Working Drummer

Award winning drummer, composer & bandleader Jared Schonig has toured and/or recorded internationally with Nicholas Payton, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Chris Potter, John Patitucci, Donny McCaslin, Darcy James Argue & Secret Society, The 8-Bit Big Band, Miho Hazama & m_Unit, Dave Grusin, David Foster, Laurence Hobgood, Tim Hagans, Fred Hersch, Wycliffe Gordon, Tom Harrell, Joe Locke, and Ernie Watts among others. He has appeared on multiple Grammy-winning records, been in the orchestra on countless Tony-award musicals, and even performed on Emmy-award winning TV performances. A favorite among vocalists, Schonig has toured with Grammy Award-winners Kurt Elling, The New York Voices, Sara Gazarek, and many others. Schonig co-led The Wee Trio, which released five critically-acclaimed albums over the past 8 years. The group received praise from numerous publications and toured internationally. He recently released two solo albums of original music (one quintet and one big band) in the fall of 2021 to critical acclaim.  His

Antonio Sanchez has become one of the most sought-after drummers in the international jazz scene. Following 18 years and 9 albums as one of the most revered collaborators with guitarist/composer Pat Metheny, he also has recorded and performed with many other most prominent artists like Chick Corea, Gary Burton, Michael Brecker, Charlie Haden and Toots Thielemans. In 2014 Sanchez popularity soared when he scored Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Birdman which ended up winning 4 Academy awards (including best picture) and for which Antonio won a Grammy award. He currently has many recordings as a leader and solo artist. Some recent recordings include Beatrio w/ Bela Fleck, Edmar Castaneda as well as his own group Migration. You can hear Anotino’s masterful compositions and drumming on the award winning show The Studio on Apple TV In this episode, Antonio talks about  Why he calls Barcelona, Spain his home Creating a strong reputation The realities a seasoned pro has to contend with Antoni

Bryan Carter is a Grammy and Tony Award-winning drummer, vocalist, composer, arranger, orchestrator, and bandleader. After completing his training at The Juilliard School, Carter played with legendary artists including McCoy Tyner, Wynton Marsalis, Kenny Barron, and Kurt Elling. In addition to working in the worlds of film, television, and Broadway, Bryan founded "Jazz at Pride," a non-profit organization dedicated to curating performances and educational engagements featuring world-class artists from the LGBTQIA+ community. Bryan most recently served as co-orchestrator for Broadway's “Some Like It Hot,” for which he and his co-orchestrator Charlie Rosen made history as the first orchestrators to sweep all three major awards in a single season: the 76th Annual Tony Awards for Best Orchestrations, the Outer Critics Circle Awards, and the Drama Desk Awards for Outstanding Orchestrations. Rosen and Carter continued their streak of success at the 66th Annual GRAMMY Awards, winning the title of Best Musical Th

Born in Mississippi, Bryan Owings moved to Nashville in the late 1980's to pursue his career as a session drummer. His discography is vast, spanning decades and boasting credits with artists like Buddy Miller, Iris Dement, Tony Joe White, Wanda Jackson, Sue Foley, Delbert McClinton, Lucinda Williams and Emmy Lou Harris Bryan, was also included in the 2013 Muscle Shoals documentary soundtrack, playing drums for Grammy award winning artist Alicia Keys. In this episode, Bryan talks about:     Bryan’s origin story with drums     The draw to Nashville     Embracing your sound and being true to yourself     Finding the best monitor mix for the performance     Working with Iris Dement, Shelby Lynne     The reality of getting hired and fired, re-hired, fired…..     Playing drums in the Muscle Shoals documentary with Alicia Keys     Revisiting applicable technique ⁠⁠⁠ Here's our Patreon⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Here's our Youtube⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Here's our Homepage

Jano Rix is best known as one third of The Wood Brothers. His dad Luther's drumming career spans half a century and ranges from Bob Dylan's "Rolling Thunder" tour to Rent and Tommy on Broadway. Their new album, Legacy Vol. 1 is an exploration of their shared history and musical connection. In this episode, Luther and Jano talk about: Luther’s start at Indiana University and on the Indianapolis scene, and quickly moving to New York How playing with the Wood Brothers inspired Jano to record him and his dad playing together  How the record gave them their first real opportunity to sing together Including a live track on the record The ways they trusted and relied on each other’s strengths in the recording and mixing process Getting out of the weeds of mixing and zooming out to focus on the “big gestures” of a song The moment you start to “hear yourself think” ⁠⁠Here's our Patreon⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Here's our Youtube⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Here's our Homepage

Scott Williamson has been leaving his creative footprint on the Nashville musical landscape since 1990. He has drummed and/or produced for numerous artists including Blake Shelton, Reba McEntire, Brooks & Dunn, Kip Moore, Lady Antebellum, Franchesca Battistelli, Natalie Grant, Lincoln Brewster, Alice Cooper, Danny Gokey, Casting Crowns, DC Talk, Bob James, The Gaither Vocal Band & Michael W. Smith. In this episode, Scott talks about:     The differences between Nashville and L.A.     Playing the song, not the drums     Maintaining a healthy work / family balance     The pros and cons to home studio recording     Working with legendary producers like Bob Ezrin     Recording with Alice Cooper     Staying healthy     The inspiring Gregg Bissonette ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Here's our Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Here's our Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Here's our Homepage

Jordan Rose is a New York drummer whose most recent activity includes a tour with Maggie Rogers, multiple Broadway shows including the run of "Boop", Theo Katzman, and countless recording projects. What went into his decision to accept the Maggie Rogers gig Being open to an opportunity that doesn’t necessarily align with your stated goals What he learned from the large scale of the Maggie Rogers tour Treating show days the way a quarterback treats game days  Playing with a lot of energy and volume with controlled effort Experiencing being a Broadway chair holder on “Boop” and working with producer David Foster  His new recording space in Brooklyn  Here's our Patreon Here's our Youtube Here's our Homepage

Tim Buell is a Nashville-based drummer who has toured with several artists like Michael W. Smith (three time Grammy winner, 45 Dove awards), Cody Fry (two time Grammy nominated), Gloriana, Jana Kramer, Jerrod Niemann, Remedy Drive, and many others. He also records drums for clients all over the world from his home studio and other Nashville-based studios. In 2022, Tim received his first Latin Grammy nomination for his work on the album Alfa Y Omega by Athenas. In addition to touring and recording, Tim is passionate about creating educational resources through courses and eBooks (available at his website) and maintains a roster of private students virtually through Zoom and in-person at his studio in Nashville. Tim has also spent many years transcribing drum parts from iconic songs and drum solos and his transcriptions have been featured by Zildjian, Vic Firth, Drummerworld, and the Percussive Arts Society. He has created educational resources with Benny Greb, Ash Soan, Aaron Sterling, Aaron Spears, Stanto

Sam Webster is a drummer and percussionist based in his hometown of LA. Floating between a wide variety of disciplines and genres, he has amassed an impressive list of credits both live and in the studio. His mentors include Mike Englander and Jeff Hamilton, and he is active with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, several groups at Disneyland, and many other projects around town. In this episode, Sam talks about: His love for vintage Ludwigs  The value of a gig that allows you to be a full time musician  Being inspired by LA’s variety and humbling himself to people on the scene who did what he wanted to do Going to the right teacher for the right reason and knowing what kind of lesson you’re signing up for  ⁠⁠Here's our Patreon⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Here's our Youtube⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Here's our Homepage

⁠Narada Michael Walden ⁠is an EMMY and multi-GRAMMY winner who has produced hits for artists as diverse as Aretha Franklin, Steve Winwood, Ray Charles, Wynonna Judd, Whitney Houston, George Michael, Mariah Carey, Barbara Streisand, Lionel Ritchie, Lisa Fischer, Stevie Wonder, Tom Jones, Jeff Beck, The Temptations, and many others.  His music flows freely from pop, rock and soul, to the rarified realms of jazz, fusion and world music. With Jeff Beck, Narada wrote and played drums on the seminal album “Wired” that earned them both their first Gold Album.  His drumming credits also include his work with Mahavishnu Orchestra (1974-76), Journey, Allan Holdsworth and many others. In this episode, Narada talks about:     Joining Mahavishnu Orchestra     Performing without judgment     Drumming on Allan Holdsworth’s album Velvet Darkness     Embracing new technology     Working with Sir George Martin       His producing style and being prepared ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Here's our Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Here's

Dave Elitch has been teaching privately for over 20 years and has developed a reputation as the technique/body mechanic specialist for drum set. He has helped many of the world's best players as well as top educators "get out of their own way" by being as efficient as possible in regards to conservation of motion and energy.The more we’re able to remove our bodies from the equation and let the instrument do the work, the more we can relax. The more relaxed you are, the better your time, tone and feel will be. Let's not forget that we're hitting wood, bronze, and mylar with sometimes a huge amount of velocity, so this conceptual/physical approach will also have a massive effect on stamina as well as shortening muscle recovery periods when performing live or in the studio. As a player, Dave Has Worked With: Weezer, The Mars Volta, Miley Cyrus, Justin Timberlake, M83, The 1975, Killer Be Killed, Antemasque, Juliette Lewis, Big Sir, Crash Kings, Daughters Of Mara, and others. In this episode, Dave talks about

Eric Somers-Urrea. Eric is a Chicago based drummer but also gets around to Nashville and LA, founding member of the band Marina City, and also plays with other touring acts including La Armada and Makeout. He was born and raised in the Chicago area and studied at the University of Illinois. In this episode, Eric talks about: The evolution of his band Marina City Getting a classical degree and exploring world genres at University of Illinois Being a “75% member” of La Armada The influence of Mike Portnoy and Josh Freese Starting to narrow the focus of his wheelhouse Working on a better mindset when improvising solos ⁠⁠Here's our Patreon⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Here's our Youtube⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Here's our Homepage

Rob Walbourne grew up in North London and started playing drums at the age of 10 before working professionally at the age of 15. After his move to the U.S., he lived briefly in New York City before eventually settling down in Simsbury, CT where he found work at the Noble and Cooley drum company. He’s had the opportunity to have played with such luminaries as Shane MacGowan, Jason Isbell, St Etienne, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Johnny Marr, Justin Townes Earle, Richard Thompson the North Mississippi Allstars and the Pretenders. In this episode, Rob talks about:     Drumming with Johnny Marr     From the UK to the US     Balancing family and touring     Taking a break from the hustle to rediscover the love of drumming     Working at Noble and Cooley     Touring with The Pretenders     New Live Pretenders Album ⁠Here's our Patreon⁠ ⁠Here's our Youtube⁠ ⁠Here's our Homepage

Jeff Kerestes is a multi-instrumentalist, producer, and educator who spent most of his career in New York doing touring and session work and a handful of Broadway shows. During Covid, he left New York and stepped away from music entirely. He and his family eventually settled in Portland Oregon, where he rediscovered his love of music through the drums and the community there. He is a freelance drummer, bassist, producer, and founder of The Ukulele Project, a music education organization that works with public schools all over the Pacific Northwest. In this episode, Jeff talks about: The year before Covid being his busiest to date Being out of balance long before he realized it  Confronting who he is apart from being a musician  Living in an RV for over a year before deciding to live in Portland  Reconnecting with music through the drums Starting The Ukulele Project Likening therapy to taking lessons Finding the right place to live, not just work Here's our Patreon Here's our Youtu

Tom Hambridge is a Four-time Grammy™- winning producer, songwriter, & drummer for his production work on three of blues legend Buddy Guy’s most critically acclaimed albums: ‘Living Proof’ (2011) , “Born to Play Guitar’ (2016), ‘The Blues is Alive and Well’ (2018), and for his work on Christone “Kingfish” Ingram’s Album ‘662’ (2022). Tom has also produced 9 other Grammy nominated albums. He has won numerous Blues Music Awards and W.C. Handy Awards, eight Boston Music Awards and several ASCAP Country Music Awards. He’s the recipient of the prestigious KBA (Keeping the Blues Alive) Award in Memphis and has been inducted into the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame. The list of artist collaborators includes: Gary Clark Jr., Eric Clapton, Van Morrison, B.B. King, Gregg Allman, Keith Richards, Jeff Beck, Kid Rock, Billy Gibbons, Johnny Winter, George Thorogood and Susan Tedeschi, among many others. In this episode, Tom talks about: His formative years in Boston and why he left Figuring out Nashville Creating

Andrew Gilmore Barr is a drummer, composer, and producer based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada who is best known for his work with Mumford & Sons, The Barr Brothers, Feist, and The Slip. Barr is a founding member of the experimental rock band The Slip and indie folk group The Barr Brothers along with his brother Brad Barr. In this episode, Andrew talks about: How he now views touring as down time, away from regular home/family life and making decisions about touring family decisions Adjusting to the larger scale of the Mumford & Sons touring apparatus and the shows’ sing along feel  The difference between volume and energy When more people heard less music Finding the things you can “do you” in Getting over envy or shyness so you can cheerlead your fellow drummers  Lifelong musical partnership and multiple projects with his brother Brad Learning to be musically and creatively linear, not adhering to any patterns Here's our Patreon Here's our Youtube Here's our Homepage

Jared Shavelson was raised in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, just outside of Philadelphia. His drumming journey stated early in life and got his first drumset at age seven. While playing in all of the local orchestras, marching bands, jazz bands, and theaters in southern New Jersey, he was taking weekly private lessons. During this time he was also starting to play out with his own bands, getting him heavily involved with the Philadelphia punk/hardcore scene. Leaving that area in 1999, he went to New York to attend college at SUNY Purchase studying jazz performance with greats like Ritchie Morales and Kim Plainfield. Jared completed 2 years at the Music Conservatory and left after his second year to start touring internationally with the Boston hardcore band The Hope Conspiracy. Soon after, he also began playing with the pop punk band None More Black, along with the political punk band Paint It Black. After living in New York City, Brooklyn, and Philadelphia, he now resides in Los Angeles where he started playing

Eric Gardner has been on the LA scene for 25 years touring and recording with a wide variety of bands and artists over that time. These days, two in particular represent most of his activity - Melissa Etheridge and Tom Morello. He is a graduate of Steve Rucker's program at the University of Miami and has performed with Garbage, Iggy Pop,  Cypress Hill, Iggy Pop, Morrisey, Steve Vai, MC5, Slash, Beck, and many others. In this episode, Eric talks about: Getting the Melissa Etheridge gig from a single recommendation, sight unseen Learning to be sensitive to an artist's anxiety and need for control, and act accordingly  What it means to “find an artist’s language”  His long musical and personal relationship with Tom Morello  How “going out to network” should look more like “going to see your friends play” His first few years in LA and how his relationship with the scene has evolved over 25 years Studying with Steve Rucker at University of Miami Here's our Patreon Here's our Youtube H

Colorado native, Taylor Friesth, is a drummer, producer, author, and educator who has delved deeply into drumming since the age of 6. He has performed on stages such as Red Rocks and Folsom Field and his drumming has led him to perform with various groups from GRiZ to New Orleans style brass band Guerrilla Fanfare. His versatility has given him a wide range of musical abilities that has resulted in a unique sound of his own. Taylor runs GrooveMPL.com where you can master the techniques, gear, and secrets top engineers use to capture the perfect drum sound. Also, you can dive into how running backing tracks through Ableton Live can make you a more versatile drummer, opening the door to more gigs by ensuring bands and artists that they can rely on you for a polished, professional live show. In 2016, Taylor released his book “The Sly Hat”, a 13 chapter book focused on how to use your hi-hat foot as a part of your grooves and fills, as opposed to having it keep a steady pulse under what you are playing. In t

Russ Gold has toured extensively throughout the US, Europe, and Asia., performing with jazz, rock, fusion, and theater groups. Russ’ performing experience includes work with musicians as diverse as Gary Lyons (producer of Rolling Stones, Grateful Dead) Johnny Colla of Huey Lewis and the News, Seth Justman of the J. Giles Band, CBS Fusion artists Full Circle, and jazz greats Tom Scott, Sam Rivers, George Coleman, Dave Douglas, and Howard Johnson. He is the author of "Phrasing: Advanced Rudiments for Creative Drumming, and his talent had also been recognized by endorsements of Sabian cymbals, Pro-Mark sticks, Fishman transducers, and Kurzweil synthesizers. How acting and Meisner technique informed music making for him What drew him to San Francisco after school at Berklee Leaning more and more into musical theatre work Playing with “no mind” The concept of his book “Phrasing: Advanced Rudiments for Creative Drumming” The value of repetition over variation  What it means to “stay releva