Thomas Pridgen

Thomas Pridgen
Thomas Pridgen performing in St. Paul, MN with The Mars Volta in 2008
Background information
Birth name	Thomas Armon Pridgen
Also known as	"Tha Predator"
Born	November 23, 1983 (1983-11-23)
Origin	El Cerrito, California, U.S.
Genres	Jazz, gospel, experimental, Fusion, progressive rock, hard rock
Occupations	Drummer
Instruments	Drums
Years active	1999-present
Associated acts	The Memorials, The Mars Volta, Christian Scott, Wicked Wisdom, Keyshia Cole, Giraffe Tongue Orchestra
Website	www.thomaspridgen.wordpress.com

Thomas Armon Pridgen (born November 23, 1983 in Alameda County, California) is an American drummer, best known for his role as the drummer of The Mars Volta from October 31, 2006 until October 23, 2009, and currently the drummer for his own project The Memorials.

Biography

Pridgen won the Guitar Center Drum-Off at age 9 and at age 10 was the youngest recipient for a Zildjian endorsement in the nearly 400 year history of the company. Pridgen is also naturally left-handed, but plays the drum kit as if he is a right-hander with his kit set-up right-handed. Thomas has studied with David Garibaldi, Walfredo Reyes Sr, Troy Lucketta, and Curtis Nutall. He endorses DW Drums, Zildjian Cymbals, Evans Drumheads, Audix Microphones, and ProMark Drumsticks. Thomas was also the recipient of a 4 year scholarship to Berklee College of Music in 1999 at the age of 15; he was the youngest musician to ever receive this scholarship. He has played in clinics with Walfredo Reyes, Jr. and Dennis Chambers. By his teenage years he had already done studio sessions with many Bay Area Gospel artists.

In 2006, Pridgen received a call from Omar Rodríguez-López of The Mars Volta:

“

“Omar asked if I wanted to come check out the band,” Pridgen recalls from his home in El Cerrito, California. “We talked on the phone for a couple of hours, and then I went to Ohio to meet them. Omar invited me to a back room, where the whole band was set up. We jammed for a good thirty minutes. He then said, ‘We’re going to play that groove tonight in front of everybody.’ This was for a huge show in Cleveland, when the band was touring with the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

”

In 2007, Pridgen became the new permanent drummer for The Mars Volta. Pridgen's first appearance was at the March 12th show in New Zealand, where the band debuted the song "Idle Tooth" which was later renamed "Wax Simulacra" for the forthcoming album. After shows in New Zealand and Australia, The Mars Volta toured a few West Coast venues as the headliner, then entered the studio to record their fourth LP, The Bedlam in Goliath. Pridgen's style on Bedlam in Goliath used "blistering 32nd-note full-set combinations, stunning single-stroke rolls, and blazing single bass drum patterns" along with creative and precise paradiddle technique.

Thomas Pridgen has been voted as Best Up and Coming Drummer by Modern Drummer magazine.

Besides his work with The Mars Volta, he has also been involved with Christian Scott and Wicked Wisdom. Thomas, for some time, was working with singer Keyshia Cole as her live and session drummer and being her music director. He also was featured alongside with Tony Royster Jr., Eric Moore, and others in drumming DVD entitled "Shed Sessions", a Gospel Chops DVD.

Thomas was also featured on the Modern Drummer 2008 DVD with footage from his performance at the festival.

On one of the last dates of the Bedlam Tour in Mexico, Thomas and the band 'wrecked' the kit and cracked the 20"x24" acrylic bass drum. After this Thomas was seen only using DW maple jazz kits live, but he now uses his Acrylic kit again with his new band The Memorials.

Exit from The Mars Volta (2009)

In October 2009, Pridgen left The Mars Volta. To this day, the band has made no official statement as to the reason for the departure. Dave Elitch subsequently filled in the drummer position for the remainder of the tour. Pridgen's permanent replacement in the band has been confirmed as Deantoni Parks.

The Memorials (December, 2009)

In December 2009, Thomas Pridgen formed another band called The Memorials with friends and former students from Berklee College of Music - Viveca Hawkins (vocals) and Nick Brewer (guitars).

The band's self titled album was released on January 18, 2011.

Giraffe Tongue Orchestra (2011)

Over the summer of 2011 it was announced that Pridgen was working on a new group with Mastodon vocalist and guitarist Brent Hinds, the Dillinger Escape Plan guitarist Ben Weinman, and former Jane's Addiction bassist Eric Avery.

On November 10, 2011, it was revealed that the band had decided upon a name, Giraffe Tongue Orchestra, and that the supergroup was working on writing songs.

In January 2012, it was announced that fellow former-The-Mars-Volta drummer Jon Theodore replaced Pridgen in Giraffe Tongue Orchestra.

Equipment

With The Mars Volta

Bedlam Tour Kit (2007 - 2008)

• DW Collector's Series & Zildjian Cymbals:
• Drums - Clear Acrylic
  • 12x8" Tom
  • 13x9" Tom
  • 15x13" Floor Tom
  • 16x14" Floor Tom
  • 18x16" Floor Tom
  • 24x20" Bass Drum
  • 14x6.5" DW Copper Snare

• Cymbals - Zildjian
  • 18" [x2] A Crashes used as Hi-Hats
  • 24" A Medium Ride
  • 20" A Armand Ride
  • 20" A Custom Crash
  • 20" Oriental Crash Of Doom
  • 18" A Custom EFX Crash, 9" Oriental Splash, 16" Oriental China (x2) (cymbals stacked)
  • 19" K Custom Hybrid China

Octahedron Tour Kit (2009)

• DW Jazz Series & Zildjian Cymbals:
• Drums - Maple & Gum
  • 12x12" Tom
  • 13x13" Tom
  • 15x13" Floor Tom
  • 16x14" Floor Tom
  • 18x16" Floor Tom
  • 24x20" Bass Drum
  • 14x7 Red Maple Snare

• Cymbals - Zildjian
  • 18" A Crashes [x2] used as Hi-Hats
  • 24" A Medium Ride
  • 24" K Custom Ride [x2]
  • 18" A Custom EFX Crash, 9" Oriental Splash, 16" Oriental China (x2) (cymbals stacked)
  • 20" A Custom China
  • 20" Crash of Doom

With The Memorials

• DW Collector's Series & Zildjian Cymbals:
• Drums - Clear Acrylic
  • 12x8" Tom
  • 13x9" Tom
  • 15x13" Floor Tom
  • 16x14" Floor Tom
  • 24x20" Bass Drum
  • 14x6.5" DW Stainless steel snare

• Cymbals - Zildjian
  • 19" [x2] Z3 Custom Crashes used as Hi-Hats
  • 24" A Medium Ride
  • 20" A Custom Crash
  • 20" Z3 Crash
  • 18" A Custom EFX Crash, 9" Oriental Splash, 16" Oriental China (x2) (cymbals stacked)
  • 20" A Custom China
  • Wind Chimes

• Drum Heads - Evans
  • Toms: (12", 13", 15", 16") Clear G2s (top), Clear Resonants (bottom)
  • Bass Drum: (24") Clear EQ3 (batter), Clear EQ3 (with small hole) (resonant)
  • Snares : (14") Clear G2 (top), 300 Hazy (bottom)

• Thomas also used DW 9000 Series Hardware and Pedals, Pro-Mark TX510 Thomas Pridgen Autograph drumsticks, & Shure Microphones.
• Thomas has recently been seen using a kit made from resin by a company based out of Ventura, CA Thump Drums.

Discography

For a more complete discography, see Thomas Pridgen's entry on Album Credits.

With Foxy Shazam

• "Explicit" (2010)

With Christian Scott

• Rewind That (2006)

With Eric Gales

• Crystal Vision - (2006)
• Psychedelic Underground - (2007)

With Juliette Lewis

• Terra Incognita (2009)

With The Mars Volta

• The Bedlam in Goliath (2008)
• Octahedron (2009)

With Omar Rodríguez-López

• Calibration (Is Pushing Luck and Key Too Far) (2007)
• Los Sueños de un Higado (2009)
• Xenophanes (2009)

With Victor Little

• Inner Portrait (2009)

With Zenith Patrol

• VU (2005)

References

• Drum Channel: Thomas Pridgen Artist Bio

External links

• The Mars Volta official website
• Thomas Pridgen on Myspace
• Thomas Pridgen's on Album Credits
• Drum Channel | Thomas Pridgen
• Facebook | Thomas Pridgen - The Memorials
• Thump Drums