Frank Hayes | SoultoneCymbals.com

Frank Hayes

Frank Hayes

Frank Hayes is by profession a manager and buyer at independent record store Boo Boo Records. He also moonlights as a graphic designer for Unique Leader Records as well as a slew of other clients. For many years Frank owned and operated his own indie record label, High Fidelity Records, that astonishingly reached an impressive thirty releases. When not playing he also loves to share his passion for Jazz on his three-hour Jazz radio show that he does once a week on local station 97.3 KEBF.
At age 14 his grandfather traded a beat up car (a Ford Comet) for his first drum kit. It was a modest and well-used kit but it became the catalyst for a life long obsession for drums, metal, and punk music. Frank grew up listening and worshiping the drummers of anything that was Heavy Metal.
Over the years Frank cut his teeth playing in various metal, punk, hardcore and stoner/doom bands. Not really settling for a single genre has kept his playing fresh and non–cookie cutter. Though nothing is truly original these days, the idea remains to at least pay tribute to the past while moving forward.
Thoughout his playing and gigging life he has been close on many occasions to either signing with his band to a label or management. However, as all hard luck stories go, they all ended in either the band breaking up or fizzling into obscurity.Things took a turn when a co-worker asked him if he knew who the famed Pentagram was. Turns out this co-worker was asked to sing for a legendary Pentagram side project called Bedemon. Frank, a huge fan of Pentagram, became fast friends with the side project's leader and original drummer Geof Okeef. After seeing him play live, Geof asked Frank if he would be into joining Bedemon. Without any hesitation he said "Yes," and the result became the now legendary Bedemon line up of Geof Okeef (gtr), Scott "Wino" Weinrich of Saint Vitus and Obsessed fame (vocals), original Pentagram member Greg Mayne (bass), and Frank Hayes (drums). All came together to pay tribute to the late founder guitarist of Pentagram/Bedemon Randy Palmer. While the band is on break, Geof and Frank continue to write for either a new Bedemon or new un-named project. In the meantime, Frank has a new heavy blues rock/psych band about to hit the studio and turn the scene upside down.

Favorite drummers - Elvin Jones, Jean-Paul Gaster, Dave Lombardo, Nick Anderson, Tommy Aldridge, Vinny Appice, Ian Paice, Ginger Baker, Cozy Powell, Nick Menza, Dale Grover, Mitch Mitchell, Mike Hamilton, Dan Peters, Robo, Pete Sandoval, Laurence Colbert, Gene Krupa, Eric Singer, and Cozy Cole.

My Soultone Set: 

18" Extreme Crash
14" Gospel Hi Hat Pair
24" Custom Ride