Ever wondered if you’ve been saying Tama, Paiste, or Sonor correctly? You’re not alone! In this episode, Late Night with Seth Meyers producer and friend to all drummer's, Eric Leiderman joins the show to settle the debate on how to pronounce some of the most commonly mispronounced drum brands. We break down the correct pronunciations of brands like Ludwig, Zildjian, Meinl, Sabian, Canopus, Trixon, Gretsch, and more, with recordings from the companies themselves.! Whether you’re a seasoned drumme...
Feb 04, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Transcript available on Metacast We are joined by Ben Hilzinger, professional drummer and author of Drummers on Drumming, to explore the stories behind the records that shaped the legends of the drumming world. Ben shares his experiences performing with bands like Cannons and Eve 6, hosting his acclaimed podcast, and diving into the journeys of iconic and up-and-coming drummers through his book. Discover the challenges, inspirations, and unique philosophies that define what it means to be a drummer today. Whether you're a seaso...
Jan 21, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, we dive into the fascinating history and evolution of buying and selling drums with special guest Gerry Porter of Hazelshould.com. From the dapper beginnings of mom-and-pop drum shops in bustling cities to the rise of mail-order catalogs that revolutionized access to musical instruments, we trace the industry's transformation. We'll explore how massive retailers like Guitar Center and Sam Ash brought drums to the masses and discuss how platforms like eBay and Reverb.com shifted ...
Dec 24, 2024•1 hr 13 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, we dive deep into the extraordinary journey of Ryan Dusick, the original drummer for Maroon 5. Ryan shares his experiences of rising to fame with one of the world’s most popular bands, the mental health and substance struggles that forced him to step away, and his remarkable path to recovery. We discuss how he rebuilt his life, found a new purpose as a therapist, and authored his powerful memoir Harder to Breathe. Don’t miss this inspiring conversation about resilience, self-dis...
Dec 10, 2024•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast Join us as we explore the fascinating world of shakers, one of the most versatile and underrated percussive instruments! In this episode, we dive into the origins of shakers, their unique classifications, and a variety of playing techniques. Whether you’re a percussion enthusiast or a curious music lover, you’ll gain insights into how these simple instruments add rhythm and texture to music around the globe. Our special guest, William Johnson, brings his extensive expertise and passion for percu...
Nov 26, 2024•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast Brandon Green from drummechanics.com joins us on the show to give us a 101 course on all things drum ergonomics and how to play the drums without any pain! We go every piece of the drum set and discuss how to set them up individually for the best results in both comfort and ease for your body, and also to get the best and most efficient performance. Brandon is an expert on ergonomics on the drum set, and also in his daily business where he works with athletes, performers, and everyday people in ...
Nov 12, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Transcript available on Metacast Baldman Percussion hit the drum scene in 2018 and took the industry by storm with the Junk Hat! In 6 short years, they have become 2x NAMM best in show winners, created products that are beloved by drummers such as Travis Barker, Matt Chamberlain and Thomas Pridgen, and had a great time doing it. Mike Mckee and Danny Young are professional drummers who have a perfect balance of business skills to make this brand work. Mike has the business savvy and Danny is the design mastermind behind these un...
Oct 29, 2024•59 min•Transcript available on Metacast Thanks to everyone for listening, watching, and supporting the show over the years! Drum History has been an absolute pleasure every step of the way and I am excited to keep learning about the history of the drums! **JOIN PATREON** https://www.patreon.com/drumhistorypodcast **DRUM HISTORY MERCH** https://www.teepublic.com/stores/drum-history-podcast?ref_id=26024 ** CHECK OUT MY GEAR ON SWEETWATER ** https://imp.i114863.net/yRYRGN ** 30 DAY FREE DRUMEO TRIAL ** https://drumeo.pxf.io/c/3607735/126...
Oct 15, 2024•7 min•Transcript available on Metacast Nicko McBrain is the power behind Iron Maiden and one of the most iconic drummers of all time. Shane Kinney joins me back on the show to share his immense knowledge of Nicko's drums, cymbals, hardware, heads, and accessories. In part 2, we cover his switch to from Sonor to Premier drums, Vic Firth, DW Pedals, and so much more. Nicko had a brief and wonderful return to Sonor drums in the 2010's, but it was not meant to be - he was drawn to the incredible British Drum Co. because of the amazing so...
Oct 01, 2024•2 hr 45 min•Transcript available on Metacast Nicko McBrain is the power behind Iron Maiden and one of the most iconic drummers of all time. Shane Kinney joins me on the show to share his immense knowledge of Nicko's drums, cymbals, hardware, heads, and accessories. We cover his first six Sonor drum sets all the way up to the messy end of the relationship, which left Nicko so angry that he immediately ended his decade-long partnership with Sonor! Part 2 will pick up with his switch to Premier drums in the next episode. Shane is the owner of...
Sep 17, 2024•2 hr 35 min•Transcript available on Metacast Cav's and I chatted before the King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard concert on 08/25/24 in Newport Ky. We discuss his inspirations, his current set up (C&C and Dream Cymbals), King Gizzard, and his solo projects. Cav's is one of my favorite drummers so this was an absolute honor to speak with him and see the show up from the side of the stage. Here is a drum cam video I shot of King Gizz and Cav's performing "Motor Spirit": https://youtu.be/yBsJJOVSDoY and here is a great FULL gear run down with C...
Sep 03, 2024•20 min•Transcript available on Metacast Donn Bennett is one of the foremost dealers of rare and celebrity drum sets in the world! He shares with us how he got into this unique profession, some of his most biggest success stories, and many lessons that he has learned along the way over his 30+ year career. Donn has also built a reputation for himself as being the go-to dealer for the biggest bands in the world who want to liquidate warehouses full of collections. He shares an amazing story about how Aerosmith called him to clear out a ...
Aug 20, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Transcript available on Metacast The St. Anger Snare is finally figured out! Chris Russio joins me back on the podcast to do a super deep dive into all of the studio drum sets, cymbals, heads, sticks, accessories, percussion and everything else used by Lars Ulrich from 2001 to Today! We talk about all of the infamous St. Anger Snare drum and everything that went wrong with that album. Then we get into the recording of Death Magnetic, Hardwired to Self Destruct, and 72 Seasons. This closes out our Lars Deep dive and gives you th...
Aug 06, 2024•1 hr 23 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this solo episode, I take a deep dive into the 1000 year old automaton drummers that were created by 12th century Islamic inventor, Al-Jazari. These VERY early robots are amazing marvels of engineering and predominantly feature drummers who play kettle drums and cymbals to alert people in Mesopotamia (now Turkey) of the time of day with extremely elaborate clocks. These drummers are direct predecessors to modern day cars and machinery, as Al-Jazari is credited with the creation of turning rot...
Jul 23, 2024•9 min•Transcript available on Metacast Chris Russio joins me back on the podcast to do a super deep dive into all of the studio drum sets, cymbals, heads, sticks, accessories, percussion and everything else used by Lars Ulrich from 1982 to 2001! We talk about all of the earliest known recordings of Metallica on his Camco drum set, through all the Tamas, the famous Sabian HiHats, and the iconic Black Album Gretsch drums, up to Load/Reload/Garage Inc. Part 2 will cover St. Anger through to today! GET THE LIVE.LAUGH.LARS STICKER HERE --...
Jul 09, 2024•1 hr 24 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jeff Kirsch teaches us the real reason why the biggest drum brands in the world sound different from each other, and in some cases, why they sound exactly the same. We discuss brands such as Ludwig, Gretsch, Leedy, Tama, Camco, DW, just to name a few. We talk about the different shell constructions, ply counts, use of re-rings, rise of Japanese builders and the fall and resurrection of the great American brands and a whole lot more! Jeff is a master drum builder and a staple of the custom drum b...
Jun 25, 2024•2 hr 32 min•Transcript available on Metacast Tim "Herb" Alexander joins me on the show to discuss his iconic drum sets that were used in classic Primus music videos such as Jerry Was A Race Car Driver, My Name is Mud, John The Fisherman, Wynona Big Brown Beaver, DMV and much more! I am a longtime Primus fan and I learned a TON from this conversation. Tim is a 3x grammy nominee and multi-platinum recording artist who has not only helped shape the world of modern rock and roll with Primus, but also has shared the stage with Puscifer and A Pe...
Jun 11, 2024•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast Alex Van Halen is auctioning off hundreds of unbelievable items that have never been seen by public eyes, plus some of his most iconic drum sets that he played with Van Halen! Kurt Ekstrom joins me back on the podcast to look through this incredible auction and dissect tons of these rare items. Kurt covered all of AVH's career on the podcast last year and this dovetails perfectly with that episode and answers many questions that Kurt and I had with that original series! Here is a link to the auc...
May 28, 2024•1 hr 14 min•Transcript available on Metacast Danny Seraphine is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted, world-famous original drummer of Chicago. Tate Berkey has been researching Danny's gear for the last year and has compiled an exhaustive look at all things Danny Seraphine. We cover his earliest drum kits, his time with Slingerland drums, his Zildjian endorsements, and then his switch to Yamaha and DW. Danny is a consummate gearhead and loved to experiment with different sizes, configurations, especially the use of concert toms. We cove...
May 14, 2024•3 hr 33 min•Transcript available on Metacast Rob Hart takes us through audio clips of his former mentor and teacher Robbie Gonzalez which gives us first hand knowledge and ideas of this great mind of drumming. Robbie Gonzalez was a Berklee professor, prolific recording artist, and performed with greats like Al Di Meola. This episode features many great recordings of Robbie performing live and also working in the lesson room with Rob Hart. This is a continuation of the "mentors series" that Rob has been doing here on Drum History Podcast. T...
Apr 23, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Transcript available on Metacast Unravel the captivating journey of recording technology with Jay Petach as your guide, spanning back to the 1800s when pioneers like Thomas Edison introduced groundbreaking inventions like the Phonograph and Edison's Cylinders. Delve into the evolution leading to the revolutionary use of magnetic tape and the advent of computers, propelling us into the era of multi-track recording as we recognize it today. In this enlightening episode, Jay Petach, a distinguished professor and seasoned audio eng...
Apr 09, 2024•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast Hey everyone! I am launching a temporary bi-weekly show schedule with two new episodes per month. We are currently in the midst of an attic renovation which has bumped me out of my normal Drum History Studio for the next month or two. It has been chaos recently with having a newborn and i've got some new stuff going on with traveling to California for work but this has pushed things a bit over the edge where scheduling has been very tricky. I think what I am going to do is revert back to my orig...
Mar 26, 2024•6 min•Transcript available on Metacast Ellis Tollin is a world-class performer who played on hit records, started a very successful music store in Philadelphia called Music City, which hosted countless performances by greats such as Louie Bellson, Max Roach, Art Blakey, and many more. Ellis is known as the father of the Drum Clinic, and he was also a close personal friend of Buddy Rich. This episode shines a light on his rise as a performer at the peak of the Jazz explosion, his need to pivot after arthritis made his drumming career ...
Mar 19, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Transcript available on Metacast Gerry shares with us a list of drums and cymbals that are often overlooked and under-marketed but sound just as good as the equipment that is 10x the price. "Sleeper Gear," by definition, is drum gear that you might not notice at a music store or never even consider trying when, in reality, it sounds great and can be found at a bargain price. Gerry Porter runs Hazelshould.com and has had thousands of drums and cymbals pass through his hands. He has put together a list of cymbals, snares, and dru...
Mar 12, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Transcript available on Metacast (First Aired Feb 2019) "That Great Gretsch Sound" has been around since 1883, join me as I talk with John Sheridan about the full history of this iconic company! John is an expert on Gretsch and co-wrote "The Gretsch Book" with Rob Cook. John takes us through the 136 year history with amazing facts and stories and also some information that you won't hear anywhere else! Here is the timeline on the Gretsch websites I used to follow along with John: http://www.gretschdrums.com/history The Gretsch ...
Mar 05, 2024•54 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jim Gordon went from being the first call drummer of his generation who played on hundreds of hit records, to becoming a victim of the chemicals in his brain that caused him to murder his mother in a schizophrenic episode. Joel Selvin describes his Jim Gordon's life and his book perfectly with this description: "The blazing rock opera of the greatest drummer of all-time, Jim Gordon, from the legendary Wrecking Crew to redefining rock on the Seventies’ biggest hits and outrageous tours, and ultim...
Feb 27, 2024•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast Did you know that Alfred Hitchcock used a drummer on the set of the 1963 classic thriller, 'The Birds'? The real question is: who is this mystery drummer, and how/why did Hitchcock employ a percussionist to perform during the filming of the movie? I have been researching this topic for the last few weeks and have made some amazing discoveries about the on-set drummer, and great information that goes beyond just this topic. Alfred Hitchcock is one of the best filmmakers of all time, and he knew t...
Feb 20, 2024•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast (Part 2 Covers 1985-2015) Alex Van Halen is responsible for inspiring a generation of young drummers to pick up drumsticks because of his virtuosic playing and HUGE drum sets. Kurt Ekstrom joins us on the podcast to guide us through each and every one of Alex's iconic drum sets and all the accessories and details that make them absolutely one of a kind works of art! Alex Van Halen's drum sets feature 4 bass drums, fire extinguishers, gas masks, exhaust pipes, and rubber tubes connecting everythi...
Feb 13, 2024•2 hr 44 min•Transcript available on Metacast (Part 1 covers 1964-1984) Alex Van Halen is responsible for inspiring a generation of young drummers to pick up drumsticks because of his virtuosic playing and HUGE drum sets. Kurt Ekstrom joins us on the podcast to guide us through each and every one of Alex's iconic drum sets and all the accessories and details that make them absolutely one of a kind works of art! Alex Van Halen's drum sets feature 4 bass drums, fire extinguishers, gas masks, exhaust pipes, and rubber tubes connecting everythi...
Feb 06, 2024•2 hr 14 min•Transcript available on Metacast My wife gave birth to a healthy baby boy last week, so enjoy this classic episode from 2020 while I get caught up on next weeks episode! Andy Zildjian is the president of Sabian Cymbals and takes us on a very fun journey through the history of the company that dates back to its founding in 1981 by his father, Robert Zildjian. This episode features tons of great information about his famous family in general and we discuss the factors that caused the split in the family and become the iconic Sabi...
Jan 30, 2024•1 hr•Transcript available on Metacast 
