Barb “Thee Animal” Wolkins Dangerous Ddrums

Barb “Thee Animal” Wolkins of Payson Arizona is the owner (or should we say “trainer”) of this beast of a drum set, an astonishing Ddrum 13-piece double bass kit that is as big and powerful as her band

Here’s what you’re looking at:

• DDrum 13-piece double bass kit (“although I cannot fit all the toms on the cage!”)
• Custom numbered and signed Rockenwraps by Scott Rockenfield
• Two Axis short-board pedals
• One complete set of Zildjian Custom A cymbals
• One complete set of Zildjian Black cymbals and hi-hats (I use the Black hi-hats for live shows with the Custom A set-up)
• Additional Zildjian Titaniums and Zildjian Platinums
• Dixon drumcage (imported from Canada) with double-clamps
• “I use the old Tommy Lee red-tipped sticks and the Vic Firth red-tipped 5B/Heavy Metal sticks with Vater wraps.
• Pearl remote hi-hat stand
• Two cowbells
• Pearl, D-Drum, Tama, and Yamaha hardware
• Roc-N-Soc hydraulic drum throne
• Remote-controlled fog machine

Here’s what Barb has to say. “I have just recently switched from using the Evans blue hydraulic heads to the Evans EMAD bass drum heads batter and EC2 clears on the toms and EC for snare.

“I have only had the drums themselves since last December, prior to doing a big show here in Phoenix. I purchased it from the original owner, a long-time session drummer in Indiana, and had it shipped to me, where I added my custom touches and mounted it on the drumcage myself. The set also has brand new ddrum hardware and stands, which I don’t use in my setup and I cannot even fit all the toms on the cage right now! “Prior to purchasing this set, I had almost the exact same setup that I have had since the Whiskey Blu days of the early 90s, an 11-piece double bass kit on a double cage, same cymbal setup as now, same pedals, etc. but custom Whiskey Blu log and Barb “Thee Animal” front bass drum heads, Slingerland drums (top heads only) and 22″ inch kicks.”

This drum set is the second huge kit that Barba has used in her career. Her band, WhiskeyBlu, was an outstanding all-female hard rock band based in Phoenix in the early ’90s, touring throughout the southwest and building fan clubs in 28 states. Like many bands before them, they found the going tougher when they moved to Hollywood and signed a record contract. Bad music biz experiences broke the band up, but in 2008 they reunited for an Arizona Rock Allstars Reunion concert. The crowd went wild for their classic brand of hard rock and that led to a series of public gigs in 2009. The band is planning on going back into the studio in 2010.(jR)