Hitomi Hits Hard and Tells All

The first time I saw Hitomi play live, my jaw dropped and my legs wouldn’t stop twitching. Hitomi is fierce behind a kit. She is hotter than hot and precise beyond rock’s imagination. She can burn punk, swing, and make audiences’ hearts stop. She is a gorgeous rockin’ powerhouse with sticks. Her bands are so lucky to have her!

Exclusive Tom Tom Magazine photo by Aaron Wojak

Full name: Hitomi Nakamura
Age: 34
Hometown: Nagano, Japan
Where do you live now: Bedford Stuyvesant Brooklyn
Bands you are drumming in currently: High Teen Boogie, Statues of Liberty, and Undead-with Bobby Steele, the guitar player from the Misfits.
Bands you were drumming for in the past: I had 2 bands before.
What you do for a living: I work as a waitress at a Japanese Restaurant and I also teach drums to beginner kids.

Exclusive Tom Tom Magazine photo by Aaron Wojak

Tom Tom Magazine: Cake Shop was a good show?

Hitomi Nakamura: Oh yeah, we played downstairs. I ate vegan cupcakes.

Tom Tom Magazine: When did you start playing the drums?

Hitomi Nakamura:I started at 8 yrs old. My father was a drummer. He taught me and also I really felt attracted to the drums.

Exclusive Tom Tom Magazine photo by Aaron Wojak

Tom Tom Magazine: How long did it take till you felt like a “real” and legit drummer?                                                    

Hitomi Nakamura: 3 years.

Tom Tom Magazine: What is your favorite set-up for your kit? Why?

Exclusive Tom Tom Magazine photo by Aaron Wojak

Hitomi Nakamura: It’s four pieces and three cymbals. I like simple. Not too much toms, and single pedal. One high tom and one floor tom. 2 crashes and one ride. Normal.

Tom Tom Magazine: What would your dream kit consist of?

Hitomi Nakamura: I love Yamaha kits. I like vintage Sabian cymbals. And a double pedal, I want to try one. That’s my dream. Sabian is the best.

TTM: What do you do to get better at the drums?

HN: I practice on a pad at home 10 minutes every day. Just 10 minutes but every day. I go to the studio and listen to my bands’ CDs at full volume for about 2 hours, I practice by myself.

TTM: Which studio do you like?

Hitomi with her band Statues of Liberty

HN: I use The Studio on 30th Street.

TTM: What is your favorite drum warm up/what do you do to warm up before playing?

HN: I jump for ten minutes or I stretch my arms and I can’t eat too much one or two hours before.

TTM: What do you think the role of the drummer is? (In a band)

HN: This is important. The drummer always needs to be the metronome for the band.  So the drummer doesn’t need a lot of fills, just a simple beat, keeping the beat (and the band) always on time. That’s the best for a drummer.

Exclusive Tom Tom Magazine photo by Aaron Wojak

TTM: Do you play any other instruments? If so … how does that effect your drumming?

HN: Sometimes I play bongos and conga as a hobby.

TTM: What do you consider to be the most challenging thing about the drums?

HN: One difficult thing is to play drums and sing at the same time. And drum solos. For me, solos are hard. I have to practice. I can’t play solos. No solos.

Hitomi and her band High Teen Boogie

TTM: What’s your favorite part about playing drums?

HN: I like fast beats like hard core and I like groovy, I like simple beats.

TTM: Most notable show you ever played?

HN: I had a show at Bowery Ballroom last October. Bowery is so huge, the upstairs, so many faces. And the drums sounded amazing. My kick drum was huge. If I kicked, it came back to my body. I was surprised. Very nice sound and a lot of people in the audience. I played with Statues of Liberty.  Two American tall guys and me.

Photo by Ed

TTM: Have you experienced any setbacks as a female drummer?

HN: Not really. People like female drummers but one thing is that the drums are very heavy. Carrying them to every show.

TTM: Who are your favorite drummers?

HN: I have many favorite drummers. But my favorite is Stuart Copeland and John Bonham and Neil Peart and Dave Grohl from Nirvana. I like power drums. Rock.

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TTM: Where do you shop for your drum gear?

HN: Mostly Guitar Center or Sam Ash.

TTM: What would you recommend to a new drummer starting off?

HN: Just practice on a pad, not a drum set. Maybe half a year. Just the pad.  Just rudiments. I know it’s boring but keep doing it for ten minutes every day. Then you can sit at a drum set. Imagination is very important. You listen to CDs. Imagination first and rudiments. Bring coffee. That’s it.

Exclusive Tom Tom Magazine photo by Aaron Wojak

TTM: What are some of your other hobbies?

HN: I paint.

TTM: Who are some of your favorite lady drummers right now?

HN: I like Cindy Blackman from Lenny Kravitz. She’s a very good rock drummer. I also like Sheila E. I like funk, the up-beat.

Exclusive Tom Tom Magazine photo by Aaron Wojak

TTM: Who are some of your favorite bands right now?

HN: I like the Clash, David Bowie, British Rock. I like punk, Bad Brains, hard core, Pantera.

Interview by Alison Mazer an extraordinary woman

Exclusive Tom Tom Magazine Photos by Aaron Wojak

Other photos courtesy of Hitomi