemistry, why great drumming is not always about playing more, and how music still needs space to breathe. Tris also shares his thoughts on EFNOTE electronic drums, his experience playing alongside John Paris of Earth, Wind & Fire, the inspiration behind Yacht Stars, and what younger musicians should understand about building a real career in today’s music world.
This is a personal, musician-to-musician conversation filled with history, humility, humor, insight, and real-world wisdom from one of the greats.
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TCU Mag Interview Transcript
Tris Imboden
Hosted by Florentino Buenaventura
— Transcript —
Florentino: Well, welcome everybody to Tone Culture United's TCU Mag. This is our first episode, and it's really special because this is a good friend of mine. And not only that, this dude is so positive and inspiring. Mr. Tris Imboden, thank you very much for joining us, Tris.
Tris: Oh, man, I'm so happy to be here.
Florentino: Yeah, well, we're happy to be here. I wish I just had one of those platinum records on your wall, folks. I know everyone's listening to this on the podcast, but Tris has enough platinum to fill multiple walls, but... Well, with that said, you know, your history is pretty amazing, man. You were the sitting drummer for Chicago for a long time. You did amazing things and amazing tours. Aside from that, you played drums for Kenny Loggins, recorded and toured with Michael McDonald, worked with a personal friend of ours, Henry Kapono, and tons of others through tours, sessions, and clinics. Now you've got the Yacht Stars, where you bring together the players who created that sound that is so inspiring today. It's changing the landscape of the music industry. But like we talked about, we don't want to really make this a history lesson because a lot of people can read about that on Wikipedia. We're going to talk about some of the things that are really important to you and what drives you. So again, thanks for joining us, Tris. I'm going to stop running my mouth now. Let's kind of jump into it, brother.
Tris: Okay.
Florentino: You know, kind of for that little bit of that history part, you know, you've been the man behind so many drum parts, give us a brief summary of where it started.
Tris: Okay. Well, I started playing at a very young age. Don't want to bore you with all those details, because I know most of us players start the same way. I knew when I was a very, very young boy that I wanted to play the drums. And gratefully, my folks encouraged me to a point. And the reality of having a drum set in the house was a bit much. I got a snare drum first. And my folks exposed me to a lot of different kinds of music. They had a lot of jazz. And so, geez, I had everything from Miles Davis to Brubeck to a lot of big band stuff they were very into. So those were real early influences. But I always had my ear glued to the radio. Being the old guy that I am, geez, I was born in the early 50s. So, geez, I got to watch the rock and roll really develop. Anyway, all of that played into my playing. I really believe that, even if we're not consciously practicing all that stuff, we're influenced by it subliminally. Yeah. I was so honored to be asked to join a band right out of high school that had a record deal already. There were two guys that were leaving another band that had the record deal, asked me to join, and that went on to become a band called Honk. And man, we had a number one record in Hawaii, from a surf film called Five Summer Stories. We opened up, coincidentally, for Loggins & Messina and a number of shows. We went on the road opening for the Beach Boys, and coincidentally, we opened for Chicago, something that at the time I would have never imagined. Years later, I would have been asked to play with the band and be with them for almost 30 years. Florentino, it was 28 years in total and that's the longest of their three drummers. Yeah, right. Myself and then Walfredo.
Florentino: You've been a mentor to Walfredo as well when he came in. He had some credits, but, you know, I know that he was very inspired. I've talked to him before.
Tris: Oh, man. Well, I feel the same about him. You know, Walfredo, my God, he's a walking ethnomusicologist. You know, literally, he can sit and play authentically exactly all these different styles from areas of Brazil, you know, when it comes to partido alto and samba and, you know, turn around and, you know, play the baddest Cuban thing you've ever heard in your life. Puerto Rico as well. And I mean, all over the world, you know. Yeah, he can do it sometimes, some of the stuff, do it at the same time he's playing drums. It's unbelievable. Upper percussion instruments. I mean, it's like, it's mind boggling.
Florentino: Yeah, no, for sure.
Tris: He loved Danny too. my God, we were also influenced by Danny Seraphine. Growing up, we were also influenced by Chicago. I remember seeing him live when I was 16 with the original band. And I was like, oh my God, who's this? And what's that? And this band might be the best I've ever heard in my life.
Florentino: Yeah, those guys were amazing. Terry Kath. I know he influenced Prince a lot, which is amazing. So that is a good start. It doesn't quite work that way in this day and age and we'll kind of get to that but that is definitely you know a good start here so you know obviously you know looking back at Chicago and Kenny and Michael and Henry what do those experiences teach you about serving the song and setting up you know that track to be a winner, because I always say, and I'm not just saying this because you're here, the most important musician in anything is the drummer. Because terrible drums just make a song, kill a song, just kill the life of a song for the most part. There are some ballads that you cannot have drums to, but if the drums are amazing, then the song has the best chance of being amazing. So what did you learn from all that fun experience about serving the song?
Tris: Okay, that's a great question. My experience with that band, Honk, we were so free and had so many influences. And we were so free to create our own sound, our own parts, the bass and drums, composing a rhythm track and that. And we were blessed to have a publishing company that had a studio. So any song that any of us would write, we'd end up recording in the studio. And boy, what a way to cut my teeth, you know. The original bass player, Don Whaley, was brilliant too. And we loved composing rhythm tracks together, section to section that would support the song, yet stand on their own and be interesting even on their own if you, without the vocal, without the melody. And then I was so honored to join the Kenny Loggins Band, I worked with the master bass player, George Hawkins, rest his soul, which taught me more about rhythm section composition than anybody else in my career. And I'd always had an ear to that in listening to so many great recordings and bass players and drummers and how they are in fact the foundation on which everything else is built. And like you say, it's so true that if that foundation ain't happening, nothing is going to stand or certainly shine like it will if that foundation is there, So, man, so anyway, I really got into it with Kenny Loggins and that and George Hawkins and Kenny being a drum freak. He pushed me, man. He always wanted something kind of unique that I came up with, which was amazing. It was like a blank check, because anything I would come up with, of course, he would tweak or make suggestions. But nonetheless, it really put me on the map working with Kenny and doing all those great records. primarily those ones that he wrote with Michael McDonald, songs like This Is It and Heart to Heart. Those are big records, you know, of Kenny's. And then, of course, you know, the stuff, Footloose, you know, some of the soundtrack stuff as well. But Kenny was just a drum freak, and I'll be forever grateful to him and owe him a debt of gratitude for kind of putting me on the map, you know?
Florentino: Yeah. Well, a lot of those tracks that he had were such a jam, man. They can really move your body as they say.
Tris: That's our first responsibility. We've got to make the butts move.
Florentino: Exactly. The '80s, without Footloose, was anybody dancing, right? It would be a town of people not allowed to dance. You got people up in that crazy town. You're the consummate master drummer, what you call a first-call drummer. And you have set the stage and the bar for so many drummers that are coming after you. One of the things that's pretty common, which I had to do some convincing. Full disclosure, folks, I was part of the team that brought EFNOTE drums to the forefront. And I'm proud to say that they're a top electronic drum company now. And you and John Paris from Earth, Wind & Fire were the first endorsed players. And it's amazing. And you've been really vocal and you've been putting out stuff about it. But when I first introduced you to EFNOTE, I said you got to check these drums out. Tell them a little bit about what your skepticism was about electronic drums. You had wanted to try some, but you were like, I don't know, these don't always work out for me. So talk about that experience.
Tris: Well, geez, my association with electronic drums went back all the way to the 70s, when there were Synares and...
Florentino: Yeah, Simmons were the first...
Tris: But Synares were sort of a cheaper version of Simmons. I was using those to augment my acoustic kit with Loggins, once that sound started becoming real popular. So from that, of course, then I went to Simmons, because that was way popular. And I spent a lot of the 80s when that sound was so requested by producers. Yeah, I played Simmons, again, ideally with my acoustic set and live, I would definitely with Loggins. But geez, David Foster, the great David Foster producer, liked my playing, but then also, you know, would hire me to be a Simmons striker, more or less, on a lot of different people's records. Everybody from Julio Iglesias and Stevie Wonder did a duet called My Love that blew up all over the world. That's me on Simmons on that. And then some Neil Diamond stuff as well.
Florentino: Oh, awesome.
Tris: You know, I mean, geez, anytime I got a call from Foster, I knew it was going to be great, you know?
Florentino: Yeah, he's definitely.
Tris: His own stuff as well, as well as Kenny's. Kenny and David Foster wrote a song together called Forever. If you remember that big opening, Simmons thing, that was me with acoustic drums as well. So, and then Footloose, it was the same kind of thing. I played the acoustic set first and then on the big drum breakdown, I overdubbed Simmons. So, when you and I started talking about electronic drums. At that point, it had moved way past. I mean, we're in the 2000s now.
Florentino: Yeah.
Tris: So that was in the 80s and some of the 90s before that I was talking about. And I was using at that point at home, I had a set of V-Drums that I was working with Roland during that period. And I tell you, as great as they were, there were almost too many variables and too many options you could get lost in, you know, like shell construction, shell size, head selection, you know, then room size and distance, microphone distance, all of that, you know, and it's very, very impressive, but it was stuff I never used. I would never even use. I'd just sit down and play them, you know? And when I found EFNOTE, aside from the fact that these are the best cymbals in electronic drums, hands down, I mean, they are the best. The drums themselves are so user-friendly and feel more like real drums than any other electronic kit I've ever played. And I mean, that's all of them. And man, I fell in love with them. I absolutely fell in love with them at the NAMM show.
Florentino: Yeah. That's what I brought you up and sat you down in one. It's like, you know, you got to try these, man.
Tris: I just went, what? And then not to mention how beautiful they are. You know, the lugs look like kind of reminded me of Gretsch. Yeah. Got that thing going on. And God, I just, I couldn't stop thinking about them. And so then when I got to sit with them by myself and kind of tweak it at length, I just went, oh man, I got to get to know these. So that has been my go-to ever since that time. And I'm really honored and I mean that sincerely to represent in any way I can, EFNOTE. And man, jeez, I use them in so many ways, but I don't have acoustic drums in my house anymore. I don't need them because these feel and sound so much like acoustic drums and of course, acoustic cymbals as well. I don't need them. And this way my wife isn't, you know, I don't have to soundproof everything.
Florentino: Yeah, you've recorded some projects. I remember one time we were chatting, you were doing a project with the EFNOTE for Michael McDonald. How have you used those in your regular day-to-day stuff?
Tris: Well, yeah, and I have actually, truth be told, I have yet to have them in the studio. But that particular thing, we ended up going with acoustic drums. But I was planning on bringing the EFNOTE as well, but then logistics just didn't allow it. But yeah, that was a fun recording with Michael and I love that guy so much.
Florentino: Oh, he's the nicest guy. I love Michael too. And him and Amy, you can't get a better couple.
Tris: I know it. I love both of them, not to mention what enormous, beyond-belief talents they are.
Florentino: Oh, so gifted. One hundred percent. You've been through NAMM with EFNOTE. We did a clinic. That was the first thing we did. During the pandemic, we did a clinic where you did a drum off-- but not really a drum off. There was no competition. You and John Paris from Earth, Wind & Fire. You had just come off the final Chicago tour with them. And we did a little-- You know, Chicago meets Earth, Wind & Fire. What was that experience like for you when you were playing with dual drums and you were obviously playing the tracks at that time. Tell me about that experience.
Tris: Man, I have to tell you, first of all, two drummers doesn't always work, you know? Yeah. It has to do with where people, two drummers, feel like the backbeat and the downbeat and all. And sometimes it just is just like, it just flams, more than other times. But one thing about JP, John Paris and I, man, from the first rehearsal, man, it was just like we were meeting He was playing over there and he didn't even realize I'd started playing. But then I guess his drums sounded big or something. So he tells it and he looks over and I'm playing with him and we're just like so locked. It was ridiculous. We hadn't even started playing with the band yet, you know? Yeah. And we just felt things the same, you know? Yeah. Man, I admire that guy so much, both as a player and as a human being. I don't know where to get started. But man, he can play literally anything. And he's one of the most humble and unassuming guys you'll ever meet, you know?
Florentino: Yeah, that's for true.
Tris: But oh, man. It was an absolute joy to play because during that tour, we not only like did our own shows, right? actually, both bands would take the stage together. And we had to rehearse for a month to get this right. First of all, so we wouldn't run into each other on stage. With Dean running around. But second of all, the horns and that, everything had to be charted out just so it would all work. You can't just double everything. So it took a long time to get that together. But both bands were just, there was such a mutual admiration and love for each other. Yeah. It was such a labor of joy. And I remember, being set up on this enormous stage and people from all over, I mean, Vinnie Colaiuta and other people would come in and check it out and it was like, you know, they were shaking their head. I couldn't believe it. It was almost 30 people.
Florentino: Yeah, if you didn't experience folks, it was massive.
Tris: Yeah.
Florentino: And we brought that experience to the clinic, you know, so, you know, that was a really, really great experience for people to share and hear the tones and how real and everything that EFNOTE brings to the table. What's the standout feature you love best? I think you already said it with the cymbals, but you know, kind of call out, maybe not the cymbals since you already said that. What's the other standout feature that you love about EFNOTE?
Tris: Oh man, well, I tell you, it's just the feel of them, first of all, is the closest thing to actually playing an acoustic set that I've found. And then the sound, it's just beyond belief. There is, I believe, in the EFNOTE Pro, which is the brain I'm using, There's one particular kit that has, you can hear the front, it's like an unported, if you will, bass drum. And it's tuned, I think it's in the EFNOTE Blue Note or whatever the name of the kit is. But you can hear the front head resonating. And not just that, I mean, it's tuned like for a bebop kit. But with all the controls you have, you can tune that down and all of a sudden, you're John Bonham, man. I mean, it sounds like a 24 with a front head on it, you know? Wow. Boom, man. So much power. And all the drums are, I mean, all the kits are just, they're all so useful, depending on the musical situation and musical atmosphere you're trying to create. And they're so user-friendly. Remember I was talking about the other guys there. Yeah, just too many variables. And, you know, they're great too. But man, these, for me and my application and my purpose, I just couldn't ask for more.
Florentino: Yeah.
Tris: And then again, the cymbals, man, I think they're the most real sounding cymbals I've ever heard. The others always just never, but they just weren't believable, man, you know?
Florentino: Yeah, they didn't have that. They didn't have the subtleties that EFNOTE.
Tris: Yeah, the dynamics, the three-zone thing and all of that. You know, play on the choke, the bell, all of that.
Florentino: Amazing. Just amazing. You know, you've inspired so many people to adopt the EFNOTE drums into their playing experience. There's other things that you inspire people to do as well. What does it mean to be a professional musician today for you?
Tris: Well, today I am overwhelmed with gratitude that I've had the career that I've had because frankly, if I were to be starting out now, I wouldn't know where to begin, as compared to, I mean, of course, it all comes down to bands playing together and a lot of performance and that. And I know that that's where the lion's share of the money, to monetize our livelihoods, that's where it lies right now. Because, jeez, I was fortunate enough to grow up when we were still making records. And it was a viable commodity, instead of people expecting music for free. But my experience after, particularly after joining Chicago, the live performance became more and more and more important just to subsidize everybody's standard of living, you know? And nowadays, I'm not sure how young bands are doing it, man, are getting by because there is not that what was, you know, record sales and publishing and all of that. I know there is, but it's in a different way.
Florentino: Yeah.
Tris: So I feel so fortunate to have lived during that period and watched it go from vinyl through to streaming now, and to have made a living throughout it all. Not everybody got to do that. I have a lot of friends that are brilliant players that had maybe a few years where they did well and even successful at it. But then for whatever reason, they had to do something else too. So that's why I'm particularly grateful.
Florentino: Yeah. Well, it kind of jumps into your current project, Yacht Stars. Let's kind of go into that, man. What inspired you to create this group, this amazing, talented group of people? You've had a few people in the lineup over the past couple of years, and we've been blessed here in San Diego to have you play at the La Costa Resort. So, you know, talk about Yacht Stars.
Tris: Let's get into that. You want the long version or the short version? I'll try to condense it here anyway. Yeah, my wife and I, Mary and I, were going to go see Ringo, Ringo's All-Stars. And, you know, I know most of the guys in the band, Steve Lukather and Greg Bissonnett, you know, and guys I knew. And so anyway, I'd let Greg know that we had tickets and we were going to come. And we were going to be there. And so anyway, 20 minutes before we were going to leave, we get this phone call. Greg says, I don't want to promise you anything, but Tris, there's a good chance you're going to play double drums tonight with me, and you're going to be playing Ringo's drums. And he said, yeah. So get on YouTube and learn With a Little Help from My Friends and give Peace a chance. because we do them as a medley, at the end. Yeah. Oh my God, can this be happening? And so anyway, Mary drove to the gig and I was wearing cans and watching YouTube, trying to get the arrangement. And sure enough, I got called up and I played Ringo's drums. And so anyway, it was actually on the way home, I'm still pinching myself from it. And my wife says, with this whole yacht rock thing that's sort of burgeoning musical genre, you, with the records you've played on and with all the people you know, you could kind of do something like that like Ringo does in a yacht rock sense. The more I thought about it, I said, God, that's a great idea. I had the good fortune of playing on, well, you know, if you look at the Yachtski Scale, from the originators of the term, I played on four of the top, four of the top five, I believe it is, or six. songs. Kenny Loggins and anyway, two of the top four, I know for sure. Anyway, so and I knew so many people that also had participated in what went on to become yacht rock. I thought, God, dang it, I could put a band together. So everybody I called went, wow, that sounds like fun. And then the pandemic hit. We had only had one or two rehearsals. That was a big obstacle. So we kept it together. But anyway, my wife and I came up with the idea that everybody in the band had to have worked live with the musician or band whose song we were playing, recorded with that musician at some point, played the song live, recorded the song, or all three.
Florentino: Yeah, like you, right, like you.
Tris: Yeah, so anyway, as it turns out, as a band, the most recent incarnation of the band, of course, has been Michael Paulo, who's just, you know, God, his list of credits is like, yeah, And everybody from Miles Davis to James Ingram. He and I worked with Al Jarreau together for years and, you know, saw a brilliant, brilliant saxophonist. And then we were blessed. The newest member is a guy named Carl Herrgesell. who holds the title of playing keyboards with Kenny Loggins longer than any other keyboard player. He was with Kenny for 25 years.
Florentino: Okay.
Tris: And a brilliant vocalist. He sings the McDonald stuff like nobody's business. And he's worked with Michael too and Elton John and all kinds of people. So then Bruce Bolen, our guitarist, actually was co-wrote some stuff from Michael McDonald's first album.
Florentino: Oh, wow, that's crazy.
Tris: And then also was with Boz Scaggs, you know, on that whole Middleman tour. Yeah. And so there's him. And then, you know, Alan Deremo, I believe, the great bass player too. He and I worked together. He's joined Honk now, because we still play shows with Honk. In fact, we have one coming up here August 7th.
Florentino: Where's that? Where's that at?
Tris: At The Coach House in San Juan Capistrano.
Florentino: Okay, yeah, I might have to come up and say hi to you guys.
Tris: Yeah, yeah, it's a it's a fun band. And yeah, so anyway. And then I'm forgetting Jeff Gunn. I don't want to forget him. He's brilliant singer. and can sing the phone book, you know, in his style. And he has worked with everybody from Lou Rawls to Barry Manilow to, you know. So everybody's well-papered, if you will, you know, in the band. And they're all like seasoned pros. And it's really kind of congealed into a really neat thing. We're on a bit of a hiatus for the time being, you know. Mary and I want to do some traveling here, you know, at some point. Like somebody once said, there's more to life than show biz. I'm trying to remember that.
Florentino: You know, I've been trying to do that as well. I'm heading to one of your destinations because you're an avid surfer. I don't know if people know that. Me and my wife are going to Hawaii in July, so we're trying to get away and do something.
Tris: Oh, good for you. What island?
Florentino: Kauai.
Tris: That's where I used to live.
Florentino: Oh, wow.
Tris: I lived on the North Shore of Kauai. I lived in Princeville for about seven years. And it was the greatest thing because I was traveling with Chicago. And when everybody else would fly to LA, I'd keep going. And man, it was so worth it, man. Because Chicago, at that time didn't like tour in the winter months so being on the North Shore of Hawaii, I ended up in waves I only dreamed I'd ever be in.
Florentino: I won't be doing any surfing, but I'll be enjoying the beach quite a bit. We'll have to pick your brain a little bit on good spots and everything else, not on the interview, but sometime personally, I'd love your thoughts on it. So, you know, you've got so many different projects, man, that you've been instrumental in. You know, right now you said you want to do some traveling. What is the future looking like for Tris? What kind of things are you looking forward to doing? with your career? Because to me, I could be wrong. You're the kind of guy that you might slow down off the touring, but you're never going to slow down off the drumming.
Tris: Yeah, it's too much a part of who I am. I don't know, you know, Geez, aside from drumming and surfing, I'm a two-trick pony. That's it. That's all I know. So yeah. I mean, kind of in too deep. I got to keep going. I'm really happy to say I have, I'm living here in Las Vegas now and have been here for a few years, a couple years anyway. And there's a drummer of some notoriety whose name is Steve Gadd, who lives here now.
Florentino: Never heard of him. No, I'm just joking.
Tris: Yeah, right.
Florentino: One of the greats.
Tris: Oh, my God. And he's one of my most important influences. And in fact, I told him the other night, we were out seeing Danny Seraphine play.
Florentino: Okay.
Tris: I said, Steve, I have to admit, man, I actually plagiarized you so badly at the intro of This Is It. It was shameless. I think I changed one note. But I just loved how you used to do that with the left hand on the hi-hat and the right hand on the cymbal and the bass drum. I had to do it and it worked perfectly for the song. And he just cracked up, man. I had to confess. I feel so much lighter now.
Florentino: Did you tell Kenny he had to pay Steve some royalties for that one.
Tris: Yeah, like I made any royalties.
Florentino: Yeah, so that's a tough one in this business, you know. Yeah, that's. So here's a crazy out in left field question. But it's such a trending topic, so we want to kind of include that in here. Thoughts on AI right now? What's your thoughts? Have you had experience with it?
Tris: I really have none except using it just as a tool to delve deeper into certain subjects. Yeah. But I'm amazed. It's just astonishing. I mean, what the things that they're doing now, I mean, from phone calls that sound like a loved one. I mean, oh man, I mean, and I heard some music, there was a tune that was a number one on the country charts. Yeah. There were no humans involved except, you know, whoever typed in the code, whatever, for that. I mean, lyrically, it was believable. The melody was great. The performance was amazing. The instruments sounded spectacular. It was like, wow, man. And I'm constantly seeing, you know, so many AI pieces of artwork, you know, generated. A friend of mine just did one for the Tris Imboden Yacht Stars. It's me playing, and it's like, wow.
Florentino: Yeah, I see that one. It was great. You know, I'm with you on the AI. It's interesting. Hopefully, I mean, I could definitely see where it's going to take advantage of people. And like everything else, there's good and evil. But my personal experience and even though I don't want to be about me, but just kind of one of the things I experienced was When I was a kid, I had a song that I wrote. I'm a big pop R&B soul guy, and I write everything in that way. But there was a song that I wrote that I always heard as a big band song. But my budget could never afford all those players. So I never heard it as a big band song. And I got a chance to plug it in, give it the lyrics. I didn't even play the song. I just sang the melody from start to finish. And oh, it came out amazing. You could hear the artifacting in some of that stuff. So I would never use that for the recording, but I did send it to my buddy who I wrote the song for. when I was in my early twenties, I wrote it for, you know, a former relationship. And he was the original singer. And he, and he loved it because he's at that age now where he's like a Buble in that sound. So that was my personal experience with AI. And I thought, you know, that what's going on with this industry right now kind of ties back into the electronic drums. We had Steve Ferrone do a clinic for us as well. And Steve Ferrone was, if you guys don't know him, he was with Average White Band. He was part of Duran Duran for a while. He was also with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. So he's played with every British brother. That's just amazing. But the funny thing was there was a story which was true because it was brought up that he went looking for Roger Linn at, I can't remember, what, the eighties, probably 81, 82 when Roger brought out the LinnDrum, which was so famous in the eighties. He and a couple of other buddies went looking for Roger Linn to kick his butt because they thought they were going to lose their jobs. That's great, and that was totally true because Roger had this button that he was giving to people that had a Ghostbusters-style no sign over a drum set.
Tris: Yeah, a drum set.
Florentino: So then here we are, and he's playing electronic drums. So times change, people change with technology. So I encourage people to do that. So we're getting down to the last question. And this one's an important one because I'm hoping that, well, it's important for the young players to understand where the music came from. Like for you, Steve was a big influence and probably Tony Williams and a bunch of other drummers, Danny Seraphine, which ended up, you know, when Danny moved on to his next journey in life, you brought, you came into that place. And you being, you know, especially with yacht rock being so prevalent with younger audiences. I mean, the audiences are much younger than the people that listened to it when it was first out. These guys that are coming up, I want them to know who those players are. What advice do you give those players? What mistakes should they avoid making and you know we kind of talked about don't make judgments. Technology could be your friend. You give electronic drums a shot. There's always a pushback about that. There's a pushback right now about AI, and I agree with a lot of what people are saying and I would say that give it a shot as well, because it can really, you know, if you're not the greatest arranger, it can help you out. So with that said as I kind of come back to the closing of this question, what's Tris's word on what players should do to keep a relevant career and what they shouldn't do?
Tris: Well, gee, I think it still holds true today. I'm sure most everybody that will see this has heard this at some point from somebody. In fact, less is more when it comes to playing with a band. And particularly on the wide canvas that recording is, a recorded piece of music. Every detail is important and audible and has to fit and make sense. Or should, anyway, with my taste in music. And so there are so many things available now, YouTube, for learning. You can actually see your favorite drummer demonstrate what they played on from a recording you like. Whereas when I was growing up, all we had was vinyl. And if it was on an album, I'd have to turn it down to 16, from 33 and a third, to pick that David Garibaldi funk thing. Yeah, Or Joe Morello, what he played. Yeah. And now, man, I mean, there's just so much at our fingertips and our ears, to learn from. And I mean, of course, there are tons of exceptions of very mature-sounding young players. But I know that there's also a whole school of like, you know, more is better. You know, chops at any cost, you know? Yeah. And that sort of thing, at least for me, especially nowadays, I don't want to hear it. I don't want to hear that. And for me, and for my generation growing up and the fact that I still work, too, I still get called to do sessions. It's not for my chops, that's for sure. Yeah. Some of that gospel approach, and not to take away from gospel drumming, because I've learned so much from so many great gospel players. But I'm finding that I want to play even less than my inclination would have been before. And so I would encourage young players to at least consider that approach. And I've found that music wants to breathe too. So if it's got too much on its chest, it's not going to be able to breathe. So I don't want to impose myself on its chest. Yeah. So, yeah.
Florentino: That's great advice, brother. That's great advice. And you're such an inspiration, man. For me, as a music businessman, as a human being, as a bass player, and as the human being I want to be, I just want to grow up and be Tris Imboden.
Tris: Oh, stop it. Say some more.
Florentino: Oh man, this has been a really fun, inspiring interview you shared a lot of great information obviously it wasn't long enough. We could be here for days, man. We can chat for days. And I just want to thank you again for joining us. We'll have to have you come back. There's so many things that you can share with people. And who knows, maybe we'll do some clinics again. We'll do some conference panels and other fun things. It can be very inspiring. When I'm in Las Vegas, I'll definitely give you a holler and see if you're around. And if you make it to Kauai in July, let me know. We need to jump on a plane and go see Henry over at Duke's on Sunday.
Tris: Yeah.
Florentino: If he's around, that would be fun. Oh, yeah. So with that said, folks, thank you for listening in. And we appreciate you guys, whether you're the professional musician, the fan, the person who's aspiring. We welcome you all with much love and much respect. We want to see this music thing flourish. It's definitely a challenge for folks, but I think there's a lot of opportunity as well. So thank you very much, Tris.
Tris: My pleasure. Great seeing you.
Florentino: Tune in for the next episode.
Tris: All right. All right.