Jeff Plate: The Drummer
| Jeff Plate, the
successor of Dr. Killdrums was born in the countryside of
New York and earned his life support for a couple of
years in New England with Top-40-bands and
country-combo's: " For the most part, I grew up with country music, before I ran into a Kiss album at the age of 14". *Savatages
rhythm-section in half-shadow: |
 |
In 1990, Zak Stevens was looking for a new drummer for Wicked Witch in Boston. On the same day they arranged their first meeting, Savatage happened to do a guest performance in town. Zak dragged Jeff along with him to a gig, one he would not easily forget.
And nor will Jeff,
who, in the tradition of Savatage, is a self-tought man, forget
his initial time with Jon & co., " 'cause for months
I did not know where I stood."
After the release of "Handful Of Rain", and the
first tour in Japan and in the USA a lot went on in the Savatage
camp - amongst other things because it had been established, that
the management enriched themselves at the cost of the band.
Jeff didn't hear a word from Florida " for half a century " and then more or less took the same route as Chris Caffery did a few years before: " I've reported myself and put them under a little bit of pressure. I finally wanted to know where I stood, and besides there's hardly anything that suits my style of drumming better than the Savatage songs".
In reverse, the band looks at it the same way. And since "Dead Winter Dead" at the latest, the power drummer has a firm seat with Savatage. And thanks to the comeback of the band it will probably not happen within the foreseeable future, that Jeff has to drum together his meal in bars, at weddings or at a harvest home celebration.
From Rockhard Legends, Savatage
Translated by: Ellen Bakvis