Rick Allen and Lauren Monroe visit PantyLine Press!

So my wife runs the fabulous PantyLine Press, and she scored a sweet interview with Rick Allen (of Def Leppard) and his partner Lauren Monroe to talk about the music they are working on and all sorts of other stuff. She posted a shorter version on her site, so here's the long edit. Enjoy! -LC     http://www.pantylinepress.com

At The Heart Of It All

by Jenna Zine

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Rick Allen and

for the release of their album, The Freedom Sessions. The disc marks Lauren’s debut, as well as Rick’s long awaited return to acoustic drums. I also got to chat with Rick (the drummer for Def Leppard since the age of 15) about the making of and his work with famed producer, Robert John “Mutt” Lange. When asked if he took any tricks from Mutt to help with Lauren’s CD, he revealed that Lange’s biggest gift to him was “the art of listening.” Def Leppard’s is a major feat on many levels - and not only for Allen’s courageous return to the drums after a life-altering accident. It’s amazing to note that the lushly layered, multi-platinum release was created long before the audio manipulations afforded by the Pro Tools recording platform! Audiophiles and gear neophytes alike can recognize that as a huge accomplishment. Allen says, “I believe Pro Tools was created for Mutt!” Lauren met Rick when he became a client of hers via his interest in the healing arts. Monroe is a noted practitioner in the field of energy healing, with a vast breadth of cross-cultural experience. It was Lauren who finally helped Rick remove most of the remaining trauma from his body - energy that had been trapped in his cellular memory since his vehicular calamity in 1984. The infamous car accident was born out a moment of anger, though he’s ultimately grateful for the experience now. It irrevocably changed his life, but he says it’s something that has brought him many gifts, including Lauren. Rick’s battle turned into triumph and has lead him to a lifetime of listening to his heart. The couple is as generous as they are genuine. They’re active in charity work, including the , which they co-founded. They also support . Both organizations focus on empowering veterans and people experiencing crisis through the healing power of playing drums. Excerpts from our phone conversation appear below. Enjoy!

Lauren: We don’t take sacred time to spend with ourselves.

L: That’s so true.

Rick: That’s very good. Really the drum circles [a form of therapy from The Raven Drum Foundation] themselves are a metaphor for community. It’s a cross-section of community. It’s fantastic to see people [experience their first drum circle]. At first they feel a little self-conscious. And then they realize there’s a dominant rhythm. And we experience dominant rhythms in all aspects of our lives - whether it’s when we’re standing in front of an ocean, or standing in a forest or whatever. A drum circle is no different than that; it’s a dominant rhythm. Everybody feels supported by that rhythm. It’s an incredible moment when you start to see people become less self-conscious and really just play. The whole rhythm takes on a life of it’s own and people get out of their heads and really into their hearts.

R: That’s fantastic!

R: I love it! You know who else is a really good source of tribal drumming? You wouldn’t think it, but Larry Mullen, Jr. from U2. I love that kind of playing. If I could do that every day, that would be incredible.

R: It’s all in there! You really remember it - or part of you remembers it. Drumming is such an ancient art form. I think it’s the beginning of communication, dance and ultimately ritual. A lot of things that exist today probably exist because of that need and desire to communicate.

L: Well, normally it’s kind of a download for me. I open up to the process. It’s very similar to working with healing energy, but it comes with sounds, an arrangement and a lot of images. Rick’s got his producer’s hat on and he can really catch the tempo. He really helps me establish tempo, as well as the backing vocal arrangements. He’s an artisan. He really helps me put it all together.

L: So many things! It goes from Frank Sinatra to AC/DC and everything in between. We listen to a lot of chant music around the house.

R: I think every form of music has its place. You can always find the time, the right time…

L: … the inspiration from it.

R: I love the change! My first drum was a cookie tin. [laughter] I moved on to the tambourine. Then finally my parents, they were really kind and they put a drum kit on lay-away. So, acoustic drums have really always been my passion. It’s great doing what I do with Def Leppard and the electronic drums. It’s obviously another facet, another form, of what I do. But to get back to the real organic, acoustic drums is such a huge treat for me.

R: Oh, cool! [laughter] That’s great! I’m really fortunate to have Forrest Robinson. I met Forrest when he was playing drums with India.Arie. He is just awesome. He’ll sit there and, between the two of us, we’ll lay down really intricate rhythms. It’s great.

R: We both do and we’re experiencing it right now. Being able to promote yourself in a way that’s authentic, getting your music out there and not necessarily hanging on to any one particular technology, or outlet. Really getting it out there in every way we possibly can. I think some of the social networking sites are excellent. Having access to all of these things, like YouTube, as a way to get the music out there - either video or music. I think it’s incredible. It’s almost like the control is somewhat back in the hands of the artist again, which, on a certain level is fantastic.

R: Yeah! It’s almost like music became a marketing opportunity, you know, attaching it to a product. I don’t have any problems with that, but if it’s the main emphasis then I think it’s sending out the wrong message. I think all of the social networking options need to be utilized to get music out to as many people as possible.

R: No, it’s great! Lauren’s made quite a few videos. And to me, I think they’re incredible. It really shows off the band in a way that is very authentic because there’s no messing around with Pro Tools or technology. It’s literally how the band sounds and hopefully people really get that. Hopefully people hear that and it encourages them to come see us live.

L: Thanks Jenna, I’m really happy to hear that.

R: That’s really great.

R: Oh, that’s sweet! The beautiful thing is that I’m still overcoming. That’s life. You constantly face challenges. This whole project with Lauren has been a huge challenge for both of us, I’m sure. It’s great when you can go into things, embark upon them with all this passion and actually make something good out of it. That’s the one thing I’m really excited about - we’ve got something outside of Def Leppard. Not necessarily separate, but something outside of Def Leppard that can bring people so much joy.

R: That’s awesome! I’m so glad you were there. The Jonas Brothers are going out there, touring in the round - but I hope people remember we kind of started that whole thing! [laughter] It was amazing to have four front rows in an arena. You experienced it yourself. That was the epitome of total excitement.

L: Oh, that’s hilarious!

R: That’s brilliant!

R: That’s great! I appreciate you saying that.

R: It works both ways. We’ve been nervous, too! Again, it’s something new for us. We’re trying new things. It’s wonderful when we met people like you that really embrace what we’re doing. So, we thank you for that.