Working Drummer

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

British-born and now Los Angeles-based drummer, Louie Palmer, has recorded and performed with some of the world’s best musicians including Mike Stern, Randy Brecker, Tom Scott, Luis Conte, Tim Lefebvre, Mitch Forman, Gary Husband, Jason Rebello and many more. In addition to performing, Louie also runs an online drum school (playbetterdrums.com) which has become a huge online resource for drummers of all abilities around the world. In this episode, Louie talks about: Moving from the UK to LA Accommodating traditional grip with a variety of set ups The problem with defining yourself as a “pocket player” Why you should practice improvisation The importance of sound and presentation Louie’s background on traditional grips Creating a variety of income streams His online school: Playbetterdrums.com

John Doing is based in San Francisco and has compiled a deep resume of musical theatre experience, most notably being involved in the Hamilton world for many years. He has been a chairholder and sub on multiple tours, he did the show’s San Francisco residency, he’s done the drumset chair, he’s done the percussion chair. In addition to Hamilton and a lot of other musical theatre work, he has played drums and percussion in all sorts of capacities, from jazz and latin music during his grad school years in New York, to cover bands in his hometown of Madison Wisconsin, to recording in his home studio in the bay area. In this episode, John talks about: Getting a start on the scene in his hometown of Madison, WI The wide range of subjects and teachers he was exposed to in grad school at NYU How musical theatre presented an opportunity to explore a lot of the variety he was interested in  Doing part of the Hamilton tour with his wife and two small kids in tow  The Hamilton drumset chair vs. the perc

Jay Weinberg is best-known as the former drummer of the band Slipknot as well as the son of Bruce Springsteen's longtime drummer Max Weinberg. But from an early age, Jay proved to all that he was his own drummer and artist who could create a career of his own. Along with subbing for his father on in 2009 with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street band, Jay stayed busy in many other projects that included groups like The Reveling, Against Me and Madball. In 2014, Jay replaced Joey Jordison as the drummer for Slipknot, and stayed with the band until his departure in November 2023. In 2024, Jay was announced as the new drummer for Infectious Grooves. He is also currently in Suicidal Tendencies. In this episode, Jay talk about: His approach to clinics Jay’s organic discovery of drums Performing with Springsteen at 17 Total commitment to the music you’re performing New solo project Trusting your instincts Recovering from hip surgery Touring with Suicidal

Greg Sadler is a Los Angeles-based drummer who keeps a relentlessly busy schedule both in the studio and on the stage. He has provided the rhythmic foundation for GRAMMY, Emmy and Tony winners, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees, and many more.  He is a graduate of the University of North Texas, where he was a member of the six-time GRAMMY-nominated One O’Clock Lab Band in 2012. Greg also teaches privately and has coached some of the biggest names in Hollywood, helping actors prepare for on-screen drum features. In this episode, Greg talks about Studying with Ed Soph at North Texas Playing with Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band The idea that each of us almost can't help but sound like ourselves Taking advantage of the variety LA has to offer Making his social media presence reflect that variety, and gearing different posts to different audiences ⁠⁠Here's our Patreon⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Here's our Youtube⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Here's our Homepage

Currently on tour with rock legend Alice Cooper and the Hollywood Vampires Glen Sobel has played in a variety of genres including rock, hip hop, pop, metal, punk, and fusion. A seasoned pro with world tour experience, Glen has developed a reputation for being a quick study, known to learn an entire set of material in a day or record a CDs worth of songs on short notice. Glen subbed a week for Tommy Lee in Mötley Crüe on a few hours notice pulling double duty on the Crue/Alice tour. 
Recent live events have found Glen playing in the house band backing such heavyweights as Steven Tyler, Rob Halford, Weird Al, Pat Simmons & Michael McDonald of The Doobie Brothers, Sammy Hagar, Richie Sambora, Joe Lynn Turner, Night Ranger, Jonny Lang, Nils Lofgren, Sarah Mclachlan, Nuno Bettencourt, Dexter and Noodles of The Offspring, Robby Krieger of The Doors, Ke$ha, Orianthi, Johnny Depp, Mike Myers and many more. 

Other touring/recording credits for Glen include Chris Impellitteri, Jennifer Batten (Michael Jackson's guit

 Shawn King. Shawn has been the drummer for the band Devotchka for over 20 years and has been based in Denver for longer than that. Over that time he has been tightly woven into the Denver scene and involved in all kinds of projects from experimental festivals to musical theatre. We are right around the 20 year anniversary of both Devotchka’s album “How it Ends” and the movie “Little Miss Sunshine” for which Devotchka provided the soundtrack and score. In this epsidoe, Shawn talks about: The high premium placed on multi-instrumentalism in Devotchka The record label model vs. the Patreon model, and the full record model vs. the single model  Treating the drumset as the multi percussion instrument it is, thinking more in terms of patterns than grooves  Structuring improvisation through parameters and limitations  What has kept him in Denver Recording the soundtrack for “Little Miss Sunshine” Here's our Patreon Here's our Youtube Here's our Homepage

Curt Bisquera is one of Los Angeles' top recording / touring drummers and producers. Curt has recorded and/or toured with the biggest names in music including Sir Elton John, Johnny Cash, Mick Jagger, Tom Petty, Bonnie Raitt, Josh Groban, Ricky Martin, Sarah McLachlan, Hans Zimmer (Superman / Batman), The Beach Boys, Lana del Rey, John Legend, Tina Turner, Celine Dion and countless others. In this episode, Curt talks about: Embracing new social media norms The power of the human connection Adapting to changes in the industry Recording digitally for the first time on the first Seal record How to reconcile the threat of A.I. The importance of time feel and groove above all else Recording with Bonnie Raitt, Tom Petty Low snare drum tunings X: @curtbisq IG band: @alnesbittalchemy The Kirkee B. Show: IG - Youtube: @thekirkeebshow Drum Consultation: kirkeebdrum@gmail.com ⁠Here's our Patreon⁠ ⁠Here's our Youtube⁠ ⁠Here's our Homepage

Steve has headed up drumset studies at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music, and has countless alumni active in all corners of the music industry. In addition to teaching, Steve’s legacy as a player includes recording and touring with a huge range of artists including Gloria Estefan and Ben Vereen, and a stint of more than a decade as the drummer for the BeeGees. In this episode, Steve talks about: Creating a constructive, collaborative environment for drum students to learn from each other Why he stayed in Miami as opposed to moving to New York or LA Creating one of the first college programs that treated drumset seriously as its own thing How learning to record isn’t just about tech, it’s about learning how to  listen Shifting his focus from being a sideman for big acts and artists to developing his own voice and composing his own music Taking what comes naturally to a student and helping them develop it as part of their voice Here's our Patreon Here's our Youtube Here's

Adam Gust is the world's first Polyvagal-Informed professional drummer. Using his performance experience and knowledge of nervous system science, Adam has created the Somatic Drummer - a unique combination of science, wellness, and drumming. Adam's 'Science of the Groove' was the first talk about the Vagus Nerve to appear on TED.com, exploring how drummers sync their brains and bodies to find their 'groove,' a feedback loop between intention and action. Conducting workshops at top institutions like USC and Musicians Institute, Adam teaches how resourcing our nervous system optimizes wellness and musical performance. In this episode, Adam talks about: Assessing and diagnosing Matt’s stress injury and how Adam’s knowledge is applied The addiction to tension that we can acquire The connection between emotion and motor learning aka muscle memory Recognizing that the joy of playing drums is priority one Link to "Tuning Your Nervous System" Link to Adam's Master Class Link to

Growing up in a musical family gave JT an early start into sound and rhythmic exploration. He set on the path to becoming a working musician while playing in his father’s big band as a teen. Over the years he remained steeped in the improvised music scene, both as a performer and presenter. As a session drummer JT has appeared on Grammy record of the year “Folklore” (Taylor Swift) as well as the follow up “Evermore”. Grammy nominated “s/t”(Bonny Light Horseman) as well as critically acclaimed records by Bon Iver, Big Red Machine, Cassandra Jenkins, The National, Maya Hawke, Ed Sheeran, and many others. In this episode, JT talks about: Getting opportunities to record for Taylor Swift and others through older, more localized relationships Going from deep in the jazz world to deep into electronic music Being. not just your own marketing department, but your own HR department Being a booker for a music venue in Minneapolis, and balancing modern metrics like social media following with old school

Sterling Campbell was born and raised in New York City at a time when the music scene was rich with innovators like David Bowie, Peter Gabriel, Joni Mitchell and many others. Sterling would go on to work with David Bowie from 1992 until 2004. Other notable artist Sterling has worked for throughout his career include Cyndi Lauper, Duran Duran, Soul Asylum, Chic, Tina Turner, David Byrn and many others.  Since 2012, Sterling has been working and touring with the B-52s.  In this episode, Sterling talks about:  Reconnecting and touring with Cyndi Lauper  Physical demands of touring at 61 His early roots and meeting Dennis Davis in 1978 Events that shape us, our drumming and music  Adapting to the new tech of the day in the 80’s David Bowie’s creative process and sense of humor Recording remotely on an electronic kit Here's our Patreon Here's our Youtube Here's our Homepage

In 2006, J-rod uploaded his first Youtube video, receiving positive feedback that reinforced his belief in using his musical talent to educate and inspire others. Committed to honing his craft, J-rod enrolled in the Atlanta Institute of Music, graduating in 2012, and later joined The 4 Korners band in 2013. With a growing online community of over 700K+ followers, J-rod’s brand transcends his talent, drawing in aspiring and talented musicians with his style, methods, and dedication.Currently serving as the drummer for Janet Jackson, Jeffrey Osborne, and The 4 Korners, J-rod continues to make waves in the music industry through his passion and dedication. Adapting to his first big pop gig coming from the jazz fusion world Being told to go for it “in show mode” for his audition video Adjusting to the smaller box of a pop gig and still finding ways to be himself How this live gig is improving his session playing Learning to navigate the infrastructure of a big tour Ways to have the compensati

Jorge Palacios is an in demand drummer based in San Diego, California. He’s been the drummer for iconic rock star Rick Springfield since 2010. Other artists he’s worked with include Paul Young, Tommy Tutone, Sammy Hagar, The Mustard Seeds and many others. In this episode, Jorge talks about: Embracing different genres Balancing local and touring gigs Making real connections Drumming for Rick Springfield  What he learned working cartage in L.A. Drumming for Sammy Hagar  Bringing the energy ⁠Here's our Patreon⁠ ⁠Here's our Youtube⁠ ⁠Here's our Homepage