Interview with Sir Chistopher Lee Charlemagne Drummer Ollie Usiskin

April 05, 2021

Interview with Sir Chistopher Lee Charlemagne Drummer Ollie Usiskin

By Mick Michaels

COSMICK VIEW: Hello, Ollie! Welcome to The Cosmick View. Thank you for taking some time out of your day to chat with me, it's greatly appreciated.

CV: Every artist experiences highs and lows in their career. Many struggle just to move from one level to the next, and some, unfortunately, never do. What would you consider to be a pivotal point in an artist's career which would take them from one level to the next?
Ollie Usiskin: To begin, anyone who‘s a full-time professional musician has already achieved a lot as they are supporting themselves by their craft, skill & knowledge. I myself did many other jobs before I was able to work as a musician.

Association can be another level of an artist’s career. When you are involved with established people & hired by them for your skill or work on projects involving them, this reflects on you & brings you to a higher level musically & technically.

CV: What do you consider to be a pivotal point in your career and how did things change for you?
OU: Some years ago I was booked to be the drummer in actor Sir Christopher Lee's Symphonic Metal music video by his manager. Following this I was invited as a guest to the Indigo 2 venue at the O2 to watch Sir Christopher receive an award at the Golden Gods. Just as he came on stage to receive the award from Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi, some of the music video I starred in was shown on a huge screen in front of a big crowd. That was a proud moment for me.

Following this, I went onto being booked to do all the drums on "Charlemagne, The Omens of Death," the actor’s full Heavy Metal Album. This, on its release, was featured everywhere including Rolling Stone Mag, The Irish Times, The Guardian, NME & many other press outlets. We also did a Christmas single that ended up number 2 in the Amazon charts.

Having this association with the Charlemagne albums & music video was a great opportunity & honor for me as a musician & something I am proud to have been involved with in my career.

CV: Being relevant is a hit or miss sort of thing for many artists. What do you feel an artist can do right now to stay relevant, especially in an environment, such as the present, where performing in front of a live audience is not an option?
OU: That is a good question. For me it’s been creating other recording projects with great artists in several different genres.

It’s one of the only options left to use when you can’t perform live. I’ve always loved the recording process & being in a studio working on tracks. It’s very honest as what you hear mostly, is what you played. Taking risks I think sometimes can work as when introducing new music to the public ear, one never knows how it will be received by reviewers, etc. I was lucky just before the pandemic hit, to have recorded a bunch of live sessions I did with Cellist Max Oliver. This meant all that was left to do was choose the best bits to release. It meant I could spend the time mixing & mastering the music to ensure it would sound how I heard it in my head. The result was some great reviews in the press & music journals. It’s meant that we now have established ourselves as a new act & are now planning to do a second record. The Group is called "Usiskin / Oliver DUO."

CV: You had the distinct opportunity to be credited as the drummer for world renowned actor Sir Christopher Lee’s symphonic metal album “Charlemagne: By the Sword and the Cross” in 2010 and the 2013 heavy metal follow up, “Charlemagne: The Omens of Death.” Tell us a little about how that came to be?
OU: Back in 2007 a band mate of mine called me & asked if I wanted to perform at an event with Sir Christopher. As I had grown up watching the Dracula Hammer films, I jumped at this opportunity. We then did a full band rehearsal with Sir Christopher & the live event. Following this, I kept in touch with his manager who later went onto book me for the other work that we did.

CV: What was the first thing you noticed about Sir Christopher Lee when you began working with him on the album? Was he well-versed in “Heavy Metalogy” in your opinion for such an undertaking?
OU: Before making the Omens of Death record, his manager invited me & guitarist Richie Faulkner (Judas Priest) to spend an afternoon with Sir Christopher. I remember it was a sunny day & we sat in his private grounds chatting together. He had a great presence & was very wise. Sir Christopher, prior to working with him, had been involved with many Metal acts including Rhapsody of Fire. He was an icon to many Metal acts including Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper & many more.

His deep powerful singing voice appeared in a scene in the iconic movie "The Wickerman," when he was stood next to a piano.

CV: “Charlemagne: The Omens of Death” was musically arranged by Richie Faulkner of Judas Priest. Did you work directly with Richie and if so, were you able to lend any amount of influence on the overall arrangements?
OU: Richie & I grew up playing together in a Heavy Metal & Classic Rock covers band. The band had a regular gig every Sunday at a North London venue. The other drummer in the band was the original Judas Priest drummer Les Binks. guitarist Pete Friesen, who worked with Alice Cooper, was also in the band.

I recommended Richie to Sir Christopher's manager to be the musical arranger for the album. As Richie programmed all the drum parts I wanted to stick to what he had done, so I didn’t change the parts much.

CV: What do you believe makes music more honest and more impactful...something that both the artist and listener can share in?
OU: I think if you play for the music & are not too flashy or go in with closed ears, then what you play will make sense & be meaningful to the listener's. A good drummer will support the other players & phrase accordingly to the music. It’s all about laying down a solid time, feel & groove. As well as locking in with the other players & reacting to what they play.

CV: You also have some new music coming out showcasing a solo piano and drum accompaniment. Tell us a little about the new material, what can listeners expect?
OU: I've always loved playing the piano & took lessons at a young age. The drums took over but I’ve still kept the skill to play. The music I’ve created is really a first attempt at doing my own solo project. I still feel limited technically on what I can play piano-wise as am mostly self taught, so it’s more of a sound & feel approach I am coming from. The tracks are half on sticks & half mallets drum wise.

I recorded the piano ideas first & then played drums on top of those tracks. The sound is very atmospheric & dynamic, so lots of light & shade. Am on the fence as to whether to do a full release…so may start with a Bandcamp thing.

CV: What do you feel has been the greatest contribution to your success as an artist? And what do you believe you will be remembered for in years to come?
OU: As an artist, having self belief is very important as it opens doors & develops ones confidence. Having the opportunity to record on released material that’s out there means in time a body of your work will still be available to hear, even in years to come. Platforms like Youtube are also good as they show a player’s history to others interested.

CV: What's next for you Ollie? What can fans expect to see coming up?
OU: I’ve been working with producer Enrico Pinna on a tribute record due for release this year 2021. The record has many amazing guest players from around the world who are huge names & highly respected artists.

I am also working on a single track release.

CV: Thank you again Ollie for spending some time talking and sharing with
our readers. I wish you all the best and continued success.
OU: Thank you Mick too for putting this together & your interest.

Check out Ollie at:
Sir Christopher Lee documentary on the making of The Omens of Death Album: https://youtu.be/_Dnk6v6bmtw
Promo video of The Omens of Death: https://youtu.be/BTfFXrVJcNQ

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My name is Mick Michaels...I'm an artist, music fan, songwriter, producer, show host, dreamer and guitarist for the traditional Heavy Metal band Corners of Sanctuary. Writing has always been a creative outlet for me; what I couldn't say in speech, I was able to do with the written word. Writing has given me a voice and a way for me to create on a multitude of platforms including music and song, articles, independent screenplays, books and now, artist interviews. The Cosmick View is an opportunity to raise the bar and showcase artists in a positive and inspirational light. For me, it's another out-of-this-world adventure.