“Mashup the influences of Rage Against the Machine, the Chemical Brothers and Outkast combined with a lifetime of live music experiences” is how drummer/music industry crusader Tammy Hurt sums up her latest musical incarnation, Sonic Rebel. 

Simply put, Sonic Rebel combines Hurt performing and layering aggressive rock drums over loud guitars, video game soundtracks, hip-hop beats, melodic pop, ambient/electronica orchestrations, and mesmerizing visuals. Beat keeping the bulk of her professional career for acts such as Paper Dolls, Indigo Girls, She Said!, Van Hunt, Michelle Malone, Wendy Bucklew, and Minority Rules, Sonic Rebel is Hurt’s ambitious alter ego that’s evolved from being a traditional “sideman” acoustic drummer to a tenacious hybrid focal point armed with custom tracks perfect for remixes, mashups and licensing. 

“There’s no better feeling than playing drums, on stage, with a band, but it’s pretty freeing to not have to be reliant on one to perform live,” Hurt, who’s been a professional drummer since she was a teenager, said. “I’m re-establishing myself as an artist. At this point in time with technology, it’s me and my Roland SPD-SX that I trigger with the songs we’ve created in the studio. By no means am I new to the business, but I’m new from this angle. This project is 110% a giant experiment for me.” 

Released in the Summer of 2021, Sonic Rebel’s five-song EP, We Made This With Our Hands, was recorded at Big Trouble Recording in Atlanta’s Little Five Points, where it was mixed by GRAMMY Award-winning mixer Miles Walker. Beginning in September 2019, the two-song recording session also featured TJ Elias, Grouplove members Dan Gleason and Ben Homola. The vibes were so solid, the combo reunited months later to lay down three additional tracks, adding multi-instrumentalist Kevin Spencer’ who masterfully layered in ambient guitar.  

“I believe most music sounds better with live drums,” Hurt, a native of Marietta, Ga., said. “I wanted to give the music I love so much a little more grit and distortion.” 

By March 13, 2020, the coronavirus pandemic forced recording studios nationwide to shut down, but that didn’t stop Hurt. Sonic Rebel still managed to have We Made This With Our Hands mastered by GRAMMY nominee Michael Romanowski at his new home studio, Coast Mastering, in San Francisco. 

“Music has been a survival tool for all of us throughout this pandemic,” Hurt said. “This project has been my fuel and my therapy. It’s an escape, and I hope it takes listeners away from what’s happening in the world, for even just a few minutes, to make things a little better.” 

We Made This With Our Hands is a reminder of the genre-fluid discography and live sets that acts like Girl Talk, Beastie Boys, Fatboy Slim, and Travis Barker have churned out coupled with the drum ‘n bass rabbit hole Hurt fell in for a spell. The sequence on We Made This With Our Hands provides the out, loud, and proud, self-proclaimed “kick-ass rock and roll drummer” the latitude to churn out a kaleidoscopic medley of sonic treats. 

“Run,” the first single and lead track, jump starts We Made This With Our Hands. Driven by its growling groove, Hurt’s ferocious snare work pairs with gritty guitar riffs to lay the pulse of the song while wiry synth crescendos and coos fuel the four-minute song until it erupts. The song’s accompanying music video features Hurt dressed in all-black and attacking her kit as fluorescent colors, shapes and optics dissolve and flank her in every shot. “This song is meant to get you over a mental hurdle or a last sprint,” Hurt proclaims. 

“Reign” fades in like a power drill: settling into a twitching melody provided by jangling percussion, sparse hi-hats, and propelling backbeats. “When we were in the studio, we envisioned the song being anthemic – like in a stadium full of people watching their favorite band – with lots of energy behind it, thus the name of the song, as in ‘reign supreme’”. 

The smooth “This Vibe” submerges our ears into a mumbling bass line, a sprinkle of 808 claps towards the center, and bright keyboard work. 

Then comes “Air Raid,” with a buzzing staccato intro that recalls a chase scene in your favorite ‘80s cop-themed program before Hurt’s stadium rock-flavored performance and spine-tingling ambiance rounds it out. 

“Big Riff,” a goth-inspired jam splashed with a conga solo, concludes the project.

Once the pandemic flattens, Sonic Rebel plans to play live venues, perform cross-genre session work, and make audiences turn heads with its prog rock-inspired, multi-dimensional presentation. In the meantime, Hurt anticipates sharing her music experience via livestreams.

A Dolby Atmos version of the EP has been released for a more immersive sonic experience. “I truly believe that immersive sound is the future of audio, “ said Hurt, “and I knew that this music would come alive within these new formats”.

Additional plans for drummer play-alongs, stems for DJs to incorporate into their sets, and sample packs for music creators will be available early next year.

“The intention of this project is to be collaborative. Music unites us and is the common thread that ties us together,” Hurt said.  “It feels great to be unapologetically myself. It’s a bullseye on what I’ve always been. I created a lot of work for myself these past years to get back right back here to the same spot. I’m excited and fulfilled - and can’t wait to start performing these mashups and taking them on the road in front of a live audience.”