RISEN DRUMS: Robert when did you start playing drums?
ROBERT: I started playing when I was 15, so I’ve been playing for 19 years now.

Do you play any other instruments? What’s your musical background?
Before my first drum lessons, I played the violin. My musical journey started at the age of 7. So, basically violin…but I also play piano, marimba & vibraphone. I graduated from Music Academy in Katowice, Poland.

Any musical moments that you will never forget?
Getting to work with Frank McComb was a dream come true. Besides that…I would say: Playing biggest festivals in Poland [alongside the names like N*E*R*D, The Blacke Eyed Peas Snoop Dogg, Lauryn Hill & many more]. Also, picking up my set of Risen Drums was definitely one of the highlights of my musical career!

Do you have a warm up routine?
No, not really…I just play a few classic rudiment combinations.

Who are your favorite Drummers?
There’s a lot of them. I like tons of differen’t music…so I like various styles of drumming. To name a few of my favorites: Omar Hakim [with whom I was completely fascinated for a very long period], Aaron Spears, Thomas Pridgen, Travis Barker, Gerald Heyward, Gary Novac, Ricky Lawson, Zach Danziger, Max Roach, Elvin Jones, Manu Katche, Nisan Steward and of course Ahmir
?uestlove.

Sofa is so groove based. How do you work up your parts?
As a band, in the studio, whatever just explain the process a little to us. Whilst making the first album…we worked up everything together during rehearsals. That made us become very in tune with each other. A lot of the stuff on there grew from improvisation. During the making of our second album each of us worked at home a lot. We all brought a lot of ready ideas so when we started playing we knew what we wanted to do. We definitely did a lot more production work for our sophomore effort. We have been playing together for a quite while now so making “things work” comes very naturally.

Tell us what made you fall in love with Risen.
At first, I accidentally saw a video of Lester Estelle [in his studio] on YouTube & the sound of his kit immediately caught my attention. The sound was from the studio, but that sound pretty much won me over! I then checked the website & loved the custom designs of the drums, as well as the passion which I saw & read about. When I finally got my own kit…I was blown away. The sound was more than I expected. Their stage appearance is one of a kind & people notice them from a mile away, which I LOVE.

Do you prefer studio or touring more?
I think that the two can’t be compared. I love working in the studio, because I can hear the effect of what I do…step by step. I really enjoy creating “that perfect sound” with the engineer, even if we spend ridiculous amounts of time on it. The atmosphere, concentration & excitement in the studio is something completely unique. When it comes to touring…the atmosphere is differen’t, of course. The excitement & concentration are also there but shows can be unpredictable, which I love. Very often you just do whatever you feel like doing on stage because the energy from the crowd is so sincere/intense. The interaction between us [musicians] automatically goes to the next level when the crowd gives us love. We basically give it back to them in our own way. It’s hard to explain…can’t compare it to anything else.

Most of the guys who are into Risen are from the USA, tell us about the music scene in Poland?
We probably have about 90% of the same artists on the radio, as you do in the US. Polish artists who have record deals with Majors also get airplay. These artists aren’t necessarily the best [quality-wise] our country has to offer…but I guess that’s how it is all over the world. Most Indie labels don’t get the slightest chance to promote their artists in the Mass Media. Luckily, good alternative music is available via smaller media. The Polish Jazz Scene [however] seems to be doing very well an there are a lot of world class musicians. There is a lot of good music around but you have to find it yourself, most of the time. The club scene [touring etc.] is also completely differen’t than in the States because Poland is smaller and there aren’t so many venues you can play ever year.

Do you prefer wood snares or metal snares and for what applications? (like wood live or metal in studio or whatever) To tell you the truth I prefer wood but depending on the circumstances I use metal and bronze snares as well. I like to experiment.

Sofa has a lot of members, how do you guys work it all out? Musically and personality wise? Share some insight with us on how to keep a group together.
It’s not easy to handle the band of six people. You know, sometimes it’s hard to cope with one another like in a marriage;) so six makes it triple hard. Over the years we have learned how to solve our problems without having to fight;) Each of us is responsible for a differen’t part of the work.

You are doing other things musically then Just Sofa. Tell us about some of those things and what we should be expecting from you in the future musically.
Apart from SOFA I also tour with three leading Polish pop stars (Edyta Górniak, Kasia Cerekwicka, Kayah) and a notable jazz singer Ewa Bem. Now’s the time for SOFA to hit the charts all over the world! The 3rd album is coming out next year so all my hopes are high.