This week’s guest Sheridan Riley - a drummer and overall fabulous musician based out of Washington State. Sheridan is the drummer for the band Alvvays (which I love) in addition to their own projects Peg and releases under their own name, Sheridan Riley. They’ve also worked with Avi Buffalo, Hand Habits, Cassandra Jenkins, John Mitchell Quartet, Time of Wolves, Fort Wife among many others. Sheridan is a such a kind, caring person and it shows in their conversational drumming. Please enjoy my cha...
Feb 01, 2023•44 min•Season 3Ep. 50
This week’s guest is Jeremy Taggart. Jeremy has been mentioned on the pod of few times in other drummer’s top 5 in regards to his previous work with the band Our Lady Peace…which Jeremy joined when he was 17 and remained their drummer until 2014. He’s also a fellow podcaster with his show “Tarrant & Torrens”…which we talk about at the end of the show (it's also a musical duo)…plus he's the co-auther of the book "Canadianity ". Jeremy and my mutual friend (and yet another friend of the pod) M...
Jan 25, 2023•54 min•Season 3Ep. 49
This week’s guest is Dave Scalia. Dave is a Brooklyn-based professional drummer, producer, and songwriter. For the last 7 years, he’s been playing with Elle King, but throughout his career he’s also worked with White Rabbits, Dawn Richard, Theo Katzman, Miranda Lambert, A Great Big World, Darren Criss, Dierks Bentley and many more. He’s incredible, nuanced and purposeful, yet very elastic with his playing. I just love his style and I was extremely excited to chat with him. Please enjoy the 5ish ...
Jan 18, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Season 3Ep. 48
This week’s guest Adam Christgau. Adam is one of THE go-to drummers in the live music scene. He’s worked with Tegan & Sara, Troye Sivan, Sia, Weezer, John Scofield, Kacey Musgraves, Brandon Flowers, Ingrid Michaelson, Chaka Kahn, LP, Dan Romer and, of course, many more. He’s also worked on music scores including Pixar’s Luca and HBO’s Station 11. In addition to musical endeavors, Adam owns and operates Christgau Design: a high-end custom furniture company. I’ve wanted to get Adam on the show...
Jan 11, 2023•47 min•Season 3Ep. 47
This week’s guest is Stacy Jones … a hell of a drummer, front man, guitarist, singer, producer and musical director. He is currently the musical director AND drummer for Miley Cyrus, the primary songwriter / singer / rhythm guitarist for American Hi-Fi and the drummer for Matchbox Twenty and Letters to Cleo. As a Musical Director, he’s also worked with Olivia Rodrigo, Demi Lovato, The Chainsmokers, Logic and Ryan Tedder, Noah Cyrus, Troye Sivan, 5 Seconds of Summer, Broods and many more. And to ...
Jan 04, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Season 3Ep. 46
This week’s show has Zach Lind of Jimmy Eat World breaking down his favorite Jimmy Eat World grooves and tells the story of why they each hold a special place in his drumming heart. There are a lot of great perspectives in this episode including how the element of surprise is an artist’s greatest weapon, acknowledging when you’re not needed and how he’s always thinking about what he can take AWAY from a part to make it unique as opposed to adding more. --- Get Your Copy of the Drummers on Drummi...
Dec 28, 2022•53 min•Season 3Ep. 45
This week’s guest is Daniel Fang…drummer for the hardcore band Turnstile. Turnstile was nominated for three Grammys this year which includes: Best rock performance (Holiday) Best rock song (Blackout) Best metal performance (Blackout) Daniel’s Tour Kit Rundown --- Get Your Copy of the Drummers on Drumming Book Today! 🎯 Click here to order now! Drummers on Drumming (the book) takes you inside the stories, records, and moments that shaped some of the world’s greatest drummers. Built on the Big Fat...
Dec 21, 2022•46 min•Season 3Ep. 44
This week’s guest is Nick Ruffini…host of the longest-running drumming podcast out there today…Drummer’s Resource. With over 650 episodes, Nick has talked to almost every drummer one could think imagine. I love his interviews; I’ve learned a lot from him and his show is one I look up to quite a bit. We’ve chatted a few times off the air over the years, but it was great to finally get him on the show. If you’re a fan of drumming podcasts, I’m sure you’re aware of Nick, but you might not know a lo...
Dec 14, 2022•42 min•Season 3Ep. 43
This week’s guest is Sarab Singh. I’ve admired Sarah from afar for a long time and it’s funny that we’ve never met face to face prior to this chat as we’ve randomly shared lockouts in LA essentially across the hall from each other twice at this point. Sarab has worked with Ingrid Michaelson, Charlie XCX, Joji, his solo project called KLVR GRL, and most recently he’s kept busy with the band MUNA. Please enjoy the top 5 records that shaped Sarah Singh into the amazingly-unique drummer he is today....
Dec 07, 2022•1 hr 16 min•Season 3Ep. 42
**This is the new and improved interview with James Gadson that happened 2 years ago now in November of 2020.** ‘Gadson on Gadson’. Today was a milestone for me. I’ve been such a huge fan of this man for years and I hope I hide my nervousness well enough in this conversation. This week’s guest is James Gadson…one of the funkiest drummers out there. He gave life to the 16th note groove and used it on countless records with Bill Withers, The Jackson Five, Beck, Cheryl Lynn, Charles Wright and the ...
Nov 23, 2022•45 min•Season 3Ep. 41
This week’s guest is THE Sam Merrick, drummer for ‘& Juliet’ on Broadway at the Sondheim Theater in New York City. We’ll learn more about that show later on in the episode, but Sam just got done with a 1200+ long run as the drummer for the national tour of Hamilton: An American Musical. In addition to live theatre, Sam has played with Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, Charlie Wilson, Charles Bradley and his Extraordinaires…and many more. He’s also got an amazing sample pack series called Break...
Nov 16, 2022•44 min•Season 3Ep. 40
This week’s guest is Willy Rodriguez. Willy is a Latin-Grammy award winning drummer and percussionist based in New York City. Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Willy has been playing drums since he was thirteen and his list of associated acts is endless…including Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, Mon Laferte, Domino Saints and more. After leaving Puerto Rico, he attended Berklee College of Music and began making a name for himself in the Boston music scene rather quickly, but he ultimately set up shop in New ...
Nov 09, 2022•53 min•Season 3Ep. 39
This week’s guest is Rod “Hot Rod” Elkins…drummer for Tyler Childers and The Food Stamps…among many others. Rod was born and raised in Huntington, West Virginia and has spent his life keeping time and sharing his infectious love for music…but more importantly…his devotion to the song. Rod is fairly new to my radar. As you know, I’ve been on tour the last six weeks and I was recently in Lexington, Kentucky playing The Burl. My good buddy (and friend of the podcast, Steve from Junkdrummer.tv) came...
Nov 02, 2022•57 min•Season 3Ep. 38
This weeks guest is Greg Hersey…a percussionist and educational artist based out of Jackonville, Florida. He is currently the Director of Instrumental Music at Episcopal School of Jacksonville. I first found him on Instagram when he started tagging Big Fat Snare Drum. His creativity has seemingly grown exponentially and it’s super inspiring and his use of multi-percussion is insane. Before you listen to the episode, I encourage you to check out some of Greg’s videos to understand the context of ...
Oct 26, 2022•46 min•Season 3Ep. 37
This week’s guest is Dimitri Fantini. I’m actually not sure how I first found out about Dimitri, but he was my online instructor for quite some time and I’m just a huge fan of his drumming. He’s garnered quite the collection of followers on Instagram due to his consistent posting of…well super rad awesome videos. They look great, sound great…and are very inspiring. Also check out his growing YouTube. His book “The Total Drummer: a guide to developing your style, feel, touch, groove and more” was...
Oct 19, 2022•37 min•Season 3Ep. 36
This week’s guest is everybody’s favorite drummer, Ryan Seaman. Ryan has been on my wishlist of guests for a while now and surprisingly enough, we were finally able to work it out on the road when it’s the hardest time to schedule people! Anyways, Ryan has played with so many amazing artists throughout his career, especially in the punk rock scene, but his current project is called Mercy Music. Ryan is a one of the most likable guys out there and I look up to him AND how he’s navigated his caree...
Oct 12, 2022•49 min•Season 3Ep. 35
This week’s guest is Q. Robinson…the newly-announced touring drummer for Broadway's ‘Hamilton’ (which is huge as it's a highly-coveted chair!). But before he starts that, he currently finishing up his tenure with the “Ain’t Too Proud”…a musical about the band The Temptations. Besides Broadway, Q has played with Avery Sunshine, Bobby Brown, Anthony David and a host of others. He’s a mentor to a few of my peers and is just a bundle of positivity. On top of that, he’s a great drummer with finesse a...
Oct 05, 2022•48 min•Season 3Ep. 34
This week’s guest is Ralph Alexander…an incredibly talented drummer currently out with the artist Poppy. Ralph is one of those “rarely makes a mistake” kind of drummers, but his incredible independence was the first thing that turned me onto his skills…referring to this video. I mean…wow. He’s also worked with other legendary artists including CRX (featuring Nick Valensi of The Strokes). Anyways, just trust me, he’s great. Please enjoy this chat about the 5 records that shaped him into the bomba...
Sep 29, 2022•53 min•Season 3Ep. 33
My guest this week is my good buddy and even gooder drummer, Mike Robinson. Mike is the quintessential working LA drummer who’s played with so many rad artists and bands…most recently with the two powerhouses Oliver Tree and k.flay, but let’s add Joseph, Blame My Youth, Cannons (he subbed for me and KILLED it), Del Water Gap, MORGXN, Chain Gang of 1974, Geographer and many more. He also runs the Instagram account @food.ontour, which we talk about right off the bat. He’s a first-call drummer and ...
Sep 21, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Season 3Ep. 32
Let’s play a game… Can you guess the drum machine in these 30 songs? Check out the playlist HERE --- Get Your Copy of the Drummers on Drumming Book Today! 🎯 Click here to order now! Drummers on Drumming (the book) takes you inside the stories, records, and moments that shaped some of the world’s greatest drummers. Built on the Big Fat Five format of digging into top influences, it’s packed with candid interviews and personal insights. Whether you’re just starting out or have been playing for ye...
Sep 14, 2022•49 min•Season 3Ep. 31
This episode is Part 2 of my conversation with Dan Bailey. Dan is a Drummer / Music Director / Engineer / Multi-Instrumentalist who’s played with Father John Misty, First Aid Kit, Reignwolf and many more.. He also has a handful of very useful online courses known as ‘The Bailey Method”. He covers everything from tuning, to recording, to engineering with a very boots-on-the-ground approach. I’ve learned a lot from them myself and they're great. I promise. --- Get Your Copy of the Drummers on Drum...
Sep 07, 2022•34 min•Season 3Ep. 30
Today’s episode is part one of my conversation with Dan Bailey on the topic of 5 Things To Avoid When Working on a Session For An Artist". Dan is a Drummer / Music Director / Engineer / Multi-Instrumentalist who’s played with Father John Misty, First Aid Kit, Reignwolf and many more. He also has a handful of very useful online courses known as ‘The Bailey Method”. He covers everything from tuning, to recording, to engineering with a very boots-on-the-ground approach. I’ve learned a lot from them...
Aug 31, 2022•33 min•Season 3Ep. 29
This week’s guest is Ilan Rubin. He is currently the drummer for Nine Inch Nails and Angels and Airwaves, but has collaborated with Paramore, M83, Beck, Phantogram and many, many more throughout the years. He’s also the co-owner of Q Drum Co and a prolific solo artist with releases under his own name (Ilan Rubin) and 'The New Regime' where he writes and records everything himself. He’s...incredible. We discuss A LOT of different topics, but I hope you enjoy a conversation built around the 5 reco...
Aug 24, 2022•1 hr 14 min•Season 3Ep. 28
This week’s guest is Rob “Beatdown” Brown. If you haven’t heard of Rob, it means you’re the perfect drummer and don’t need to work on anything. You’ve won drums. But if that’s not you (also ME!), and you’ve ever searched YouTube for literally anything drum education related…you’ve seen Mr. Beatdown. He is, hands down, my favorite YouTube instructor and one of the reasons I am lucky enough to still be a full-time drummer today. Here are the 5 records that shaped him into the player he is today. -...
Aug 17, 2022•49 min•Season 3Ep. 27
This week’s guest is Eddie Burns…a Chicago-based producer / drummer who is currently out with the artist ‘Clairo’. He’s an incredible drummer with an old soul and a VAST knowledge of the Chicago music scene. I hope you enjoy the top 5 records that shaped Eddie into the drummer he is today. WATCH - 'Questlove talks Drums, Dilla, and D'Angelo | Red Bull Music Academy' HERE --- Get Your Copy of the Drummers on Drumming Book Today! 🎯 Click here to order now! Drummers on Drumming (the book) takes yo...
Aug 10, 2022•59 min•Season 3Ep. 26
This week’s guest is Thom from the band Alt-J. He’s one of the most creative drummers out there today and the band, as a whole, are young legends. It was truly an honor talking with him and, if you don’t know Alt-J, they’re crafted a unique blend of folk, indie, electronica, and rock; it's their own genre, really. I hope you enjoy the 5 records that helped shaped Thom into the drummer he is today. He truly is a singular player and it's conversations like this that made me want to switch to this ...
Aug 03, 2022•57 min•Season 3Ep. 25
This week’s guest is Mr. Jerrod “J-rod” Sullivan…a bada$$ drummer, programmer, arranger, producer and educator. He’s incredibly clean with both his beard trimming skills and his playing, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg of the things I love about him. He’s incredibly prolific…posting all the time on his socials, which currently sit at almost 90,000 on YouTube and nearly 230,000 on Instagram. I’m sure it’s laughably beyond that if you’re listening to this a few years from now. He’s currentl...
Jul 27, 2022•38 min•Season 3Ep. 24
This week’s guest is Rajeev Maddela. He’s a drum set artist, electronic music composer, DJ, computer programmer, and rudimental percussion instructor based in Brooklyn, NY. Under the name Maddela, he has released a host of singles and EP’s. His production work spans the genres of experimental drum and bass, future bass, and UK garage, with a focus on live performance elements and wide sonic palettes. The project I heard from him was CURRENCY AUDIO, which is an improvisational performance project...
Jul 20, 2022•49 min•Season 3Ep. 23
This week’s guest is Jessica “The Hoot” Burdeaux. She’s a former guest of the show before we switched to the current format so I knew I had to get her back on. I’m confident you’ve seen her on either social media, Drumeo, YouTube or Reverb.com (for whom she’s sorta become the face of drumming). She’s extremely powerful and plays with a conviction that is undeniably fun to both watch and listen to. Her creative, syncopated rhythms have caught the attention of the entire drumming community and I’m...
Jul 13, 2022•48 min•Season 3Ep. 22
This week’s guest Logan Baudean…a New Orleans-raised, now LA-based musician. He can do it all. I don’t even remember how I first heard about Logan, but I’ve been following him for awhile now I was really excited to have him on. He certainly identifies as a drummer, but he’s also a sought-after guitarist, bassist and keyboardist and I’m sure the list goes on and on. Recently, he’s toured the world as the drummer for Barns Courtney and bassist for Palaye Royale. He’s just a cool guy. His perspecti...
Jul 06, 2022•58 min•Season 3Ep. 21
