Eric Singer

Eric Singer

Eric Singer (born Eric Doyle Mensinger on May 12 1958 in Cleveland, Ohio) is best known as a drummer for the rock band KISS.

Singer had previously played in Paul Stanley's solo band, and sat in for drummer Eric Carr during KISS's recording of "God Gave Rock 'N' Roll To You II". Upon Carr's death, Singer joined KISS as a permanent member. He debuted with the band on the album Revenge.

In 1996, Singer was replaced by original KISS drummer Peter Criss for a reunion tour with the original members. In 2001, KISS chose not to renew Criss' contract, and Singer was brought back to the band, adopting Criss' make-up design and "Cat" character. Singer was briefly replaced again by Criss in 2003 for a series of shows, but returned to the band by the end of the year, after Criss started experiencing strong arm cramps and other muscular health issues which wouldn't allow him to play for very long periods of time.

Eric Singer has also played with Lita Ford, Gary Moore, Black Sabbath, Badlands, Alice Cooper, The Cult and other bands before he joined KISS.

Eric Singer joined the Brian May Band for the 1998 'Another World' tour, to replace Cozy Powell on drums.

In Jan 2005 Eric Singer filled in on drums for his ex KISS band mate (non-make up days) Bruce Kulick's part time band Union for 2 gigs in Japan.

ESP (Eric Singer Project) featuring Eric Singer, Bruce Kulick, John Corabi and Karl Kochran released an album of classic rock covers in 1998. In May 2005, ESP with Chuck Garric (Alice Cooper Band) performed live in Europe.

In July 2005 Eric Singer and Friends, featuring Ryan Roxie (Alice Cooper Band, Dad's Porno Mag, Slash's Snakepit, Electric Angels) and Chuck Garric and Damon Johnson performed two live shows in Australia.

Eric also appeared as special guest in the Tobias Sammet's Metal Opera called Avantasia, where he played drums in the last song, called "Into The Unknown".

ESP performed in Mexico in December 2005.

In February 2006 EPS, Eric Singer, Chuck Garric, Bruce Kulick and John Corabi perfmored for two nights at the KISS Min Epos + Live Vol 3 in Tokyo, Japan. In April 2006 they also performed in Sydney and Melbourne Australia.

(othern)Summer of 2006 Eric is touring with Alice Cooper. One week in July 2006 Eric will play with KISS for a series of concerts and outdoor festivals in Japan.

Gear

Eric uses Pearl Drums. He currently uses Pearl MMX Masters Series Drums in a transparent finish (meaning all his drums are see-through). It is not known if the drums contain any wooden shells or not. His drums consist of the following:
* 22"x18" Bass Drums x2
* 12"x8" Rack Tom
* 13"x8.5" Rack Tom
* 16"x14" Floor Tom
* 18"x16" Floor Tom
* 14"x6.5" Eric Singer Signature Snare Drum

Eric also uses Zildjian Cymbals, consisting:
* 8x Zildjian 19" Z Custom Medium Crashes
* Zildjian 14" A Mastersound Hi-Hats
* Zildjian 20" K Custom Ride
* Zildjian 6" A Custom Splash
* Zildjian 16" Oriental China Trash
* 2x Zildjian 8" A Custom Splashes
* 2x Zildjian 8" A Splashes
* Zildjian 9.5" Zil-Bell

Eric uses Zildjian Eric Singer Drumsticks. These are 2B Wooden Drumsticks with a fat, wood tip for more projection.

Cymbal Dilemma

Some people have been confused why Eric uses 8 of the same crash. The answer is, Eric likes to hit two crashes at the same time for a special stereo effect. And, wherever he is in a drum fill, he has his 19" Z Custom Medium Crash there ready and waiting to be hit.

External links

*The Official Eric Singer Website
*Photos of Union in Japan in 2005