Scott Rockenfield's cymbals

[DarthWader]

Anybody else think Scott Rockenfield's cymbal setup looks really cool? They're hangin from chains! That's something I hadn't seen before. Queensryche has really been rockin me recently, so I just figured I'd see if anyone else thought this was an interesting idea.

 

Wade

[Fafnir777]

We used to do that back in the 80's.

 

Our lighting rig trusses were around the drumkit, and all of the cymbals and the gong hung from chains.

 

The first guy I saw doing that was Robert Sweet from Stryper - and that was beforeI saw Queensryche's "Take Hold of the flame" video.

Of course, Scott Rockenfield's were welded chains that went up and curved, while Robert Sweet's cymbals were actually hanging from his monstrosity of a custom welded rack. (he was using 28"x28" Kicks back then. They had a home video filmed in Japan where he was using that kit.)

 

Rockenfield is definitely a killer drummer - Queensryche was one of my favorite bands, and Operation:Mindcrime is still one of my favorite records. I heard an Interview on the radio with Chris DeGarmo and he said that Geoff Tate was interested in Surveillance and he was highly interested in the neo-nazi movement (not as a member or anything like that, but as an observer) because back in the 80's, there was a rise in Nazi activity in the Northwest, and he began clipping articles about a group out there that the media called "The Order", and that was the basis of his concept for Operation:Mindcrime.

 

For the song Empire, he had moved onto sitting in a Van in a crack neighborhood and videotaping and recording drug dealers using hi-tech audio and video equipment! Talk about nuts! Hahaha And that was where he got the idea for the song Empire.

 

One of my favorite Queensryche songs is "Last Night In Paris", even though not too many people are familiar with them. Man, I still have the 12" 4 song EP that they put out with "Queen of The Ryche" (a favorite) and "Lady Wore Black" on it.

 

 

I still break out Rage For Order....For a long time I didn't listen to anything else but that on tape.

 

 

Tim

[Snake]

Last time in Paris was a little strange

Had time to myself

Headed out to see the city sights

Met a little thing on the Champs-Elysees

Stole my heart away

You know I never could pronounce her name

She didn't mind at all

Last Time in Paris is a great song - one of those hard to find gems. Sign of the Times from Hear in the Now Frontier sounds like LTIP version 2.

[DarthWader]

Right now I'm really enjoying Empire, Eyes of a Stranger and their version of Scarborough Fair, but I think my favorite of their songs may be Anybody Listening? Good to see some other people enjoying them, I feel like most of the people my age have no idea who they are. Geoff Tate isn't my favorite vocalist, a little too wailing for me, but I like him well enough. The band as a whole rocks me. I much prefer them to Dream Theater, who I know they toured with fairly recently.

 

Wade

[slambang]

I too, was a big fan of Rockenfield and Queensryche. I saw them twice - two of the best shows I've been to. I sorta phased out after Promised Land.

 

Anyway, found this pic for those people who aren't familiar with his set. I believe it's taken during the Mindcrime Tour (when Scott still had a lot of hair).

 

 

I wonder how many trips he made to the local hardware store to pull this off. I'd say definitely more than two.