| Shannon Larkin | |
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 Shannon Larkin of Godsmack during the performance of Good Times Bad Times in 2007
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | James Shannon Larkin |
| Born | April 24, 1967 Hagerstown, Maryland |
| Genres | Heavy metal Hard rock Alternative rock Alternative metal Post-grunge Funk metal Hardcore punk Thrash metal |
| Instruments | Drums, vocals |
| Years active | 1978 - present |
| Labels | Universal/Republic |
| Associated acts | Godsmack Another Animal Candlebox Ugly Kid Joe Snot Amen Wrathchild America Souls at Zero |
| Website | Official Godsmack website |
Shannon Larkin, born James Shannon Larkin on April 24, 1967 in Hagerstown, Maryland, is a musician best known for being the drummer of the hard rock band Godsmack. He replaced original drummer Tommy Stewart in June 2002. Prior to Godsmack, his previous bands were Amen, Candlebox, Back Alley Gators, and Souls at Zero (formerly Wrathchild America). Shannon also worked on a side project with fellow Wrathchild America member Jay Abbene called Kiddie Porn.
Shannon played drums for Godsmack for their albums Faceless, and IV as well as their EP The Other Side.
Shannon Larkin started playing drums at the impressionable age of 10. Although his parents were not musicians, they were still music lovers and turned Shannon on to bands like The Beatles, Johnny Cash, Elvis, Credence, Joplin, Hendrix, and The Who. But it was his older sister who unknowingly ignited Shannons passion to play by forcing him to listen to her favorite album, Rush's Hemispheres, over and over again. After that, he was turned on to Zeppelin-2 and that's when he decided to ask his parents for a drum kit.
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Biography
Shannon Larkin's first major label band was Wrathchild America. Originally the band was named simply "Wrathchild", but unfortunately, there was already a British band with the same name, so they were forced to change it. To avoid further legal headaches, they added "America" to the name, and thus, "Wrathchild America" was born.
After recording 2 albums for Atlantic Records, the band was dropped by the label, citing lackluster sales. Shannon, along with his bandmates (Brad Divens, Terry Carter, and Jay Abbene) disbanded Wrathchild America only to resurface as Souls at Zero.
Souls at Zero was signed to the now defunct label Energy Records. Their self titled debut album was well received by critics and fans alike. Unfortunately, it didn't translate into CD sales.
In the meantime, Shannon formed a side project band called MF Pitbulls in which the other members later formed the band Snot. MF Pitbulls' member Jamie Miller later became Souls at Zero's drummer right after Shannon was tapped by Ugly Kid Joe. According to Wrathchild America/Souls at Zero's former manager Chip Seligman, Shannon was the one who recommended Jamie Miller as his replacement. He later replaced Jamie Miller on the Snot album Strait Up.
Shannon recorded 2 albums with Ugly Kid Joe, and the band was no more. Still a struggling musician, Shannon found himself without a band. As luck would have it, Shannon once again was tapped into another band. This time it was Casey Chaos's Amen. Shannon was referred to Amen by producer Ross Robinson of Slipknot fame. Shannon recorded two albums for Amen, (Amen and We Have Come For Your Parents), before he left the band as a touring musician, but still performs on the albums (including Death Before Musick and the 2009 as-yet-untitled release). Shannon also recorded the album Hard to Swallow by Vanilla Ice, and Worship and Tribute by Glassjaw.
Shortly after, Shannon got a call from his old friend Sully Erna who wanted him to play drums for his band, Godsmack. Shannon replaced Tommy Stewart and subsequently recorded his first album with Godsmack; Faceless.
On July 1, 1997, Shannon played drums for one live show with Black Sabbath; the final one on the Ozzfest '97 tour. This date was actually a makeup gig for a postponed date earlier in the tour. The regular drummer for that tour (Mike Bordin) could not make the gig due to scheduling conflicts, so Shannon stepped in for this lone gig; he was never intended on being a permanent member of Black Sabbath.
For Stone Sour, he played the drums on the tracks "30/30-150" and The Day I Let Go on the album Come What(ever) May. The reason is that at the time Roy Mayorga, who recorded the album, didn't have time to finish up the recording due to going out on tour with Soulfly. Roy Mayorga and Nick Raskulinecz suggested Shannon to record. He also did a project in 1997 with Judas Priest's Glenn Tipton and other artists including John Entwistle, Cozy Powell, Billy Sheehan, and Robert Trujillo called Baptizm of Fire.
Tattoos
In addition to a full sleeve on his left arm and tattoos on his right arm, Shannon has Amen tattooed across his knuckles and a hand ripping into the skin on his stomach.[1]
Larkin's descriptions
- Shannon's drumming is distinguished by a liquid groove, absolutely fluid in the manner of great session drummers such as the late Jeff Porcaro, and his studio work displays the rare capacity to balance simplicity and ornamentation. Although heavy metal is known for heavy hitting and heavy double-pedal footwork, Shannon exhibits a nimble touch with sticks and a rabbit's right foot on single pedal. He relies on Toca percussion.com, a penchant he shares with Sully Erna, for groove and color. Both drummer and bandleader share a passion for rhythm. In fact, Erna told Modern Drummer.com, "If God made anyone to play drums it was Shannon Larkin!"[2]
Behind The Player DVD
Larkin was featured in the IMV "Behind The Player" DVD series. In his IMV Behind the Player DVD, Larkin gives an intimate behind-the scenes look at his life as a professional musician - including rare photos and video footage. Larkin then gives in-depth drum lessons for how to play Straight Out of Line and Voodoo by Godsmack and jams the tracks with Godsmack bassist Robbie Merrill.[3]
Equipment
- Yamaha
- Birch Custom Absolute Drums
- 24"x18" Kick Drum
- 10x8" Tom
- 12"x9" Tom
- 13"x10" Tom
- 14"x12" Floor Tom
- 16"x16" Floor Tom
- 14"x6" Snare
- Birch Custom Absolute Drums
- Toca Precussion
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- 14"6" Timbale
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- Yamaha Electronic Drums
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- Yamaha Drum Pad
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- DDrum Precussion
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- 20" and 22" Deccabons
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- Yamaha Hardware
- 800 Series
- Flying Dragon pedals
- Sabian Cymbals
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- 13" Paragon Hiaht
- 14" Paragon Hiahat
- 8" Paragon Splash
- 10" Paragon Splash
- 16" AA Crash
- 19" AA Rock Crash
- 20" AA Crash
- 20" Paragon Chinese
- 20" Paragon Chinese
- 22" HH Powerbell Ride
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- Heads
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- Remo
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- Vic Firth "American Rock Classic" Sticks
Discography
Wrathchild America
- Climbing the Walls (1989)
- 3D (1991)
Souls At Zero
- Souls at Zero (1993)
- Six-T-Six EP (1994)
- A Taste For the Perverse (1995)
Ugly Kid Joe
- Menace to Sobriety (1995)
- Motel California (1996)
- The Very Best of Ugly Kid Joe: As Ugly as It Gets (1998)
Amen
- Amen (1999)
- We Have Come for Your Parents (2001)
- Death Before Musick (2004)
- TBA (2009)
Candlebox
- Happy Pills (album) (1998)
Snot
- Strait Up (1999)
Godsmack
- Faceless (2003)
- The Other Side (2004)
- IV (2006)
- Good Times, Bad Times.... 10 Years of Godsmack (2007)
- V(TBA)
Another Animal
- Another Animal (2007)
As Session Musician
- 30/30-150 by Stone Sour
- Hard to Swallow by Vanilla Ice
- Worship and Tribute by Glassjaw
- Massive Grooves... by Poundhound (aka Doug Pinnick of King's X) 1998
References
- ^ "Shannon Larkin Tattoos" Tripod.com. Retrieved on July 10, 2009.
- ^ "Shannon Larkin on Synergydrums" Synergydrums.com. Retrieved on July 10, 2009.
- ^ "Sheet Music Plus - Behind the Player: Shannon Larkin" Sheetmusicplus.com. Retrieved on July 10, 2009.
General References
External links
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