Working Drummer

Craig McIntyre has had a long tenure as the drummer for the Goo Goo Dolls and has also performed with Josh Groban, Vertical Horizon, Idina Menzel, Deana Carter, Seal, and many others along the way. After building a very LA-centric career, Craig now lives in Portland Oregon.  In this episode, Craig talks about: The combination of festival and theatre work that comprises the Goo Goo Dolls’ yearly schedule The challenge of being present in the music with your fellow musicians, and how different situations can make it difficult in different ways How to exit a gig in a way that leaves future possibilities open, and not take personnel changes personally How the gig you’re doing can be a status symbol or platform, apart from whatever the actual music is  The musical cross-pollination that happened among the various members of Josh Groban’s band The counterintuitive aspects of what the Groban gig required of the drummer 

Bobby Sanabria is an eight time Grammy-nominee as a leader. Known as a drummer, percussionist, composer, arranger, conductor, documentary film producer, educator, activist, and bandleader, his versatility as both a drummer and percussionist, from small group to big band, has become legendary. A native son of the South Bronx born to Puerto Rican parents, he has performed and recorded with every major figure in the world of Latin jazz and salsa, from the founder of the Afro-Cuban/Latin jazz movement Mario Bauzá, to Tito Puente, Mongo Santamaría, Dizzy Gillespie, Chico O’Farrill, Ray Barretto, Candido, to Larry Harlow, Ruben Blades, Celia Cruz, and jazz luminaries as diverse as Henry Threadgill, Charles McPherson, Randy Brecker, Joe Chambers, Jean Lucien, The Mills Brothers, and others. DRUM! Magazine named him Percussionist of the Year (2005); he was named Percussionist of the Year by the Jazz Journalists Association in 2011 and 2013. In 2006, he was inducted into the Bronx Walk of Fame. He was a recipient of t

Joe LaBarbera has spent his life in jazz, first based in New York, then in LA, and has performed with Bill Evans, Tony Bennet, Chuck Mangione, and many more. He also spent 28 years on the faculty at Cal Arts teaching drumset, jazz small groups, and jazz history. His new book, Times Remembered, recounts his time with the Bill Evans Trio during the last two years of Evans' life. In this episode, Joe talks about: His motivation for writing a book about his time with Bill Evans The musical and personal dynamic he had with Bill during their time together Going from playing with Bill Evans, a very heavy jazz gig, to Tony Bennett, which he doesn't consider to be a jazz gig The overarching concept he drew from Bill - commitment How he viewed his role as a mentor to many different types of students during his 28 years at Cal Arts

Brady L. Blade, Jr. is one of the most in-demand session drummers in the world, and has played on several critically acclaimed albums, including records by Solomon Burke, Daniel Lanois, Emmylou Harris, Dave Matthews, Buddy Miller, Indigo Girls, Steve Earle, and Shawn Amos. He is also an accomplished producer and composer. He enjoys working with new talent, developing their songwriting and, ultimately, producing and recording alongside them. He has had a number of major successes, particularly in Australia and New Zealand, where his work has topped their national charts, producing the debut records of Brooke Fraser (7x Platinum in New Zealand), Annabel Fay, and Annah Mac. Brady can be heard on over 70 records to date. Brady’s brother is jazz drummer Brian Blade. Brady currently plays with Bayou Punks, Rev. Shawn Amos and the Brotherhood and Indigo Girls In this episode, Brady talks about:    Being the “Floating Artist” on the Americana cruise Cayamo    Why he lives in Stockholm, Sweden    Preparing to tour

Mike Musberger has spent his life and career in Seattle, where he has played in a long list of bands and projects. In the 90s, he enjoyed some big label/world touring success as the drummer for The Posies. More recently, he was part of Paul Allen's traveling "on call" band, and is part of Ringo's live production crew. He also records in his own studio, housed in Seattle's most famous rehearsal space, The Institution. In this episode, Mike talks about: Growing up and starting his career in Seattle, with a front row seat to its musical revolution in the 80s and 90s The the most useful holdover concept from the analogue recording era Touring as part of Ringo's live production crew Relying on the side hustle of contracting when he had to The changing landscape of how to make a touring band financially sustainable Some ways the Seattle music scene has improved as a result of the tech boom

Chris Marquart is the touring drummer with multi-platinum country superstar Cole Swindell. Originally from a small town in Illinois, Chris attended The Berkley college of music before his eventual move to Nashville, TN. Chris has created a career in the music industry on his own terms all while staying focused on the big picture and things that are most important to him. Chris navigated his way through the Nashville scene playing clubs in the Lower Broadway scene to working with signed artists like Craig Campbell and Cole Swindel. In this episode, Chris talks about:    Things he learned while at the Berklee College of Music    From Lower Broadway in Nashville to touring with Cole Swindel    How Chris manages his mix and technology on the Cole gig    Playing musically with a click and tracks    The benefits of transcribing    Staying healthy on the road, mentally and physically    Planning the next stage of work life outside of music

Victor Indrizzo has long been one of the most in-demand drummers in LA and can be heard on countless records and movie soundtracks. He has recorded with Beck, Sheryl Crow, Queens of the Stone Age, and many, many others. He has also served as Alanis Morissette's touring drummer for over a decade. His recent work includes Lizzo's "About Damn Time," newly crowned with a grammy for record of the year, and a sample pack through Yurt Rock. In this episode, Victor talks about: Being a young dad and saying yes to everything Connecting with his pure love of drumming when he's feeling bogged down in the “work” aspect Having a dialogue and partnership with sound engineers to shape drum sounds together Finding ways to make acoustic recorded sounds similar to programmed sounds Using stacking and overdubbing to highlight choruses instead of moving to the ride or opening the hihat His approach to creating a sample pack How the most important aspects of working don’t require you to be extroverted 

Dan Ainspan is the co-host of the podcast Nashville Drummers Podcast with colleague Nathan Sletner. The podcast gives a voice to Nashville’s next generation of players — the up-and-coming drummers that you may haven’t heard of yet. Dan is also currently the Jr. Marketing Manager, Band & Orchestra Products for Pearl Corporation, based in Nashville, TN. A Slingerlands, NY native, Dan attended the State University of New York College at Oneonta where he received a B.A. in Music Industry with Double Minors in Percussion Performance and Audio Production. At Oneonta, Dan studied percussion with Dr. Julie Licata and drum set with The Mars Volta drummer Blake Fleming. After graduating in 2015, Dan relocated to Indianapolis, IN to pursue an internship with the Percussive Arts Society before his eventual move to Nashville, TN. In this episode, Dan talks about:    His job at Pearl drums    Dan’s journey from college to NY to Indianapolis to Nashville    Interning at PAS    Studying with original The Mars Volta drumm

Jay Bellerose is a Los Angeles-based touring and studio veteran with an approach and aesthetic all his own. His passion for all things old and gritty has resulted in a personality behind the drums that has become sought after by artists and producers including Robert Plant & Allison Krauss, T-Bone Burnett, Bonnie Raitt, Ray LeMontagne, In this episode, Jay talks about: The Slingerland "Rolling Bomber" set he plays on the Plant/Krauss tour, and how the sound is captured Having to find and fight for his aesthetic amidst the LA scene How singers move, and how drummers can recognize and respond to that How the Plant/Krauss project is separate and distinct from Robert or Allison's individual history or work Playing in Molly Miller's trio with his wife, Jennifer Condos on bass The deceptive challenge of simple instrumental music Keeping his schedule intentionally sparse when he's home in LA

Jamie Wollam has toured with some of the most talented musicians on earth including, Tears for Fears, Jackson Browne, David Crosby, Tommy Shaw (Styx), Fee Waybil (The Tubes) and Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello’s solo project, The Nightwatchman. He has recorded with Michael Sweet (Stryper), Guardian, Zache Brooke, The Brave, John Elefante (Kansas), Venice, Jay Nash, Mindy Gledhill, Michael Jackson, Kyle Vincent, Hillary Duff, Eric Hutchinson, Avion, Steve Bertrand, Drake Bell, G.E.M and, Tears for Fears. In this episode, Jaime talks about:    His move from L.A. to Canada and getting sober    Working through these struggles while working with Tears for Fears    Drumming with Tears for Fears and the support they gave him    Being the drummer for Tears for Fears and working a “regular job”    Drumming for Tears for Fears and the new record    Losing his deal with DW    Dialing in his sound with A&F drums

 Matt Starr is a 20-year veteran of the LA scene and recently landed in Sarah McLachlan's drum chair. Over his career, he has divided his time playing live and recording in the pop/rock world and has also been producing music in his own studio. Matt began formal study of drums in his hometown of Toronto with Vito Rezza, and went on to study with Joe Morello, Jim Chapin, and Bernard Purdie. In addition to the Sarah gig, he has also performed with Buffy Sainte-Marie, Chris Shiflett (from the Foo Fighters), Christopher Cross, Lisa Loeb (with whom he recorded a grammy winning album in 2018), Deana Carter, Glen Ballard, Alphonso Johnson, Lucy Hale, Kiki Ebsen, Kevyn Lettau and Inbar Starr. In this podcast, Matt talks about: Learning to get the most out of your existing gear before buying more How drummers now have the expertise to be in conversation and partnership with audio engineers How his relationship with Victor Indrizzo led to the Sarah McLachlan gig Being an LA drummer without the LA extroversion/ambit

400! We’ve celebrated milestones in different ways over the years and this time around we wanted to make you the listener the special guest. Over the last few months we’ve been collecting messages from y’all about where you are in your drumming journey and where the podcast has fit into that. Matt and Zack also reflect on where they are in their drumming journeys (two very different places) and the role the podcast is playing for in that, professionally and personally. We want to thank everyone for calling and writing in, it’s been really rewarding to hear from old friends and new, some close to home, some halfway around the world about how what we do here is valued. And thanks also to everyone who has listened, donated, told a friend about us, followed us on social media, there have been so many ways y’all have supported us over the years and that support is the reason we’ve reached this milestone. Thank you.

Drummer, singer, and songwriter Jerry Gaskill founded the progressive metal band Kings X in 1983. A native of Bridgeton, New Jersey, Gaskill began playing at a young age, forming a band with his father and brother and playing his first gig at the age of seven. After playing in bands throughout high school, he became heavily involved in the Christian faith and enrolled at Evangel University in Springfield, Missouri. Not long after arriving in Springfield, he befriended bassist dUg Pinnick and the two formed a sturdy rhythm section, backing up artists like future Petra singer Greg X. Volz and guitarist Phil Keaggy. After trying out various combos of their own, Gaskill and Pinnick were joined by guitarist Ty Tabor and the trio, then called Sneak Preview, relocated to Houston, Texas. Changing their name to Kings X in 1987, they eventually signed with metal label Megaforce and released their debut, Out of the Silent Planet, a year later. A prog trio with a strong melodic bent and elaborate three-part harmonies, Ki

Based in Boston, MA, Tim is an international touring musician, session drummer, educator, and published author with both Alfred Music and Hudson Music. Tim currently records and tours extensively with GA-20, a three-time Billboard #1 blues trio signed to Karma Chief/Colemine records. He also leads two of his own projects: Tim Carman & The Street 45s—a world-groove inspired funk band—and the Tim Carman Trio—a vintage organ jazz trio (à la Jimmy Smith) nominated for “Jazz Act of the Year (2022)” by the Boston Music Awards. Along with performing, Tim is a dedicated educator who has released four drum books: Haynes-ISM (2022 via Hudson Music), Groove Systems (2021 via Hudson Music), Shape Beats: Drum Notation Simplified (2020), and Shape Beats for Kids (2017 via Alfred Music).  In this episode, Tim talks about The easy decision to commit full time to GA-20 in 2018 His experience at Berklee  Learning to make experimentation part of practicing Versing himself in Chicago blues, and the shuffles of Fred Below, Te

Kris Mazzarisi is the founder and owner of innovative drum company Big Fat Snare Drum. Big Fat Snare Drum has become a standard must have piece of gear that is used by the majority of drummers around the world. When he isn’t running his business or inventing new products to add to the BFSD legacy, Kris tours with his brother in the band Winnetka Bowling League. Kris leans into his years experiences in the music industry as an intuitive guide in the running and growth of Big Fat Snare Drum.  In this episode, Kris talks about:    Creating a balance between touring and running a business    Road managing    Touring with his brother in the band Winnetka Bowling League    Teaching himself to be a professional tech    His company: Big Fat Snare Drum and it’s beginnings    The inspiration for The Drum Click Network

Mona Tavakoli is a Los Angeles-based drummer, singer and performer bets known for recording and touring with Jason Mraz. While Mona is equally comfortable performing as a drummer and a percussionist, she is especially known for adapting the cajón to unexpected genres such as rock and pop. Mona and Mraz have been collaborating for nearly a decade. She toured worldwide on Mraz’s 2012 album, Love is a Four Letter Word, and they performed together as a duo on programs such as The Today Show, The David Letterman Show, Ellen, Dancing with the Stars, and Late Night With Jimmy Fallon. She is a co-founder and co-director of the Rock n’ Roll Camp For Girls Los Angeles, a nonprofit that encourages girls to find their voices through music during an intensive, weeklong summer day camp. Mona also promotes music education by hosting rhythm workshops at elementary schools and colleges around the country. Mona has been featured in DRUM!, Tom Tom Magazine, judged and hosted the Hit Like A Girl drum contest and awards show and

   John Dittrich is the well known drummer, singer and founding member of the band Restless Heart who had numerous hits in the country and pop genres. John is originally from Syracuse, New York and moved to Nashville Tennessee in 1981. By 1984, Restless Heart released it’s first recording and continued to record and tour for over thirty years.    After a successful and extensive career, John now enjoys retirement.  In this episode, John talks about:    Stories with John’s longtime friend & co-host with George Lawrence    Studying with Ed Shaughnessy    Working in Nashville in the 1990’s    Singing on stage with Toto    John’s country train sticking rlRl rrLr rlRl rrLr    The origins of Restless Heart    Retirement 

NYC based drummer, educator, and product inventor, Pat Petrillo has been a leader in the drum industry for years. He has backed a wide array of artists from many genres, including Patti LaBelle, Gloria Gaynor, Glen Burtnik, Oz Noy, and numerous Broadway shows. His popular video lessons on Drumeo.com and numerous others have inspired millions of drummers over the years. He now leads his own group, the NYC Big Rhythm Band, which has just released a new record called The Power Station Sessions. Pat also has man product designs to his credit, including the very popular 21" K Custom Organic Ride, and the new Drumeo P4 Practice Pad. In this episode, Pat talks about The drumming styles and tones on the new record His earliest influences - Ringo and Jabo Studying with Peter Erskine at the Drummer's Collective His unusual audition for Patti LaBelle His experience on Broadway The evolution of the P4 practice pad

Shawn Pelton has recorded with a wide range of artists and has been a first call player since moving to New York in the late 1980s. Shawn has recorded with artists such as Sheryl Crow, Shawn Colvin, Natalie Merchant, Ingrid Michaelson, Billy Joel, Van Morrison, Elton John, Rod Stewart, Johnny Cash, Rosanne Cash, Pink, Shakira, Kelly Clarkson, Five For Fighting, Michelle Branch, Regina Spektor, Tears for Fears, Citizen Cope, Matisyahu, Jonatha Brooke, David Byrne, Edie Brickell, Marc Cohn, Richie Havens, Joan Osborne, Hall and Oates, Odetta, Pavarotti, Phillip Phillips, George Michael, Carly Simon, Dixie Chicks, Chris Botti and Buddy Guy, and has played on several Grammy winning albums for artists including Ray Charles, The Brecker Brothers, Shakira, Shawn Colvin, Les Paul and the Hank Williams tribute album with Bob Dylan. Shawn is also the longtime drummer in the house band for Saturday Night Live. Since 2007, Pelton has been regularly appearing as the drummer on Daryl Hall's internet concert series Live fro

Willy Rodriguez is a Latin GRAMMY-winning drummer, percussionist and bandleader. He was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico and began playing drums at age thirteen. He received his musical start playing throughout Puerto Rico in rock and pop bands. When Willy was twenty-one he started working as the Musical Director and drummer for Latin American Idol’s touring group. Following his experience at Idol, he was awarded a scholarship to attend Berklee College of Music in 2007. His reputation as a skilled musician spread quickly in the Boston area and he began playing extensively with musicians such as Jason Palmer and Andre Heyward. At Berklee, Willy studied with a host of famed teachers such as Terri-Lyne Carrington, Yoron Israel, Ralph Peterson and Greg Osby. In 2014, Willy graduated from New England Conservatory with a Master’s degree in Jazz Drum Performance. At NEC, he studied with Billy Hart, Cecil McBee, Miguel Zenon, Jerry Bergonzi and Bob Moses, among others. He has performed alongside some of the premier musicia