Neil Christopher Sanderson (born December 17, 1978)[1] is a Canadian musician. He is the drummer, backing vocalist, keyboardist, and co-founder of the Canadian rock band Three Days Grace.[2] He cites his influences as John Bonham, Danny Carey, and Stewart Copeland.[2] He is also the co-founder of the American record label Judge and Jury.
Early life
Neil Sanderson was born on December 17, 1978, in Peterborough, Canada.[3] During his childhood, his older brother passed away in a car accident, as well as his father in a separate death.[4] Sanderson took up the piano before he started school.[2] He had an avid interest in music and worked with different instruments while he was in elementary school. He became enamored of drums and started playing it at the age of 12.[2][3]
He entered Norwood District High School in 1992. Before that, he attended Adam Scott C.V.I High School in Peterborough,[5] where he met Adam Gontier when both of them were in grade 9. With bassist Brad Walst, they practiced writing and playing instruments.[6] They created the band "Groundswell" with Phil Crowe and Joe Grant.[7]
Under the name "Three Days Grace" the band played various concerts and locations in Toronto and eventually signed a recording contract with the American label, Jive Records.[2][10][11] The band's first album, the self-titled Three Days Grace, was released in 2003.[9] Four singles from the album, "I Hate Everything About You", "Just Like You", "Home" and "Wake Up" became hits with the first two reaching No. 1 on the Canadian rock chart and the US Rock chart respectively.[12][13] The album was platinum in Canada and the United States.[14][15]
The band released their second studio album, One-X in 2006.[11][16][17] The album peaked at number five on the US Billboard 200.[2] Four singles from the album were released, "Animal I Have Become", "Pain", "Never Too Late" and "Riot". The first three reached number one on the US Mainstream Rock chart.[18] The album has also been certified triple platinum in Canada and the United States.[15][14] In 2006, Three Days Grace won Rock Single of the Year at the 2006 Billboard Music Awards.[19] Speaking of the band's comeback from problems in 2007 (when a band member spent time in rehab[11]) Sanderson said, "Now it's all about maintaining that communication, and it makes [touring] so much easier and a so much more enjoyable experience."[20]
Sanderson in 2009
Sanderson was thrilled by the success of Three Days Grace. Speaking in Greensboro, North Carolina, during their 2008 tour, he said: "We get to blow stuff up onstage now. We like to put in as much production and lights as we can. The seizure factor has gone way up."[21] Speaking of the band's move to larger playing sites, he continued "It's great to be able to see everybody in a smaller place. But the same people who were there in the early days are still there for us."[21] Speaking of fan response to album songs, he said: "[W]e also play a lot of album tracks, and the crowd sings along just as much for those. These days, you have to make an awesome album. I think we're getting back to where people want to hear real stuff, since so much is contrived these days."[21]
Sanderson, along with Canadian songwriter Casey Marshall, were part owners of an artist development company and songwriting collective, Püblicwürks, based in Toronto and Nashville.[23] Sanderson co-wrote the singles, "Get By" and "Hell Raisin' Good Time" by Tim Hicks.[24] He was nominated for Songwriter of the Year at the 2014 Country Music Association of Ontario Awards.[25] Sanderson is the co-founder of the record label Judge & Jury Records along with producer Howard Benson.[26] He performed on The Standstills' live event, "#UnpluggedTogether", to help fund the Healing in Harmony campaign, a therapy program for trauma survivors.[27] Sanderson co-produced the tracks, "Snake" and "Christ" from Left to Suffer's 2023 EP, Noah.[28] He released his debut single "Eventually" via Judge and Jury in December 2023.[29] Prior to its official release, he performed the song at the "#UnpluggedTogether" event in 2021.[30]
Musicianship
Equipment
Sanderson performing live with Three Days Grace in 2015
Sanderson uses a Yamaha drum kit.[31] His kit includes a double-bass, Sabian Artisan cymbals, an Evans drumheads and a Yamaha DTX Multi12 sample pad.[31][32] He also uses Vic Firth drumsticks.[33] His most recent addition to his set is the ButtKicker Concert sub-bass monitoring system.[31] In the past, Sanderson used Zildjian cymbals during the recording of One-X.[32]
Reception
Sin Lucas, writing in The Silver Tongue said "It's hard to pick a highlight ... but the drum solo by Neil Sanderson was nothing short of spectacular."[34] A reviewer for Electric City wrote of Sanderson's "impressive chops and accuracy."[35] But Nikki M. Mascali of The Weekender wrote of the same performance "Though an interesting concept, it was an unnecessary lull in the show."[36]
Personal life
Sanderson is married to a woman named Janin.[32] In March 2024, he led the 21st annual St. Patrick's Day parade in his hometown.[37]
Philanthropy
Sanderson joined The Herbie Fund charity in 2007 when he met the president of Operation Herbie, Liisa Palokoski. In addition, he started a charity fund called, "Herbie Rocks".[38] In 2017, he travelled to Kenya with World Vision to film a mini-documentary raising awareness of some of the challenges accessing clean drinking water. He also created the 3DG Kenya project and Mountain of Hope to help raise funds and awareness of the needs.[39] In 2018, Sanderson opened up about his battles with anxiety at the fifth annual Friday Night Lights fundraiser for Team 55 Let's Tackle Suicide Awareness and the Canadian Mental Health Association.[40]
^ abMascali, Nikki M. (February 2, 2010). "Three Days Grace Goes Raw". Times Leader -- Weekender. Pennsylvania. Archived from the original on February 24, 2010. Retrieved February 26, 2010.
^Ear Full (February 11, 2010). "A Graceful Evening". Electric City. Scranton, PA: Times-Shamrock Communications. Retrieved February 26, 2010. drummer Neil Sanderson had the stage and the audience to himself for a five-minute solo which started with a keyboard/sampler segment followed by an intense drum solo on a riser which turned 360 degrees displaying Sanderson's impressive chops and accuracy.[dead link]
