Megadeth drummer, Shawn Drover, is the longest tenured skin beater in the band’s thirty-year history.
Hailing from Montreal, Canada, he was recruited to replace Nick Menza a week before the band went on tour in support of ‘The System Has Failed’.
He has since recorded four studio albums with the band, including the most recent Super Collider release. He first got his start playing drums at age 13 and formed the power metal band, Eidolon, with his brother Glen, both of whom became members of Megadeth in 2004. After a brief tour overseas, he recently enjoyed a well deserved three-month break to spend time with his family in Georgia.
He and I spoke on the phone today to discuss Megadeth tour plans, the state of the music industry and one of his favorite pastimes, golf.
Shawn Drover of Megadeth interview:
Multi-platinum selling thrash metal band, Megadeth, is set to embark on a world tour in over 25 countries across four continents starting in April. The tour follows a first-ever performance at Copley Symphony Hall on April 12, where Dave Mustaine will collaborate with the San Diego Symphony, demonstrating his classically-influenced technique as a featured soloist in Symphony Interrupted.
Beginning at 8:00 PM, Mustaine and the Symphony will perform renditions of the Summer and Winter movements from Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, and Bach’s Air (on the G string), in a completely original way. Richard Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries and Antonin Dvorak’s New World Symphony will also be performed by the symphony during the concert. For more information, visit SanDiegoSymphony.org.
When asked about ‘Symphony Interrupted’, Mustaine said, “I love the challenge. I really admire this genre of music because of the level of skill required and there are great dark undertones in these incredible pieces. The marriage of two such distinctly different genres is one thing, but cross-pollinating different societies is a whole new level of badass! I’m used to them being before me, but it’s a bit unnerving to know so many talented eyes will be on my back. It’s a bit intimidating, and to be given the opportunity to interpret these melodies – to meld what I am best at with what they incredibly present, it is a great honor.”
Tour Dates:
4/12 San Diego, CA – Copley Symphony Hall
4/17 Las Vegas, NV – Pearl Concert Theater
4/19 Tuscon, AZ – Pima County Fair
4/22 Quito, Ecuador – Agros Casa de Cultura
4/24 Montevideo, Uruguay – Teatro de Verano
4/26 Santiago, Chile – Movistar Arena
4/29 Córdoba, Argentina – Plaza de la Música
5/01 Buenos Aires, Argentina – Estadio Cubierto Malvinas
5/04 Sao Paulo, Brazil – Espaco Das Americas
5/06 Bogota, Colombia – Royal Center
6/06 Solvesborg, Sweden – Sweden Rock Festival
6/10 Paris, France – Le Palais Des Sports
6/11 Utrecht, Netherlands – TivoliVredenburg
6/13 Copenhagen, Denmark – Copenhell Festival
6/15 Nickelsdorf, Austria – Nova Rock
6/16 Budapest, Hungary – Aerodrome Festival
6/17 Prague, Czech Republic – Aerodrome Festival
6/22 Clisson, France – Hellfest
6/23 Luxembourg, Luxembourg – Rockhal
6/26 Rome, Italy – Rock In Roma @ Ippodromo Capannelle
6/27 Milan, Italy – City Sound @ Ippodromo Del Galoppo
6/28 Winterthur, Switzerland – Eishalle Deutweg
7/24 Tolmin, Slovenia – Metaldays Festival
7/26 Oulu, Finland – Qstock
8/01 Rejmyre, Sweden – Skogsrojet Festival
8/02 Wacken, Germany – Wacken Open Air Festival
8/04 Istanbul, Turkey – Rock Off Festival
8/09 Leeuwarden, Netherlands – Into The Grave
8/10 Derbyshire, England – Catton Park
For the latest Megadeth tour info, visit megadeth.com/tour
About Megadeth:
Formed over 30 years ago, heavy-metal band Megadeth features Dave Mustaine (vocals, guitars), Chris Broderick (guitars, background vocals), David Ellefson (bass, background vocals) and Shawn Drover (drums, percussion, background vocals). This past year they released their latest album, Super Collider, which debuted at no. 6 on the Billboard 200. Megadeth has sold over 38 million albums worldwide, were nominated for 11 GRAMMY’s and earned five consecutive platinum albums. Together, Megadeth has helped pioneer the thrash metal genre and have been one of the most influential bands of the last three decades.
Megadeth online:
megadeth.com
facebook.com/megadeth
twitter.com/megadeth
twitter.com/davemustaine