Drumming Prodigy James Campion

HK Magazine: How long have you been playing drums?
James Campion: I started playing three and a half years ago. Before I got a proper drum set I would practice my drumming on pillows set up on my bed.

HK: How did you get into it?
JC: I wanted to start playing music after I saw Deep Purple play in Hong Kong a couple of years ago. My dad got me into playing drums.

HK: Who are your biggest drumming influences?
JC: Joey Jordison from Slipknot, Mike Portnoy, Virgil Donati, Kevin Talley and Jeremy Colson.

HK: Who do you think are the best drummers (locally and internationally)?
JC: Virgil Donati, a professional drummer who’s played with Steve Vai, and bands such as Planet X and Thomas Lang, a professional drummer and producer from Austria.

HK: Why do you think you play so much better than people who spend years trying to be as good as you are?
JC: I don’t think I’m better than a lot of other drummers, really. I do obsess over drumming, so much that I get into it more. I’m into a lot of metal because that seems to have the best drumming in it, so if I practice it enough that I know it by heart, I’m able to play it as part of my drum solos or whenever. Also when I watch drumming videos I get inspired and want to play like the people in the videos. I enjoy drumming so much that I just keep playing and I think I spend more time drumming than most drummers I know.

HK: What have you accomplished since you started playing drums?
JC: I’m proud of going to the NAMM competition for two years in a row. I’ve also been to AUDW/TUDW, a drumming festival in Australia that my dad and I have attended for three years now. I played at Queen Elizabeth stadium for the first time last month; I’ve played for Tom Lee and won the fastest-feet competition. I also competed in a fastest drummer competition in Los Angeles.