Goldfinger Drummer Darrin Pfeiffer on Joining Sum 41

With Deryck Whibley now returning to full power after his health scare, the band is planning to head back out on the road. One problem, though. Steve-O, their longtime drummer is now their ex-drummer.

So who are you gonna call? Goldfinger’s Darrin Pfeiffer. I caught up with him in Los Angeles.

AC: What’s the current state of Sum 41. There’s Dercyk, Cone, Dave…and who else?

DP: Deryck, Cone & Tom (of GOB) are mainstays, as for Dave…I think the plan is to have him back when 2016/new album rolls out. As for the drummer spot…there’s 2 guys, myself and a guy named Frank Zummo.

AC: How did you end up rehearsing with the Sum guys? A lot of people thought that after Deryck’s health troubles, the band was done.

DP: Deryck and I talked a while back and decided to jam some tunes, it was super fun. Then the health thing popped up, he’s 100% recovered, looking and sounding amazing and we’re back at it. The rehearsals (and shows) have been amazing!!!

AC: Where are the rehearsals being held?

DP: Deryck has this amazing set up at his house in LA.

AC: What the chemistry been like?

DP: Amazing actually!! I’ve knows Deryck, Cone and Tom for a long, long time and i’ve been a fan of the tunes since they started so the personal chemistry and musical chemistry are at 100. We all love hanging out with each other.

AC: Goldfinger is a slightly different band than Sum 41. How have you had to change your playing style to accommodate their material?

DP: Yeah, slightly is a good word. They incorporate more metal into their sound vs. Goldfinger (something I feel was missing…haha) so I had to brush up on my metal chops but that didn’t take very long at all. I have a history in that genre. It was a lot of fun playing these tunes.

AC: What kind of touring plans does the band have? What’s your commitment?

DP: At this point band and MGMT are just doing one off shows (fly in, play, fly out) for the time being. Deryck still has some writing/recording to do. I’m scheduled for a few more shows, beyond that who knows.

AC: Would you ever consider joining them full time?

 DP: Absolutely! Like I said, I’ve been a fan for since I first heard them. And I’ve been all over the world with these cats as well (Sum/GF tours) so the chemistry is there. We’ll see show these shows go and take it from there.

AC: What else are you working on?

 DP: A new Goldfinger record for 2016 (FINALLY) and also playing drums (from time to time) with Punk Rock Karaoke. Those Sum 41 shows and just living the dream in LA. Everyday is sunny and if i’m not playing, rehearsing, recording my biggest decision is beach or golf. hahaha