Drummers on Drumming

Today’s guest is Dan Mayo. Dan is an Israeli drummer with one of the most distinct sounds of any player today…partly thanks to his A&F drum set, but mostly do to his personality behind the kit and background in a wide range of musical genres. His main project is the power trio, TATRAN, but Dan is also a prolific solo artist in addition to working with many other legends such as Ester Rada & Mike S...

This week’s episode is payback for the boys from the podcast Working Drummer forcing me to take time out of MY damn day a few weeks ago to bump up THEIR podcast numbers. Now I’m totally using them.  All kidding aside, I absolutely love Matt and Zack. Their podcast (Working Drummer) highlights real stories of the every day “working drummer” and features guests, sometimes with a less recognizable na...

This week’s guest is Ash Soan. I don’t even know where to begin; he’s a complete badass and unless you’ve gone OUT OF YOUR WAY to avoid him, you certainly know who he is. Ash has been one of the most in-demand session and live drummers in the UK for decades, but with his growing popularity on social media and the finishing of his Windmill Studio behind his home in Norfolk, England, he’s gone globa...

This week’s episode is a premiere / takeover of a new podcast by our very good friend...Sarah Hagan. Sarah worked for many years as the Head of Zildjian Artist Relations Worldwide, but now runs her own media and consulting business for the music industry as a whole. Through the years, Sarah has mastered the art of creating, developing and maintaining genuine relationships with the world's greatest...

This week's guest is Atom Willard. Atom played with some of my favorite bands growing up including Rocket From the Crypt, The Offspring, Social Distortion, and Angels and Airwaves, but he is the current drummer for Against Me! and Laura Jane Grace and The Devouring Mothers. As I often do in the days leading up to these chats, I went down a rabbit hole of Atom's drumming and I was blown away by how...

This week’s guest is the ever-energetic Nate Morton, drummer for NBC’s The Voice. His career spans multiple decades and performances with some pretty damn good artists such as Paul Stanley, Madonna, Chaka Kan, Natalie Cole, Vanessa Carlton, Miley Cyrus, Poe and many, many more. Nate is a monster player who knows exactly how to match the playing-for-the-song element with his own unique and powerful...

Today’s guest is Liberty DeVitto…the rhythmic powerhouse behind 22 of Billy Joel's 23 top 40 hits and all six of his Grammy Award-winning recordings. His ability to seamlessly switch between mature session musician and bombastic live showman should be a guiding light for a lot of players you and old (me) alike. I had a blast talking with Liberty as we broke down the top five influences that shaped...

Today’s guest is Curt Bisquera…or as most people know him “Kirkee B”. He’s played with so many great artists such as Elton John, Mick Jagger, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Sarah Mclaughlin, Lana Del Ray, Johnny Cash and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. His pocket is deep and his stories are endless. I brought him on the show to break down the top 5 moments in his career that best represent h...

This could be the most important episode I’ve had the pleasure to record. Levon Helm of The Band was one of the greatest to ever do it. Thusly, everything I’ve typed / erased / retyped / and so on for this intro feels utterly contrived or underwhelming when trying to describe a musician of this magnitude. As Rolling Stone Magazine once wrote, “Levon Helm is the only drummer that can make you cry.”...

Our guest this week is Tim Baltes or, to many, @timbofromkeno on Instagram. He’s known as a funny man, but a big reason why his schtick works is because he’s a monster player as well. We break down the top 5 drumming moments that shaped his style and, in true form, Tim was authentic and blazed his own trail with his picks…which aren’t the traditional choices. I hope you enjoy my conversation with...

Today’s guest is Dimitri Fantini…a great drummer and instructor based in Maryland. I personally subscribe to his Patreon and I suggest you do the same thing. Since Dimitri is technically one of my online instructors, I thought I’d invite him on to discuss some myths that we hear being taught that are just wrong. We had a great time, but tended to agree on almost everything…BORING! Anyways, we diss...

Gunnar Olsen (Puscifer, Big Data, Bruce Springsteen) and I were ODDLY excited about recording this one. We each brought on 5 songs that best represent that feeling of, “um…I can’t find the one....guys?!....I CANT FIND THE ONE!!”. It’s happened to all of us and it’s a feeling we both LOVE. Many songs are easily heard (and perhaps meant to be easily heard) with multiple different pulses, while some...

I invited Kris back on the show to discuss how difficult this last year has been for us (Big Fat Snare Drum) as a small business and what we’ve done to keep the doors open. I’m calling it, “Big Fat Progress”, because I really don’t see this year as much of a setback for us as it was an uncomfortably-forced pivot. After that, I asked Kris some of my favorite questions about his ethos on business in...

LAST EPISODE OF 2020! This is Part 2 of the “Best of 2020” where I put together a show of my favorite clips from the past year. Enjoy! See you (or hear me) in the new year! --- Get Your Copy of the Drummers on Drumming Book Today! 🎯 Click here to order now! Drummers on Drumming (the book) takes you inside the stories, records, and moments that shaped some of the world’s greatest drummers. Built o...

The next few episodes are gonna be a very self indulgent “Best of 2020”. I’ve put together some of my favorite clips of the podcast so far with a little backstory for each. If any of my previous guests are listening and you don’t hear your clips, it's cause I thought you were really boring and I don’t like you at all. Cheers! --- Get Your Copy of the Drummers on Drumming Book Today! 🎯 Click here ...

I’m back with Gunnar Olsen (Puscifer, Big Data, Bruce Springsteen) for another segment of ‘Save It For The Pod’ where we pause our private conversations about various musical topics until we can record it for the MASSES (that’s you). This week’s episode has us dissecting each of our ‘Top 5 Dance Music Bands That Feature Live Drummers’. --- Get Your Copy of the Drummers on Drumming Book Today! 🎯 C...

We’ve got Tucker Rule, drummer for Thursday, on this week’s episode of the ‘Big Fat Five’ pod breaking down the top 5 drumming moments that shaped his playing style…and it’s a damn fun playing style. Not only is Tucker a rhythmic powerhouse, he’s quite possibly the nicest guy in the world (sorry to ‘out’ you Tucker). We had a really fun conversation that went well beyond his influences including l...

Today’s guest is, Yuri Ruley…drummer for the iconic punk band, MxPx. His speed, creativity and disciple were a huge influence on me growing up, and if ever need a good a$# whippin', I’ll put on 'Life In General' and sweat my way through a barrage of beats at tempos that make me question Yuri’s sanity. We discuss the top 5 songs that best represent his influences when he first started playing drums...

Continuing with the theme of keeping things fresh, Gunnar Olsen (Puscifer, Big Data, Bruce Springsteen) and I have started a new segment of the show called “Save it for the Pod” or "S.I.F.T.P" where we pause our private conversations about a particular musical topic until we can record it for the MASSES. This week’s topic is the timeless and seemingly underrated drummer of Radiohead, Phil Selway....

Today’s guest is Sarah Thawer…a Toronto-based, freelance drummer, percussionist, pianist and overall badass with a style consisting of a unique blend of jazz, Indian, world and funk style drumming. She is one of my favorite drummers to watch, literally, because you can’t help but notice the enjoyment on her face and her love of improvisation is a true testament to her capabilities behind the kit....

Today’s guest is Eric Slick, drummer for Dr. Dog. Eric is a great player with a modern-day Ringo-esque approach to serving the song…which is an obvious focus when you hear his drum parts...parts that are deceivingly hard to execute well. His effortless technique is something I’ve admired from afar and I was really anxious to hear about the top 5 drumming moments that shaped his style. In addition...

Today’s guest is Daru Jones. My God I love Daru. While he definitely puts focus on appearances, as you can see if you’ve ever seen his drum set, Daru has certain sway to his feel that makes it impossible to sit or stand still when you hear his groove. He’s two-time Grammy Award winning player who’s worked with Jack White, Gloria Gaynor, Pete Rock, Slum Village, Jamie Lidell, Talib Kweli, Dwight Yo...

This week’s guest is Steve Goold…a.k.a the “Steve” of Steve’s Donut. Steve tells the story of working with Kris (BFSD owner) and how the donut came to be before breaking down the top 5 drumming moments that shaped his playing. Steve has recorded and/or toured with countless big hitters such as Sara Bareilles, Matt Kearney, Owl City, Ben Rector, Cory Wong and many more. His respect for the "song" a...

The guest this week is Raghav Mehrotra. This young man started playing drums when he was three and by 5 years old (IMO) was already better than most lifelong players. He starred in Broadway's "School of Rock" while still physically going to school full-time. He just an insane player and I know he's gonna be on some killer records in the future. He's also an old soul. You think you're talking to a...

This week’s guest is Randy Cooke. I certainly fluff him up at the beginning of our interview, but Rand just has everything you’d want in a drummer playing behind you. He is SO song focused and, as he states, “…It’s not about playing more things; it’s about playing the right thing”. His resume includes playing for Ringo Starr, Mick Jagger, Alanis Morissette, Dave Stewart, Kelly Clarkson…and believe...