Backstage at The Enharmonic

February 19, 2024 Drummer, teacher and entrepreneur Trey O'Toole is the next guest on Backstage at the Enharmonic! Trey is a professional percussionist and instructor with over 30 years of experience and is co-owner of Pulse Drumming MusicWorks in Ventura, CA.  He holds Bachelor of Music with emphasis on orchestral percussion and has a strong understanding of western harmonic theory, ethnic studie...

April 7, 2023 Busy Nashville drummer, Jim Riley is the next guest on Backstage at the Enharmonic! Jim is the drummer and bandleader for multi-platinum group, Rascal Flatts as well as being an Adjunct Professor of Drumset Studies at Belmont University Since moving to Nashville in 1997, Jim he has played over a thousand of sold out shows for millions of fans. His television credits include The Gramm...

October 28, 2022  This episode is about two years overdue!  It is a tribute to my late undergrad percussion professor, Joseph Goebel (11/8/39-10/26/20) who passed away on October 26, 2020.  He was truly, one-of-a-kind!  This episode features me and my memories of The Chief.  It begins with the first time that I met him, at my undergrad percussion audition.  Through a series of vignettes I attempt...

May 29, 2022  I'm very happy to welcome my good friend, drummer, author, educator and historian, Daniel Glass back to the podcast!  Today we do a deep-dive into his brand new burnin' album, The Daniel Glass Trio: BAM! For more about Daniel, the trio, the album, etc.. please visit him at https://danielglass.com/    

March 25, 2022   This short edition of Backstage at The Enharmonic features a recorded phone conversation that I had with the legendary big band drummer, Harold Jones.  He was helping me prepare for a university-level master class.  We dicusss: learning brushes, warming-up, plastic brushes, preparing to play new material with a big band, and more! [This phone conversation was placed on February 7,...

Wednesday, September 30, 2021, Mt. Airy, Philadelphia: I had the privilege to sit down and chat with drum legend, Mr. Jimmy Wormworth!  Jimmy is best known for playing drums with the groundbreaking vocal jazz ensemble, Lambert, Hendricks and Ross, plus his work with Al Haig, Lou Donaldson and for being house drummer at the Five Spot in 1959. This edition of Backstage at The Enharmonic is very spec...

Friday, June 18, 2021 My next guest is certified super-star, Dame Evelyn Glennie!  I've been following and admiring her career for 20+ years now.  Through video conferencing technology I was able to chat with Evelyn based in London, from my home studio in Philadelphia. In today's segment, Dame Evelyn discusses her earliest music lessons in school, learning percussion with none of the traditional m...

June 13, 2021 THE DRUM RUDIMENT EDITION Ten of my favorite drummers tell us about their favorite Drum Rudiment! The panel includes: TOMMY CAMPBELL CLAYTON CAMERON LIBERTY DEVITTO MATTHEW HOWARD DAVID LU SHERRIE MARICLE JON BERMUDA SCHWARTZ CHIHIRO SHIBAYAMA MICHAEL VOSBEIN JOHN "DR. THROWDOWN" WOOTON Please consider checking out all of these great artists online to see/hear/learn more about their...

May 21, 2021   At long last, Julian Bliss, internationally renowned clarinet phenom, and I get to chat!  It's been two years in the making, but through the beauty of video conferencing we were able to conduct the interview.  The interview starts well, at the beginning, discussing when and why Julian fell in love with the clarinet.  From there we hit a lot of topics, including, performing for the q...

March 5, 2021,  I'm very happy that one of my longtime inspirations in the field of percussion agreed to chat, Mr. Anthony J. Cirone.  Anyone who has ever studied percussion has said the name, 'Cirone!', countless times, due to his groundbreaking snare drum solo book, Portraits in Rhythm.  The book is used at every high school, college, and percussion studio in the world as a barometer of a studen...

October 3, 2020 I am excited to welcome drummer, composer and band leader Sherrie Maricle to the podcast! I've long been a fan of her drumming, music and music-business acumen.  Today's chat begins with her early years begrudgingly playing a metal clarinet in the school band and comes full circle when we discuss the jazz institution that she's captained for nearly three swingin' decades, The DIVA...

August 8, 2020  (originally released as a video interview on YouTube)  This is a follow-up interview with Count Basie's favorite drummer, Harold Jones.  American pop and jazz drummer Harold Jones is best known for his tours and recordings with Tony Bennett and for his five years with the Count Basie Orchestra.  In a career spanning six decades, Jones has toured and recorded with Frank Sinatra, Duk...

May 16, 2020 (originally released as a video interview on YouTube)   This interview is with Count Basie's favorite drummer, Harold Jones. American pop and jazz drummer Harold Jones is best known for his tours and recordings with Tony Bennett and for his five years with the Count Basie Orchestra. In a career spanning six decades, Jones has toured and recorded with Frank Sinatra, Duke Ellington, Osc...

February 3, 2020 At long last I had a chance to chat with Susie Benchasil Seiter !  We've been trying to schedule this interview since late 2018 and I'm thrilled that it finally worked out.  The scheduling difficulties can be attributed to the fact that Susie is one of the hardest working musicians in show biz!  She's a conductor, orchestrator and mom of two beautiful baby boys. I had the opportun...

August 11, 2019 For as long as I can remember my next guest, Jim Catalano, has always been the face of Ludwig Drums for countless other musicians and me. Jim recently retired from Ludwig Drums after a 36+ year tenure and shared many stories and lots of great advice with me during this interview.  During our discussion, he recounts how first hearing a drum and bugle corps warming up in his backyard...

December 3, 2018 In the spring of 2017 I had the opportinity to meet and work with the suberb conductor, Joseph Modica. Joe was conducting the orchestra backing the sensational Italian pop-opera trio Il Volo, for their  Notte Magica tour across north America.  Joe is one of the finest conductors I have ever played for, and a great guy too.  In the interview we discuss his first conducting experien...

June 4, 2018  If I have ever interviewed someone that I could categorize as a character   it is definetly my next guest, saxman, Jerry Weldon!  Brimming with enthusiasm for life and jazz, Jerry has held the tenor saxophone chair with many of jazz music's founding fathers including Lionel Hampton, Dr. Lonnie Smith and Jimmy Cobb, to name but a few.  Most notably though it is his nearly 30 year coll...

January 10, 2018 I've been looking forward to this interview for a long-time, one of the most inspiring teachers I ever had, drumset player and percussionist extraordinaire Mr. Ray Deeley!  I was very fortunate to take private drumset and percussion lessons with Ray while a high school student ('85-'89).  Ray taught at numerous Catholic high schools through-out the Philadelphia area, and coinciden...

January 8, 2018 My first guest of the new year is award-winning drummer, author, educator Daniel Glass.  In this episode we discuss Daniel's unique experiences growing up in Honolulu, Hawaii in the 60's and 70's, his college days leading a Pink Floyd cover band, moving to Los Angeles and studying at the Dick Grove School of Music, manning the drum chair in Royal Crown Revue, his life as an educato...

October 12, 2017  My next guest started taking drum lessons at just 4 years old: Bernie Dresel!  Growing up in western Pennsylvania getting a healthy diet of polka and hillbilly music and eventually moving onto to study classical percussion and music education at the Eastman School of Music, Bernie has become one of the most in-demand recording and live drummers on the planet.  We talk about the c...

October 9, 2017  My next guest is often referred to as  The Stage Manager to The Stars:  Eddie Luisi.  Eddie has been the stage manager on "Good Morning America" in Times Square, NYC since 1987.  The list of musicians, actors, comedians, and personalities that he has worked with is a real who's-who list in popular culture.   Eddie is just a blast to be around and to talk to.  In this episode he sh...

September 28, 2017 The words from my next guest are both articulate and brimming with the shimmering nuances, much like his trademark tambourines and triangles; a living legend in the percussion community, Neil Grover.  Neil shares memories of some his most memorable performances with collaborators like John Williams, Leonard Bernstein, Seiji Ozawa, Vic Firth and Aaron Copland, relates the similar...

June 13, 2017 My next guest and I have known each other since 1996! Right after graduating from music school in addition to performing, I began teaching drums and percussion in suburban Philadelphia.  One of my very first private drum students was my guest, Andrew Torre.  I have very fond memories of driving to his parents' house, to teach a lesson, and being greeted by his mother and father, his...

NAMM GenNext Round-table  NAMM GenNext Session:  "Knocking Down Walls to Strengthen Your Foundation" Presented on, Thursday, January 19 — 10:30 am to 11:25 am  Anaheim Hilton, Level 4, Capistrano A&B  An all-star panel explores and discusses the reasons that we build mental walls and roadblocks—and how to remove them to achieve success, develop professional relationships, and enhance performan...

March 27, 2017  In December of 2016 while at a rehearsal with The Philadelphia Boys Choir and Chorale for their holiday concert series, from my seat at the drumset, I was blown away by the beautiful trombone sound coming from three rows behind me in the orchestra. During the break, I told the conductor that the trombone player he hired really sounded great; he said, 'no wonder, he's the principal...