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It was in April 2000 when I ventured to the Recher Theatre in Towson to see a band called The Disco Biscuits. I hadn’t actually heard them before, but some juniors in my class who I traded Phish shows with recommended that I see them. So I payed my 14 dollars and went inside. 9 years later, I still find myself exiting their shows in awe. They were like nothing I had ever heard before and to this day they remain the same. Their musical evolution has kept it fresh for their fans from a decade ago and they continue to gain new fans at a breakneck pace. They have a style all their own and we here at Fortune5Fifty along with those juniors in my high school chemistry class highly recommend you check it out. 

Fortune5Fifty was recently lucky enough to get an interview with the band’s drummer Allen Aucoin. Allen joined the band in 2005. He has seen the stages the band plays go from your local music venue to stages across Europe and in the near future Red Rocks. Allen also has a solo act known at DrFameus which you can catch at multiple festivals this summer including Camp Bisco, which is the band’s signature festival and  The Projekt Festival which is being presented by our friends ihnken and Weapons of Mass Production. So if you came here looking for a prescription to boring beats lets see what the Doctor has in store for us…

Fortune5Fifty: Can you tell us a little bit about your musical background? How long have you been playing drums? What styles interest you the most? Have you played any other instruments?

Allen: I started playing drum kit when I was about 15. Before that I played a few different wind instruments and spent a few years on snare drum and timpani before falling in love with the kit. I’ve been playing drums for about 15 years maybe a little longer. There was a a couple years before that but that’s when I started to take it seriously. My styles of choice are drum-n-bass/jungle, jazz , funk, and hard rock. I taught drums privately and was the in-demand marching drumline instructor in Columbus, GA and the surrounding areas for about 10 years. Just before tDB called I’d bought a motorcycle, got really interested in it and had worked in a Triumph shop and then Harley-Davidson.

F5F: Can you tell us about the process of transitioning into the Disco Biscuits?

Allen: I was actually practicing drums coming up with some drum parts for a DrFameus tune I wrote when Dan Berkowitcz called to ask me if I was interested in flying up to Philly for an audition. I didn’t even stop practicing to answer the phone. I saw my phone ringing, looked at the number, didn’t recognize it so I let it go to voice mail. 3 hours later after I was done working on a part for a DrF tune I checked my voice mail and Dan was on there. I was like, Whoa! Crazy. Of course I immediately called him back and was like, what about the original drummer? When I found out he wanted to become a doctor I thought it was hilarious since I call my solo thing DrFameus. Anyway, I spoke with Dan, was very excited, he told me my friend Pat Hutchinson(then the monitor engineer and now the front of house sound engineer) gave him my name and number. I had a band called Skydog Gypsy from Columbus, GA. We toured pretty extensively in the south. Johnny Goode (lighting engineer for tDB) and Pat Hutchinson were sound and lights for Skydog. Eventually they moved on to tDB. I was a little burned to say the least back in 2002 or 2003 whenever they made the move but I guess everything happens for a reason. So, Dan gave me a list of 10 songs to buy from digital downloads and learn. I had about 2 – 3 weeks to learn the songs, flew to Philly in June of 2005, Dan picked me up and took me to the practice space. Immediately it seemed Marc and I had the drummer bass player connection. We ripped through House Dog Party Favor, Story of the world, Spy, Hot Air Balloon, Floodlights, Rock Candy and my favs Svenghali and Save the Robots. i had actually made some charts out to a few of the tunes and the guys were pretty impressed. After jamming for a good hour or so they made me sing. haha til this day I still don’t sing live. haha and no, I don’t wonder why… trust me. The audition seemed to go well. Jon and I connected on his solos and rhythm playing, and Magner and I were locking up and feeding off of one another during his solos. I was pretty psyched. At the end they seemed to really be excited as well. They said they’d be in touch and then sent me back home. I actually didn’t hear from them for a good 3 or 4 months. Which led me to believe they weren’t really into the idea of me on drums. So I dealt with not making the band and moved on with my life. Never heard from them. So in September of 2005 as I’m getting a few projects ready to play out (while working at a Harley-Davidson) I got another mysterious call while practicing again. It was Dan again. I was shocked he called. He gave me a list of about 5 more songs or so. I flew back up. Auditioned again and told them I thought they had found somebody else and they knew of no such thing and said someone should have been in touch with me from the start. Funny how things work in the music bizz. The second audition went well. Within a week Dan called me again (I guess that communication prob got fixed haha) and told me they were on the fence between me and a few other drummers and that tDB wanted to have a drum-off at the Borgata in Atlantic City in front of about 1000 fans. That certainly got my blood pumping. I took most of October and November off from working at Harley and teaching and did nothing but practice at least 12 hours a day. It was just like college all over again.

I flew back up around November 15, 2005 met the competition and then it was my turn. I had to follow Mike Greenfield, a long time friend of the band and an awesome drummer. He raised the bar for me. He was killing it up there. He’s a very VERY talented drummer great chops and great grooves. I’d heard he wasn’t interested in the position and was just there to play with the band as kind of an exhibition thing. Good thing! I played Hot Air Balloon, Spy, Save the Robots, Confrontation and Munchkin Invasion. When we were done it felt like we’d blown the roof off the Borgata and the crowd was gong crazy. Very cool feeling. The band tried to act very nonchalant about it as they were still on the fence between me and one other drummer. That was cool though. I was feeling pretty good about everything. I flew back to Philly in the beginning of December for one more audition. This was more of a hang-out session it seemed. They were spending more time getting to know me. Marc and I had a private conversation and he told me how much fun he’d had playing with me and the fans seemed to favor me as well. I spent a few days with them and they sent me back to Auburn, AL. 2 weeks later Jon called me and extended an invitation to me to join his band, The Disco Biscuits… I graciously accepted. I flew to back to Philly, this time they were paying for the flight, and we began rehearsing for the new year’s run of 2005/2006.

F5F: How long did it take to learn the material? How many songs did you initially learn and how many old numbers have you learned along the way?

Allen: From June of 2005 to the Borgata show I learned about 30 or so songs. Now I have around 125 under my belt maybe a few more as we keep adding new songs.

F5f: Were there any major changes that you had to make to fit with the rest of the band?

Allen: I had to play techno/trance. I was a funk, drum-n-bass, jazz and rock drummer. Trance and techno weren’t really my thing actually. In the world of electronica everyone knows that drum-n-bass/jungle is where its at!! (especially for the drums!!)

F5F: What were your influences growing up? Who have you been listening to lately?

Allen: I listened to Zeppelin, Rush, I really loved Soundgarden (wish they were still rocking) and Smashing Pumpkins. Then got into jazz with Tony Williams, Elvin Jones, Dennis Chambers, Vinnie Coliauta and Steve Gadd. Later on I found LTJ Bukem, Goldie, Dieselboy, AK1200, Dara, and Adam F. What a great way to find jungle and drum-n-bass… I’m still in love. Right now you will find KJ Sawka on repeat in my headphones. If you don’t know him… you should! Youtube him… now!!!!!

F5F: Can you tell us a little bit about your setup (TDB & Dr. Fameus)?

Allen: I blend an acoustic kit with electronic drums and computer setup. I like a 4 or 5 piece kit with an array of cymbals, use two different edrum units and run ableton, logic, and fruity loops with the computer… at the moment.

F5F: I’ve seen you tinkering with your MacBook and I assume Ableton Live on stage; what are you doing when we see you put a finger on those keys?

Allen: Yes, ableton is part of the show for sure. The keyboard is there for twirking the loops (adjusting fx and such) and firing off and stopping the loops. I basically use it to get from point A to B to C, etc… as well as the coloring and shaping with the fx.

F5F: Where will we be seeing you this summer?

Allen: We’re hitting up Starscape, Rothbury, High Sierra, Red Rocks, and Fuji Rock in Japan!

F5F: What shows are you most looking forward to playing?

Allen: That’s a tough one. I’ve been trying to get to Japan my whole life so I am very excited about that. Although, … Red Rocks!! I still can’t believe it. Playing an amphitheater (a real, prestigious amphitheater) has been a dream and goal of mine since I was about 16. For the first one to be Red Rocks… I’m speechless!!

F5F: You’re booked with quite a large variety of other acts during multiple different festivals this summer. What other bands are you looking forward to seeing this summer?

Allen: Well, I am extremely happy KJ Sawka and BioDiesel are FINALLY playing Camp Bisco. I’ve been trying to get those guys for Camp since I joined the band… finally! Now if we could just get LTJ Bukem or Goldie or Dara or AK1200 or Dieselboy. I’m looking forward to playing with Lotus, Eoto (love those guys), Drizno (true guru!), Shpongle, RJD2, The New Deal, Umphrey’s, STS9, Chromeo, the Orb, Orchard Lounge, Nas, Damian Marley… lots of great music ahead this summer. Really looking forward to it all!

F5F: The band has been playing so many new songs. How many have been written in the recent months and how many more are we going to see being played this summer?

Allen: There has been close to 50 songs maybe even closer to 100 new songs written and more and more keep getting pumped out. There’s no telling how many new ones we’ll be playing this summer and after.

F5F: Can you explain the songwriting process for the new songs you’ve played (Mirrors, Tamarin Alley, Rivers, etc)?

Allen: Sometimes someone has a song close to being finished that just needs a few adjustments, sometimes they’re bare bones and we finish them together. And yes, sometimes someone will bring a song in and that’s the way it gets played regardless if someone else is feeling something different or not feeling it at all. It’s a bunch of different processes depending on the composer(s) and the vibe. Most are written on the computer and then transferred to a live setting.

F5F: We know you’ve been working with various producers including Simon Posford and Dirty Harry. How did the song writing go with those producers?

Allen: Simon is a genius. He’s a magician and a master. That guy can take any song and make it epically electronic. It was an amazing experience to work with him. One for the history books for sure! One that I will cherish for the rest of my life!

F5F: I know I said I didn’t really want to ask any questions about the new album because everyone has been beating it to death, but I am curious, is there anything that you would like to tell Fortune5Fifty about it?

Allen: It will be a unique album, in our minds already epic, timeless, groundbreaking, and trend-setting from the music to the artwork it is definitely a jewel of its own.

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If you’re looking to get your prescription filled you can catch The Disco Biscuits on tour here:

05.29 – Bisco Inferno: Ogden Theatre – Denver, CO
05.30 – Bisco Inferno: Red Rocks Amphitheatre – Morrison, CO
06.03 – Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel – Providence, RI
06.04 – Thursday at the Square – Lafayette Square, Buffalo, NY
06.05 – House of Blues – Cleveland, OH
06.06 – Starscape Music Festival – Baltimore, MD
06.24 – Bottle & Cork – Dewey Beach, DE
06.25 – House of Blues – Atlantic City, NJ – with Lotus
06.26 – House of Blues – Atlantic City, NJ – with Lotus
06.27 – The State Theatre – State College, PA
06.28 – Church of Universal Love and Music – Acme, PA – with Future Rock and more TBA
06.30 – Newport Music Hall – Columbus, OH – with EOTO and Future Rock
07.01 – Egyptian Room at the Murat Centre – Indianapolis, IN – with Future Rock and more TBA 
07.02 – Rothbury Festival – Rothbury, MI
07.04 – High Sierra Music Festival – Quincy, CA
07.05 – High Sierra Music Festival – Quincy, CA
07.16 – Camp Bisco VIII: Indian Lookout Country Club – Mariaville, NY
07.17 – Camp Bisco VIII: Indian Lookout Country Club – Mariaville, NY
07.18 – Camp Bisco VIII: Indian Lookout Country Club – Mariaville, NY
07.26 – Fuji Rock Festival: Naeba Ski Resort – Niigata, Japan

Images: Dave Vann and aTOTHe Photography