As we gear up for another set of new episodes, enjoy this throwback to when Rich and Jim talked with one of the best career pivot stories we have ever had with Kenny Aronoff! Legendary drummer Kenny Aronoff shares his incredible journey in the music industry. From being inspired by the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show to working with iconic artists like John Mellencamp, Sting, and Lady Gaga, Kenny's story is one of perseverance, adaptability, and a relentless pursuit of excellence. Kenny delves i...
Nov 01, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Season 3Ep. 197
In this captivating episode, we sit down with the legendary drummer Greg Bissonette, who has graced the stages and recordings of some of the biggest names in music. From his early days at North Texas State to his prolific career playing with the likes of David Lee Roth, Joe Satriani, and Ringo Starr, Greg shares his incredible journey and the invaluable lessons he's learned along the way. Highlights include: Greg's diverse musical background and his ability to seamlessly navigate through rock, m...
Oct 25, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Season 3Ep. 196
As we gear up for another set of new episodes, enjoy this throwback to episode 89 when Rich and Jim talked with one of the most influential drummers to ever play, Thomas Lang! Thomas shares his incredible journey, from starting drumming at age 4 to becoming one of the most respected and innovative drummers in the industry. We dive into Thomas's unique drumming style, his expansive travel experiences, and his passion for pushing the boundaries of contemporary drumming. He discusses his methodical...
Oct 18, 2024•1 hr 15 min•Season 3Ep. 195
Originally from upstate New York, Seth began playing drums at the age of three. By age nine, he was sitting in with local bands and even backing up his elementary school choir. He’s been in the Nashville music scene for 20+ years and is currently the touring drummer for Carrie Underwood. When Seth isn’t on the road, he is in the studio recording and collaborating with some of Nashville’s top writers, musicians, and producers. Seth has been in the Nashville music scene for years and has played/re...
Oct 11, 2024•58 min•Season 3Ep. 194
Chris Powell is an award winning drummer based in Nashville. He has recorded and performed with a wide array of artists such as; Luke Grimes, Shania Twain, Dolly Parton, Lady Gaga, Reba, The War and Treaty, Lori McKenna, Brett Eldridge, Wheeler Walker, Gavin Degraw, Ashley Monroe, Travis Tritt, Brandi Carlile, Barry Gibb, The Secret Sisters, The Highwomen, The Oak Ridge Boys, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Midland, Caylee Hammack, Zach Bryan, Brandy Clark, Jamey Johnson, 1,000 Horses, Alabama, and many ...
Oct 04, 2024•1 hr 44 min•Season 3Ep. 193
Florida native McCoy Gibbs made the move to Nashville, Tennessee at the age of 18 to pursue a Music Business degree at Belmont University. He not only earned that degree, but also made lifelong connections and friendships while falling in love with the city, energy, and opportunity that is Nashville. The crazy part is that Gibbs didn’t really learn to play drums until his college years. For this natural musician, drums and rhythm came naturally and he found his groove, literally. After college, ...
Aug 30, 2024•1 hr 45 min•Season 3Ep. 189
Adam Box Adam Box is an American drummer, best known for his work with the country duo Brothers Osborne for the past 11 years. Box started playing drums at church in his hometown of Zero, Mississippi , in a church band that covered contemporary rock songs with Christian lyrics. He later entered a battle of the bands in Starkville, Mississippi and formed a band called Absence of Concern, which opened for Bob Seger at a concert in Jackson, Mississippi . Box later met Chris Ethridge , a bassist who...
Aug 23, 2024•1 hr 35 min•Season 3Ep. 191
Kris Myers was born on April 5, 1977. Receiving a drum kit at the age of 8, he took an early interest in jazz, rock and punk music. During high school Myers co-started his first musical outfit, a ska/punk band called the Skalawags. The group received a decent amount of success but denied an offer to tour Japan to instead pursue college degrees. Myers attended Elmhurst College from 1995 – 1999 where he was a music major and the drummer in the Elmhurst College Jazz Band. Under director Doug Beach,...
Aug 01, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Season 3Ep. 190
Born and raised in Arkansas, Evan grew up playing drums at his dads church in Fort Smith. He was the kid that would sit behind the drummer during church and soak in every detail and nuance. Once church let out, he'd jump up on the kit and play, until the next church service started a few hours later. Evan got his first drum set at the age of 8 and began serenading his whole family and neighborhood with punk rock beats and the sounds of the radio. After touring the country with his band The Excep...
Jul 26, 2024•1 hr 33 min•Season 3Ep. 190
Jason Michael Hartless (born November 5, 1994) is an American musician, best known for being the drummer for fellow Detroit native Ted Nugent . He has also toured and/or recorded with Eric Martin , Pop Evil , Sponge , Mitch Ryder , C. Thomas Howell , Tantric , Insane Clown Posse , Warrior Soul and Joe Lynn Turner . In early 2020, Hartless earned his bachelor's degree in Music Business from the Berklee College of Music . Some Things That Came Up: -1:00 The magic of music from Detroit -3:00 The Wh...
Jul 19, 2024•1 hr 25 min•Season 3Ep. 189
The Wolfe Brothers are an Australian country rock band from Hobart, Tasmania, formed of brothers Tom and Nick Wolfe and childhood friends Brodie Rainbird and Casey Kostiuk. They came to prominence after being the runners-up of Australia's Got Talent in 2012. Following their success, they have released a self-titled EP and three studio albums, It's On "Nothing But Trouble" and"This Crazy Life" They were special guests on Lee Kernaghan's 2013–2014 Beautiful Noise Tour. The "Nothin But trouble" alb...
Jul 12, 2024•1 hr 34 min•Season 3Ep. 188
Joe Bergamini maintains a diverse career as a drumming performer and educator. Enjoying various styles of playing, he is known for his progressive rock drumming in the bands Happy the Man and 4Front, and he is the current international touring drummer for The Doo-Wop Project. Based in the New York area, Joe has worked extensively on Broadway. In 2018, he held the drum chair for the Broadway production of Gettin’ the Band Back Together, and he has also performed at over 15 other shows including M...
Jul 05, 2024•1 hr 30 min•Season 3Ep. 187
Billboard Magazine's focus on the South Florida Recording scene referred to Lee Levin as "the city's most in demand drummer". Since graduating the University of Miami in 1989, Lee has played on more than 1000 recordings for a variety of artists throughout the world including Barbra Streisand, Madonna, Backstreet Boys, Kelly Clarkson, Pink, Nelly Furtado, Clay Aiken, Christina Aquilera, Michael Bolton, Sarah Silverman, Meat Loaf, Luis Fonsi, Calle 13, Ricardo Arjona, Alejandro Sanz, Juan Luis Gue...
Jun 28, 2024•1 hr 18 min•Season 3Ep. 186
Dennis Holt is one of Nashville's most gifted musicians, whose drumming abilities cross nearly every genre from Americana to Country to Rock, Jazz, Ambient and R & B. He was born in Hawaii and raised in Jacksonville, FL. He has performed with: Taylor Swift, Vince Gill, Emmylou Harris, K. T. Oslin, Loretta Lynn, Felix Cavalier And The Rascals, Chris Stapleton, Ricky Skaggs, Shawn Mullins, Hank Williams Jr., Trisha Yearwood and many others. Some Things That Came Up: -1:30 The Trader Joes exper...
Jun 21, 2024•1 hr 38 min•Season 3Ep. 185
Cody Ash lives in Nashville, TN and is the drummer for Jelly Roll. He is a Touring / Session drummer and has played the drum kit for about 15 years. He has also been involved in concert band, orchestra, Steel Band, and marched snare drum with the University of Louisville. Things That Came Up: -2:50 The flight home from the CMT Awards in 2023 -3:40 Super modern chops and being likable -5:40 Making a great impression at all times -6:50 Learning from everyone -10:07 The hustle of cultivating a drum...
Jun 14, 2024•1 hr 33 min•Season 3Ep. 184
Frenette's love of music started at the age of 5 while playing the bongos and listening to records with his parents. Artists like Perez Perado, Tito Puente, Herb Albert, Johnny Cash and Tom Jones were constantly spinning on the record player. By the age of 10, Matt was learning his rudiments in a marching and concert band. Some of Matt's early influences include Mitch Mitchell, Ginger Baker, Keith Moon, Michael Shrieve, Danny Seraphine,Billy Cobham, and later influences include Manu Katche, Stev...
Jun 07, 2024•1 hr 40 min•Season 3Ep. 183
April Samuels (born April 30, 1969) is an American rock drummer, breast cancer survivor, and founder of Breast Cancer Can Stick It! Foundation, Inc. - a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Breast Cancer Can Stick It has raised over $600,000 for breast cancer research and assistance for treatments. She is based out of Dallas , Texas. She is best known for her nonprofit and for playing drums as Crash Gordon in the 1980s hair metal cover band, Metal Shop Dallas. She is also known for co-writing songs for Discover...
May 31, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Season 3Ep. 182
The musical path that freelance session and touring drummer Brian Czach (pronounced "Zack") has been on started in New York City, moved west to Las Vegas, and now has settled in Nashville, TN. After a year and a half of touring with country music star Tracy Lawrence in 2021-2022. Brian is currently a member of Mannheim Steamroller which tours annually, and regularly performs with the Nashville Symphony Pops Orchestra. Czach has been drumming professionally since he was 11 years old. Born in Sche...
May 24, 2024•1 hr 17 min•Season 3Ep. 181
Jake Sommers is a Nashville drummer originally from Long Island. He attended The University of the Arts in Philadelphia once deciding to pursue his lifelong passion for music. After moving to Tennessee in 2013 he began performing with a variety of artists including Luke Combs whom he has toured with since 2014. Things That Came Up: -2:00 Audimute’s Match Zlotnik -3:00 Jake’s dogs -4:20 Jake’s fast rise to success -7:00 Writer’s nights at the Tin Roof -8:40 Meeting and rehearsing with Luke Combs ...
May 20, 2024•1 hr 20 min•Season 3Ep. 180
Adam Gust was raised in the cold of Minnesota, studied music in the heat of the University of North Texas, and has enjoyed a diverse freelance musical career of world touring and session work and teaching in just-right Los Angeles since 2000. After a humbling decade of recovery from a career-threatening injury, Adam acquired a unique expertise, empathy, and voice that inform his lessons and masterclasses. Adam's journey of relearning how to practice has helped him to stumble upon highly effectiv...
May 10, 2024•1 hr 16 min•Season 3Ep. 179
In Lee’s own words: I was born and raised in Concord, NC. Just Northeast of Charlottle, it was a town of 25,000 back then. As long as I can remember, music was around. Whether it be the turntables or 8 tracks; where my older brothers played rock and roll of the 60s & 70s, Dad listened to older country artists or Mom’s Pontiac Bonneville, which seemed to always have the hits playing through it’s car stereo from either 61AM Big Ways, 95FM WROQ or 1100 WBT-AM…Music was always a comforting compa...
May 04, 2024•1 hr 54 min•Season 3Ep. 178
Bill Gibson began playing music at the age of seven. He found his passion for music when his father Ed Gibson, an architect by trade but a jazz drummer in his own right, began taking him to see such greats as The Count Basie Orchestra, The Duke Ellington Orchestra, and The Buddy Rich Big Band. Inspired by big band jazz and rock & roll styles, Bill got his first drum kit at age fourteen, and began playing drums with local bands the following year. He soon became the drummer for Sound Hole and...
Apr 26, 2024•1 hr 16 min•Season 3Ep. 177
Born in Brooklyn and raised in Massapequa, New York , Phantom grew up listening to his parents' jazz records and began playing drums by the age of ten. He took lessons with Mousie Alexander , who played with Benny Goodman , studying jazz and working through books by Jim Chapin and Ted Reed . By the late 1970s, he was playing in bands with his childhood friend, bassist Lee Rocker . They soon joined forces with guitarist Brian Setzer to form Stray Cats .[ When performing with Stray Cats, Phantom d...
Apr 19, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Season 3Ep. 176
Dane Clark is an Indiana native who has been honing his instrumental (drums, bass, guitar and keyboards) and songwriting skills from an early age. His early influences of British Invasion rock and Dylan era folk music still resonate in his musical vision. Clark began making a name for himself as a session drummer in the Indianapolis area in the early 1980’s. As well as 28 years with John Mellencamp, Dane has recorded with John Prine, Steve Earle, Ian Hunter, Janis Ian, Carrie Newcomer, The Bob A...
Apr 12, 2024•1 hr 23 min•Season 3Ep. 164
Originally from Syracuse NY, Wayne’s career as a recording session drummer began in the mid ‘90s in Nashville TN. Over the years his discography includes playing on Billboard #1 songs and #1 albums and recording 1000’s of songs with artists such as Luke Bryan, Lady Gaga, Blake Shelton, Lady A, Chris Stapleton, Keith Urban, Steve Winwood, Toby Keith, Kenny Rogers, and Lyle Lovett, Leon Russell, and countless hit songwriters. His studio experience led him into production, along with artist develop...
Apr 05, 2024•1 hr 19 min•Season 3Ep. 174
Growing up in a house full of musical instruments, Daxx gravitated towards the drums at a very early age. After high school Daxx traveled the US extensively with his original band, Harmony Riley. Upon the band's dissolution Daxx packed up and moved to Los Angeles where he quickly got into the studio and touring world. His first break was drumming for surf guitar pioneer Dick Dale. While on breaks from touring he formed A Fine Frenzy with singer/songwriter Alison Sudol. This led to jobs with Bran...
Mar 29, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Season 3Ep. 173
Maxwell Schauf is a top call drummer that has called Nashville home since 1989. He has performed with Lonnie Mack, Clay Walker, Shelby Lynn, Ezra Mohawk and many others. He can be seen playing regularly at The famed Robert’s Western World with the band Brazilbilly and many others. Some Things That Came Up: -4:10 Brazilbilly and Robert’s Western World -5:58 The “Roll” in “Rock N’ Roll” -7:30 Playing Consistent low volume gigs -9:00 The Wisconsin Accent -12:20 Falling through the glass window at R...
Mar 22, 2024•1 hr 28 min•Season 3Ep. 172
Neil is a renowned percussionist, accomplished music educator, imaginative product innovator, and successful entrepreneur. He is the founder and president of Grover Pro Percussion Inc., a market leader in the design, manufacture, and distribution of world-class percussion instruments. At the young age of 23, Neil was appointed Principal Percussionist of the Opera Company of Boston, a position he held for seven seasons. As his career progressed, he found himself in demand for all musical genres, ...
Mar 08, 2024•1 hr 19 min•Season 3Ep. 171
Jorge Palacios is a top call drummer based in San Diego. He is know for working with artists such as Rick Springfield (since 2010), Paul Young, Tommy Tutone, The Mustard Seeds and many others. Some Things That Came Up: -3:25 Just finished tour backing up Rick Springfield, Paul Young and Tommy Tutone -5:05 Rick Springfield loves LOUD drums! -5:55 No Tinnitus -7:15 SR-16 with The Mustard Seeds band -9:30 Setlists have personalities -10:00 The “Mystery Song” Slot -13:40 Taking chances in life -20:2...
Mar 01, 2024•52 min•Season 3Ep. 170
Ryan Gruss “The Fantasty Football of Music Making” Ryan's journey in the music business began after graduating from The Berklee College of Music in 2000 with a degree in Musical Performance for Drums, and then moving to New York City to begin his "career" in the real world. It was during his second week at Atlantic when Ryan was approached by the HR department, asking if he was interested in becoming Ahmet Erteguns' (the legendary Founder and CEO of Atlantic) assistant. His mind was blown and he...
Feb 23, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Season 3Ep. 169
