Name: Jami Morgan
Location: Pittsburg, PA
Links: http://codeorangetoth.com/
When did you realize you had a passion for music?
As soon as music came into contact with my life, I just knew. I joined a band and had never felt the power or confidence that music and particularly punk rock and hardcore gave me before.
How come you ended up behind the drums?
It was kind of random. We had to pick an instrument at elementary school and I chose snare drum. They gave me a drum pad and I started learning drum set from there.
Starting out, who were some of your heroes and who shaped you as a drummer?
My jazz instructor from high school, Roger Humphries, and the church drummers and jazz drummers I went to high school with had more to do with influencing my style than probably anyone else. They taught me dynamics and proper technique that I am still applying to this day and are some of the most talented drummers I’ve ever seen.
Seeing as you’re a drummer, what’s your take on software such as Superior Drummer 3 and how do you use it in your or your band’s creative processes?
I think it is amazing. We haven’t implemented it yet but we plan on using it a lot to build future material especially now that this pack has so many free-range beats and so much groove. I think with how flexible everything is – it can be an unbelievable song writing tool.
As far as this MIDI pack, what did you try to cover and what do you hope the end-user takes away from it?
I just wanted to play more groove oriented heavy stuff that’s less on the technical side and more apt for writing exciting and free-range heavy music. I wanted the pack to have more of what I’m looking for, which is stuff that’s good for songwriting and vibe. I want the pack to represent what our band represents which is boundaryless expression with a hard edge.
Code Orange has quickly risen to become a house hold name, crossing over genre boundaries and gaining fans from both the metal, hardcore and punk scenes. How would you describe your style and was your mix of influences deliberate or just a product of everyone involved?
I would describe it as a mix of all the things we love mixed into our own twisted vision of what we want heavy music to be. It is the product of a pure vision of uncompromised, calculated fury.
Who’s been some of your most influential bands?
Man, it’s hard to narrow it down to that. Many artists inspire us of all genres. Film and visual art inspires us. At this point, our goal is to be tunnel vision-focused on building our own world. Growing up, punk and hardcore shaped us and we’ve been building off of that ever since.
What’s the worst thing that ever happened to you on stage or in the studio?
I have fallen down hard on stage (yes while sitting). I have broken everything there is to break and I have fully forgotten parts. The trifecta of pain.
If you had to remove one piece of your drum kit permanently, what would go?
I would say one of my cymbals. I can always live without one.
What would be some advice you would give to a drummer looking to make it in music.
Don’t worry about “making it”. That is for those who never will. Do your thing. Work hard as hell. Who cares what happens. Present your vision and be uncompromising.
