Originally from Garland Texas, Chris Brush moved to Nashville in the fall of 1999 after college to play drums professionally. Over time, session opportunities ignited a passion in Chris as he began to work toward getting off the road full time, and move into the studio scene. Along the way Chris discovered that engineering, mixing, and music production were as exciting to him as drumming. He put the effort into learning about the world of acoustics, microphones, pre-amps, compressors, equalizers...
Apr 03, 2025•2 hr 45 min
Jamey Haddad's career as a drummer and percussionist has spanned five decades, countless genres, and multiple continents. For over 25 years, he’s had a close relationship with Paul Simon, playing alongside Steve Gadd on multiple records and live projects. He has appeared on over 170 recordings and has played with a wide range of artists from Joe Lovano to Yo Yo Ma, and his career as an educator has found him at Berklee, New England Conservatory, Oberlin Conservatory, and the Cleveland Institute ...
Mar 27, 2025•1 hr 19 min
Newsboys is one of the biggest bands in Christian music history, having sold more than 10 million records across 23 recordings and garnering boundless accolades, including 1 RIAA® Platinum certification and 8 Gold certifications, 30 #1 radio hits, four GRAMMY® nominations, two American Music Award nominations and multiple Dove Awards. With signature songs like “We Believe,” “Born Again” and the unstoppable mega-hit “God’s Not Dead” — which birthed a film franchise of the same name — Newsboys hav...
Mar 21, 2025•1 hr 7 min
Russ Lawton has spent most of his career in and around New England from Cape Cod to Boston to Burlington Vermont. For almost 25 years, he has been the drummer for the Trey Anastasio Band. He also has an organ trio project called Lamp that is about to release their second record and tour in support of it, and has played with countless other bands and artists from blues to Afro beat. In this episode, Russ talks about His early career, moving through Cape Cod, Boston, and Woodstock NY Infusing afro...
Mar 13, 2025•1 hr 6 min
Robert Blair is a Nashville TN based drummer with decades of live and studio experience. Originally from South Carolina, Robert's early love and commitment to drumming led him to working and touring by the age of 16 with players many years his senior. At the age of 21, he made the move to Nashville where he's built a reputation as a solid and reliable player with a professional sound. Not only does Robert stay busy in Nashville, live and in the studio, he has become the first call sub for countr...
Mar 06, 2025•2 hr 41 min•Ep. 508
Jose Medeles is the owner of Revival Drum Shop in Portland and the author of several books including The Stoic Drummer. In his former life, Jose was an LA based working drummer and toured and recorded with The Breeders and many other artists, and also did a stint working at the famed Pro Drum Shop in Hollywood. Most recently, Jose became the brand manager for the relaunch of Slingerland Drums. In this episode, Jose talks about: His LA-based playing career prior to moving to Portland and opening ...
Feb 27, 2025•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 507
Rich Scannella has played for some of the most iconic superstars in the music industry. Rich has played, toured, and or recorded with legendary artists: Bon Jovi, Bruce Springsteen, Lady Gaga, Jon Bon Jovi & The Kings of Suburbia, Tonic, Brian Fallon (Gaslight Anthem), Adam Duritz (Counting Crows), Joe Elliot (Def Leopard), Neal Schon (Journey), Michael Anthony (Van Halen), Gene Cornish (The Rascals), and Hubert Sumlin (Howlin' Wolf), to name a few. He has toured the USA, Europe, UK, Japan, Cana...
Feb 20, 2025•2 hr 47 min•Ep. 506
A native of South Florida, percussionist Murphy Aucamp studied classical percussion at Dreyfoos School of the Arts in West Palm Beach, while simultaneously studying rumba in the streets of south Florida. He is a graduate of the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music, where he studied under Steve Rucker, Dafnis Prieto, and John Yarling. Murphy’s performing credits include appearances with Blue Man Group, Gloria Estefan, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Quincy Jones, and Nu Deco Ensemble, He has toured int...
Feb 13, 2025•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 505
Tim Baltes is a drum-centric American music professional living in Nantes, France. Tim has accrued years of social strategy, copywriting, product development, and MI retail operations experience bolstering manufacturers, distributors, and retailers alike. Tim has advised drummers including Curt Bisquera (Johnny Hallyday, Mick Jagger, Elton John, Tom Petty), Michael Urbano (Sheryl Crow, Smash Mouth, Third Eye Blind), and Nic Collins (Phil Collins, Genesis), educating them on audio engineering, au...
Feb 06, 2025•2 hr 40 min•Ep. 504
Ben Hilzinger is a Los Angeles-based drummer and songwriter with 20+ years of performing, recording and teaching experience. Currently the drummer for Eve 6 and Cannons, Ben has also written, recorded, and/or toured throughout the USA/internationally with MXPX, Fitness, Mike Herrera, Party Nails, We Shot The Moon, Glorybots, Ever So Android, Jake Cummings, Josh Eacrett, Dave Cavalier, and many more. In addition to performing and teaching, Ben is the Director of Artist / Client Relations for Big ...
Jan 30, 2025•2 hr 35 min
Dylan Wissing is a session drummer based in Hoboken, New Jersey, who has recorded for such artists as John Legend, Drake, Kanye West, Jay-Z and Eminem. He is best known as the drummer on Alicia Keys’ Grammy award-winning hit, “Girl on Fire,” and is heard in national ads for AT&T, American Airlines, Valvoline, Behr Paints and Banana Republic. Dylan teaches the art of recording and session drumming at his website, Creating the Sound, and is a proud endorser of WTS Drums, Sabian Cymbals, Aquarian D...
Jan 22, 2025•2 hr 33 min•Ep. 502
Master Gunnery Sgt. Chris Rose has spent the majority of his professional career in his role as percussionist, drumset specialist, and soloist with the United States Marine Band. "The President’s Own" comprises 160 members and takes various forms depending on the event or occasion they’re playing for and the instrumentation needed for it. As you’ll hear, this affords Chris the opportunity to play a huge variety of musical roles, from classical percussion to marching drums to jazz and rock drumse...
Jan 16, 2025•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 501
In years past for milestone episodes, we would do something kinda special or make a big deal out of it in some way. This is definitely our biggest milestone yet but it comes at a time when neither of us (Zack & Matt), really have a lot of time to organize anything much more involved than a regular episode. We tried to line up a special guest but the scheduling didn’t quite work out. We’re confident that person will join us for an episode in the near future, just not this one. This podcast has al...
Jan 09, 2025•2 hr 32 min•Ep. 500
Dave DiCenso began his career in the late 80s on the metal scene in his hometown of Boston. He later studied at the Drummers Collective in New York and went on to enjoy a successful and varied career touring and recording with Steve Morse, Hiromi, John Petrucci, Duran Duran, Josh Groban, and many others. He is the author of several books including Universal Rhythms for Drumset and his most recent, Fluid Fills and Musical Phrasing, and just celebrated the milestone 30 years of teaching at Berklee...
Dec 19, 2024•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 499
Dango is a professional drummer based in Nashville, TN who is currently drumming for Grammy award winning artist Scott Stapp – the voice of Creed. He is also a member of the platinum selling worship band, Sonicflood. He has performed with bands and artists all over the world, from the US, to South Africa, to Europe, and South America. He graduated from Belmont University, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Performance, studying under the legendary Chester Thompson. Dango is a longtime member of t...
Dec 12, 2024•2 hr 32 min•Ep. 498
Jano Rix is a drummer, multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, and producer who has been the third member of The Wood Brothers for over a decade. He started as a hard core jazz pianist, earning a degree from the University of Miami and playing experimental jazz on the New York scene, but he gravitated back to the drums, his dad's instrument, and steered his path back to other styles of music. The Wood Brothers are currently on tour and in the process of recording their next album. In this epi...
Dec 05, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 497
Brandon Green is a biomechanics specialist, fitness educator, gym owner and drummer. Brandon’s online presence, often recognized as “Drum mechanics”, explores educational biomechanics perspective on fitness, drums and life. Brandon provides a series for all called the "Drum Ergonomics Blueprint" as well as his "Drum Forever Fitness Community". In this episode, Brandon talks about: The Drum Ergonomics Blueprint Physical demands of drummers in the modern age Understanding your range of motion and ...
Nov 21, 2024•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 496
Aaron Redfield grew up in San Diego and started his career on that scene. In addition to his long tenure as the drummer for The Greyboy Allstars, he has compiled a long list of touring and recording credits including Elton John, Ceelo Green, and Foster the People. After 15 years living and working in LA, he has moved is family back to San Diego and operates from there. In this episode, Aaron talks about: The new Greyboy Allstars record and how it came together The musical meaning and history of ...
Nov 14, 2024•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 495
Martina Barakoska is a drummer and musician who in her considerably short career has gained notable achievements. Deep and thoughtful yet energetic and playful, her style reflects her love of modern music and her fascination with the power of the drums. Throughout the years, she has maintained continuous growth of success preaching individuality, quality, and persistency.Winning an award for the best drummer at “T’k Tak” drum competition when she was only 17 was followed by many successful music...
Nov 07, 2024•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 494
Caleb Whitlock grew up in Charlotte and has been based there for two years after having attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He tours nationally with singer/songwriter Ethan Regan, plays locally with a variety of acts, records in his home studio, and also works as a post-production engineer. Making part of his living doing post-production and editing, and how that differs from mixing How doing post production on acapalla vocal music has influenced how he hears and records dr...
Oct 31, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 493
Chad Wackerman’s professional career began in 1978 with the Bill Watrous Refuge West Big Band. Since then he has amassed a remarkable body of work including a seven year association with Frank Zappa, with whom he toured the USA and Europe and recorded 27 albums including the London Symphony recordings. He has also recorded 8 albums and toured with guitar legend Allan Holdsworth, played on the ‘One Voice’ album and video with Barbra Streisand, and recorded albums and toured with artists as divers...
Oct 24, 2024•2 hr 54 min•Ep. 492
John R. Beck, Professor of Percussion at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, also teaches at Wake Forest University. He is the principal percussionist of the Winston-Salem Symphony and is a member of the Greensboro Symphony, Brass Band of Battle Creek, and the Philidor Percussion Group. A former member of the United States Marine Band, for 10 years he performed regularly with the National and Baltimore Symphonies, Washington and Baltimore Operas, and the Theater Chamber Players ...
Oct 17, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 491
As a performer, session player, instructor, producer and clinician, Matt Crowning is more than a "drummer's drummer.” He is a "musician's drummer" that brings a wealth of talent, experience, and style to each situation. Matt's diverse performance background ranges from Country, Pop, Rock, Big Band, Jazz and R&B. His work includes performances with various Curb Records, Disney Records / Disney Channel artists, Love and Theft, College 11, Kiki Sanchez, Vanilla Monk, Matt Farr and Kerrie Roberts. C...
Oct 10, 2024•2 hr 44 min•Ep. 490
Originally from the Bay Area, Martin Diller spent over a decade on the LA scene, touring, recording and playing locally with a wide range of acts including Post Modern Jukebox and his own quartet. Over the pandemic, he went back to school and became a licensed therapist, and returned to the Bay Area where he still maintains an active performance schedule alongside his therapy practice. In this episode, Martin talks about: The 7-day-a-week grind of freelancing in LA Playing with Post-Modern Jukeb...
Oct 03, 2024•55 min•Ep. 489
World-renowned, Grammy-winning musician John "J.R." Robinson is widely considered the most recorded drummer in history, playing on albums that have sold well over 500 million copies. He is the drummer on 20 number-one pop songs by artists such as Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Lionel Richie and Steve Winwood, and has been the drummer on more than 100 Grammy-winning tracks. Rolling Stone Magazine featured J.R. in their list of The Top 100 Drummers of All Time. J.R. is the drummer on many other...
Sep 26, 2024•48 min•Ep. 488
Born and raised in Georgia, Marlon Patton is a New York-based drummer and music producer/engineer. Hailing from a long line of drummers dating back to his grandfather, Phil Patton who played in the Chicago big band circuit, Marlon keeps his schedule interesting and packed full of all types of music. He is the first call for so many musicians not just because of his impeccable time, but because of the incredible musicality of what he delivers. He plays within a huge dynamic range, making him the ...
Sep 19, 2024•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 487
Ken Coomer is a producer best known for his drumming in Uncle Tupelo and later Wilco. He was the drummer and co-founder of the Nashville-based band, Clockhammer, in the late 1980s/early 1990s. As a member of Wilco, Coomer has performed on A.M., Being There, Summerteeth, and Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. Ken has also played on or produced albums by Steve Earle, Frontier Ruckus, Arlo McKinley, Sons of Bill, Tim Finn, Will Hoge, Jars of Clay, Emmylou Harris, Toy Horses, Malcolm Holcombe, Josh Hoyer and Sou...
Sep 12, 2024•2 hr 30 min•Ep. 486
Sam Merrick is a Nashville based drummer, currently holding the drum set chair at & Juliet on Broadway at the Sondheim Theater in New York City. Previously, he spent nearly five years and played over 1200 performances with the national tour of Hamilton: An American Musical. He has also recorded and/or performed with Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, Toots and the Maytals, Jalen Ngonda, Saun & Starr (Daptone Records), The Denver Symphony, People's Champs, Kendra Morris (Colemine Records), and many ...
Sep 05, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 485
Joel Rothman is the renowned author of almost 100 drum and percussion method books, many of which are among the most popular books used by teachers in private music studios as well as schools and universities worldwide. Born in Brooklyn, New York, Joel studied drums and percussion, as well as piano, with well-known teachers such as Sam Ulano, Ed Shaughnessey, Jim Chapin, Joe Morello, Saul Goodman, and others. He first opened his own private drum studio, then later, after graduating from universi...
Aug 29, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 484
Dave Brandwein is a drummer, originally from Chicago, who spent 4 years in Los Angeles, CA and has now relocated to Nashville, TN. Dave's current main gig is with pop artist Forest Blakk (drums/playback) with whom he played a 2022 theater run supporting Dean Lewis, various fly dates/festivals throughout the same year, and headlining US/Canadian tours in 2023. Dave has also spent the last 12 years playing drums, running playback, and doing session work for various other artists. Dave teaches priv...
Aug 21, 2024•2 hr 31 min•Ep. 483
