The Drum Lounge Podcast

Marching season is in full swing, and Episode 66 of The Drum Lounge Podcast is packed with HBCU band and drumline talk! 🥁 Jeremie and Bryon break down Savannah State vs. Fort Valley State, giving their thoughts on both lines, what worked, what needs improvement, and who took the battle. Then we head to Jackson State’s Homecoming, where FAMU and Jackson State went back and forth with some serious...

🔥 EPISODE 65 IS HERE! The drumline battles are HEATING UP! 🔥🥁 On Episode 65 of The Drum Lounge Podcast, Jeremie and Bryon break down some of the hottest battles across the HBCU and high school marching band scenes! Bryon recaps his experience at the Florida Mass Band Battle of the Bands, including intense matchups featuring Northeast, Deerfield Beach, and more! We also dive into Forest Hill vs....

🔥 EPISODE 64 IS HERE! Did we get Drumline of the Week WRONG?! After naming North Carolina A&T Cold Steel our Drumline of the Week following their highly anticipated battle against Talladega College, the comments, messages, and debates started IMMEDIATELY. 😂 So on this episode of The Drum Lounge Podcast, Jeremie Foster and Bryon Russell break down the entire N.C. A&T vs. Talladega drumlin...

Episode 63 starts with some HUGE news — The Drum Lounge Podcast officially won TWO Black Podcast Awards: Best Arts Podcast and Best Outro Podcast! After celebrating the milestone (and Bryon finding out live on the show 😂), we get straight into another packed weekend of HBCU band and drumline action. First up, we break down the legendary Boombox Classic between Jackson State and Southern Universit...

Homecoming season is HERE, and this episode is packed with HBCU band and drumline talk! Jeremie Foster and Bryon Russell kick things off celebrating some HUGE news — The Drum Lounge Podcast has officially been nominated for Best Arts Podcast AND Best Podcast Outro at the Black Podcasting Awards! 🙌🏾 From there, Bryon gives the full rundown from Bethune-Cookman University Homecoming, including the...

It’s Homecoming Week at Bethune-Cookman University, and Episode 61 of The Drum Lounge Podcast is loaded with drumline battles, HBCU band talk, reactions, and plenty of CHOPS! 🥁🔥 Jeremie and Bryon kick things off showing love to their alma mater, Bethune-Cookman University, as B-CU prepares for Homecoming. We check out Cookman’s first home game of the season, react to the Marching Wildcats and th...

Episode 60 is here, and HBCU band season is officially HEATING UP! 🥁🔥 This week on The Drum Lounge Podcast, Jeremie Foster and Bryon Russell break down one of the busiest weekends of the early HBCU band season. We start with the drumline battle between North Carolina Central’s DOA and Elizabeth City State’s Poison — and ECSU may have officially put everybody on notice. From the growth of their l...

HBCU football season is officially BACK — and that means the bands are back too! 🥁🔥 On Episode 59 of The Drum Lounge Podcast, Jeremie and Bryon break down some of the biggest HBCU band moments from opening weekend. We react to Albany State vs. FAMU, Alabama State vs. Southern, Jackson State vs. Tennessee State, Texas Southern, Norfolk State, South Carolina State, Hampton and more. We also talk a...

What happens when a Southern University snare drummer puts the sticks down for 20 years… then comes back and builds one of the most unique drum pad companies in the percussion world? On Episode 58 of The Drum Lounge Podcast, Jeremie Foster and Bryon Russell sit down with Nissan Ballard, founder and owner of Rudimental Control, to hear the story behind the man, the drummer, and the brand. Nissan ta...

Band camp fever is officially HERE! On this episode of The Drum Lounge Podcast, Jeremie and Bryon break down the start of the 2026 HBCU marching band season, beginning with Jackson State’s highly anticipated Merge. We react to the freshman and upperclassmen coming together, the size and sound of the Sonic Boom, Jackson State’s drumline, their new-look Stingray drums, and whether the line is bringi...

The Drum Lounge is expanding! In this episode, Jeremie Foster and Bryon Russell announce that the podcast is officially heading to Twitch, where viewers will be able to join the conversation live, submit drumline clips for reactions, receive help with music, and watch the unedited behind-the-scenes experience of recording the podcast. The guys also share another major announcement: The Drum Lounge...

Band camp season is here! In Episode 55 of The Drum Lounge Podcast, Jeremie Foster and Bryon Russell share everything they learned from experiencing HBCU band camp as freshmen, returning upperclassmen, and section leaders at Bethune-Cookman University. For incoming freshmen, we break down how to prepare physically and mentally before arriving on campus—from staying hydrated, eating before those ea...

The official Pre-2026 Marching Season HBCU Drumline Tier List is here, and no school is safe! In this loaded episode of The Drum Lounge Podcast, Jeremie Foster and Bryon Russell evaluate HBCU drumlines based on everything they witnessed throughout the Fall 2025 marching season and Spring 2026 battle season. Each line is judged using four major categories: ensemble sound, visual appeal, level of co...

We're back! After a two-month hiatus, The Drum Lounge Podcast returns with plenty to catch up on. Jeremie Foster and Bryon Russell kick things off by announcing their exciting partnership with Rudimental Control, sharing why they believed in the brand long before joining the team and what viewers can expect from the collaboration moving forward. The conversation then shifts to the surprising news...

In this episode of The Drum Lounge Podcast, Jeremie Foster and Bryon Russell break down the Dollar Watson Classic, featuring intense battles between Palm Beach Lakes, Jonesboro, and South Cobb. The conversation dives into musicality, power, and the growing influence of Florida drumlines in Georgia. They also react to the Red Smooth Classic drumline battle, highlighting the importance of technique,...

Welcome back to another episode of The Drum Lounge Podcast with Jeremie Foster and Bryon Russell, where we break down everything that went down at Destination HBCU 2026—one of the most INSANE drumline events we’ve ever witnessed. From Piper H.S. setting the tone in the high school division, to Brooklyn United delivering a movie-level performance in the community division, to the intense and contro...

Episode 50 is here, and Jeremie Foster and Bryon Russell are back with a BIG one. In this episode of The Drum Lounge Podcast, we celebrate 50 episodes of Season 3 and dive straight into one of the most stacked events of the season: Destination HBCU Drumline Competition in Augusta, Georgia. We break down the loaded collegiate, community, and high school divisions, talk through the drumlines we’re m...

In this episode of The Drum Lounge Podcast, Jeremie Foster and Bryon Russell react to a long-awaited moment — Bethune-Cookman University’s Sudden Impact finally unveiling their new percussion feature 🔥 From the jump, the guys break down what made this performance special — the massive drumline size, creative use of the drum set player, unique arrangements, and Cookman’s signature sound. If you lo...

In this episode of The Drum Lounge Podcast, Jeremie Foster and Bryon Russell take you inside the energy and intensity of the Nothin’ But Drums Percussion Showcase in Mississippi. From explosive high school battles to elite collegiate matchups, the duo breaks down everything that made this event one to remember. Jeremie and Bryon dive into the “Final Four” high school showdown, analyzing standout m...

In this episode of The Drum Lounge Podcast, Jeremie Foster and Bryon Russell take you inside their trip to Brooklyn, New York for the highly anticipated Battle In The Apple drumline competition. From electric performances to the unmatched energy of the crowd, they break down what made this event a must-see moment in drumline culture. The duo dives into standout performances, including the continue...

  The Drum Lounge Podcast is back with another episode packed with drumline culture, competition highlights, and real percussion knowledge. In this episode, Jeremie Foster and Bryon Russell recap the Honor Your Name Drumline Competition hosted by Faith’s Place Center for Arts Education in West Palm Beach, Florida — an event that brought together some of the most exciting drumlines in the community...

In this episode of The Drum Lounge Podcast, hosts Jeremie Foster and Bryon Russell break down some of the most talked-about moments in the drumline competition scene. The conversation kicks off with a recap of the Rumble in the Jungle Drumline Competition , including an exciting battle between Palm Beach Lakes High School and Mainland High School, where the hosts analyze the energy, musicality, an...

In this powerful and purpose-driven episode of The Drum Lounge Podcast, hosts Jeremie Foster and Bryon Russell sit down with Dr. Noble Lockhart-Mays, founder of Faith’s Place, an arts education center making a real impact in South Florida. Dr. Lockhart-Mays takes us through her personal journey in music and education, what led her to establish Faith’s Place, and the mission behind creating a safe,...

This episode was recorded on Super Bowl Sunday — so a few moments are time-capsuled to that day… but moving forward, episodes will be current and lined up with what’s happening right now in the drum world! Hosts Jeremie Foster and Bryon Russell kick things off by addressing the recent hacking of Jeremie's YouTube channel before shifting into a broader discussion on the importance of community supp...

    In this episode of The Drum Lounge Podcast, hosts Jeremie Foster and Bryon Russell sit down with Pedro Orey, a cornerstone of HBCU percussion culture and longtime leader at Bethune-Cookman University's Percussion section, 'Sudden Impact'.     The conversation traces Mr. Orey’s journey from a string player to a nationally respected percussion educator, unpacking his role in shaping drumline sou...