Iron Giant Percussion Takes Drumming to New Heights
Four guys plus a table full of random stuff that makes noise equals Iron Giant Percussion. The Birmingham natives take drumming to new heights, pounding out rhythms on everything from bongos to porcelain floor tiles.
Their music can be an acquired taste. There are no lyrics, and their beats are difficult to dance to. Member Justin Wallace says the band receives some pretty harsh criticism from people who ask,“Is that music? What are you doing? Please stop,” he says. “Because some of the stuff can lend itself well to experimental music and some people don’t respond well to that. Especially with percussion, it’s all about exploring different sounds.”
The four met while studying music at UAB. They became Iron Giant Percussion in 2011 playing experimental music for audiences of all ages around Alabama. One of their biggest influences is 20th century composer John Cage, who shattered conventional music norms. You might know him for a piece titled “4’33,” where a musician sits at a piano for nearly five minutes and never plays a note. The band is particularly fond of one Cage innovation.
“We’re all big fans of the cactus,” Wallace says. “You put a little a contact mic inside of it and then when you pluck the tines on the cactus, it makes a very bizarre sound. [ Cage] really was crucial to this type of music.”
Esther Ciammachilli,WBHM
From left to right: Brett Huffman, Sam Herman, Seth Noble, Mr. Chuckels and Justin Wallace are Iron Giant Percussion.
Band member Brett Huffman says Iron Giant Percussion tries to emulate that innovative musical spirit every chance they get. One of his favorite instruments is, “…an old saw blade that we set on top of a small cast iron skillet. We tape it to the skillet and it makes this great, gross, trashy metal sound and it’s beautiful.”
Saw blades, cooking pans, wood blocks and floor tiles, the “giant” in their name is defined by the potpourri of percussion devices the band travels with. Their instrumental cargo can draw some snarky commentary from audience members, they say.
“You should’ve played the piccolo, is a common one,” Wallace says.
“Why didn’t you play the ukulele,” says Huffman?
There is one non-musical element that accompanies them at every show, a painting of a black and white cat named Mr. Chuckles. Consider him the Iron Giant mascot. But, with tongue firmly in cheek, band member Sam Herman says the cat is so much more than that.
“Mr. Chuckles is our life coach and mentor and greatest influence,” Herman exclaims. “Every bit of success that I’ve had leading up to this moment in my life I can attribute to Mr. Chuckles.”
Iron Giant Percussion will be performing at the upcoming Secret Stages Music Festival. To find them, look for the guys lugging around a bunch of stuff you’d find at a hardware store and a painting of a stoic feline with sharp yellow eyes named Mr. Chuckles.
Hear an extended interview with Iron Giant Percussion:
The Winter Olympics gets 8 new events, including its first new sport in decades
Ski mountaineering will make its Olympic debut this year, the first winter sport to do so since 2002. Skeleton, luge, ski jumping and moguls are also getting new events.
Team USA settles in to athletes’ villages, ‘smash’ pizzas
US Olympic athletes are arriving and settling into their digs for the next couple of weeks in Italy. Curlers are amazed by the mountain scenery in Cortina; figure skaters are plant fostering in Milan; and the big air slopestyle women are "smashing pizzas" in Livigno.
As Trump reshapes foreign policy, China moves to limit risks, reap gains
President Trump's focus overseas may spare China for now, but Beijing still worries that his "America First" rhetoric hasn't softened what it calls U.S. "military adventurism."
Searching for dinosaur secrets in crocodile bones
Until now, estimating how old a dinosaur was when it died has been a fairly simple process: Count up the growth rings in the fossilized bones. But new research into some of dinosaurs' living relatives, like crocodiles, suggests that this method may not always work.
How the new dietary guidelines could impact school meals
Cutting back on ready-to-eat meals won't be easy, and whole milk may make a comeback. One thing that's certain: It'll be a while before the new guidelines trickle down to schools.
Poll: Two-thirds of Americans say ICE has ‘gone too far’ in immigration enforcement
A new NPR/PBS News/Marist poll finds a jump in disapproval of the agency among Democrats and independents, but Republicans are standing by ICE and the president.
