Working Drummer

Aaron Apter is a corrective exercise specialist and professional drummer based out of Nashville, TN. Having a uniquely specific education and professional credentials in both music performance and pain management, Aaron combines both practices in a way that directly addresses the needs of musicians who want to correct nagging injuries without impacting their career. He has worked with a wide varie...

Joy Lapps is a bandleader, composer, and educator based in Toronto. She was introduced to the steel pan through her church music program as a teenager, and soon started playing community and church events. This soon led to composing her own music and leading her own bands. Her latest release is Girl in the Yard, featuring her own compositions and arrangements, and her husband, Larnell Lewis on dru...

Hubert Payne is one of the most sought after musicians in the Nashville music scene with a Performance Coaching skill set that’s a cross between ministry, life coaching, therapy and motivation. With over 20 years of performance experience in athletics and music, Hubert is widely recognized for his ability to ‘Unblock’ his clients so they are fully equipped to live from the best of themselves in ev...

Erik Aylesworth is an Atlanta-based drummer who joined Jet Black Roses through remote recording during the pandemic. He attended Atlanta Institute of Music but cut his gigging teeth on the funk/R&B scene in Dayton Ohio. He returned to Atlanta in 2016 and got himself busy playing the usual combo of corporate, bar/restaurant, and church gigs. Jet Black Roses signed with N-Ovation Music Group in Nash...

Drummer and Nashville native, Jerry Pentecost has played with John Prine, Brent Cobb, Amanda Shires, Caitlin Rose, Aaron Lee Tasjan, and many others. In 2018 he became only the second drummer ever nominated for the Americana Music Association’s Instrumentalist of the Year award. Since around 2019, Jerry has been the drummer for the Grammy award winning group, Old crow Medicine Show. In this episod...

Eric Slick is a product of the Philly area where he began touring with Dr. Dog. After relocating to Nashville in 2018, he continued that gig until the band’s recent hiatus, and has gone on to perform with Waxahatchee and The Crooked Rhythm Band among others. He is also a singer, songwriter, and producer in his own right, his latest release as a solo artist is an album of ten original songs called...

Al Murray is a Co-Founder and Managing Director of the British Drum Company He is also one of the UK’s most recognizable comedians! In his guise as the Pub Landlord he has played drums with the likes of Phil Collins and Queen as well as touring the world appearing on TV and radio. Al has published books and is planning a movie, but his first love is drums. A keen and enthusiastic drummer, Al has p...

Danny Pachall has been active on the Atlanta scene for nearly 20 years with gigs ranging from the most precise metal to the most experimental improvisation. He toured with "blues surrealist" Col. Bruce Hampton and was part of the long-standing jam session hosted by bassist Kevin Scott. He has also toured and recorded with metal guitar heavyweight Emil Werstler, Zappa alum Ike Willis, tribute outfi...

    Jim Brock has proven to be an innovator in the world of drums and percussion. Within his forty five year career he has appeared on literally hundreds of recordings with artists such as Joe Walsh, Joan Baez, Kathy Mattea, Joe Cocker, Janis Ian, River Phoenix, and James McMurtry. With five solo recordings and a DVD entitled The Nature Of Drumming, Jim Has traveled the world extensively with perf...

Brian Steever is a drummer on a mission to inject joy into every musical situation that he finds himself. One of the most in-demand drummers on the Kansas City scene, the drums have been his passion since he was born. He began his studies with Loyd Warden in Columbia Missouri and is an alumnus of UMKC where he studied with Doug Auwarter, Brandon Draper, Curtis Lundy, Michael Carvin and Bobby Watso...

As a session drummer, Shannon Forrest has contributed to the work of many well-known artists, including Brooks & Dunn, Taylor Swift, Rascal Flatts, Carrie Underwood, Mary Chapin Carpenter, The Chieftains, Willie Nelson, Ricky Skaggs, Trisha Yearwood, Lee Ann Womack, Jerry Douglas, Merle Haggard, and many others. Shannon is also a producer and engineer. Born in Easley, South Carolina and now living...

After spending the first part of his career in the New York-based jazz world, Corey Fonville has evolved into playing and producing more groove-based music. With his band Butcher Brown and most recently with Charlie Hunter and Kurt Elling on new album SuperBlue, Corey is exploring playing and tones that are firmly in the supporting role rather than the more explosive/interactive jazz role. Corey i...

Originally from Syracuse, New York, Nate Felty is an experienced live/session drummer and educator who enjoys performing a wide range of musical styles. Nate has been living and working in Nashville, Tennessee since 2012 and earned his Masters in Commercial Music at Belmont University in 2014. Nate is the drummer for Nashville-based, nationally touring country/roots artist, Kelsey Waldon. With Wal...

Jordan Perlson has spanned about as wide a stylistic reach as one can imagine. Be it with jazz legends Seamus Blake and Gary Burton, folk heroes Alison Brown and Missy Raines, reggae giants Matisyahu and Trevor Hall, cutting edge music innovators like Becca Stevens, Snarky Puppy, and Jeff Coffin, progressive innovators Adrian Belew or Kaki King, or fusion megastar Hiromi, Jordan has become a known...

At age sixteen, Michael Bland won the "twin cities' best drummer" contest and was the beginning of a rewarding career. With his recognition as a prodigy, Michael was actively sought by many local acts. At seventeen, Hiram Bullock snagged him up, and took him to Pittsburgh and New York to do some one-nighters. That same year, he joined Dr. Mambo's Combo, a house band at Bunker's Music Bar and Grill...

Over the last decade plus, Quinton "Q" Robinson developed a busy and sustainable career drumming with Gospel and R&B acts such as Avery Sunshine, Peebo Bryson, and Anthony David, and recording in his home studio. But he got interested in musical theatre and started spending time in New York meeting Broadway drummers, musical directors, and contractors, and playing readings and off-Broadway product...

Clifford Koufman is a Nashville-based, award-winning drummer who founded Sound & Rhythm Drumming School in 2000. With over 20 years of experience, Clifford carries a world of experience to every scenario, whether creating music, performing or teaching. He's honored to be the recipient of multiple grants, the Thrive award to build community through community drumming classes, performances, and drum...

Blair has been an LA staple for over two decades, having recorded and/or toured with Alanis Morissette, Chris Cornell, Gwen Stefani, Brandi Carlisle, Melissa Etheridge, and many others. Blair has a couple of new calling cards, one of them is his podcast Recording Drums, he’s getting ready to get season 2 of that going. And the other is his suite of online courses, Introduction to Recording, The Sn...

Noah Levy is an in demand drummer that lives in the Minneapolis / St Paul area of Minnesota. He has toured and recorded with a long list of international artists including Five For Fighting, The Honeydogs, Peter Frampton, Nelson, The Bodeans, and Golden Smog. Noah spends a lot of time as a session player working in studios around town as well as his own home studio. He currently plays with Brian S...

Zack was recently in Nashville for a gig, so he and Matt took the opportunity to sit down and chop it up. In this episode, Matt and Zack talk about: What "burying the click" really means and how it fits into the greater goal of sounding and feeling good The phenomenon and business model of the social media drummer An interaction we had with a listener regarding our interview style What's coming up...

Rob Rufus is an author, musician, screenwriter, and advocate. He is the recipient of the American Library Association’s prestigious ALEX Award. His literary debut, Die Young With Me, was named one of the Best Books of the Year by Hudson Booksellers and is currently being developed as a major motion picture. His follow-up, The Vinyl Underground, was named one of the Junior Library Guild’s Gold Stan...

Chicago drummer George Fludas was born in Chicago on October 10, 1966. He was inspired to play drums by his father, who was also a drummer, and who exposed him to great jazz drummers such as Art Blakey, Max Roach, and "Philly" Joe Jones. He has played with many stellar musicians such as Lou Donaldson, Kenny Burrell, Betty Carter, Benny Green, Roy Hargrove, Hank Jones, Cedar Walton, Diana Krall, Be...

Simon Phillips, multifaceted drummer and composer, producer and engineer, is renowned for his historic stints with Jeff Beck, The Who, Toto, Jack Bruce, Mike Oldfield, Joe Satriani, Judas Priest and countless others. His life of top-tier session work has fostered an extraordinary versatility and boundless artistic curiosity, something he’s long carried into his work as a leader, mainly under the b...

Ash Soan is one of the most in-demand drummers in the world, with a long list of live and studio credits that includes many of the biggest names in pop music over the last few decades. In addition to his studio and touring work, he is also well-known for his seven-year stint as the house drummer on The Voice UK. He is the creator of a series of video lessons available on his website and commands a...

Kenny has entertained millions of people with his drumming all across the world, played on thousands of records, provided the beat of America’s culture for four decades, and has been the “go to” drummer for the biggest stars in music, ranging from John Mellencamp to Lady Gaga, Bob Dylan to The Smashing Pumpkins, and everyone in between! In this episode, Kenny talks about: Learning to focus on 1 or...