Travis Barker - Give The Drummer Some

I'm always tempted to shit on Blink 182, despite them having crashed on the floor of the JS-NYC HQ and being generally decent dudes. Of course, this was pre-Travis Barker arrival. Barker is probably the best drummer this side of Josh Freese in the scene and always seemed like a stand-up guy, shitty taste in females excepted.

The idea of drummer curated records is a phenomenon that has very limited avenues for success, but throw the Dave Grohl or Travis Barker name on the front, perhaps with some Pushead artwork, and you might actually have a fighting chance.

Give The Drummer Some came on my radar when I ended up seeing the gents on Conan doing what may be the first single. Poke around and you can find a clip. It's the track with Transplants. It really begs more questions than it answers: 1. Skinhead Rob is still around? 2. Are bright red liberty spikes really a good idea in 2011, 3. Do we need more punk hip-hop amalgamtions, even if it puts Lint and Barker in the same band? I'm not sure, but I am pretty sure I never want to hear that track again. Warped Tour aficionados may feel differently.

The single is also weird, as it's the only track on the regular release that doesn't feature a hip-hop focus. The guest list is as good as you might surmise: Snoop, Luda, RZA. Raekwon and they all bring it pretty good. The Cool Kids represent nicely for the new school, but I could live without the Cudi track. Bonus tracks feature appearances from Corey Taylor and everyone's favorite GB tattted silly DJ Steve Aoki. Give The Drummer Some should sell well, and is pretty deserving of doing so. Barker has put together a solid roster, better than most of today's hip-hop record certainly, and his beats are way solid. Much more RZA than I would have expected, but pretty damn good. Backpackers and punks will both enjoy this a bunch.

R