Van Poederooyen is staying on after Devin Townsend Project’s October tour to present clinics around the country in association with Thump Music (who have previously presented tours by Townsend, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Yngwie Malmsteen, Paul Gilbert, Guthrie Govan and more). Along with drumming, the clinics will look at RVP’s life in the music industry, with anecdotes and musical tips as well as observations and strategies that can help anyone achieve their goals, whatever they may be.
“You have to visualise it and you have to believe it,” Van Poederooyen says. “A lot of people saw the movie and read the book The Secret. I thought it was well done and everything, but I think they focused too much on, ‘Just visualise it, It’s going to happen.’ No, man. You definitely should visualise, you definitely think about it and believe in yourself, but holy crap, you’ve got to bust your arse. You’ve got to open as many doors as you can, and never quit.”
So what can we expect from Van Poederooyen’s masterclass? “I’ve done clinics in the past and they were a lot more geared towards drummers, right? You go to a drum clinic and you expect to learn about drums. And I’ve been to so many clinics now and there’s nothing wrong with doing it that way. But I want to reach out to any musician – never mind musician, but music lover. So I’ll play drums and talk about drums, but how I’m going to approach this clinic is to show them, for example, touring and health. 13 years ago I had a back accident. Couldn’t work out, started eating really bad compared to how I’d always eat healthy. I got unhealthy and long story short, I’d go out on the road and man, I’d be gassed halfway through the set and my focus wasn’t there. And even though I could still play the show alright, I’d get offstage and I’d feel terrible. This is something that can apply to a broad spectrum of people, not just a drummer.
“The other thing is my positive approach to anything I do,” he adds. “How I succeeded in the music industry, which can be applicable to anyone in whatever they want to try and do and accomplish in life. These are the types of things that I want to share in the clinic. I don’t want to give away everything that I want to do, but it’s not just going to be geared towards drumming: it’s going to be about life in the music industry, drumming and life in general.”
Van Poederooyen will also discuss musical equipment endorsements – how they work, what the artist can expect from the company, and what the company can expect from the artist – and play songs from various bands, including Devin Townsend Project and Terror Syndrome.
“I’m excited to just be coming to Australia. This’ll be the first time I try this new format of making it applicable to any music lover. And there’s a meet-and-greet for everyone. We tossed the VIP idea and if I’ve got to stay there for five hours to meet everyone, I will. There’ll be tonnes of great giveaways as well but the bottom line is I want everyone to be educated, motivated and inspired.”
BY PETER HODGSON
