In a recent interview with DJ Ramo (a.k.a. Omar Rodriguez) of The Metal Mixtape, Overkill bassist D.D. Verni discussed the band’s process for finding replacement musicians, especially following the recent exit of drummer Jason Bittner. When asked how they go about it, Verni explained
“Well, we knew about this for months— a long time, really— so it wasn’t that big of a deal. Usually, the first thing we do is go through a list of names.
“The main thing for us, at this point, is there are a million great drummers out there; they’re everywhere,” he continued. “But we’re looking for someone we can get along with, someone who fits in with the crew and the band, and who gels with the family dynamic. It doesn’t matter how good of a drummer or musician you are; if you’re not fun to be around… We’ve got a really great group of guys with Overkill—our crew and the band are like best buddies. When we get together, there are a lot of laughs and fun. The crew is part of our family too, so it’s always a good time on an Overkill tour.
“That’s why Jeramie [Kling, formerly of Venom Inc.], our new drummer, was our first call. We’ve known him for years, we knew he was a good player, and we liked him personally. We just wrapped up a tour in Europe, and things couldn’t have been better. Really, really good.”
