A true unsung hero of drumming, Steve Goulding has been present during an impressive number of modern music's high points. New wave fans would bow down to him if his only legacy was the sizzling drumming tour de force on Elvis Costello's classic Watching The Detectives. Lucky for us, that epochal recording session was only the beginning. Stints with Nick Lowe, Graham Parker, and, for the past ten years, The Mekons, have sealed his rep as a powerful, articulate drummer who is supremely sensitive to the song, but clearly unafraid of a bit of volume. Steve's even gone "off track" on numerous occasions, recording with highly regarded acts like underground heroes Poi Dog Pondering, Israeli club queen Ofra Haza, and Tuvan genre benders Yat-Kha.

To get Steve's thoughts on some of his finest sides, Modern Drummer sat down with him between tours with The Mekons, supporting their latest recording, Punk Rock. Famously mercurial, on this album the band has updated tracks from the original British punk revolution, which they are an inseparable part of.

Graham Parker & The Rumour/Howlin' Wind (1976): "This was my first 'professional' recording experience. It was such a steep learning curve. And it was amazing hearing myself for the first time on the radio. Of course, nobody who heard it knew it was me playing drums! But it was wonderful either way."

Elvis Costello/My Aim Is True (1977): "Bassist Andrew Bodnar and I were recording these demos with Elvis and sort of auditioning musicians for the band he was putting together at the time. Keyboardist Steve Nieve came in after having drunk like half a bottle of liquor. [laughs] But he was very accomplished by then, and played great."

Nick Lowe/Jesus Of Cool (1978): "Playing with Nick Lowe is always so much fun, you don't feel like you're working at all. I remember he was being sort of 'experimental' at the time. And he had me play the drum tracks alone. Like: 'Play the verse part for this many bars, then the chorus.' And this was before the days of click tracks. It was terrifying listening back: 'Oh, that's slowing down there!' Actually, we never got credit for playing on those cuts, because [Stiff Records head] Jake Riviera had this 'punk' idea that it was uncool to do that. Well, at least it's a good story to tell at the pub. People are like: 'Oh, you played on that?'"

Graham Parker/Squeezing Out Sparks (1979): "What a wonderful experience it was working with producer Jack Nitzsche. He would tell all these great stories about working with blues greats, Neil Young, The Rolling Stones. He really straightened us out in a good way. Getting us to play a lot fewer notes. For the first 2 or 3 days we were driving him nuts. Eventually he went out and got himself a 6-pack or something [laughs], came back, and got us to play much more for the song. He did it in a great way, though.

Garland Jeffreys/Escape Artist (1981): "After The Up Escalator, Graham Parker decided he wanted to work with different musicians, so The Rumour was no longer his band. One of the things we did was go to the States and back Garland Jeffreys. That was a great album, and I still do some playing with Garland.

The Mekons/Fear And Whiskey (1985): "I saw the band on the recommendation of a friend, and they were just awful. [laughs] There were like 20 of their friends in the audience. And even they were leaving. But eventually my friend, bassist Lu Edmunds, and I joined up. And after a very slow 2-year period, we got to a point where we sounded good live. We were sent to the States to tour, where we were received very well. The first side of that record is drum machine, and the second side is me. We recorded that in one day. It was actually a while before I got into the country influences that came out on that record. At first I was like: 'Okay, I'll go along with this for a while. Then hopefully we'll move onto something new in 6 months.' But eventually I began to really appreciate country music and the drumming on some of it. Like Kenny Buttrey, who played with Dylan and so many country musicians. There was a lot of depth there, and he played more than just a dopey shuffle or something. He played little riffs on the drums."

Ofra Haza/Shaday (1988): "You know, I can't even remember having played on that! Apparently it did very well, though. I was one of several drummers who appeared on the album. I think I did some programming. I don't really enjoy doing that, though."

The Mekons/Rock 'N' Roll (1989): "That record sounds so good because, unlike our usual method, we wrote and rehearsed those songs before going into the studio, and just pounded them out. Unfortunately, that old story happened where our original contact at the record company left. And A&M Records didn't know what to do with us. Eventually they wouldn't release our subsequent albums. But wouldn't let us out of our contract either. I found myself in New York sitting around tables with lawyers who were younger than me, getting really frustrated. So I left. Even though I felt terrible about 'abandoning' the band. The troubles continued for them. But I eventually saw them play in Chicago and I was like: 'That should be me up there.' So I re-joined them in time to record one track for the album Retreat From Memphis.

Poi Dog Pondering/Pomegranate (1995): "They were such a nice group of people. And I really liked playing with them. They were huge in Chicago. We'd play like 5 sold-out shows in a row in 800-seat rooms. But it just didn't happen for them on a national scale.

Archer Prewitt/White Sky (1999): "Archer is so talented. And very specific about what he wants. He plays drums too. So he'll sometimes show me exactly what he has in mind."

Yat-Kha/Aldyn Dashka (2001): "That was very interesting. The bandmembers didn't speak English. But they were really nice. And the album came out very well. I toured with them too. They are not very loud. Which I like. Because I've gotten tired of just pounding all these years. The drums will only get so much louder. I've enjoyed using mallets and brushes more."

Megan Reilly/Arc Of Tessa (2003): "Meg's wonderful. We toured as a duo, which was great. Rather than play more busily, I play more restrained. Leaving lots of space. It sounds weirder that way and I love it. I'll be working on Meg's new album very soon."

The Mekons/Punk Rock (2004): "I didn't really feel the need to go back and listen to the original versions of these songs. Some of which we've played over the years. But back in the original days of punk, it was such an exciting time. I remember seeing The Talking Heads and The Ramones in England. And hearing the first Patti Smith record--just fantastic. Most of the new punk music is made with so many concessions to the marketplace. It's not nearly as interesting as it once was."

More Goulding Goodies:

Dave Edmunds/Get It
Garland Jeffreys/Rock 'N' Roll Adult
Gang Of Four/100 Flowers Bloom
Paul Haig/The Warp Of Pure Fun
Wreckless Eric/Wreckless Eric
Wreckless Eric/Big Smash
Brendan Croker & The Five O'Clock Shadows/Brenan Croker & The Five O'Clock Shadows
Gay Woods/Terry Woods/Lake Song From Red Waters
The Mekons/The Curse Of The Mekons
The Mekons/I Love Mekons
The Mekons/Retreat From Memphis
The Mekons/New York: On The Road 1986-1987
The Mekons/So Good It Hurts
The Mekons/OOOH! (Out Of Our Heads)
The Mekons/I Have Been To Heaven And Back, Vol. 1
The Mekons/Where Were You? Hens Teeth And Other Lost Fragments Of Popular Culture, Vol. 2
Jon Langford/Skull Orchard
Kelly Hogan & The Pine Valley Cosmonauts/Beneath The Country Underdog
Jonboy Langford & The Pine Valley Cosmonauts/Misery Loves Company
The Pine Valley Cosmonauts/Salute The Majesty Of Bob Wills
The Pine Valley Cosmonauts/The Executioner's Last Songs
The Pine Valley Cosmonauts/The Executioner's Last Songs, Vol. 2 & 3
The Waco Brothers/Cowboy In Flames
The Waco Brothers/Electric Waco Chair
The Killer Shrews/The Killer Shrews
Graham Parker & The Rumour/Heat Treatment
Graham Parker & The Rumour/At Marble Arch
Graham Parker & The Rumour/Stick To Me
Graham Parker & The Rumour/The Parkerilla
Graham Parker & The Rumour/The Up Escalator
Graham Parker & The Rumour/Not If It Pleases Me: BBC Live 76-77
Graham Parker/Live On The Test
Graham Parker/BBC Live In Concert, 1977-1991
Graham Parker/Deepcut To Nowhere
The Rumour/Max
The Rumour/Frogs, Sprouts, Clogs & Krauts
The Rumour/Purity Of Essence
Carlene Carter/Carlene Carter
Freakwater/End Time
Gary Lucas/Operators Are Standing By
Poi Dog Pondering/Electrique Plummagram
Poi Dog Pondering/Liquid White Light
Poi Dog Pondering/Natural Thing
Poi Dog Pondering/Sweeping Up The Cutting Room Floor
Archer Prewitt/In The Sun
Archer Prewitt/Three
Amy Rigby/Til The Wheels Fall Off


SUBJECT: Letter to the editor
AUTHOR: Matthew Payne
SOURCE: Modern Drummer
DATE: November 2004

Thanks to Modern Drummer and Adam Budofsky for shining the spotlight on Steve Goulding, a truly underappreciated drummer, in your July issue. Not only does Steve play on some of my favorite recordings, his fearlessness in taking on new and diverse musical challenges is astounding.

Just under ten years ago, I was playing in Chicago with another English �migr�, Cath Carroll. Steve would occasionally sit in on the kit. I would gladly get off the throne and play percussion so I could watch him work his magic. His time and taste were impeccable, his shuffles were fat and greasy, and, when he'd warm up with a little bit of Watching The Detectives, I knew it wasn't just Elvis Costello that had made that song a hit. Steve's dry humor made him that much more fun to be around. He's a true musician and a gentleman.