Drumming to Our Own Beat
Students at Radford College have much to look forward to - their very own, bespoke drum kit!
This one-of-a-kind instrument was handcrafted using native Australian wood species: Jarrah, Acacia and Huon (the names of three of the College's houses). To bring it all together, the exterior is adorned with illustrations of the College's remaining five Houses (Banksia, Boronia, Karri, Kurrajong and Wandoo) by talented artist, Candela.
Steve Crawley from Evetts Drums put a lot of work into this project over 12 months and just recently delivered it to Radford College.
"The biggest challenge was working out how we were going to incorporate the eight species from the brief in the kit," said Steve.
"A lot of the species requested are not commercially available and it was a challenge to bring all the species together without the drums looking cluttered and tacky. I think, in collaboration with Candela, that we tied it all together beautifully with her artwork and the timber selection."
In addition to Jarrah, Acacia and Huon wood, the main shell of the drum kit was made from Blackwood.
“Blackwood is one of my main materials for drum shell construction. It delivers a very warm, clean, musical tone, which is sought after by many instrument makers,” said Steve.
Jarrah and Huon pine were then combined to create the outer ply of the Radford drum kit.
“Jarrah is another one of my primary materials, but Huon pine is not a species I come across very often. It is a beautiful timber to work with, when it's available,” said Steve.
Together, these species of wood form a drum kit that will provide a unique sound and sense of pride at special events held at Radford.
“This drum kit is truly one of a kind. Blackwood produces warm, mellow, rounded tones with lots of low end. The woody character creates a rich and balanced sound that is extremely sensitive yet punchy. It's a great material for a versatile drum tone. While I often use Blackwood for drum shell construction, every batch and shell have their own unique voice and character that will develop more over time,” said Steve.
Radford’s AV & End User Services Officer, David Burcher, was the one who engaged Steve for the project. The pair met in 2008 and sold musical instruments together in Sydney.
“Steve has earned a reputation for making amazing and unique drums played by very well-regarded musicians from around the world. I'm really proud to know someone who has such talent for this work!” said David.
Head of Co-Curricular Music, Kirsten Knight, has also been involved from the start on this project.
“The Music Department is grateful for this collaboration and the stunning end result, and we would like to thank Steve Crawley, David Burcher and Candela for their contributions to this special project,” said Mrs Knight.
The College would also like to acknowledge Nerys Knoke from the Grounds Team who conducted all the research to inform Candela's illustrations of the House plants.