Interview with Felix Lehrmann (Steve Hackett Band)

Felix Lehrmann lives in Berlin and has taken on numerous jobs as a drummer throughout his career (including The Flower Kings), playing many different genres. He also has his own band, Marriage Material. In spring 2025, he stood in for Craig Blundell on the Steve Hackett Tour and will also be on drums during the Italian tour in September. We spoke to Felix on 19 June 2025 via Zoom about this time and other projects.

GNC: Hello Felix, great that we can talk. Your name comes up quite often in the German music scene and I’ve come across it before. So let’s start with this: When and where did you work with Helge Schneider?
Felix: Hello Christian – yes, I’m glad we can talk. Helge… that was on Jan Böhmermann’s show. I was there for four seasons and Helge came by twice. And when you have the chance to work with Helge Schneider twice on a show like that, I just had to add him to my list of credits. We rehearsed with Helge for a long time at Böhmermann’s, and then during the performance he did something completely different. I mean, okay – that’s to be expected with Helge, but it was really incredible.

GNC: I saw that you have your own band, but you’re basically more of a session drummer. Would you say that’s right?
Felix: Yes, definitely. A hired gun. I love that.

GNC: And how did you get into that? You started playing drums at a very early age…
Felix: My father, Michael Lehrmann, is also a musician. He plays guitar and was in many bands in East Germany. He’s still active. I had the chance to choose an instrument at an early age. And what do you do as a little boy? You pick the loudest and most dominant instrument. That’s why I’ve had a drum kit in my bedroom since I was three. That’s how the madness started. I always went to my father’s concerts. My first teacher was also a drummer, Frank Schirmer, who still works with my father today. So I was very lucky to be thrown into it at a very early age. And it has always been my dream to play with as many different bands as possible. And to play different genres as well.

GNC: You live in Berlin and have your own studio there, right?
Felix: Exactly, I’ve lived in Berlin since I was three and I’m in my own studio right now.

GNC: What drums do you play?
Felix: I currently play Gretsch drums. I’m sticking with them for now.

GNC: Gretsch did a nice special on Nic Collins…
Felix: Nic plays great, I’m a huge fan of his, he’s a fantastic drummer.

GNC: How does it work for you? Do you choose your jobs or do you play whatever comes your way?
Felix: I don’t play everything anymore, but I used to, I did whatever I could fit in and I’ve never regretted it. That’s probably why I’m so versatile. Nowadays, I choose based on what’s available in my calendar and, of course, how much it pays. And also how much fun it is. The older I get, the more I realise how important it is to have friends backstage. And that’s currently the case with all the bands I’m on the road with.

GNC: How did you get involved with the Prog band The Flower Kings?
Felix: The same way I got involved with Steve Hackett – Jonas Reingold sent me an email. Before that, someone at a party in Sweden recommended me to the Flower Kings. Someone at the party had seen me play before and then heard that the Flower Kings were looking for a new drummer and recommended me. Then Jonas sent me an email saying, ‘We are The Flower Kings, looking for a drummer,’ and at first I thought, what kind of cover band is this? What a strange band name. So I didn’t respond at first. A week later, he wrote again. I didn’t know the band at all, so I checked out the YouTube links. And that turned into five years of great entertainment and real-life satire.

GNC: Jonas is also a cool guy…
Felix: Absolutely, and bassists and drummers in particular have to harmonise well. It’s Jonas’ fault that I got drawn into this progressive rock universe in the first place.

GNC: Okay, so Jonas was the door opener for the Hackett Band and it didn’t happen through Craig?Felix: Exactly.

GNC: And how did that work? Did Steve call you? Did you audition?
Felix: No, Steve trusts Jonas when he recommends someone. Jonas sent me a text message saying, ‘Are you up for some prog?’ Then we checked our schedules, I had to reorganise a few things, including some personal stuff, but hey – that was the least of my worries. After that, I was mainly in contact with Steve’s management. I also knew Steve; he showed up at a Flower Kings gig a few years ago. But I didn’t really get to know Steve until the first rehearsal day in London, where we rehearsed for three days. Steve seemed to like it; I think he sensed from the first moment that I wasn’t messing around. It was a great honour. When someone like him approves, you know you’ve prepared well.

GNC: I am not a musician, so when you get a job like that, you probably get a list of songs. How long do you need to prepare?
Felix: Right, I get a list of songs, along with the studio recordings and live recordings. The most recent live recordings are the reference, of course. You have to use those as a guide. It’s really complicated stuff, of course. It’s not just the arrangement, you have to really know the songs. And I haven’t put as much time into preparation as I did for this band in a long time.

GNC: And then three days of rehearsals with the band are enough?
Felix: Well, when I show up for rehearsals, I have to be so prepared that I could play the gig right away. There can’t be any questions left unanswered. On the first day of rehearsals, we played through everything. After the second day, Steve took me aside and said, ‘Don’t tell the others, but do you really need a third day?’ And that was actually the biggest compliment for me. But I said I’d like to play the third day. Steve is a nice guy and he knew that if he asked me that in front of everyone else, they would boo me if I wanted to rehearse more. But in the end, it’s a lot of material and I was playing it for the first time. So…

GNC: How much freedom do you have to play the songs? There are typical Phil Collins fills, especially on the Genesis tracks… Gary O’Toole interpreted them a little more freely, and Craig also has his own style. You’re different again – so how does that work?
Felix: You have to approach it a bit like classical music. There isn’t really much freedom. There are also lots of little details that have to be there. But at the end of the day, I can still express myself. Of course, there are a few fills that have to be there. But I have room for interpretation. Steve is also open to that. He likes it when something different happens at every gig. So on the one hand, it’s very fixed, but on the other hand, I can also give it my all.

GNC: I noticed that, unlike Craig, you keep the drum solo before Los Endos very short. Why is that?
Felix: Well, the guys asked me and I thought, okay, after two and a half hours, do we really need that? My ego wasn’t fighting for it. I like playing a solo, no question, but at that point in the show, if I start banging away for another 5-10 minutes, it gets boring. Nobody missed it.

GNC: Now for the Supper’s Ready question. I’m not a musician, but I had the feeling that you played the 9/8 time signature very differently on Apocalypse. Was that even 9/8 or did you play something else?
Felix: No, that was 9/8 – the 9 runs through, but I sometimes try to play over it. Then after 4 or 5 bars, I land back on the one. I try not to stay in the 9/8 corset the whole time, but to break it up a bit. I don’t stick strictly to the original. Phil improvised that too, and it became part of the composition. Chester often played it in reference to Phil’s original. But that was exactly the part where I said, ‘I’m not going to play that 1:1, I’m going to do my own thing here.’

GNC: I found that refreshingly different, but I was very interested in what you did differently technically. But are you a Genesis fan at all?
Felix: Yes, I am. But my Genesis education, if you will, began in 1976 when Phil started singing. From then on, I knew the tracks inside out. I already knew a lot of the stuff before that, but there was still a big gap in my knowledge. I had a lot of catching up to do. But yes, I’m a huge Genesis fan; they’re one of the greatest bands of all time.

GNC: OK, that makes it easier. Others probably just do it as a job.
Felix: It’s also a huge honour to play with Steve. It’s the last breath of a generation of musicians… also the way they tour and make music together. It’s all very special.

GNC: What’s it like to join such an established group? The band has been together for a long time, with almost the same line-up, and they have their own way of interacting with each other. What’s it like when you join as a newcomer? They tease each other all the time.
Felix: The British are tough [laughs]. They’re a different calibre. You just have to be open and spread good vibes… you can’t expect to get along with everyone. But in this case, they’re all very nice people. I was welcomed with open arms. And then it just works.

GNC: When you go on tour as a session musician, your daily routine is completely different. Is that more exhausting? Or are some session days much more stressful?
Felix: Well, I’m actually on tour all the time. Touring is always exhausting because of all the travelling. Actually, you get paid for travelling. The performance takes care of itself. Most of the time, you arrive in the city, do a sound check, eat, play the concert, and the next morning you’re gone again. And now with Steve, you also had the chance to see something of the cities. But I’m used to touring. I’m on tour about 150 days a year.

GNC: Who do you tour with, apart from Steve?
Felix: I’ve been playing with Sarah Connor for 17 years. I play with Dendemann, which is hip hop, then I played with the Flower Kings for a long time, with Till Brönner… Torsten Goods, a great jazz guitarist. I toured with Dieter Maschine Birr, the singer of the Puhdys, for ten years. That adds up to quite a lot.

GNC: The list of your references is very extensive, and the path from Deichkind to Curtis Stigers is also quite a long one. How do you deal with that? You play everything from Schlager to jazz to prog. Let me ask you a provocative question: is it just as cool to play for Bernhard Brink or Matthias Reim as it is for the Flower Kings or Steve Hackett?
Felix: Yes. If the band is good, everything is good. As a drummer, you can often create space for yourself.

GNC: Ok, I didn’t mean that disrespectfully, of course, it’s just that the wide range of genres in your jobs is striking.
Felix: I have to say that I don’t really think in terms of genres anymore. I don’t behave any differently in Steve’s rehearsal room than I do in Till Brönner’s rehearsal room. I try not to think in terms of categories. Either you have something to contribute to the music or you don’t.

GNC: Tell us about your own band…
Felix: Sure. The band is called Marriage Material. It’s actually a fusion band. It also includes world music and prog. We’re a quartet with vibraphone/marimba, drums, guitar and bass. We play instrumental music and have just finished our third album, but it won’t be released until early 2026. We’ll be doing a small tour in the autumn. But we don’t play nearly enough, which is because everyone is involved in other projects. We have a Google calendar for the band where everyone can enter their scheduled dates. It’s hell [laughs].

GNC: When you go to concerts yourself, what do you go to see?
Felix: I went to see Alanis Morissette yesterday. I like going to big concerts like that. But I prefer hanging out in jazz clubs to see my jazz/fusion heroes, to be right up close and feel how much air comes out of the bass drum. I go to a lot of concerts.

GNC: What’s next for you with Steve?
Felix: I’m still doing the shows in Italy. After that, nothing is planned for the time being. But I’m ready if he wants me. Both live and in the studio.

GNC: Is there anyone you’d like to play with?
Felix: Yes, I’d love to play with Sting. And also with Eros Ramazzotti. And John Scofield, John McLaughlin. There are quite a few… Herbie Hancock would also be a dream. But I think Sting is every drummer’s dream gig when it comes to pop gigs. Vinnie was with him for 20 years, now Sting has rotated a bit. But he hasn’t called me, maybe he lost my number [laughs].

GNC: How does it work when bands are looking for musicians? Is it like with Steve, or is it done differently?
Felix: No, it tends to be more by recommendation, word of mouth. You have to know someone and have a bit of luck. I do everything myself and am my own manager.

GNC: You also played on Nad Sylvan’s new album, Monumentata?
Felix: Yes, on some tracks, but I don’t know the whole album yet. Just the tracks I play on. Nad is a good guy.

GNC: Have you ever seen Genesis live?
Felix: Yes, once here at the stadium in Berlin. That was in 2007.

GNC: That’s it then – thank you very much for your time.
Felix: Thank you, it was fun.

Interview and transcript: Christian Gerhardts
Photos of Felix: Official website

Links

Felix Lehrmann – official website
Steve Hackett spring tour 2025 – report