Alfonso created and shipped the first "Acoustically Formatted Electronic Drum Kits" in 1991 which was a game changer in the electronic drum world, and helped shaped the e-drum industry since then. He has been a staple of the drum industry for over 30 decades, but flys under the radar as much of the work he has done involves triggering the drums for some of the biggest names int he drum industry. What you see on stage might not be what you are actually hearing! Al talks all about that process and...
Jun 27, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Transcript available on Metacast We live in a golden era where independent cymbal makers are creating more beautiful instruments than ever before. Timothy Roberts joins me this week to share his take on the landscape of indie Cymbalsmith's and gives us tons of great information on the the background of the current indie movement, the difference between makers, what you should be looking and listening for in a boutique cymbal, the art of modifying existing cymbals, and tons of other great info. Tim runs Timothy Roberts Cymbals, ...
Jun 20, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Transcript available on Metacast The history of bass drum head art dates back over a century ago when pipe bands would paint the name of their town and group on the calf skin head. This evolved over time with beautifully painted scenic paintings that were sold directly from the major manufacturers in catalogs, then drummers began adding initials and band names to the heads and the rest is history! Dominic Tancredi and Luke Condrich join us from Woodshed Stage Art to give us a very detailed look at how bass drum art has evolved ...
Jun 13, 2023•1 hr 21 min•Transcript available on Metacast Part 2 covers the cymbal series including the 602's, Giant Beats, 2002, 404, 505, Signature, and many more. We discuss the USA and European distributors of Paiste Cymbals, plus the more affordable lower line cymbals that are still collectible and cymbal care and cleaning. Dan Garza isa die hard Paiste enthusiast and the moderator of the Paiste section on Cymbal.Wiki. Here are the links provided by Dan for more Paiste information: Dan's channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCV5P6pbrDcLUXs4y3K...
Jun 06, 2023•2 hr 6 min•Transcript available on Metacast Pat Petrillo shares tons of great info including what it is like to be featured on the cover of Modern Drummer, his Instagram series about breaking down actual sticking of Ringo's parts, and we discuss his great new album, "The Power Station Sessions". Pat also gives us a history lesson on the nuances and differences between R&B and Funk drumming and we discuss some of the great products that he has developed for our industry over the years! Keep up with Pat and check out his album at https://pa...
May 30, 2023•59 min•Transcript available on Metacast This episode is a deep dive into the nuances of collecting Vintage Paiste Cymbals with Dan Garza, a die hard Paiste enthusiast and the moderator of the Paiste section on Cymbal.Wiki. We cover everything from the different alloys that are used in production, the variations in serial numbers, production techniques, and all the cymbal lines up to the 70's (that will continue on in part 2). Dan also talks a lot about what makes Paiste so special and different from the other major cymbal manufacturer...
May 23, 2023•2 hr 53 min•Transcript available on Metacast Anthony has been on a mission to discover as much as he can on the history of the legendary Covington era of Rogers Drums! Anthony and his Rogers friends are using state of the art techniques to test the species of each ply on various shells to determine the make up of the shells, and he is utilizing the research that the generation before him has compiled. This has allowed him to put together a comprehensive look at the Rogers drums that were made in the small town of Covington, Ohio between 19...
May 16, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Transcript available on Metacast Vincent gives us a deep dive into the history of the American made Zildjian Cymbals from 1929 up through the 1990s. We talk about all the various stamps through he generations that can be used to identify vintage A. Zildjian cymbals, along with notes on the hammering, lathing, and bell size that can help you determine collectibility and value of a vintage Zildjian cymbal. Vincent shares his 9 step process of determining if a cymbal is a good purchase which includes everything from the shape of t...
May 09, 2023•2 hr 33 min•Transcript available on Metacast Enjoy this classic episode from 2020! We are lead to believe that the bass drum pedal was invented in the USA, and that the drum set as we know it today was first created in the states - but Fritz shares examples that show many revolutionary drum inventions that were first created in Europe. We also discuss brands like Sonor, Trixon, Paiste, plus drumming and drum building in communist countries and many other great facts and stories along the way. Fritz is a veteran in the drum industry and has...
May 02, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Transcript available on Metacast (Part 3) Paul Wells is a Professor of Jazz Drums at Juilliard and he is also a fanatical fan of Neil Peart and his drum sets. This is part 3 of a 3 part series that covers all of the drums, cymbals, hardware, heads, and percussion that helped Neil Peart be one of the best drummers in history. This episode covers Neil's switch to DW drums, his work with Freddie Gruber, his switching to Roland V-Drums and the many iconic kits that were from the last part of his career! I hope you guys like Part 3 ...
Apr 25, 2023•2 hr 5 min•Transcript available on Metacast Rob Birenbaum is the founder of Drum Headquarters in St. Louis, MO and HQ Percussion, which famously produced the iconic RealFeel practice pads and Sound Off drum mute pads. This is a great story of how Rob started as a salesman/drum teacher at a local Missouri drum shop and took that knowledge and created his own shop which became a dominate force in his area, and became the top Tama dealer in the state in the 1980's. Rob then took advantage of a business deal that made him the owner of what be...
Apr 18, 2023•1 hr 12 min•Transcript available on Metacast (Part 2) Paul Wells is a Professor of Jazz Drums at Juilliard and he is also a fanatical fan of Neil Peart and his drum sets. This is part 2 of a 3 part series that covers all of the drums, cymbals, hardware, heads, and percussion that helped Neil Peart be one of the best drummers in history. This episode covers Neil's introduction to electronic drums that he used with the Tama Candy Apple Red Kit and throughout his career, his love of samples, his evolving Ludwig white, blue, and black kits, an...
Apr 11, 2023•2 hr 51 min•Transcript available on Metacast Paul Wells is a Professor of Jazz Drums at Juilliard and he is also a fanatical fan of Neil Peart and his drum sets. This is part 1 of a 3 part series that covers all of the drums, cymbals, hardware, heads, and percussion that helped Neil Peart be one of the best drummers in history. This episode covers Neil's very first drum set as a child, up through his iconic Candy Apple Red Tama kit that became famous as a banner hanging on drummers walls around the world. I hope you guys like this mega dee...
Apr 04, 2023•1 hr 26 min•Transcript available on Metacast The list of legendary drummers that played with the late Wayne Shorter is absolutely incredible. Mark Griffith takes us through each album and stage in Waynes career and which iconic drummer was involved at any given time. Just to name a few, he played with people such as Art Blakey, Tony Williams, Jack DeJohnette, Elvin Jones, Ndugu Chancler, Peter Erskine, Bryan Blade, Jeff Porcaro and that is just barely scratching the surface. Mark is the Editor in Chief and Director of Content/Education for...
Mar 28, 2023•1 hr 29 min•Transcript available on Metacast (This is EP49 from May, 2020) We learn the role of drummers in the Military and the purpose they served as a form of communication and a way to keep the troops unified during battle starting with the US Colonies through to the Revolutionary War. Then we take a deep dive into the Civil War and learn all about the importance of the Fife and Drum Corp on both sides in the extremely bloody war that divided the country. Patrick Jones is a Fife and Drum Corps expert and regularly performs with Camp Ch...
Mar 21, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Transcript available on Metacast Bob Cianci, the author of "The Great Rock Drummers of the Sixties," takes us on a trip down memory lane to explore the iconic drummers who revolutionized the sound of rock music in the 1960s. Through fascinating anecdotes and historical insights, Cianci shares his personal experiences and extensive research on drumming legends such as Ringo Starr, Keith Moon, Charlie Watts, and many others. I gained a newfound appreciation for the crucial role that drummers played in shaping the sound and cultur...
Mar 14, 2023•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast Bruce Becker has written a brand new book that takes the iconic "Progressive Steps to Syncopation for the Modern Drummer" by Ted Reed to the next level and gives Bruce's signature teaching approach to one of the top selling drum books of all time. Bruce's new book is called "The Ultimate Guide to Syncopation: Concepts for the Development of Motion, Melody, and Independence. Bruce starts the conversation by reminiscing about his former teacher Freddie Gruber, and then we dig into the Why, What an...
Mar 07, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jared Falk is the founder of Drumeo which has grown to be one of the top platforms for online education in the world. Drumeo is not only a great source of online education on drumeo.com, but the brand is also a giant across social media and YouTube as with millions of subscribers and followers. Drumeo has changed the way online lessons are presented and is responsible for creating countless new drummers which helps our entire industry grow. Jared and I discuss his early beginnings with filming l...
Feb 28, 2023•57 min•Transcript available on Metacast Rob Leytham uses Neuro-Rhythmic Trauma Therapy to help children regulate their emotions with the power of drumming. He uses brain science and his 35 years of drum teaching skills to help kids avoid the normal punishments and suspensions that they would normally face. Not only is his classroom full of Djembes and percussion instruments, but Rob's passion has spread to the entire faculty at Ridgeview where many teachers use percussion to help calm troubled students and the impact has been enormous...
Feb 21, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Transcript available on Metacast ASBA Drums is an iconic French drum brand that dates back to 1927 with a very interesting history. Damo and Saúl share the full story of this brand which began as just an accessory company, and grew to be a fully formed drum brand that made literally everything in house. They created drum heads, they had a foundry and made all the hardware and metal drum shells and the wood shells and everything else along the way. The company had a great long run but unfortunately went out of business in the 19...
Feb 14, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Transcript available on Metacast Sahir aka Sai teaches us the process of building drum shells from foraging for the perfect tree in the forest all the way to processing the ply's to create beautiful drum shells. We talk about the modern technology that is used to create sturdy and dependable shells that our drum building ancestors only dreamed about and much much more. Not only does Sai create beautiful drums for some of the biggest names in drumming, he is has a successful career as a tour director and production manager for m...
Feb 07, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Transcript available on Metacast JP Bouvet takes us on a deep dive into the concept of improvising on the drum kit. We discuss things like how to practice improvisation, the misconceptions that come with it, how you can break out of your "go-to beats" and much more! JP is a monster player very well respected teacher who has built his brand around the importance of improvising on the drum kit and entering the flow mode. Check out JP's website at www.jpbouvetmethod.com and use code DRUMHISTORY for a free month JP Bouvet YouTube: ...
Jan 31, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Transcript available on Metacast Eric Sooy founded Black Swamp Percussion nearly 30 years ago and has built the brand from the ground up by creating extremely high quality orchestral and band percussion instruments. Eric teaches me the nuance that goes into creating tambourines for orchestras and the differences between that and a traditional drum set tambourine, plus we also discuss what makes an orchestral snare special for that type of music and much more! I really enjoyed hearing Eric discuss the ups and downs and risks tha...
Jan 24, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Transcript available on Metacast David Frangioni, CEO of Modern Drummer, makes an exclusive announcement about the future of Modern Drummer right here on Drum History! Not only do we learn about the exciting news, we also get an update on what has been happening with the magazine since the Frangioni family took things over in February 2020, just weeks before the pandemic changed the world forever, and how this has shaped the exciting new plans for the magazine. David then takes us through his life which began with eye cancer as...
Jan 17, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Transcript available on Metacast Earl Bennett has been a collector and enthusiast of US drum magazines for the last 40+ years and he shares his vast knowledge of known magazines like Modern Drummer, Drum!, and Rhythm plus other lesser known ones like Traps, Classic Drummer, and Talking Drum. We discuss the many different styles and variations of magazines through the years and how they had to pivot in the digital age to stay alive as long as they could. As of 2023, physical drum magazines have become few and far between but wil...
Jan 10, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Transcript available on Metacast Eric Leiderman is a producer of NBC's Late Night with Seth Meyers and is the man behind the rotating drummer program which has given drummers of all styles the chance to perform with the 8G band on national American television. The 8G Band is the house band for Late Night with Seth Meyers and the band is led by Fred Armisen (Saturday Night Live, Portlandia, Wednesday). Due to Fred Armisens extremely busy schedule, the 8G band has a roster of all star drummers who take turns performing with the g...
Jan 03, 2023•1 hr 11 min•Transcript available on Metacast This weeks episode is a classic episode from 2020 featuring Jerry Granelli, who was the drummer for the iconic "A Charlie Brown Christmas" soundtrack. Jerry passed away in July, 2021 so I am very grateful to have spent this time with him. He shares the story of the writing and recording of the album and great info on the creation of the TV special. He tells us about how he wanted nothing to do with Charlie Brown for 30 years, until he came to the realization that he has made millions of happy pe...
Dec 27, 2022•53 min•Transcript available on Metacast Howie Stulberg worked for Buddy Rich as his roadie/assistant when he was 21 years old in 1978 and had the time of his life for 2 years. He shares great stories of how some days he and Buddy would be drinking malts and going to baseball games, but and other days if you caught Buddy in the wrong mood - he would give you a piece of his mind and fire you on the spot. Howie discusses a day in the life with Buddy, Performing on Johnny Carson, and the famous Buddy Rich Rant tapes (which Howie was prese...
Dec 20, 2022•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast Brandon teaches us the importance of using ergonomics to set up your drum set and perform in a correct way that allows you to drum for the rest of your life without any pain. He uses many great scientific examples of ways to improve upon the common mistakes that drummers make which leads to pain in our necks, backs, shoulders, and wrists. We also discuss how some of the greats like Phil Collins and Neil Peart were so negatively affected by back pain that they were forced to stop performing and h...
Dec 13, 2022•1 hr 8 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jeremy and Max discuss cutting their teeth with OCDP, the origins of Q Drum Co., and also Jeremy's recent heroic battle with stomach cancer that has brought his career as a successful drum tech to a halt while he recovers. The silver lining is that this has brought the drum community together to rally around Jeremy like never before to get him back on his feet. Jeremy Berman and Max Cuzor have built drum kits for some of the biggest drummers in the world, and Jeremy has been a tech with bands su...
Dec 06, 2022•2 hr 43 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
