Billy Joel’s Drummer Nails The Drums On The Deftones’ ‘My Own Summer’ Without Ever Hearing The Song Before

Billy Joel's drummer Liberty DeVitto

Getty Image / Larry Busacca


Billy Joel’s drummer, Liberty DeVitto, has been making hits with The Piano Man since the 1970s. Liberty DeVitto’s also performed over the years with Stevie Nicks, Carly Simon, Meat Loaf, and Paul McCartney which was a special moment because he’d taught himself to play the drums as a kid after seeing The Beatles perform on The Ed Sullivan Show.

Liberty DeVitto, as well-versed as he is in all forms of music, had never heard ‘My Own Summer (Shove It)’ by the Deftones. During a recent appearance on the Drumeo YouTube channel, DeVitto was asked to play the Deftones’ ‘My Own Summer (Shove It)’ having never heard the drums on the song before.

Just as in Drumeo‘s previous videos with this type of challenge, Liberty DeVitto listens to the track for his first time but he’s played a version of the song with the drums omitted. He then has a few minutes to map out what he thinks the drums on the track sound like before playing it for the first time, having never heard the song with drums before.

Liberty DeVitto Crushes ‘My Own Summer’ By The Deftones

Perhaps the best part of this iteration of Drumeo’s challenge is how far removed Liberty DeVitto is from Deftones music. They’re an alt-metal group and he’s extremly pop rock. DeVitto is also 73-years-old but is still able to pull off this song.

Having watched that, I’m beginning to wonder how Drumeo will ever top Will Ferrell’s twin brother, Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, playing a 30 Seconds To Mars song he’s never heard before.