Designated Drummer

Kimo Forrest is currently the lead guitar player for super group Alabama. When not on tour with Alabama, he is also the drummer for John Michael Montgomery, a writer, producer and one of the singers with his own long running band Cash Creek. Where does he find the time? Let's find out that and more on this amazing and talented guy on today's episode.

Ever wondered what are the best brands of drums to buy? Also why one setup over another? In this episode I talk in depth about drum brands and different types of setups we use on stage, both unplugged type shows and full blown concerts as well as practice kits. Also I give advice about auditioning and your drum kit.

Exile Drummer, Steve Goetzman, has been playing the drums for many decades. Originally from Kentucky and now living in Nashville, he talks about his early beginnings in the music business. Exile, in 2023, celebrate their 60th year as a working band. An incredible feat in the music business. thei

2022 has been an interesting and fun year! I’ve gotten to talk to some really cool people and covered some engaging topics. In this episode I talk about who I’ve had on the podcast and what I’ve learned. This will be the end of season 2 and I’m looking forward to getting back at it in January for season 3! See you then!

Hobie Hubbard has been the keyboard player and one of the founding members of the country group Sawyer Brown. He started out playing piano and singing in church growing up near Orlando, Florida. He talks about the big move to Nashville, getting Sawyer Brown off the ground and winning Star Search in 1983. Remember Star Search? They’ve never even slowed down since. Learn all about it in this week's...

Traveling as a working musician can be super awesome. It can also be a nightmare at times. Through the years I have experienced all of the above. I have discovered that being a traveling musician is just what you make of it.

Ken Love is an audio mastering engineer. He is responsible for the final output and sound quality of a song or album project before it actually goes out to radio or for sale. Ken has been Mastering records since 1985! Just about the time CD’s started to come out. He owns and operates FivePoints Mastering in Nashville. It’s totally fascinating to hear him talk about how mastering records, especiall...

Sound Check: the good, the bad, and the ugly. It can be really fun, or a total nightmare. A good sound check is crucial to any live performance. In this episode, I talk about how a proper sound check is conducted, how things have changed, and even how some really great things have come from sound checks in the past.

Nashville’s Drum Paradise is just that, a paradise! It’s a place to rent drum kits and have them carted and set up to where ever you need. Harry McCarthy started Drum Paradise in Los Angeles in 1989. Relocating to Nashville in ‘94, he continued the Drum Paradise shop and has been servicing the needs of drummers and other session players ever since. We sit down and chat with Harry and his 2 techs A...

In the spirit of Halloween I talk about the Horrors of performing on stage. Stuff happens! I share a few stories of funny and crazy things that have happened to me on stage through the years. I also called upon my good friends Rich Redmond, David Black, Tommy Hardin and Chuck Fields to share a few horror stories of their past gigs. The lesson is: expect the unexpected!

Graham Unsted is the general manager at the School Of Rock in Markham Ontario. He is primarily a guitar player and teacher with added skills to teach just about any instrument. We talk about how the School Of Rock has taught and inspired so many youngsters and adults and brought them out of their shell so to speak. With over 300 schools throughout the world and over 55,000 students, it is an...

In this week's episode, I let you guide the subject. I dig into the question bank and talk about what you have been wanting to know.  I answer your questions from Aquarian (heads) to Zildjian (cymbals). A to Z, I try to answer them all.    

Click track or no click track? That’s the question and discussion on this episode. There are many varying opinions on the subject. I talk in depth as to why it can be a good, as well as not-so-good thing. Do we need a drummer to be so perfect that it’s almost sterile? Let’s get into the weeds about click tracks and just good drumming!

Bass Player Mike Brignardello, Originally from Memphis, has been a Nashville session bass player for decades. He has played on some of the most iconic country records of all time. His story is very unique with beginnings playing bass for a very young Amy Grant. LA, London, and Nashville. He’s been all over and worked on many albums. He even played on Amazed!

Drummer Greg Morrow joins us on this week's episode of Designated Drummer. Greg came to Nashville from Memphis Tennessee in the mid 1990’s and has been playing sessions and live gigs almost constantly since that time. His list of drumming credits is astonishing. My personal favorite is his drumming on “wide Open Spaces” by The Chicks. Welcome to Designated Drummer!

Saran Thompson is a spoken word artist, performer, and writer in Nashville. His performances center on positive change and hope. His talent has taken him all over the world and he continues to teach and inspire our youth with his example of positivity.   Check out his latest project here !

John Spittle grew up in Southern California as a son of a drummer. Working in his dads drum shop and filling in for him on gigs until he was old enough to strike out on his own was great training ground. He ended up in Nashville and has been playing for Trace Adkins for more than a decade. He talks about his early days in Ventura California and having to drop out of music for his kids then returni...

Technology has changed the world in so many ways, especially in music. The way we record our music, the way we listen to music, watch music, and even buy tickets to live shows. Back in the day, it was much more difficult to, say, record an album or get a song out to the public for people to hear. Think about it, without social media or the internet music used to be a pretty slow and hard to obtain...

Without a good groove and a good pocket for the music to lay into, there would be no hit records. The art of a good drum groove and for the rhythm section to lay down into the pocket has been the subject of many teachings in pop music. In this episode, I take things one at a time and define what each part of this means. I talk in depth about groove, pocket, and what’s called "deep pocket” and how...

Becky Buller is a 10 time IBMA (International Bluegrass Music Association) award winning bluegrass and country music singer, songwriter, musician and artist. Her main instruments are fiddle, banjo, and guitar. She’s been a leader in the genre of Bluegrass music since the mid 2000’s. Her knowledge and passion for bluegrass is exciting and educational to say the least. She records and travels the wo...

Becky Priest is a Nashville singer and keyboard player originally from Texas. She has played with the likes of Tricia Yearwood, Pam Tillis, Neal McCoy, and Lori Morgan just to name a few. She was part of a couple of all-girl bands in the 1990’s and is extremely talented and gifted in music. She’s one of the few people on this planet that has 'Perfect Pitch’. She’s an incredible player and singer a...

After playing drums professionally on the road for 40 years, I’ve learned a thing or 2, sometimes the hard way. In this podcast episode, I try my best to answer a hand full of questions I’ve gotten from listeners and students. Questions about making up beats and how to play fills and some about playing with Lonestar. I’m always more than happy to pass along any wisdom I’ve gained from all my years...

Since the mid 1990’s, Piano/keyboard player Jimmy Nichols has shared his amazing talent for not only playing the piano with great skill but being able to take an ordinary song to great heights. He has played on some of the biggest Nashville sessions and Los Angeles as well. After playing piano on a big Faith Hill session back in the early 2000’s, Faith was so taken by his talent and skill, she mad...

Muscle memory is one of the biggest parts of practicing and getting to be a better drummer. When you see a pro drummer playing, you are witnessing the finest example of muscle memory there ever could be. Without muscle memory, we would have to think about every tiny little part we are playing and not be able to listen to the other musicians we are playing with. In this episode, I talk about how to...

Designed Drummer is back for Season 3 and we are kicking off episode 1 with Robby Wilson and His daughter Shyanne Wilson. They have such an amazing story. Robby, bass player for Lonestar, started out moving to Los Angeles in the Heavy Metal glory days of 1989, then later relocated to Nashville and continued to play bass, produce music and raise his family. His Daughter Shyanne has grown into an am...