Olle Frodin

Location: Sala

Challenge: Arm Amputee

Website: facebook.com/MayhemInBedlam

Olle Frodin was born in 1971, and comes from Sweden. By the time he was 10, his interest in music began. He "borrowed" a few records that belonged to his older sisters. The records that really got him going was Deep Purple's Machine Head, and Uriah Heap's Return to Fantasy.

Olle says "I wanted to play drums...just like That!! So after a few months of 'Can I get a drum kit?' 'Can I get a drum kit? -Can I pleeeeese get a drum kit?' 'Can I get a drum kit?' my parents finally gave in and bought me...a single snare drum... Well... it wasn't a kit, but at least it was a good start! After a few months more I got a hihat. And finally...at christmas 1982, I got an entire kit! I didn't leave that kit, other than the time I was at school, for the next 2 years!!"

Olle's dad realised that that this wasn't just a short lived thing... He loved to drum!!

So he got a better kit around 1984-85. Olle says "It was a white Tama Swingstar with those modern deeeep toms...brand new! I played and I played....

The years went by, and I started playing in bands in my home town. I became a pretty decent rock/hard rock drummer, but I actually never went for the big fame and fortune. I was happy just playing and having fun!"

So... what makes Olle so special now??

Lets let Olle tell his story...

Well... In March 2002, just 5 months after I bought the kit of my dreams (a Ludwig Classic maple in "Bonham-sizes"), I was rushed to hospital. I had a severe pain in my right arm, and I was vomiting and felt REALLY bad! 24 hours after my arrival to the hospital, my right arm had been removed from my body... I had a very bad case of a flesh eating bacteria. It almost killed me! It cost me my arm...but I'm glad that I'm still alive!

When I was getting better, my bandmates really pushed me to get back behind the drums again. They were saying if Rick Allen can do it! You can do it too!!!!

So... I was stupid enough to sell that beautiful Ludwig kit I just bought, and I got a bunch of electronic drums and pedals instead. Why??? Because I thought that I will never be able to play a normal acoustic kit again.... Duuh!! Well...I began to practice on those (horrible) pads and pedals, and I found ways to play a lot of the stuff I had played earlier! Of course I had to play in a more simple way...but at least I played!!

The band went through a few changes in the line up, but in late 2003 we recorded an album. I'm not so happy with it today, but that was then, this is now! Ten years has passed since I played those songs, and I can probably do them better now...

But that band was put to sleep in springtime of 2004. And for almost 5 years on I didn't play with anyone. I almost quit playing entirely! It wasn't fun anymore... I felt frustrated and got depressed. I wanted to play like I used to do!!!

In 2009 I moved from the town I lived in then, back to my home town. Some old bandmates got in contact with me, so I thougt that if I was going to play again, I will do it acoustic! So I bought an old Tama Superstar kit from 1981. I got it set up in a (kind of backward) way that worked fine. I had my electronic snare in there of course. The only drum part that I haven't found a way to play acoustic in a way that works the way I like it. We played for over a year, and I was excited to play again! But I went on to a new band after a year or so... I kept on experimenting with my kit and the set up. And today, I think I've found a way that works really good! And I've found a way to accept that I can't do it like I used to! But I can do it in another way, that sounds pretty good too!!

So, how do I play those drums now??

Well... I now finally have a Ludwig maple kit, again... Only smaller this time.

Olle's kit has a 22"x14" bass, a 13"x9" tom and an 16"x16" floor tom. The snare is actually an acoustic one, but Olle has re-built it. He took the trigger from his Roland PD-120 snare pad and put it inside a cheap Basix 12"x4" steel snare which has a mesh head on it. Olle says "But I kept the snares, so I get that realistic 'buzz' from it when I hit the toms and bass."

He also uses a Roland KT-10 bass drum trigger pedal that he plays with his left foot. He says "That's my main snare". The snare sound comes from an Alesis DM-10 module, and I have a couple of Behringer active monitors next to the kit. One for me and one for the band.

Olle uses two hi hats. One tight closed and one slightly open. That way he can get it to sound like he open and close a regular hi hat!

His cymbal set up has gotten smaller and smaller, but with bigger sizes.

Olle uses the two 14" Paiste Signature heavy hi hats that he mentioned, along with 19" & 22" Paiste 2oo2 Big Beats and a 20" Paiste Giant Beat thin.

I've experimented a lot with the set up through the years. And just a few months ago I actually re-build it completly! And I feel "at home"..! I got a lefty double bass pedal, moved my bass drum to the left and removed the left pedal of the double pedal so my trig pedal fits behind the bass drum. And I use the slave pedal as main bass drum pedal. Works great!

So now my kit is set up just like a lefty like Mr. Paice, except that I still play the bass with my right foot, because I was right handed before.

Olle says in closing "If you really WANT to do it, you CAN do it!! Never give up the things you love!

Olle Frodin with Mayhem in Bedlam