The 180 Drums Podcast: Recent Episodes
Jake Nicolle
Learn from the drummers playing the biggest stages. Mistakes, life lessons, hilarious moments and highlights are some of the things you can expect to hear.
Some lessons are learned quickly. Others take a lifetime to learn. Brian shares some lessons that it’s taken him 26 years of professional drumming to learn.
The only thing that being a three-time CCMA Drummer of the year means is that you’re willing to work hard, you’ve been blessed with great mentors, and learned some important lessons along the way. Ben just finished the most extensive tour in Canadian history with Brett Kissel, and shares about what the ups and downs look like.
Kevin’s known to have some strong, but well-warranted opinions about drumming, the state of the biz, getting paid, and how social media has affected the quality of drummers. We felt like a podcast was the best place to expand on those.
Kevin’s known to have some strong, but well-warranted opinions about drumming, the state of the biz, getting paid, and how social media has affected the quality of drummers. We felt like a podcast was the best place to expand on those. In Part 1, we focus on the music industry, styles, and his unique approach to teaching.
Jeremy plays with many artists. He may leave for a month long tour and have to sub out on some shows, but many artists choose to put him back in once he’s back. Artist’s can’t seem to replace him, so we talk about why this might be.
Alex has been touring from a young age, and has been the ‘new guy” enough times to know how to react and grow quickly to fill the shoes.
Moving between Montreal, Toronto, and Paris to pursue music hasn’t been easy for French-Canadian drummer Elie Bertrand, but it’s given her diverse set of experiences to draw from. Aside from playing in many “normal” bands, Elie’s also spent time on the road as a drummer on a comedy tour. Ya, a comedy tour.
How is it that a drum company charging more than almost any other brand, is expanding, growing, and thriving? Ramy, founder of A&F Drum Co explains the key decisions he’s made to grow his company. Good thing for anyone listening, building a drum company is a lot like building a career as a drummer.
Max’s purposefully made sure that the first time he played Miranda Lambert’s songs were at his audition to play with her. Max intentionally steers clear from promoting many of his career highlights on the internet. At first glance, some of Max’s advice might seem to come out of left field, but trust me, he ain’t crazy.
Max’s purposefully made sure that the first time he played Miranda Lambert’s songs were at his audition to play with her. Max intentionally steers clear from promoting many of his career highlights on the internet. At first glance, some of Max’s advice might seem to come out of left field, but trust me, he ain’t crazy.
Paul spent his first day at Zildjian sweeping floors. Over 30 years later, he’s the one designing the cymbals many of us use and love. If you’ve ever wondered how they make your favourite cymbal sound dark, gritty, earthy, sandy, washy(or whatever other adjectives you use to describe your cymbals), listen on.
As NF’s drummer, Rhett’s watched their career 10X over the last couple of years. It’s the type of growth we all want to see and be a part of, but in addition to the upsides of being in that situation, it comes with some downsides that can’t be ignored.
Aside from being an accomplished tin whistler, he plays drums in his spare time with artists like James Bay, and Niall Horan. He shares his thoughts on properly composing drums for a song, and why it’s important to really get to know the artist well.
After getting a degree in Jazz Saxophone, Robbie’s spent years hopping between drums, bass, and keys for Matt Mays, Deertick, Midland, and many more. As someone who’s spent a lot of time on stage playing along with other drummers, he has a unique perspective on how to approach the drums in a band setting.
Since being a member of Beyonce’s all female touring band, Nikki started her own band called the Nth Power. if she’s not out playing with them, she’s with Dumpstaphunk or Maceo Parker. She talks about how touring has changed her, and what motivates her to continue making music.
Sahir owns and runs two drum companies, Masters of Maple Drums, and Ghost Tech Touring. if he’s not sourcing trees or building drums, he drum teching or staffing tours with tech personnel. He shares some of his experiences in running multiple companies in the music biz.
Drumming in the same band for the last twenty years is a unique situation that most of us drummers haven’t found ourselves in. Many of us started playing in bands with our friends, but have moved on to playing with different artists. Riley and his bandmates in Thrice have found out how to keep four original members happy and working as a team to make music they all love.
Kenny’s tech’d for many of the world’s top drummers, and has developed some essential tuning tricks that will make your life a lot simpler. He shares about what his job as a tech looks like, and some of the most important details in being a great tech.
Before touring with Julia Michaels, brooks spent time not he road with many other great artists like Adam Lambert, Demi Lovato, Skyler Grey, and many more. Understanding your role on each gig, and how it can change from artist to artist is extremely important. Brook tells us how he susses out the feel of an artist, and how to approach the music.
Dylan specializes in drumming in recording real drums for hip-hop, pop, and anything that needs really specific sounds. He walks us through why it took over 2 days to find the perfect sounds for a 6 note loop for Girl On Fire, by Alicia Keys.
In any given week, Jeremy could have shows with 5 different artists. We talk about his preparation approach, and how he manages each situation with care, and how to keep getting hired by prioritizing the artists' needs.
Andrew grew up on a tour bus, travelling with his family band. He started cutting his teeth at 11 when he replaced the drummer. Since, he’s moved to Nashville from northern Canada to tour full time with High Valley, and explains how to legally move to the US as a musician.
Between a knife fight and a basketball injury, Hubert’s lucky to be alive, let alone play drums. He is no stranger to adversity, and talks about taking action, creating forward momentum, ensuring your always better than you were yesterday.
Zack’s shares some of his most memorable moments with Springsteen, Bowie, Gwen Stefani, and how he’s used drumming to really explore other cultures.
Not receiving credit for a song/album you’ve recorded on sucks. Wolf’s been improperly credited (or not-credited) for Grammy-winning albums. He covers all of the details on how he makes sure he receives proper credit now.
Stan has different goals than most drummers, he doesn’t want to tour, he doesn’t want to depend on drumming to pay his bills. He wants drumming to be his creative outlet, and not a burden. He explains why he’s opted out of the touring world, and uses drumming to enrich his life daily.
We always hear the advice telling us to take every gig we get offered. At some point in our career, it becomes really important to know when not to take a gig. Wolf gives us his criteria for taking or not taking gigs.
After spending a decade on tour with Katy Perry as music director and drummer, Adam’s joined the house band for American Idol. He gives us a closer look at how these two gigs challenge in different ways as a drummer
The industry is changing faster than it ever has in the past. To thrive and succeed, it’s become imperative to adapt and reinvent how you play, how you work, and how you run your business. Wolf’s been kicking ass as a drummer, producer, and drum programmer for decades, and shares how he’s been in a constant state of change.
Jimmy is the OG of drum programming and had a front seat to the transition that took place as drum programming began to take over modern record productions. He shares what it was like, why it happened, and where it’s at now.
Working remotely as a studio musician has become increasingly popular. Wolf has done a lot of both and breaks down the pro’s and con’s of each arrangement, and why he prefers one over the other.
Stanley’s got pocket, and he shares about how he develops it, what he listens to on stage, how he interacts with percussionists, and what records he thinks help develop great feel.
We all fall into a trap where we look up to our favourite drummers and make an attempt to emulate what they do because if it works for them, it must work for me… Josh shares his insights on how to discern any incoming advice.
- If Sean’s not out with FGL, he’s speaking to school students about how to achieve success in their lives, to which Sean is a perfect example who at 47, is performing at his best.
Joe was on the brink of finding a new career, when he started building a career with Ellie Goulding. Assuming the role of Creative Director for earlier tours, and now working endlessly as a musical director to develop a new approach, rather than playing along to a wall of tracks for an arena show, finding ways to create the tracks live.
Despite being a hired gun, Ben explains how he and the whole band act as a group who are all mutually invested in Rag N Bone Man's success.
With a decade of arena tours under his belt with Carrie Underwood, Garrett’s been through it all and gives us 5 specific experiences where he’s learned his lesson the hard way on stage, and how he avoids it for the next time.
Chris explains how crucial it is to diversify your revenue sources and deconstructs his day to day responsibilities as a bandleader with Thomas Rhett.
The man that’s drummed and programmed drums on countless hits deconstructs his process for programming drums. He covers exactly what programs he uses, his steps, specific techniques, how long it takes him, and when a song needs real drums or programmed drums. We take a closer look at how a major label studio record is made.
Hip-hop drumming is a different beast, and Dan has great insight on what to expect, and how it differs from other gigs. Dan’s also a monster video content engine and is constantly growing his online brand with video. He shares some his insight on how to best use video to grow your brand.
From getting fired from his full-time gig to drumming with Keith Urban and Little Big Town, Seth shares his ups and downs his career, along with how perfectly balances the demands of being a family man and a working drummer.
Adrian was a part of the first ever international theatre production to perform in Saudi Arabia. He shares his experience of what it’s like to perform to an arena of people who have never seen a concert before, and what it was like to meet fellow drummers in a country that playing music was illegal for so long.
Tucker compares his experiences with different artists and breaks down the distinct differences between being a hired gun, and a band member, along with some really important lessons he's learned in both.
Mike gives us a look into his day to day performance and production rehearsals with Shawn Mendes, and how they make the most of their time on tour, to continuously practice for upcoming performances. He shares his unique approach to taking auditions, and how he’s used visualization to keep focused on his goals.
Ben is a touring/sessions drummer based in Nashville, TN. He’s often so busy that he clocks more than 300 gigs a year. Ben is currently on tour with LOCASH.
Christian talks about finding out what he’s really good at as a drummer, and running with it, rather than fighting to try to be good at everything. He elaborates on how he measures success in his music career, and why he’s built multiple revenue streams.
Greg has niched his way into the LA pop scene, touring with artists including Selena Gomez, Zella Day, Kristin Maldanado, Grace Vanderwaal, Christina Grimmie, Filter, etc… Attending Musician’s Institute taught him some important lessons when it comes to auditioning and taking risks.
Marco Minnemann! The extreme drumming legend. Author of many books and DVDs, and has played for some incredible artists including Paul Gilbert, The Aristocrats, and currently Joe Satriani.
Previously drumming in the CCM world with Crowder has prepped Christian for his role with Maren Morris. Currently on tour supporting Sam Hunt, Christian is playing some of the biggest arenas across North America.
Kurt Dahl has been actively involved in the Canadian music industry for the past two decades, as a touring musician, board member, speaker, and entertainment lawyer. He wrote his Master of Laws thesis in 2009 on the future of the music industry and has practiced entertainment law across Canada since 2010. His clients range from Juno-winning bands, record labels, publishers, and managers, to the smallest up-and-coming artists. He tours the country regularly with his band One Bad Son, working with some of the biggest names in the music business. His articles on cutting edge issues in the music industry have been published around the world by Canadian Musician, SOCAN, Drum Magazine and more, and can be found on his website www.LawyerDrummer.com. In 2016, Kurt was elected as the President of SaskMusic. In May 2017, One Bad Son landed their first #1 single in Canada with the song Raging Bull.
Living and breathing the drums since 4 years old, Rhett uses his drumming as a vehicle to deliver his message of hope and acceptance to anyone who listens.
Steve Goold has played for Owl City, Sara Bareilles, Ben Rector, Mat Kearney, Paul Baloche and many others. He emphasizes the feel of everything he plays over the specifics of what he’s playing. Having said that, Steve still approaches the drums with a scientific focus on playing parts he believes best compliments songs, having led him to tour the world playing on the biggest stages and in front of millions on late night talk shows. Steve is also the founder of thedrumlibrary.com, an education website, much like 180drums.com, that is focused on providing students access to his personal, unique, insights on what it means to play drums in order to make a living doing so.
Chad is one of Canada’s most respected drummers and has built his career on his strong conviction to advocate for what he believes is right. No matter whether someone agrees or disagrees with Chad, he is highly respected by his peers for standing up for what he believes in. In this episode, we dive into how being more human has positively affected his drumming career.
Jeff Friedl is an LA-based drummer who has shared the stage with some of the today’s top acts, including A Perfect Circle, Puscifer, ASHES dIVIDE, The Beta Machine, Filter, Eagles of Death Metal, Devo, Film/Television spots and win- ner of the 2016 Drummie Award for Best Alternative Rock Drummer.
- Drummer of Wishbone Ash
- Online Educator
- Founder/Develop of Polynome, Metronome workstation
As a drummer with a great sense of balance, Dave opens up and speaks honestly about the challenges of trying to live a “normal” life, while being a touring musician. With credits like Josh Groban, John Petrucci, Duran Duran, Hiromi, Head of percussion at Berklee School Of Music, published drum instructional author, Dave is an essential part of the drumming community.
Matt breaks down the 5 best decisions and 5 worst decisions he's made for his drumming career.
Jonathan is an expert on growing a successful drum career through word of mouth. He shares his insights on how’s he’s been able to build a successful career as a session drummer, and candidly speaks about how his fight with cancer has made him a more optimistic person and drummer.
In this episode, Han shares with us about how he’s been able to build a viral video series that has caught the attention of Zildjian, and many others. He walks us through his thought process as to how comes up with his ideas, and how he executes.
As the founder of @DrumsDaily, Wissam Stephan gives us a unique perspective on what he loves about drumming. As a non-drummer, with a huge passion for drumming, he walks us through why he doesn’t play, and how is middle eastern culture has led him to fulfill his drumming passion through Instagram. What You’ll Learn From This Episode:⁃ What Wissam looks for in featuring drummers on Drums Daily ⁃ What a non drummer sees and hears when he watches us drum ⁃ How culture plays an important role in creativity and the arts.
Ramy Antoun, the founder of A & F Drum Co, walks us down the path that led to starting his luxury drum company and his commitment to building a 100-year company. Ramy's drums attract a type of drummer who is fascinated with exploration. What You’ll Learn From This Episode:How our equipment can play a vital role in our creativity, a play by play on doing remote session drumming, the difference between building a 10 year, and a 100-year company, and getting electronic sounds with acoustic drums.
Being Irelands go to drummer has put Graham Hopkins behind the kit for some of Irelands biggest bands, including Snow Patrol, Therapy?, The Swell Season, and Glen Hansard to name a few. When he’s home from tour, he’s in the studio cutting drums for some of the world's most renown producers. Graham shares his struggle to pick himself back up after getting fired in the middle of recording an album, and how he was able to redeem himself. What You’ll Learn From This Episode: How to pick yourself after crushing defeat, A unique look at preparing on show days, The true meaning of spontaneity, and Why his beard is so important.
Instagram: @graham_hopkins
Website: www.grahamhopkinsdrummer.com
Aside from being a seasoned drummer in the NYC region, Josh brings drummers together through his online resource Drummers Corner Group, where he does in depth reviews of new and exciting drum gear. What You’ll Learn From This Episode isHow all 10 of these new drum products can improve your drumming experience.
Drummer for Good Charlotte, Sugar Ray, NBC's Hollywood Game Night TV Show Band, Recording Sessions WorldWide & Song Writer. Today Dean shares how he goes from being the bandleader on NBC’s Hollywood Game Night to cutting a full record in one day. Hours of warm-ups before a live show and relentless execution, Dean Butterworth has written the book on preparation. What You’ll Learn From This Episode is what it means to be fully prepared for every musical situation, the expectations of a TV show bandleader, the importance of always being a student and a singers perspective on a busy drummer.
Chris Brewer is Meinl's North American Artist Relations Manager for Canada and the United States. He is a go-getter, punching well above his weight class, handling much of the social media that you and I see from Meinl. Additionally, Chris is actively talking with artists, fulfilling orders and helping share Meinl's voice online. We were excited to sit down with Chris to learn how in the world he can be so dang effective, as well as how he is learning to balance multiple facets of his job. Although this podcast is a fun one, we're also glad you're here with us to learn from Chris and would encourage you to take notes, listen closely and look closely at how you present yourself online.
Spending 10 years as a Blue Man Group Drummer has allowed Adrian to bring a unique contribution to his work with singers and artists. Previously touring with Nelly Furtado, and currently on tour with Alessia Cara, Adrian is crushing some of the worlds biggest venues.
- What You’ll Learn From This
- How to reverse engineer your goals to build a step by step
- How to prepare for auditions
- How to be adaptable as a
- Using your drumming to help the singer tell their story
Instagram: adrian_passarelli
https://180drums.com/adrian-passarelli
Ben Sesar, Drummer for Brad Paisley, shares how his experiences in Nashville have changed over the years - The values and challenges of moving to Nashville. Another topic discussed with Ben is how the music industry is evolving and what drummers can expect when moving to Nashville. Also, Ben's favorite drummers at the moment, are broken down including his different philosophies on life and music. The takeaways from this Podcast are everywhere if you are listening closely. Take notes and prepare for some deep insights on the life of playing music.
Chris Mead spent 2 years playing with the DCI Bluecoats marching band, and learned some valuable lessons along the way. Being a former K-12 Music teacher gives him a unique perspective on learning music, and how to develop your sound. Now Chris drums full time with the Peterson Brothers, and Bocephus. What You’ll Learn From This Episode ⁃ What it means to be Amenable ⁃ why being held accountable is so important ⁃ when to speak up vs when not to speak up ⁃ What you can learn from marching bands, even if you don’t want to play in one.
Eric Boudreault is the touring drummer for Odysseo - Cavalia, where he frequently plays shows that extend beyond 2 hours in duration. Hailing from Montreal, now living in Los Angeles, Eric shares advice on how he began playing drums. By diving into his school experience, Eric helps us uncover the value in our local education, as well as the value in eating healthy on tour and developing skills in odd time signatures. This is a fun interview with Eric that covers a wide range of topics sure to help drummers in the working world seeking advice on landing session work, challenging their skills and working closely with producers. As always, leave a review on iTunes if you're enjoying the show!
Evan Ambrosio has been touring internationally, playing hundreds of shows per year with State Champs. State Champs won Best Breakthrough Band at the 2016 Alternative Press Music Awards. What you will learn from this episode are the highlights Of Warped Tour, Dealing With Nervousness, How To Approach Musicians You Look Up To and What To Do With Your Mistakes.
Mark Stepro is a Los Angeles-based musician originally from Ohio. He has performed on every continent except Antarctica and has appeared on The Late Show With David Letterman, The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien, Craig Ferguson, and Carson Daly.
Since 2010, Stepro has been touring and recording with singer-songwriter-producer Butch Walker, performing not only on Walker's own records and tours but also playing on records produced by Walker (Train, Keith Urban, Gavin Degraw, The Wind And The Wave, Brian Fallon of The Gaslight Anthem, etc.). Stepro appears on Walker's most recent release, "Stay Gold" (Dangerbird Records) and recently completed a six-week tour with Butch and the rest of the band.
Stepro also performs with singer Mary McBride under the auspices of the U.S. Department of State as a Cultural Ambassador, presenting American music overseas. The group has logged performances in twenty-three countries such as Russia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Indonesia, appearing in schools, hospitals, prisons, women's shelters, orphanages, and places of worship.
He has also performed or recorded with Panic! At The Disco, Hayes Carll, Ben Kweller, Jackson Browne, Courtney Love, Corb Lund, Sara and Sean Watkins of Nickel Creek, Morgan Kibby of M83, Sara Bareilles, Jakob Dylan of The Wallflowers, Mike Viola, Joe Pug, Robert Ellis, Aaron Lee Tasjan, Adam Levy, and Tim Easton. A passionate student, he has studied with teachers Ed Soph, Steve Houghton and Glenn Kotche of Wilco.
Stepro lives in Atwater Village, Los Angeles with his television writer wife and their one-year-old son William. He enjoys cooking, running and reading.
Rich Redmond is an award-winning recording and touring drummer based in Nashville and Los Angeles. As an in-demand artist, Rich has recorded/toured/performed with:
Jason Aldean, Ludacris, Kelly Clarkson, Bryan Adams, Bob Seger, Miranda Lambert, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Keith Urban, Chris Cornell, Kelsea Ballerini and many others. When he’s not in the studio or on tour, Rich is motivating others with his CRASH Course For Success program, writing songs, producing records, authoring books, and even acting.
What You’ll Learn From This Episode
- Non-musical skills that will benefit your music career
- How branding yourself is can set you apart
- How to build mutually beneficial relationships
www.richredmond.com www.richacts.com www.drumminginthemodernworld.com www.crashcourseforsuccess.com @richredmond
In this episode, we sit down with Connor J. Denis, drummer of Beartooth, who shares how we can learn to develop our own sound at the drumset. Connor also shares his influences and how he landed the gig with Beartooth. Aaron Gillespie, Ilan Rubin and many others are discussed.
For more please visit - 180drums.com/connor-denis-beartooth
Jay Weinberg, the 26 year old phenom behind the drums for Slipknot, joins us this week on the Podcast to share about his experiences playing drums with everyone from Madball and Against Me! to Bruce Springsteen's E-Street Band. That's right folks. Springsteen to Slipknot, Jay can do it all. Jay also shares about his recent travels around the world, his love for painting and the first time Bruce Springsteen called his cell phone to ask him to fill in for his dad Max Weinberg. This episode was a blast for us to tape and we're excited to you to learn Jay's uniquely developed skill of focusing in on the task and hand and taking trials by fire.
Steven Wolf (also known simply as Wolf) has a distinctive skill-set with such versatility that he's become the go-to rhythmic solution for a long list of the world's top recording artists and producers. His virtuoso drumming and world class drum programming can be heard on records by Alicia Keys, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Beyonce and Aretha Franklin, to name only a few. In addition to drumming and programming, he's also an accomplished producer, songwriter, and remixer.
Carter McLean is one remarkable guy. Forget the fact that Carter is an exceptional drummer for one second to consider how he has been able to juggle professionally photography, competitive Rock climbing, and Skiing during different phases of his life's journey. Today Carter plays drums full-time, working with an array of exceptional artists while also holding down drums for NYC's Lion King on Broadway. Carter McLean shares not only how he started, but the philosophy behind developing skills and being led by your inspiration. Our team at 180 is impressed by not only Carter's resume, but his down-to-earth attitude and desire to help others learn while following what fuels him at whatever stage of life he's at.
In this Episode Caleb Crosby, drummer & member of Tyler Bryant & the Shakedown gives us the scoop on his experience touring Europe opening for ACDC, being a member of a full-time rock and roll band, meeting Tyler Bryant, and why he and the Shakedown avoid using a click/metronome for their live performances. It's an action-packed episode with some amazing stories, including how the rhythm section of the Shakedown got called to play for Chris Cornell (Soundgarden, Audioslave) in-front of one of the biggest crowds of their career.
Randy Cooke is a Canadian born-LA based session drummer who’s backed up Ringo Starr, Mick Jagger, Kelly Clarkson, Smashmouth, Hilary Duff, and more. In this episode, Randy Cooke is sharing on the non-monetary details he considers before taking a gig, how important it is to navigate different personalities as a session drummer and how he handles nervousness. "I always want people to know that it’s not a financially motivating decision." - Randy Cooke
Mike Dawson is managing editor for Modern Drummer, the world’s most widely read magazine for drummers, and he serves as book editor for Modern Drummer Publications, with most recent releases including FUNdamentals of Drumming for Kids by modern country great Rich Redmond and co-author Michael Aubrecht, Stick Technique by rudimental drumming specialist Bill Bachman, and Exercises in African-American Funk by University of Miami professor Steve Rucker and top touring drummer Jonathan Joseph (Jeff Beck, Joss Stone, Richard Bona). In the pages of MD, Dawson has authored dozens of artist features, educational columns, event reports, and product reviews.
An active performer, teacher, and session drummer in the New York City area, Dawson has a bachelor’s degree in music education from West Virginia University and a master’s degree in music from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He’s Senior Lecturer in music journalism at the University of the Arts. Mike also produces drum tracks for artists all around the world out of his home studio in New Jersey.
Greg Clark Jr had played with everyone from Cody Simpson to Snarky Puppy to Leann Rimes. On this episode he discusses the art of cultivating your own sound and wisdom for being in the music industry. He shares his experiences from playing at the white house for Obama to being asked to sit behind Dennis Chambers kit, mid gig. Born and Raised in Washington DC, Greg started playing drums in church around 3 or 4 years old as a left handed drummer who was forced into learning to play right handed. Then an opportunity arose to switch over to setting up the kit left handed and he’s never looked back. "I love that drums are a never ending challenge” are words echoed by Greg in so many ways throughout this podcast. While young in his career Greg was on his first big travel date in Aruba and had his eyes opened by the uniqueness of Mary J Blige drummer Rex Hardy Jr's playing. This furthered Greg’s desire to begin cultivating his own sound and sharing how others could do the same. How to go about cultivating your own sound - find musicians older or more experienced than you - taught greg respect and how to listen to other musicians - our main job is to keep the time, while paying attention to others - find your favourite musicians, then discover their influences - Don’t listen to the same 3 or 4 drummers - avoid only watching drummers on YouTube - Listen to pianists, bassists and vocalists - Go to clubs and sit in on open mic's - Soak in different environments - “Everybody hears that certain musician, or record, and it turns the light-switch on for them" - You never know when ‘this record will be the record that changed my life.' - patiently take time to figure out the things you’re trying to hear on the drums - Finding your own sound is about looking past what’s just on YouTube Episode highlights from Greg Clark Jr: "Listening to busta Rhymes’s rhythm helped shape the way I play" "With experience comes experience, not necessarily age." "Sooner or later you hear that one record and think… I understand now." “A lot of musicians feel like they’re ready for something… but they’re not ready." "You can either do two things - you can be upset about it, or you can pull out your pen and pad and start taking notes." “Dennis (Chambers) has been in the game a really long time, but he’s still aware of everything that is current." "Dennis Chambers will tell you he’s not going to come to your show and not to put him on the guest list, just so he can buy a ticket to your show and come support… That’s the type of person he is." "Will Kennedy is another guy I’ve watched forever. Will has some of the, consistently, best sounding drums in the business. He can make an odd time sound like a super easy, even time groove." "It turned out, I was fortunate enough for things to happen. I’m blessed, I must say." "When you can accurately hit a drum, or tune a drum, it gives the engineer less work to do. They respect you more because they know they can call you and you’ll sound solid, providing great tone. You save them time and money and they’ll keep you in their favourite 5" People Mentioned: - Dennis Chambers - Vinnie Colaiuta - Carlos Vega - Louie Bellson - Steve Gadd - Jay Williams - Aaron Spears - Steve Johnson - Jamal Moore - Greg Granger - Calvin Rogers - Brian Frasier Moore - Robert Sput Searight || - Gergo Borlai - Justin Brown - chris colemans - Thomas Pridgen - Ronald Brunner Jr - Chris Leech - Piano Player who does Tracks - Dave Weckl - Chick Corea Elektric Band - Carlos Vega - Corey Henry - Leann Rimes - Mary J Blige - Rex Hardy Jr Greg Clark Jr also shares: - Stories on Calvin Rogers and Robert Sput Searight - How he was asked to fill in for Snarky Puppy - How Dennis Chambers took Greg under his wing - How Will Kennedy also took Greg under his wing Drummers Dennis has mentioned frequently - Gergo Borlai - Justin Brown - Chris Coleman - Thomas Pridgen - Ronald Bruner Jr Greg Clark Jr on Mom: About 3 years ago I realized just how good she was, transcribing a challenging piece she was site reading on the fly. She’s one of my biggest influences. Greg Clark Jr on drum tuning: - Calvin Rogers, Dave Weckl and Will Kennedy’s drum tuning - drum tuning is an unusual thing because of the variables - they take a lot of time tuning their drums - there’s a different spectrum of drum sounds - Use dampening for specific reasons, but start with open sounding drums - There’s a place, and a balance to figure out, for all tunings - What does the venue acoustically call for? - Taking the drum heads completely off and starting from scratch - measuring up your drum sounds to records - ask people for help “my tuning sucks, can you help me?" - Everybody who’s tuning I enjoy, I’ve sat down and asked them to help me, or snuck in to watch them tune - Every drum is different, the trick is figuring out how to get your sound out of the drum - No matter what happens, people should be saying those drums sounded good because you got your point across and sounded like yourself. That’s the key. - Stand on your kick drum head to stretch the head out - When you put the heads on the rack tom, tune everything super tight to play it in. - Floor toms, semi tighter on the bottom than the top head. - Understand how to play on a bebop drum set and get your sound out of it just the same. - Snare drum, clockwise tuning always. Super tight bottom head. Coated 2 ply batter. - Clear heads, single ply on bottom, two ply on tops of toms What are you listening to while playing with a band? It all depends on who I’m playing with, what artist is singing, who’s in the band. Some people have bad time and you have to be aware of that. For the most part I’m listening to the bass so the music is locked and doesn’t fall apart. No matter what happens, if anything goes wrong on the foundation, the drummer gets the blame. It’s mainly the bass player I’m listening to, but I’ll ask for a mix of a little of everyone in my monitor. What’s one of the best ways to improve feel and time: Sense of time is easy: I got a metronome or MPC track and turn the track super low in volume and practice playing to it. You have to train your ear and body to hear the pulse and feel the click. When you get comfortable with what you’re playing to, turn it down really really low and try to chop over it. It’s an easy answer, but not an easy process. Everyone in the band will be looking to you for comfort (with timing) and if you’re not comfortable they won’t be either. If you’re not comfortable playing off time, simply set up a click to practice to. The click ain’t gonna lie, the click will keep you honest. What drummers / artists do you recommend listening to for Feel? Listen to records and feel. Steve Gadd is the king of feel. Dennis chambers, Will Kennedy, Gary Novak, Carlos Vega with James Taylor… Listen to all these guys. You can’t teach feel behind the drum-set, you really have to figure that out on your own. "Make the music feel good, and the people on the dance floor dance." "Feel is not a black thing, feel is a human thing. One of my favourite drummers on a couple of Miles Davis’ wife record Betty Davis is Greg Errico, a white drummer/ When you hear him play (Greg Errico) you will think this is a 50 year old black dude who knows how to make soul food." "Yogi Horton on I’m coming out, that stuff feels great." - Carlos Vega - Steve Gadd - Dennis Chambers - Will Kennedy - Gary Novak - Any motown records - James Brown Greg on Antonio Sanchez, "I don’t think drummers understand how big a deal it is that a drummer was asked to score the movie bird land." "Feel is not a thing you figure out in 6 months… it is everything you build on and evolve from. You have to stay current and relevant to what feels good and how people dance." Parting Advice: "We LEARN so that we can TEACH." "Keep practicing, keep staying current, past to present." "Go out and support artists play because they will be the ones coming to see you play “If Jeff Tain Watts is in town, I’m going to go catch the gig." "Billy Cobham's Spectrum band… Billy was killing it at 70 years old. There’s nothing like seeing people play in person." "Stay current, go see people play, buy records, practice tuning, being very aware, work on feel pulse." "Go see Corey Henry playing an organ show." “Hear a show not driven by the drums but the artist" "Go watch Chick Corea Elektric Band play." “Weather report, stanley clark… they shifted music to what it is today." "If you want to grow, don’t be afraid to ask drummers to help."
Sarah Hagan is the director of Artist Relations worldwide with Zildjian. This means Sarah is in touch with many of your favorite drummers. It also means she has years of experience under her belt. Working with people around the world, understanding commonalities between drummers and, almost without fail, wearing a black shirt and blue jeans every day of the week are skills Sarah has adopted. Just kidding on the last point... but in all serious-ness Sarah has an amazing ability to develop, build and maintain relationships on the daily with more people than most talk to within an entire month. Get ready for a podcast that is going to provide you some serious insight on what it means to be a drummer in this day and age.
Mike Sleath is one of Canada’s most in-demand drummers. After getting turned down for music college three years in a row Mike shares the path he took, landing him his current gig with Shawn Mendes. We’re going talk about the most important parts of his job on AND off the kit and some of his most important lessons he’s learned along the way.
Why Listen? Learn:
- The importance on onomatopoeia in drumming
- Why it’s extremely important to understand how to run backing tracks
- One of Mike’s biggest lessons he’s learned from being on stage
- What to do if music college doesn’t let you in three years in a row
- How to transform your drum sounds on the fly
- Working with a Musical Director on stage
MikeSleathDrums.com / Instagram / Twitter / YouTube
In this episode of we have Kris Mazzarisi of @BigFatSnareDrum and Trey Smith, Front of House extraordinaire for Matt Kearney & Sara Bareilles, discussing how to create an amazing live drum sound. From tuning, mic positioning, mic selection, EQ'ing and Gate-ing, Kris and Trey cover it all. This unique and valuable insight is difficult to find anywhere else. Lastly, this entire episode was recorded at the White House... Yes, the white house. Enjoy!
Ever wondered how you can use tools like YouTube and Instagram to spread the word about your drumming and create a career? Josh Manuel did at a young age and began exploring every area of the net in search for different ways to share his talent. Eventually landing a touring gig with Issues, Josh shares his experiences and insights into the world of Social Media as it was when he got his start, and as it is today.
Ever wondered what it takes to make a living playing drums? Have you had your first audition for a band? Are you thinking about studying to get a college level education within the music industry? Wondering if playing music without an education was the right decision? Today with Tim Buell, we're answering your questions. We're focusing on the heart of the matter, discussing his experiences doing all of the above. Tim shares phenomenal insight into his studies and current strategy. He shares tips and tricks on how drummers can expand their playing. As well as how drummers can use all their senses to improve their skills. Hold on tight, this is a good one.
Preconceptions, ego and fear are a few topics who's prevalence should lead to greater self inspection. As drummers it's important we realize not only how to improve, but how to refrain from creating self-made pitfalls. Preconceptions are the perspectives that form in our mind while ego is the response to our preconceptions with a focus on me. Lastly, fear is that driver that motivates preconceptions and ego to protect oneself, often at the expense of others... and almost always at the expense of ones self in due time.
Preconceptions, Egos and Fear What we're saying in this post is, self-awareness in life isn't always as important as self-forgetfulness. Creating models that matter while adding value to those around you, is what matters most.
This podcast features Wayne Blanchard, and let me tell you, he is one incredibly wise man. Not only is Wayne a studied drummer in his own right, but Wayne also has worked with everyone from Neil Peart to Dave Weckl. In his time working for Sabian, Wayne helped the company rebrand aspects of it's business and change it's approach to marketing. This podcast is one of my personal favorite's. Wayne's insights are not only brilliant, but also are that of his experiences and the environment that assisted in his wonderfully creative approach to thinking.
Growing up in Germany, England and Scotland, now living on the east coast of Canada, Wayne Blanchard lives a life that embodies personality, creativity and humility. Playing in clubs by age 13, Wayne grew up drumming and playing bass, drawing inspiration from Beat-Club and listening to Radio Luxembourg. It wasn't until hearing Cream and Hendrix that Wayne found himself transmogrified as a musician. The influence of Average White Band and Jeff Beck also made an impact as Wayne transitioned from a life in Post War Germany, to one in England and Scotland.
Why Listen? Wayne shares why:
- Phil Collins and Mike Portnoy are the ultimate endorsers
- Distinction matters (don't be neapolitan ice cream!)
- Everyone liking you is a distraction from what matters
- Innovation is important
Quotes * Most people prefer to be informed enough to make up their own mind. * Accept that you're not right all the time. The one time you're wrong can wreck everything. * Just because people like things doesn't mean it's good for you. * Brand is like a magnet. * It's what you are, not what you do. * Don't sell, create value.
Connect Wayne@waynebmarketing.com
Value, how do you add it? Are you wondering how you can add value to the massive wall of content being uploaded to Instagram every day? Confused about where to begin, how to make a name for yourself or whether you have value to add in the first place?
Often times we overestimate what we can achieve in the short term, get discouraged and give up, before our idea is ever realized. The problem is we've underestimated what we can achieve in the long term. If we could keep our ideas going for days, weeks, months, or most importantly, for years, believing it would one day pan out - we would likely achieve far more than we ever thought possible. Enter, Tristan Kelley.
With well over 50,000 followers and 1,000 posts, Tristan Kelley has successfully posted an Instagram "new beat a day" for the last several years. 700 days to be exact. Are you kidding me? Years, folks! Talk about consistency and dedication to the vision. Drummers have begun to find the value in his creativity, and it didn't happen over night. His beats have gotten better, his video and audio has improved and his numbers continue to spike as drummers flock to check out his latest beat, every single day. He's even scored the attention of some of the heaviest companies on the scene as of lately.
Here's his instagram account: @TristanKelley
I highly recommend you follow him!
Creating a career drumming isn't easy. Creating a versatile drumming career is wiser, yet harder still. Creating a life that is driving with clarity, using your highest level of capability, and is executed with confidence is astronomically harder to achieve... Unless you put in the work, then something strange happens. Things begin to fall into place.
- Decades of experience as a drummer, author, speaker, coffee consumer, and full time human being
- First experience behind a drumset at 5 years old
- Experience starting with cello and moving to drums at 9 years old
- Moment watching The Beatles and Ringo Starr on Ed Sullivan
- Battle against Cancer
- Favorite books
- Moment of realization having played drums in front of over a billion people (1,000,000,000 - incase you don't realize how big that number is)
- Experience writing his book "3 Steps to Top Performance - Conquering Life's Stage Freight"
- Experience doing clinics since 1991
- Failed audition for Bad English taught him more in a moment than many successes in his career. "It was the best worst day of my life."
Nashville. Why do drummers move there? How about Los Angeles and New York City? Nashville is our topic today and in this podcast interview with Joshua Sales, we're diving into a number of different subjects about how working drummers can get paid to do what they love, play the dang drums. We start off discussing Josh's experience growing up in Indianapolis, Indiana and how a sudden move to London, England, had him leaving his dreams of becoming a professional MLB pitcher behind. This is when the drums took the spotlight. Front and centre, baby.
Why Listen to this Podcast? You will learn:
- Whether or not you should move to Nashville for a drumming career
- The most important skills to start gigging in a new city
- The most important qualities to possess as a drummer
- Books, drummers and quotes to jot down
- What it is other musicians are look
Ever wondered how you can create a career drumming and begin to make money with multiple streams of income? Jumping into this podcast is immediately going to reveal a number of different ways you can begin to establish a career as a drummer and earn some cash while you play... so your bank account isn't empty while you're out drumming! It might just surprise you how many different ways you can make money playing the drums, and while developing a career as a drummer is a challenging, it's not an unrealistic goal. We are excited to hear how this podcast helps you on your journey to becoming the best drummer you can be and creating a career that sustains you for the years ahead!
Why listen to this episode? You will learn about Chris':
- Todays music industry
- Experience in Cover Bands
- Experience teaching drums
- Move to Los Angeles to Pursue a Career
- Tips on Getting gigs
- Tips on preparing for gigs and auditions
- Different ways to make money playing drums
- How to view drumming as a business
Enjoy!
- Subscribe to 180 Drums Podcast
DISCLAIMER: Harry spoke with the Jewish Defense League before writing on, and covering, this story. This post is not in support of any racist or anti-semitic behaviour, actions or visuals. This article is written to take a further look at the early 1900's history, prior to World War II, as well as some of the definitive moments in drum collection history.
This blog post is going to be not only extremely interesting, but also quite controversial and historical in nature. This podcast and blog is highlighting William S. Hart, a famous movie star of the early 1900's who made a purchase from Ludwig & Ludwig for his son, that today is highly valued and, even more so, misunderstood. Harry J. Cangany, a drum historian of sorts, and avid writer for many news mediums, including Modern Drummer, Drum! Magazine, Not So Modern Drummer and many more, joined us to discuss and shed light on this controversial piece of drum history.
Harry also spends time highlighting the recent sale of a $2 million Ringo Starr drumhead used upon his early arrival to the United States, both appearing on the Ed Sullivan show (with none other than The Beatles) and used on his personal Ludwig drumset. Harry also discusses sitting down with his hometown Billionaire who made the purchase of the drumhead, and continued on to purchase Ringo Starr's first personal Ludwig drumset in the United States. This is an exciting podcast full of surprises and fascinating bits of history that are sure to leave you learning something new. Without further adieu... Harry J. Cangany on the 180 Drums Podcast...
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Written by Jake Nicolle
"I want to take drum lessons!" – Harry J. Cangany, moments after seeing The Beatles and Ringo Starr for the first time on the Ed Sullivan show in 1964, February 19th. He recalls it like it was yesterday.
Why listen to this episode? You will learn about Harry's:
- 20 year hunt for the most controversial drum ever
- Experience, seeing, documenting and touching Ringo's first drumset
- Life changing experience with The Beatles
- The early rise of the drum set and how Ringo Starr made that impact
- 150 Drum Sets and 50 Snare Drum large collection
We've heard about pocket so many times but what does pocket mean, and do you have it? We thought we would delve a little further to understand who is widely recognized as having a deep pocket to better help you create one. Written by Josh Teitelbaum & Jake Nicolle. Pocket.
To me, pocket implies the point at which a song feels just right.
When you hear the pocket, it sounds perfectly comfortable and groovy.
When you play in the pocket, you are serving the song and making it feel good.
The musical importance of pocket cannot be overstated enough; it is paramount in any style. Furthermore, pocket allows the musicians around you to feel supported and grounded in a solid sense of time.
Often times, it is the rhythm section’s responsibility to establish the pocket, for which a groove or song can be built around. As drummers, we have huge influence as to how a song feels, and how it moves from beginning to end.
Below are some of my favorite drummers who have an uncanny ability to play what’s right for the song, form the pocket, and create a solid musical foundation for the rest of the band to sit on top of. The effect that these players have had on my, and so many other drummers’ musicality is unmatched. My list of influences is by no means limited to this list, but these are some of the guys who have had the most significant impact on my playing and feel.
Steve Jordan
Steve Gadd
James Gadson
Bernard Purdie
Aaron Sterling
Zigaboo
Clyde Stubblefield / John “Jabo” Starks
John Bonham
Benny Benjamin, Uriel Jones, “Pistol” Allen
Stevie Wonder
Levon Helm
David Garibaldi
Brian Blade
Al Jackson Jr.
All discussed...
"The drums speak for themselves." – Nathaniel Mela. Playing a major role in helping bringing Craviotto drums to the marketplace. He's also surrounded by Craviotto drums daily, making him one of the luckiest guys we can think of. Nathaniel gives us the lowdown on his experience working with Craviotto and the backstory of Johnny Craviotto. He shares how Johnny growing up using drums from the 20-40's had an impact on Johnny's inspiration to pursue a particular style of drum crafting after seeing a shift from major manufacturers to ply drum shells in the 80's.
About Craviotto Drums
Craviotto one-ply, solid shell drum sets provide a sound and feel that is instantly recognizable. Each drum is handmade from premium quality, hand-selected wood boards. We begin at the source to ensure your instrument is free from imperfections. From there, each drum takes several weeks to make - start to finish. The result is an instrument that speaks for itself and inspires others. Each Craviotto one-ply, solid shell drum wears over one thousand fingerprints from the pickiest, most exacting talented drum craftsmen in the business. You bet and proud of it. From Maple, to Ash, to Walnut to Mahogany, let the fine craftsmen at Craviotto construct the instrument you've been seeking.
Why listen to this episode? You will learn How:
- Craviotto was birthed
- Johnny Craviotto's inspiration to begin building custom drums first came from and how Neil Peart was an early artist
- Ringo Starr playing drums on the Ed Sullivan show impacted the culture of drumming as a whole and especially for companies like Zildjian Cymbals and Ludwig drums.
- Jake Nicolle messed up on a Craviotto Snare trade that led to the formation of 180drums.com with Steve Augustine (I didn't mess up that bad on the trade)!
- Johnny built such an impressive roster of artists who all buy the drums and don't receive giveaways
- Johnny used to tour with Buffy St. Marie, Neil Young and many others
- the early 20s, 30s and 40s drums had an impact on the Craviotto sound
- To cope with letting go of a drum you regret parting ways with
Enjoy!
- Subscribe to 180 Drums Podcast
- Listen to it on iTunes.
- Stream by clicking here.**
Quotes "Just another Fish." - Johnny Craviotto
"It spread like wildfire amongst the right people."
"All these guys have approached him and I think that stems from the fact that Johnny is really doing something unique."
"The drums speak for themselves."
Connect with Craviotto: CraviottoDrums.com | Facebook | YouTube | Twitter | Instagram
People and Artists Mentioned * Johnny Craviotto * Emily Smith * Zildjian * Ludwig Drums * Ringo Starr * Huey Lewis and the News * Solid Drum Company * Jim Keltner * DW Drums * Don Lombardi * Ronnie Vannucci * Jason McGerr * Bernie Dresel * Brian Blade * Chris McHugh * Chad Cromwell * Chris Tyrell
JAKE NICOLLE @JakeNicolle
Co-founder of @180Drums and @SundaySeat. A lover of all things drums. I have toured and recorded with various artists, constantly refining my craft. I spend my time working on 180Drums.com, Sunday Seat and various other projects, inspiring and raising up other drummers and young entrepreneurs when time permits. A good book and cup of coffee is always near by.
Click HERE to see Jake’s Lessons
MARK SCHROOR @MarkSchroor
All around bad to the bone. Mark tapes not only the intro and outro of the podcast but he's also a killer drummer in his own right. When Mark isn't out touring with Manafest or other artists he can be found in his studio recording satellite drum tracks for artists all over the world and mixing the latest 180 Drums Podcast episode. He's the real deal.
Other Articles you might enjoy…
"It's vital to understand that music is a business, not just art. You're an entity inside of a larger industry. Think beyond music." – Nate Robinson
Nate Robinson is not just Lecrae's drummer, but he's also an amazing teacher and entrepreneur. Nate has played with a variety of Grammy-winning and Billboarding-topping artists including: Wayman Tisdale, Kelis, Tank, Angie Stone, Lecrae, Jermaine Dupri, Sarah Morrow, and Tyler Perry among others. His style is flavorful and unique. He never plays to hog the audience’s gaze, but rather to form the greater whole of the musical experience through unity and balance. “Heard Not Seen.”
Why listen to this episode? You will learn how to:
- Play for the Music
- Not Talk Too Much
- Develop your Weaknesses
- Expose your own musical Identity
- Create a successful music business
- Develop a strategy for a successful career
Enjoy!
- Subscribe to 180 Drums Podcast
- Listen to it on iTunes.
- Stream by clicking here.**
Nate's #180Seat ZION Cymbals AJP Custom Drums Hardware * DW 9000 series pedals and hardware * DW 5000 series pedals
Remo Drumheads Notes He began banging on stuff at 2 years old
His experience on 180 Drums
Earnest Walker was Nate's mentor, who allowed Nate to drum tech his gigs. This was Nate's early education and further exposure to the drums.
Nate wasn't schooled at all.
He got started in church, but didn't like gospel music
Grew up in Houston w/ Chris Daddy Dave
Prayer Each Morning - "This is the day the Lord has made;
We will rejoice and be glad in it." - Psalm 118:24
Most productive at night. Last thing of the day - shutting down computer, gone straight to bed around 3AM.
Nate's Father is an electrical engineer
His mother is a nurse
Blockbuster music selection
Mo' Better Blues
Violin and Recorder were Nate's schooled instruments
Quotes - Nate's dad, "Always focus on your weaknesses... It's the exact opposite of what you want to do, but that's where you need to spend your time."
"All I ever see, all I ever hear are my weaknesses... and because of that, I always have something to work on."
"Being an amazing musician requires the artist to create some infrastructure in order to have a career. You have to create something."
"Create something comfortable and authentic to who I am, and define myself as a player."
"It had the potential to be awful."
"Vital to understand that music is a business, not just an art. You're an entity inside of a larger industry."
"Think beyond music and just the drums."
"95% business 5% music."
"Play the music. Don't play at the music, play with the music."
"Music is your business product."
"Continue to practice and work even when things look good.
Connect with Nate: TheBeatBreaker.com | Facebook | YouTube | Twitter | Instagram
People and Artists Mentioned * Lecrae * Chris Daddy Dave * Earnest Walker * RUSH * Neil Peart * Jeff Tain Watts * Terence Blanchard * Brian Blade * Gary James * John Coltrane * Wayman Tisdale * Jermaine Dupri * Angie Stone
JAKE NICOLLE @JakeNicolle
Co-founder of @180Drums and @SundaySeat. A lover of all things drums. I have toured and recorded with various artists, constantly refining my craft. I spend my time working on 180Drums.com, Sunday Seat and various other projects, inspiring and raising up other drummers and young entrepreneurs when time permits. A good book and cup of coffee is always near by.
Click HERE to see Jake’s Lessons
MARK SCHROOR @MarkSchroor
All around bad to the bone. Mark tapes not only the intro and outro of the podcast but he's also a killer drummer in his own right. When Mark isn't out touring with Manafest or other artists he can be found in his studio recording satellite drum tracks for artists all over the world and mixing the latest 180 Drums Podcast episode. He's the real deal.
Other Articles you might enjoy…
Drake's Drummer Adrian Bent walks us through how he got the gig and played bass on some Drake tracks you love as well. Have you ever tried to understand how the guys touring arenas all over the world and playing on your favorite records first landed their big break? We have too and we know what that curiosity feels like. Getting a big gig is hard and there's a lot more than just one element involved. Hard work, network and opportunity all vary in their significance, person to person, but they matter. Adrian has all three working for him and explains how he practiced and put in the time to be prepared when the opportunity came knocking... Even though it did catch him sleeping ;) Subscribe to 180 Drums Podcast
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Written by Jake Nicolle
"A lot of people can fall by the wayside... and give up. But, if they just stayed the course, they would realize nothing is built overnight." – Adrian Bent
Adrian Bent has played not just drums on Drake tracks you know... He's played the bass on several too.
Why listen to this episode? You will learn how to:
- Play Less and get hired to play drums more
- The value in a "straight groove" mentality
- Get big gigs
- Keep big gigs
- Develop a network
- Value playing less
Enjoy!
- Subscribe to 180 Drums Podcast
- Listen to it on iTunes.
- Stream by clicking here.**
Adrian's #180Seat Quotes "People really don't understand drums…. You've gotta make it more relatable."
"Even when it comes to soloing you need to make reoccurring themes for people to understand."
"Stay the course."
"No one sees the groundwork."
"No one saw the hours I practiced in church by myself, they just assume I came out of nowhere."
"Everything will come that is supposed to come your way."
playing "Relatable Fills."
"We need to simplify to make it relatable."
Connect with Adrian: Adrianbent.com | Facebook | YouTube | Twitter | Instagram
People and Artists Mentioned * Drake * John Jr Robinson * Ndugu Chancelor * Jeremy Haynes * Jay Z * Josh Tietlebaum * Zildjian * Dave Weckl * Vinnie Colaiuta * Steve Gadd
"Cymbals are one of the best way for drummers to customize their sound. Picking cymbals out is a really special experience and it helps you create your sound... That's a really big deal for people who work here and are players at Zildjian."
Tony hosts the most eclectic vocabulary to describe cymbals. "Lush, shimmering, flavours, shades, Distortion boost, White noise, raw aggression."
Tony is responsible for Cymbals, Stick, Accessories and Gear at Zildjian
His role as Product Manager has an artist relation focus, brand awareness, and marketing co-relationship.
Tony creates his lists every day and eats his morning cereal from his desk.
" A funnel, not a tunnel. Funnel your ideas down into prioritization. This has the biggest potential... This is what people are absolutely screaming for."
Methods to the madness: Evernote, Google Docs
Cymbals trends: bigger Diameter and darker crashes, hi hats, rides. Fewer cymbals.
"There's so many directions we can go and there's never a shortage of ideas."
New Products
20" A Custom Projection Crash is the latest A Custom line addition
Extended ranges in K and K Custom family
Diversity in Ride Cymbal A Custom categories
New A Avedis Cymbal line - Vintage take on 50/60's A series. Taking the consumer through Zildjians footprint from the 50's - 90's. How Zildjian has managed to stay with popular music through the genres. A Series has followed that path.
"We make our cymbals as versatile as possible."
Schooling
Western Illinois University
Played in ensembles, rock bands, marching - DCI Drum Core
Worked for Tycoon Percussion and Corporate offices of Guitar Center in Southern California before Zildjian.
"This industry is pretty small... [if] you develop a good reputation for yourself, it can carry you along."
New S Family mid tier price point Cymbal line, B12 Alloy - Tony helped bring this product to market.
Favorite moments with Zildjian - Listening to the prototype, as a team, before it becomes the final product. Meeting drummers at events around the country, providing a background to drummers on what goes into the making of each cymbal or new product release.
Zildjian K line/series - A catch all for great ideas.
Special dry, k custom dark, hybrid...
K custom dark have really done quite well.
K Dark, K Custom Dark, Constantinople, Kerope
K Custom - overhammering with a lot of tone
K Dark - More of a fundamental pitch
Zildjian A line/series
Dave Grohl and the A Custom EFX - Distortion boost, White noise, raw aggression
People and bands Mentioned
Tool
Jason Bittner
Shadows Fall
Snarky puppy
Pucifer - James keening?
Mutemath
Deftones
Hands like houses?
Larnell Lewis
Taylor Hawkins
Dave Grohl
Foo fighters
Emily Smith - Link to her podcast on a special highlighted level
Breaking Through the Noise
What would have defined a superstar drummer 15 years ago would have been a headlining gig. Now to be successful; market yourself online and utilize social media and youtube. Those guys are the new hero's [of the drumming spotlight].
Not only are you able to look at those guys videos every day but you're able to get lessons with them.
If you do it well... you can really make a name for yourself... In a different way... We want that to continue.
Nothing truly good comes easy... Work hard and keep at it.
180drums.com/TonyL
- SHOW NOTES -
“Out of everything I've done musically... such an easy idea is getting me traction.” – Tristan Kelley
Tristan Kelley (@TristanKelley) has more than 1,000 videos of original grooves. Try that one on for size.
What's exciting about todays podcast is it's emphasis on creating original ideas and being unafraid to share those ideas with the world. It can be intimidating creating your own videos and ideas but trial and error is your best friend.
Why listen to this episode? You will learn:
- Tristan's drum collection
- How Tristan grew his Instagram account
- More about your own creative process
- How to Re-evaluate your own playing
- How Tristan picked up the drums
- How to quickly create new ideas
- Tristan's daily routine
- Why slow is fast
- SHOW NOTES -
“You can only regret what you don't do.” – Lindsay Artkop (2015 Hit Like a Girl Contest Winner - Berklee School of Music Graduate)
Lindsay Artkop (@LindsayArtkop) is quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with, and an influential female in the world of drumming.
You might know Lindsay from her success becoming the 2015 winner of the Hit Like a Girl Contest.
What's exciting about todays podcast is it's focus on have a focused practice routine and how Berklee stirred up much of the way Lindsay developed that focused practice regimen. She shares the secrets to how she created a routine that's helped her maximize and focus her time in the practice room towards specific goals.
Why listen to this episode? You will learn:
- How Lindsay got started playing drums at a young age
- The influence of various mentors on her life
- The value of studying at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts
- How to build a focused and disciplined practice routine
- How Lindsay utilized the mentors in her life
- Lindsay's experience winning the 2015 Hit Like a Girl Contest
- How often Lindsay releases content
- Various projects Lindsay is working on
Enjoy!