Jeremy 'J.Grind' Bragg - Collision Drumsticks

ARTIST PROFILE

I live in Maine USA, and I hit things with sticks. The last bit is something I say often when asked what kind of instrument I play or how I play a particular drum groove (lol). My journey of being a musician didn’t start with playing drums though, it started with playing bass guitar in 2005, and my interest in bass guitar didn’t last very long once I learned hitting drums is tremendously more fun (no offense to you bassists out there ;} )

I started getting a grasp with playing drums by 2006 when my interest began to become primarily focused in Technical Death Metal, and although I have 14 years of self-taught playing experience I didn’t know what direction or ‘style’ of drumming I wanted to aim for until mid-way through 2019.

My primary genre(s) of interest is Grind/Math/Tech/Death Metal – specifically anything within the area of fast paced technical playing involving polyrhythms, intricate time signatures, split second changes in tempo, and blast beats (I love blast beats!). I’m continuously open to learning anything new, thrive on expanding and tightening techniques I utilize, and constantly trying to better myself as a player both mentally and physically. I’m also a Soultone Cymbals Artist and strongly believe being a Collision Drumsticks Artist as well will create an amazing experience of collaboration between the two growing communities that I’ll always be eternally grateful for.

In 2006-2007 I played for the Brutal Death Metal project PUTRESCINE and the Grunge-Core project Catharsis, then created the Tech-DeathGrind project Taxicab Dismemberment (TCDM) in May of 2008, which is still active. Between 2016 and 2018 I started playing within various Metal bands then created the Deathcore band Where They Hide in July 2018 which continued until September 2020.

Within Taxicab Dismemberment I’ve been fortunate enough to play stadium and venue stages, bars, VFWs, basements, living rooms, and outside decks within New England with dozens of bands Local and National, opened for the 2010 Summer Slaughter Tour at The Palladium in Worcester MA, released a LP ‘Like Surgeons, Not Mechanics’, and an EP ‘2012 – 2013 Demo’.

While in Where They Hide I was privileged to play many scene driven and DIY shows within basements, VFWs, and fests within New England, and often at The Dover Brickhouse in Dover, NH and Geno’s Rock Club in Portland, ME. Where They Hide released a demo called ‘Back To Business’ in September of 2019 and a single ‘WAF’ within August 2020.
All music for both bands can be found on Facebook, Bandcamp, and YouTube.

October 2020 was the official start of my career in being an active session drummer for artists and projects local to and outside of New England within various genres, I’ve joined the DeathGrind/Powerviolence project The Idiot Flesh, and a Experimental/Grindcore project that is TBA for early 2021.

WHY DO YOU PLAY COLLISION?

I alternate between the 5A and 5A Reach (5AR) drumsticks, which type I use depends on the style of music I play. One of the bands I play for ( Taxicab Dismemberment ) has a lot of constant fast pace playing, blasting, quick tom chops, and split second time changes which is where the 5AR drumsticks really shine – the extra length is perfect for blasting between the bell and bow of my ride and maintaining control with gravity blasts. I use the 5A drumsticks for another band I play for ( Where They Hide ) because there’s less blasting compared to the other band and the music isn’t as constantly quick paced, it’s more groove and power focused which I find the 5As are perfect for.

Within the first 10 minutes of using the Collision drumsticks I was hooked, the smooth physical texture of the sticks and balance was surprisingly comfortable. Other brands of drumsticks I’ve used previous to the Collision brand have had dry ‘soft’ finishes, slick lacquer finishes, and sometimes a rough hard wood texture which felt awkward and difficult to hold for long periods of playing. As much as I love the feel I believe what I love most is the durability of Collision drumsticks, I also believe this is the bread of butter of the brand. As previously mentioned I do a lot of fast playing, a lot of various types of blasting, and often expect the sticks I’m using to dent or crack at the shoulder of the stick – this hasn’t been the case with the 5A/5AR drumsticks as there’s a few very small dents on the shaft of the sticks from testing out rimshots on my snare and that’s it.

I recommend Collision Drumsticks because I’m a firm believer of although a drummer can use any sticks to play, the drummer plays their best when comfortable. We as drummers all know every drummer is different and I honestly didn’t think I would find a brand of drumsticks that could meet everything I wanted and needed with comfort, balance, durability, and feel until I started using Collision’s 5A/5AR sticks. As the common phrase goes ‘You don’t know until you try it’, and I 100% believe Collision Drumsticks are worth trying.

PRESS

“Taxicab sounded a lot more like the red chord on that big stage. there were A LOT of people in the crowd for them. ”
– The Rev (Read More)

“They were totally grindcore complete with throat singing. The drumming was a thunderous roll with some very fast stick action – impressive stuff. The guitarist and bass were super-fast and precise. It’s funny how the overall effect is a raging blur but dig down and it’s all built of an intricate structure. We loved how all three were playing the same complicated rhythm. That made you nod your head in conjunction.”
– Boston Groupie News (Read More)

View All Artists

IMPACT YOUR SOUND

ARTIST PROFILE