Did you check out Snak the Ripper’s latest tour in 2019? Did you notice he had a DRUMMER on stage with him? I had the pleasure of sitting down on a live Instagram chat with the one and only Johnny Bomb Drums, and we had an awesome chat about life, music, and of course, his experiences with Snak the Ripper.
You can check out the FULL. raw interview on Instagram, or watch below:
(EDITORIAL NOTE: The text version of the interview is a tidier version of the conversation.)
I had some technical difficulties, as I could not invite Johnny to the interview properly. It also appeared that my audio was cutting in and out, so I apologize for that.
This is a condensed version of the content found in the video. Snak the Ripper and Stompdown are all trademarks of their respective parties, and Everest Ingenuity or Chad L.E McGhie are not affiliated.
————————————————————————
CHAD: I obviously know who you are, but for those that do not, introduce yourself.
JOHNNY: My name is John Baumgardt. I am 25 years old. Um, I play drums for Snak the Ripper. And , pretty much do it as a hobby.
CHAD: Yeah man, I was super stoked when I saw that Snak picked you up! I was like ‘no way Johnny is fucking going touring with Snak!’
JOHNNY: Man, it was crazy. Even just getting a reply back from in itself, I kind of fangirled out over that.
CHAD: That’s awesome! He is my personal favorite of the whole the Stompdown Killers crew, no disrespect to anyone else. He is just my personal favorite musician from that crowd, he just performs, and is really musically talented, in my opinion.
JOHNNY: Oh man he is, he is really business savy. Like, he really is a business man, and a musician for sure. Somebody I really look up to. Just being around him on tour and stuff, and watching how he operates, and how the other guys on tour operate…it makes you want to do better, like, business wise. Even in life, and its kind of something, somebody to look up to, I guess.
CHAD: That is awesome, that is what you want to surround yourself with to succeed in life. We’re jumping ahead a bit, but since we are on the topic, how did that all unfold for you? You mentioned you had messaged him?
JOHNNY: It was almost two years ago now, I was kind of at a really low point in my life. I was drinking a lot, and I was heavy into drugs and stuff like that. I remember he came out with that song ‘Way Up’ with Quake Matthews, I was living in Edmonton at the time. I was with some friends, and were like drinking and what not. I remember going to sleep on my friend’s couch that night, and I had this song like, on repeat in my headphones. And I remember like, probably about a month before that, Snak had this post on Facebook or whatever. And he was talking about if anybody was going through a hard time or you, down and out, stuff like that, to just message him. And for some odd reason, I think it was liquid courage or whatever, and I was just laying there, it was like 4 AM or some shit, I remember shooting him a message asking out of the blue, ‘How did you get sober, man?’.
I fell asleep. I woke up probably around noon or 1 o’clock next day, and kind of one-eyed look at my phone, right?
And seen a notification : ‘Snak the Ripper’.
I was like, ‘What the fuck!?’ I sat up on my friend’s couch, looking at his message, and yeah he messaged me! At that time. they were on the Off the Rails Tour, like on their European leg. So he was, like, overseas at that time.
So yeah. he messaged me back and I was like ‘Holy crap’. Know what I mean?
<Laughs>
We talked, and my profile was open on Instagram. All I ever post on Instagram is mostly drumming stuff. I was in a couple of bands at the time, so it was mostly my music stuff. So yeah, I guess he looked at my music, or some of my drumming videos I had. He told me like, you know, just keep doing music, blah blah blah. And then so, I think we talked for about a day or two. So, he’s like, ‘you know what’s been crazy about this, is that I’ve been talking to my team about getting a drummer for my next live tour.’
I was like, ‘No way.’
He was like… long story short, he’s like, ‘You know, If you can get sober, I will take you on tour with me, for the Canada leg.’
I was like, ‘What?’
‘Can you send me some videos of you drumming my songs?’
At that point, I didn’t even own a drum set, actually. So Ned Staples, actually, he was recording a band, and he had rented an electric kit for like, two days. So, when I messaged him, he randomly had this kit, right? <Laughs> He wasn’t recording those guys at the time, so I remember like, hopping on the bus, going over to his house. And I did a cover of “From the Dirt”, and I think it was “Forgotten”. And I sent those to him <Snak the Ripper> just over Instagram. We kind of ended up talking more, and then kind of worked out the details a bit.
And yeah, and then he ended up bringing me on tour. I did that whole two months tour with him across Canada, and I was sober for the entire thing. It was pretty crazy.
CHAD: That IS awesome man! That Red Deer show was awesome.
JOHNNY: All his shows were awesome. <Laughs>
CHAD: I had to come see you specifically. I was stoked to go see Snak again, but I was like ‘I got to go see Johnny for sure.’
JOHNNY: Yeah man, It was a crazy experience. Especially like, I grew up in a small town in northern Alberta and stuff like that. I grew up watching, Snak’s graffiti videos, the Stompdown boys, doing their graffiti videos and stuff like that, right? I remember hearing Snak for the first time when I was like, 14 or 15. And fast-forward 10-15 years later, I am drumming for the guy. <Laughs>
CHAD: Wild, hey?
JOHNNY: Probably the most surreal thing out of that whole tour , was that I played drums for Ned’s buddy, goes by the rapper named Adagwa, So we actually got a spot, JReds hooked up a spot, right before Snak’s tour package whenever he came through Edmonton in 2018. We were one of the openers, and THAT was a like huge thing for me. So we got open for Snak, and then a YEAR later, to the day, I played FOR him at the Starlite Room in Edmonton.
CHAD: No way! That’s so cool. Music is full of those magical little journeys, so that’s awesome to hear.
JOHNNY: Music has definitely brought me a LONG ways, man. I don’t know what I would do without music, that’s for sure.
CHAD: For sure man, that’s amazing! You kind of touched on this already, but were there any other moments that stuck out?
JOHNNY: Well yeah. getting to tour Canada, especially at that level, was something else. Because I mean I’ve played shows, doing the rap scene in Edmonton for a bit. I was in a cover band, like a 90’s cover band, for a few months. Toured around B.C, kind of did like a little circuit around B.C, and THAT was interesting. But it was mostly just dive bars and stuff like that, kind like the same thing <as Edmonton’s rap scene>. And then getting…pretty much leap frogging to getting to do THAT <touring with Snak>, was like pretty crazy. Even Snak too, he bought my drums for me, and everything too, and I didn’t even know.
He messaged me, and he said he wanted me to use electronic drumkits. He said ‘they were easier to transport, blah blah blah. Just let me know what you need for gear.’ So, I went on Long and McQuaid, like their website, and I was looking at rentals. I didn’t want to pick something too high end, or something too cheap, either right? So I kind of went with an intermediate - this Roland kit. And it was like $800 a month to rent, or something like that.
So, I told Snak. And yeah, he flew me out probably a week before we actually went on tour, for rehearsal. He had the drums and everything already. So yeah, everything I picked out, he had. So at the end of tour, I had no idea, he was taking off so much what he was paying me. And at the end of tour, he was like, ‘You own these’.
I was like, ‘What>?’
He treated me really well, it was a CRAZY life experience. He is a really great mentor. Being around him, and Lil Windex, Quake Matthews, Lee Solo, and Marc Goatley. They are all fine gentlemen. Oh, and D-Rec! Can’t forget D-Rec!
<Laughs>
CHAD: Good dude! I opened up for and got to meet Snak up in Grande Prairie, that was the first time I got to meet him. I engineered that shit, that was on that 2018 tour.
JOHNNY: Yeah.
CHAD: That is the show somebody got stabbed at.
JOHNNY: I heard about that, yeah! That is insane, actually. <Laughs>
CHAD: It was wild, I was like holy fuck! That’s crazy! It was wild. We were still up on stage when it all happened so we just hung out ON the stage. And yeah.
But yo, Marc is the guy that I know, spending lots of time with Marc, picking him up from Kelowna and shit. He speaks so highly of Snak the Ripper, too, so you sharing your experience helps reaffirm that, that he is a solid human being is awesome, you know. So THAT is really cool.
Yeah man, that’s REALLY fucking awesome. That is a cool ass story.
Getting back to the drumming, when did you start drumming?
JOHNNY: Honestly, the first recollection I have of it probably was around 3 years old, my Dad is a drummer. So, I kind of always grew up around always music in my house. I actually grew up playing drums in church at a really young age. My dad, my mom and dad were both won the music team, I guess you could call it, in church. At a young age, I got taught to play drums, and I got my first drum set I think when I was about 6, it was a little junior kit. Whenever my dad would have band practice at a church, or whatever, he would bring my drum set and let me bang on them in the background, while he was doing his thing. Or sit on his knee, or hold my hands, and I would play the drums like.
When I was 13, this kid at that was in the youth group at the church I was going to at the time, was selling his drum set, because he was moving away. So my parents bought that for me. And yeah, pretty much started a wildfire.
<Laughs>
CHAD: Who were some of your favorite drummers?
JOHNNY: Up until I was like 16, I was pretty sheltered as a kid. I didn’t really have like, any outlet for, I guess secular music you could call it, just more so Christian music was all I ever heard. I remember going to middle school, and junior high, I heard Billy Talent and Three Days Grace and stuff for the first time. That was my first time ever hearing rock music, and hard rock music and what not. So actually, so the kid I bought the drums from, the from from the youth group, he was this goth kid, he always wore this weird trench coat. He was pretty cool though!
<Laughs>
I remember this one day, he gave me a ride home or something. He’s like, "have you ever heard of Slipknot?”
I was like, ‘No, who’s Slipknot?’
<Laughs>
12-13 year old kid, he showed me this record, and I was just terrified of it! That was the first time I ever heard screamo, right? But I was SUPER intrigued because the drums just sounded insane, sounded like a machine gun in the back, whatever he was doing.
So, I remember going to school at that time, you couldn’t go onto YouTube at the time because everything was blocked <at school>. But we were doing some project in the computer lab, at school, so we had full access to the internet that day. I wasn’t doing my work, I was going on YouTube, and I searched up Joey Jordinson, drummer for Slipknot. And I remember seeing, it was the first time…all I ever saw before was a small drum set. And this guy had like a double bass drum set, a whole set of rack toms, cymbals for days, and he wore this mask. I was super intrigued by it, right, never heard anybody play drums like that before. Just my Dad, or whatever, up until that point. So yeah, I remember doing homework on this guy, and then I found double kick pedals. So I remember going home and I asking my Dad about these, and my Dad didn’t know anything about them right<laughs>. My Dad was just a straight up Christian drummer, he was in a couple of bands in the 80’s and 70’s.
So yeah, I did homework on this Joey Jordinson guy. I wanted to play drums like THAT. I wanted to sound like THAT, you know what I mean?
So, yeah. I did homework, we had no internet at home, so pretty much whenever I went to school or to my friends. I could go and do my little search on it.
CHAD: That is awesome man!
JOHNNY: It’s actually a really interesting story. <Laughs>
CHAD: It really is! Heavy metal drumming is fantastic. We are obviously talking about rap and hip hop, but I like all kinds of music. I LOVE heavy metal - the drumming is wild in it. Who is that one drummer, fuck, what’s his name? I got Google right beside me I’m going to cheat. He is the drummer for Divine Heresy, do you know who that band is?
JOHNNY: No.
CHAD: His name is Tim Young, do you know who that guy is?
JOHNNY: He sounds familiar.
CHAD: Yeah, he’s a wild heavy metal drummer. He apparently hold’s the record, or something.
JOHNNY: Yeah, probably for the fastest BPM, or something. Some of those dudes are just crazy, like when I was younger, I kind of hit a point even with drumming, too, it was just kind of like, I was super into learning all these fast, metal songs, or just songs in general. But now more so that’s why I like playing rap, I guess, its kind of, its unique. Snak would always give me a couple of minutes after one song to do like a drum solo, and stuff like that. And I kind of got to make stuff my own. A lot of the beats too, like hip-hop is standard you know, 4 x 4. Boom bap, a lot of the beats are boom bap.
So a lot of them are just straight time, or whatever. I started doing throwing twirls in there, stick flips kind of just to make it more interesting, have more flare in it. And that’s kind of where I like to be, more so - I was doing the cover thing for a while, but it guess boring in itself. Its not like your own music, you know what I mean? It’s someone else’s stuff, not your own.
CHAD: Would you have any advice for aspiring drummers, or musicians in general?
JOHNNY: Just keep at it, don’t give up. I spent hours upon hours, banging away in my parent’s basement. I never had any training, just find your own style. Study that. I’m a visual learner, if I see people doing it I can pick up on it quicker than most people, I guess? I don’t think you can ever be THE best, but you can always improve on something.
CHAD: That’s awesome advice man! This has actually been a really kick ass interview to be honest. Thank you for making the time. We met in Edmonton at some point and I’ve seen you grow as a person and as a musician. Keep killing it!
JOHNNY:
CHAD: Any last remarks and shout outs?
JOHNNY: Shout out to the boys on tour, to you, and to everyone watching, I guess! Thanks for having me.
CHAD: Make sure to follow Johnny Bomb Drums and watch for him in future projects.