For several years, Michael Grando held the drum chair for national recording artist Chris Knight. He appeared on both his “Heart of Stone” album, produced by Dan Baird formerly of the Georgia Satellites (2008) and on Chris’ 2012 release titled “Little Victories” which was produced by Grammy award-winner Ray Kennedy and featured performances by Buddy Miller and John Prine. After seven years, two critically acclaimed records and countless live performances, Michael left Chris Knight in order to pu...
Sep 05, 2019•1 hr 19 min•Transcript available on Metacast Brendan Buckley is best known for touring and recording with Shakira. He grew up in New Jersey and attended the University of Miami. In 2004, Buckley moved out west to Los Angeles and has since amassed an impressive pop resume that includes Miley Cyrus, Tegan & Sara, Leehom Wang, Perry Farrell and many, MANY others. In this episode, Brendan talks about: * Why LA is a good home base for him and why he moved there in the first place* Extroverts vs. introverts in the music world* Why image is impor...
Aug 29, 2019•1 hr 14 min•Transcript available on Metacast Todd Sucherman is one of the most in-demand drummers on the planet. In addition to a 20+ year tenure with the legendary rock band Styx, Sucherman is a leading clinician and session artist. In 2018, the readers of Modern Drummer magazine named him “#1 Progressive Rock Drummer” plus”#1 Recorded Performance” for “The Mission” (Styx). His Methods and Mechanics instructional DVD series has won multiple awards. Read more about Todd here. In this episode, Todd talks about: * The importance of a relaxed...
Aug 22, 2019•2 hr 37 min•Transcript available on Metacast Larry Wilson grew up in Jacksonville, FL and studied music at Florida State in Tallahassee with Leon Anderson. He moved his young family to Atlanta in the fall of 2017 and has gotten busy with a variety of Gospel, R&B, and jazz artists, as well as hosting what has quickly become one of the city’s most popular weekly jam sessions. He has recently released a jazz album called Our Thing, a tribute to the music of saxophonist Joe Henderson. He also hosts a monthly live stream called “Jazz for Lunch”...
Aug 15, 2019•1 hr 11 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jim Rupp has done extensive touring with the bands of Woody Herman, Maynard Ferguson, and Glenn Miller. Jim spent close to ten years with Grammy Award-winning jazz singer Diane Schuur, and has also performed and toured with artists such as Ray Charles, Tony Bennett, Joe Lavano, Hank Marr, Buddy DeFranco, Maria Schneider, Clark Terry, Joe Williams, Rosemary Clooney, John Fedchock, Natalie Cole, the Cleveland and Columbus Jazz Orchestras, and the Smithsonian Masterworks Jazz Orchestra. These touri...
Aug 08, 2019•1 hr 13 min•Transcript available on Metacast Robert Boone recently graduated from Florida State University with his Masters Degree in Jazz Studies and is currently drummer for The Legendary Count Basie Orchestra. He has collaborated with leading artists such as Eric Reed, Marcus Roberts, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Scotty Barnhart, Marcus Lewis, Lester Walker, Rodney Jordan, Bill Peterson, and Leon Anderson. Boone received an undergraduate degree in Music Performance at Kennesaw State University, studying with percussion professor John Lawless an...
Aug 01, 2019•2 hr 30 min•Transcript available on Metacast Dave McAfee has been the drummer for every one of Toby Keith’s tours since 2000. Shows with Toby include stadium shows and festivals topping 80,000 fans, televised performances, country awards shows, USO tours as well as a Super Bowl performance for Super Bowl XXXVIII. Other artists Dave has performed and/or recorded with include Wade Hayes, Bryan White, Scotty Emerick, Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Willie Nelson, Jerry Lee Lewis, Sammy Hagar, David Allen Coe, Steve Wariner, Glen Campbell, Terri Clar...
Jul 25, 2019•1 hr 15 min•Transcript available on Metacast Born in Havana, Cuba, in 1963, ‘El Negro’ Hernandez has been a force on the international scene since 1990. Whether performing with jazz legends like McCoy Tyner or Michel Camilo, rock stars like Carlos Santana and Stevie Winwood or in notable Latin American ensembles like the Tropi-Jazz All Stars of the late Tito Puente, ‘El Negro’ has also shown himself to be one of the most versatile musicians in the international music scene today. He is the author of Conversations in Clave, one of the drumm...
Jul 18, 2019•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast Daniel Glass is an award-winning drummer, author, historian and educator. He is widely recognized as an authority on classic American drumming and the evolution of American Popular Music. Daniel was a member of the pioneering swing group Royal Crown Revue from 1994 to 2014. He has recorded and performed all over the world with many top artists, including Brian Setzer, Bette Midler, Liza Minnelli, Jose Feliciano, Michelle Shocked, Mike Ness, Freddie Cole, Marilyn Maye, the Hot Sardines, the Budap...
Jul 11, 2019•2 hr 34 min•Transcript available on Metacast Johnny Radelat has been touring and recording with Gary Clark Jr. since 2012. Born to Cuban immigrants in Jersey City N.J., Johnny came of age in Miami, FL, and currently resides in Austin TX. Prior to teaming up with Gary Clark Jr, he honed the skills and subtleties of playing/touring with reggae, R&B, soul, and Funk bands, while still embracing a bombastic/caveman-ish approach to drumming. In this episode, Johnny talks about * Guesting for a week with the 8G Band on Late Night with Seth Meyers...
Jul 04, 2019•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast Rick Brothers has performed with over 40 artists at events such as the GRAMMYs, Billboard Music Awards, CMT Music Awards, the AMAs and the Super Bowl XXXIX pregame show. During his decade and a half in Nashville Tennessee, Rick worked with various national artists including Ty Herndon, Jo-El Sonnier, Sarah Johns, Doug Stone, Gretchen Wilson, Colt Ford and most recently Bad Company’s former lead singer Brian Howe. During his five year tenure with Colt Ford, Rick recorded drums on four of Ford’s a...
Jun 27, 2019•1 hr 21 min•Transcript available on Metacast A professional musician for over twenty five years, Chad Gamble grew up in Tuscumbia, AL in the Muscle Shoals Area. Upon graduating from the University of Alabama, he made moves to Shreveport, LA and Memphis, TN gaining valuable experience along the way, including being nominated twice as “Premier Drummer” by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, Memphis Chapter. He has toured internationally with The Bluebirds, Gamble Brothers Band and Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit. Chad has been...
Jun 20, 2019•1 hr 10 min•Transcript available on Metacast Megan Jane brings a simple stylistic philosophy to her playing – “less is more.” After attending Berklee College of Music for two years, Megan moved to Southern California and began getting as much experience playing live and working with varied artists as possible. She decided to make the move to Nashville in order to gain more opportunities in her musical career. Since moving to Nashville, Megan has played drums live and in the studio with several artists like Kree Harrison, Misa Arriaga, Soni...
Jun 13, 2019•1 hr 14 min•Transcript available on Metacast Clayton Craddock’s drumming career spans decades and numerous Broadway and Off-Broadway musicals. Clayton is currently the drummer of the Broadway Show Ain’t Too Proud-The Life AndTimes Of the Temptations now playing at the Imperial Theatre on Broadway. Clayton has also held the drum chair and recorded the cast albums for the musicals Altar Boyz, tick…tick… BOOM!, Memphis the Musical and Lady Day At Emerson’s Bar And Grill with Audra McDonald. After earning his bachelor’s in business administrat...
Jun 06, 2019•1 hr 23 min•Transcript available on Metacast Harry McCarthy has offered his technical skills on the road and in the studio for major artists such as Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band, The Eagles, Eric Clapton, Neil Young, Mark Knopfler, Carly Simon, Hall & Oates, Michael McDonald, Madonna, Toto, James Taylor, Keith Urban and numerous others. He was raised in the same metro New York neighborhood as successful drummers, Rick and Jerry Marotta. In 1989, he established Drum Paradise Los Angeles, with partner Jeff Chonis. Throughout the...
May 30, 2019•2 hr 39 min•Transcript available on Metacast Mathieu Gramoli is a French-American drummer, composer, teacher and producer, who is best known for recording and touring with the band Her. Born in Paris, his musical talent became apparent at the age of fifteen when he picked up drumming during high school to play rock and funk with some friends. After high school he went to the Sorbonne Nouvelle Paris III to study Applied Foreign Languages for two years before attending the Centre des Musiques Didier Lockwood, graduating in 2004. Professor An...
May 23, 2019•1 hr 20 min•Transcript available on Metacast After his thoughtful move to Nashville from his home state of California in 2012, Jarred Pope has found strong and steady work in the heavy rock world. Throughout his career, Jarred has and continues to earn respect among a highly reputable group of musicians within many genres that includes rock, hard rock, country and pop. Jarred has worked with Gene Simmons, Whiskey Falls, Hannah/McCuen, Julianne Hough, Jimmy Hayslip, Waylon Holland, Crosby Loggins, Beasto Blanco, Dennis Hamm, Mother Funk Con...
May 16, 2019•2 hr 36 min•Transcript available on Metacast Dame Drummer lives in Oakland, tours with Fantastic Negrito, and is about to release his latest original project, a double-length album called Loveolution. Dame grew up in Cleveland where he cut his teeth on the local scene playing funk, R&B, and whatever else came along. He moved to Oakland in 2012 at the urging of some friends who already lived there. His Rust Belt work ethic quickly and creative spirit put him in high demand Oakland and he’s been busy ever since, both as a collaborator and a ...
May 09, 2019•1 hr 1 min•Transcript available on Metacast For the last few years, Derek Mixon has been the drummer for country singer and songwriter Chris Stapleton. Derek played drums on all of Chris’s award winning solo albums to date. Originally from West Monroe, Louisiana, Derek drew inspiration from his surroundings that included his father who was a professional musician. The musical sensibilities he learned early in life as well as his time in Nashville over the last 20 years has been the preparation that was needed to play the role of drummer s...
May 02, 2019•1 hr 5 min•Transcript available on Metacast Damian Erskine is known for his ability to fit into most any musical situation, extraordinary reading and improvising skills as well as being an educator and columnist. He has played in the studio or on the stage with Peter Erskine, Gino Vannelli, The Jaco Pastorius Big Band, Bob Sheppard, John Beasley, Jeff Lorber, The Buddy Rich Alumni All-Star Band, Antonio Hart, Charmaine Neville, and many others as well as being featured on the GospelChops.com “Shed Sessionz Vol. 1” DVD. Damian is an adjunc...
Apr 25, 2019•1 hr 14 min•Transcript available on Metacast Rick Marotta is known for his recordings and touring with such luminaries as James Taylor, Jackson Brown, Steely Dan, Carly Simon, Paul Simon, Linda Ronstadt, Aretha Franklin, Larry Carlton, Warren Zevon and Bette Midler. Rick began playing drums at 19 when a friend went into the army and left his set of drums to Rick. It wasn’t long before Rick began playing with R&B bands in the New York area, recording with David Spinozza and the group Giant as well as The Riverboat Soul Band. Rick’s current ...
Apr 18, 2019•2 hr 43 min•Transcript available on Metacast Once a year, we get together with our buddy Nick Ruffini of Drummer’s Resource to catch up on developments in our lives, podcasts, and careers. In this episode, Zack, Matt, and Nick talk about: * Los Angeles: Nick’s first impressions, Zack’s memories, the good, the bad and the ugly * Nick’s new company, Revoice Media * Playing drums vs. other music-related jobs, and how ego and identity plays into that mix * Insecurity surrounding money * Matt’s outlook on the Nasvhille scene * Examples of drumm...
Apr 11, 2019•1 hr 20 min•Transcript available on Metacast Accomplished drummer and spiritual teacher Steve Sinatra has dedicated fifteen plus years to making his living as a full time professional studio and touring musician. He’s toured and shared the stage with many nationally recognized artists such as Sarah Buxton, Pat Green, Richard Marx, Vertical Horizon, Billy Gilman, Joe Nichols, Little Big Town, Hunter Hayes and many others. After spending ten plus years performing with these notable artists, he had achieved the dream that he embarked on as a ...
Apr 04, 2019•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast Accomplished drummer and spiritual teacher Steve Sinatra has dedicated fifteen plus years to making his living as a full time professional studio and touring musician. He’s toured and shared the stage with many nationally recognized artists such as Sarah Buxton, Pat Green, Richard Marx, Vertical Horizon, Billy Gilman, Joe Nichols, Little Big Town, Hunter Hayes and many others. After spending ten plus years performing with these notable artists, he had achieved the dream that he embarked on as a ...
Mar 28, 2019•1 hr 20 min•Transcript available on Metacast Tarik Abouzied has played and traveled with a vast array of incredible musicians. His groups have collectively produced seven original albums: two from Pocket Change, an instrumental funk septet in the vein of Tower of Power, three from Hardcoretet, a modern instrumental jazz quartet, one from McTuff, an incredible funk/jazz Hammond organ trio, and one from his current project, Happy Orchestra. Happy was awarded 4Culture’s Arts Project Grant and its debut album, Baba, reached #5 on the KEXP NW M...
Mar 21, 2019•1 hr 29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Petar Janjic was born in Kraljevo, Serbia, also known as Kingstown. At 5, his father, a well known Serbian drummer, gave him a drum set and at the age of 10, Petar began studying with legendary a Serbian drummer Slobodan Stojanovic. In high school, Petar toured all over Europe before his eventual move to the United States. In 2008 he studied Music Performance & Percussion at the McNally Smith College of Music and eventually became one of its percussion instructors. During his time in the Minneap...
Mar 14, 2019•2 hr 46 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jordan Manley made the move to Atlanta in 2014, after growing up and spending the early years of his career in the small town of Columbus, GA. Since moving, he has been a member of several Atlanta-based groups including Black Linen, Lightning Orchestra, and Mattiel, with who he has been touring the U.S. and Europe, opening for the likes of Jack White and St. Paul & The Broken Bones. In this podcast, Jordan talks about: * What Mattiel and her band have learned from each other * The early years of...
Mar 07, 2019•2 hr 44 min•Transcript available on Metacast One of the premier showmen in rock, Carmine Appice became known worldwide for his astonishing live performances and a highly sought-after session drummer, He is known As the drummer for many ground breaking rock bands in the late 60’s to early 70’s like Vanilla Fudge Cactus as well as one of the first super groups with Jeff Beck, Beck, Bogert & Appice. In 1976, he joined Rod Stewart’s band, touring, recording and writing two of Stewart’s biggest hits, “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy” and “Young Turks.” In...
Feb 28, 2019•1 hr 12 min•Transcript available on Metacast John Bryant is a drummer, percussionist, composer, educator, and music producer residing and working in Dallas, Texas. Originally from Virginia, he moved to Dallas and majored in music at the University of North Texas, where he performed and recorded with the One O’Clock Lab Band. He has recorded and/or performed with numerous artists including Ray Charles, Delbert McClinton, Joe Walsh, Lightnin’ Hopkins, the Paul Winter Consort, and Doc Severinsen. Bryant has played, composed and produced music...
Feb 21, 2019•1 hr 28 min•Transcript available on Metacast Danny Young (bald) and Mike McKee (bald) met a few years back while touring together and very quickly bonded over their mutual love for all things drums/percussion. Since then, they started a very nerdy friendship of developing and creating new instruments to use on their respective gigs: Mike with Delta Rae and Danny with Dan Tyminski. In 2018, the two officially joined forces and created “BaldMan Percussion”. The baldmen are continually developing new and unique instruments to help take the dr...
Feb 14, 2019•1 hr 23 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
