Working Drummer

Will Groth is the drummer for Electric Avenue among other Atlanta-based projects. Electric Avenue bills itself as “The 80s MTV Experience and plays theatres, clubs, and private events nationwide. Will grew up and got his start in Minneapolis, MN, and moved to Atlanta in 2005. He quickly secured himself on the scene working steadily with Mike Geier (a.k.a. Puddles The Clown) for five years, after which he has stayed busy with a variety of rock, blues, and cover projects. In this podcast, Will talks about: Keeping cover songs at their original tempos The surprises and challenges in the drumming of 80s pop How he and the band approach getting their sounds and tones right Playing in an organ trio with Ike Stubblefield and Grant Green Jr. How working his way into the Atlanta scene changed his perspective on music Why he always has and always will play traditional grip, and the curiosities of drumming ergonomics Finding ways of playing that will be physically sustainable as you age

Arjuna Contreras is a drummer/ percussionist based out of Dallas, TX with plans to relocate to Nashville, TN in the fall of 2018. He possesses the uncanny ability to sound equally at home in a wide variety of musical styles including Jazz, Country, R&B, Latin, Rock, and even “Nuclear Polka”! Arjuna is often noted for the energy, soul, and excitement he brings to music both as a performer and an educator. As a performer, Arjuna’s experience is vast. He currently records and tours with the Reverend Horton Heat. He has toured nationally with the popular Texas Country band, Eleven Hundred Springs as well as Grammy Award-winners Brave Combo, Donna Summer, and Howard Scott (original lead singer and guitarist for WAR).  As an educator, Arjuna has taught at Colleyville Heritage High School and its surrounding middle schools since 1996. His duties have included teaching the high school drum line, coaching percussion ensembles, daily teaching of 6th grade percussion classes, as well as giving private lessons to student

Atlanta-based drummer and studio musician Brian Hudson has performed, toured and recorded a diverse mix of music for various artists for the past 20 years. Hudson grew up in Clearwater, Florida. After high school, he attended The University of South Florida School of Music and later transferred to the University of Georgia and the music town of Athens, Georgia, which provided him with a rich diversity of music opportunities. In 2000 Hudson moved to Atlanta, Georgia and immediately started playing and touring with various acts covering a variety of styles from jazz to blues to rock to country. In 2001, he was invited to audition for Capricorn Recording Artist Memory Dean who had gained national success with the release of 6 studio albums. Hudson landed the gig and has performed with Memory Dean as a member of the band ever since. In addition to Memory Dean, Hudson has performed with a variety of other acts including soul/funk/blues band SOULHOUND, The Dave Mathews Cover Band (The DMCB), power pop singer Steve

Harry Miree is a drummer currently based in Nashville, TN and is the drummer for Ryan Follese of Hot Chelle Rae. Harry will touring the summer of 2018 with Warner Brothers artist Troy Cartwright and indie rock band, Sons Of Bill. Harry has built a very entertaining YouTube channel where he covers many topics like The True Life of a Side Musician, Open Handed Techniques, alternatives to playing a Cajon and many other useful videos. Currently, Harry has close to 60,000 subscribers. Harry was a founding member of the rock band Boom City, which used the internet as a platform for music and videos. Boom City signed with a major rock label, toured arenas with Panic! at the Disco, and then disbanded. Miree graduated Berklee College of Music and moved to Nashville, securing the spot as touring drummer for recording artist Whitney Wolanin. In 2015 he toured with then-Capitol Records artist Joey Hyde, and in 2016 toured with Big Machine artist Levi Hummon. In 2017, Miree toured with LoCash (known for hit songs I Love T

Drummer/percussionist Adam Bowman has been a mainstay in both the Canadian and international music scenes for nearly two decades. As a touring musician, Adam has been heard on stages across five continents with artists such as Juno-award winners Kellylee Evans and Carlos Morgan, Canadian independent music trail blazer Ember Swift, improvising guru VINX and country-folk songstress Dawn Langstroth, among many others. In the studio, Adam has become the drummer of choice for producers and songwriters on dozens of recordings. 2015 saw Juno-nominations for Eccodek’s Singing in Tongues and Alysha Brilla’s Womyn albums. In 2018 Alysha’s Rooted album received another nod. Currently, Adam can be heard playing with Elise LeGrow, Alysha Brilla, Jeff Eager and Jason Raso as well as providing accompaniment for modern and contemporary dance classes with IMAGEO artworks, Dancetheatre David Earle and Guelph Dance. In this podcast, Adam talks about: How saying yes to a seemingly insignificant offer determined the course of his

Billy Ward is a Grammy awarded drummer, music educator, recording engineer and producer. Just a few of the people Billy’s Recorded and/or toured with include B. B. King, Robbie Robertson, Carly Simon, Richard Marx, The Knack, Yoko Ono, Joan Osborne, Ace Frehley, Glen Cambell, Art Garfunkel, David Crosby & Jimmy Webb just to name a few.                                                                                 Billy has recorded on more than 50 sound tracks for feature films including a musician’s favorite – That Thing You Do! , where Billy taught actor Tom Everett Scott to play the drums and was on the set as a consultant. Two records have been released under Billy’s name. Two Hands Clapping, and The Billy Ward Trio – Out The Door. Billy has been engineering in his private studio, DrumPike, since 1990. Billy has produced numerous drum tracks for famous and not yet famous artists out of DrumPike. As an educator, his two instructional DVDs, Big Time ( a Modern Drummers Readers Poll Award winner) and Voices

Brandon Goodwin has lived and worked in Montreal for 12 years. His group, B’s Bees, for which he serves triple duty as drummer, bandleader, and composer, recently released two albums: Dear Charlie, a tribute to the great jazz bassist Charlie Haden, and Kanata, a musical exploration of the history and identity of their home country of Canada. The group is currently touring Canada and the U.S. on the back of these releases. Brandon grew up in Armstrong, CA, and chose Montreal as the base of operations for his music career because of its vibrant, art-loving culture, and because its cost of living is actually lower than Vancouver, Toronto, and many comparable American cities. From early in his career, he had a drive to write, perform, and record original music. Drumming is just one aspect of his musical life, as he is usually spending as much if not more time developing himself as a composer and doing the administrative legwork it takes to get an original jazz group in the studio and on the road. In this podcast,

Originally from Dallas, Texas, Aaron Comess is an extremely versatile drummer with a wide range of influences and playing experiences including his ongoing work as a founding member of the Grammy-nominated funk-rock band Spin Doctors with a total of 10 million albums sold and over 1500 live shows under their belt and all four original members intact. 2018 marked their 30th year. Aaron has also spent a decade-plus in the touring band of Joan Osborne. In 2017, Aaron appeared on new releases by Joan Osborne, Rachael Yamagata, James Maddock, Willie Nile, Garland Jeffreys, Chris Bergson and German platinum-selling artist Marius Westerhagen to name a few. He has also worked with Bilal, Edie Bickell, Chris Whitley, Mark Cohen, Roswell Rudd, Ivan Nevil and a host of others. Aaron has been active as a band leader since his 2006 debut recording “Catskills Cry”. This was followed up with “Beautiful Mistake”, “Blues for Use”, “Aaron Comess Quintet”, “Live 2016” and most recently “Sculptures”. In this episode, Aaron talks

From Santa Clara, Cuba, Dafnis Prieto’s revolutionary drumming techniques and compositions have had a powerful impact on the Latin and Jazz music scene, nationally and internationally. He is the leader of several groups including the Dafnis Prieto Sextet, The Proverb Trio, Si O Si Quartet, and the Dafnis Prieto Big Band, which just released an album of Prieto’s compositions entitled Back to the Sunset. He is also the author of the book A World of Rhythmic Possibilities. Various awards include a 2011 MacArthur Fellowship, Up & Coming Musician of the Year from the Jazz Journalists Association in 2006, a GRAMMY nomination for Absolute Quintet as Best Latin Jazz Album, and a Latin GRAMMY nomination for Best New Artist in 2007. Also a gifted educator, Prieto has conducted master classes, clinics, and workshops throughout the world. He was a faculty member of Jazz Studies at NYU from 2005 to 2014, and in 2015 became a faculty member at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami. In this podcast, Dafnis ta

Christian Paschall is a drummer, producer, engineer and mixer originally from Atlanta, GA, now based in Nashville, TN. With over 14 years of professional experience Christian has shared the stage and studio with such artists as Maren Morris, Kristian Bush (of Sugarland), Kelsea Ballerini, Alicia Keys, Amos Lee and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Chris Tomlin, and David Crowder among many others. Today Christian tours full time with Maren Morris as her drummer and musical director in addition to playing on sessions both locally and remotely. Be it on stage in front of thousands of people, television, or an intimate recording session, Christian strives to bring fresh creativity and feel into everything he does. In this episode, Christian talks about:  His shared studio Playing what fits the song and not just doing what’s trendy  Moving from Crowder to Maren Morris Honoring the original tracks of the artist your working for  Playing a one off with Amos Lee Following your own path Christian’s history with d

Bob Knight lives in London where he commands somewhat of a dual career, both as an in-demand drummer and a music agent or “fixer,” matching musicians with bands or artists who need backing. He graduated from the jazz program at the prestigious Royal Academy of Music in London and has gone on to work with some of the biggest names in pop music including Sting, Cee-Lo Green, Charlotte Church, and Jennifer Hudson. His company, BEK Music, has provided musicians for a huge variety of acts from Andrea Bocelli to Eminem. In this podcast, Bob talks about: How to tailor your sound to different types of performance spaces using instrumentation and amplification. The difference between a beat and a groove What he’s practicing, now that he has the time and space His experience at the Royal Academy of Music, and its unique audition process What jazz training taught him that translates to any other genre, and the one skill it all comes down to How his early ambition was based on simply being able to support himself Why he

Born in South Louisiana, Tracy was influenced by a musical “jambalaya” of Cajun, Zydeco, Blues, Jazz, R&B, Funk and Country. His whole family played music and at an early age, Tracy was sneaking into his brothers’ rehearsals and gigs. At the age of ten, he was sitting in with local bands. Tracy was a member of the marching, symphonic and concert bands at Acadiana High School in Scott, Louisiana, and was also a District Honor Band member. In his sophomore year at the University of Southwestern Louisiana, he joined a local band, City Limits. He earned his Liberal Arts degree in Public Relations and began touring regionally. The band was a national finalist in the True Value/Jimmy Dean Country Showdown in 1994. The finals took place at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville and that’s when Tracy realized Nashville was the place to be. After a European tour with Grammy-nominated band Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys and a brief tour with the late Amie Comeaux, he took the next step in his career and moved t

Kevin Winard has toured and recorded with singer Steve Tyrell for 12 years. Over his career, he’s gained a wealth of experience with a wide variety of gigs including Debbie Boone, Paul Anka, and Doc Severinsen. When he was just twenty years old he began backing up one of the most successful pop duos in musical history—The Captain & Tennille, touring and recording with them for over ten years. In the summer of 1988, Kevin traveled the United States with the pop group Times Two opening for Debbie Gibson on her Out Of The Blue tour. In 1991 Kevin was requested by French rock star David Hallyday for his European tour and live album. That same year he traveled the world playing with pop icon Paul Anka. His latest endeavor is a project that features him singing jazz standards and is aptly named Kevin Winard Sings, produced by pianist, composer and arranger Peter Clark. In this podcast, Kevin talks about: Playing a “pop jazz” gig vs. hard-core bop Playing drumset with a symphony orchestra Lyman Medeiros, the bassist

Richard Scott approaches drumming with intentionality; always conscious of how his sound fits into the big picture and filling space in ways that help make every song the fullest realization of itself. He has spent over a decade on the Nashville scene touring and recording with Matt Maher, Francesca Battistelli, Brandon Heath, Mac Powell, and many others. Richard has recorded in many of Nashville’s most well known rooms, and has more recently been tracking in his own home studio. For countless happy clients, Richard has used his unique curation of gear and techniques to build out the character of a song, add sometimes unexpected but always interesting components to the musical design, and help bring songwriters’ visions to life.  Richard graduated in 2008 from Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee with bachelor in commercial music percussion with emphasis in music technology. While at Belmont, Richard Studied with Chester Thompson. In this episode, Richard talks about:  Starting drums later in life and t

Peter Erskine is – well, you know who the hell Peter Erskine is. We were thrilled to have Matthew Crouse interview him for the first time on WDP in the summer of 2016, and even more thrilled when Peter graciously suggested doing a “volume 2” with co-host Zack Albetta. Peter’s latest endeavors include a new live record with The Dr. Um Band (releasing April 6th) and a new book, The Drummer’s Lifeline, a compilation of tips and tricks for the working drummer. In this episode, Peter talks about: Why the average level of his incoming students is higher than ever The importance of interacting with people in daily life, not just staying in the bubble of screens and headphones What it means to “read the air,” as they say in Japan Adjusting to differences in touch from bassist to bassist Raising your performance baseline Acceptance and forgiveness in music The recently departed and much beloved Ndugu Chancler Peter Erskine endorses Tama drums, Remo heads, Zildjian cymbals, Vic Firth sticks, Meinl percussion, Roland V

At the age of 7, Rob Mount started studying percussion at The Hochstein School of Music in his hometown of Rochester, NY. During his high school years Rob studied percussion at The Eastman School of Music, and continued his music education at Nazareth College. Through all of these years, Rob participated in various concert bands and percussion ensembles. While Rob is schooled in percussion, he is entirely self taught on the drumset. Throughout the ‘90’s and 2000’s Rob was in high demand recording and performing live with various artists like Court Jester, Ramrod, Thick as Thieves and Metal Blade recording artist Lieglord. Also during this time, Rob played 3 tracks on fellow Lou Gramm bandmate Michael Staertow’s CD, “Oxygen” – currently available on iTunes and Amazon. Prior to joining Lou Gramm’s band officially, Rob had performed many drum duties for him, including recording drum tracks for several Foreigner songs to be used for promotional purposes, as well as filling for shows and practice when needed by Lo

Brian Stephens is a drummer, audio engineer, producer, and studio owner who has spent most of his career in Atlanta. He has had most of the jobs a person can have in the music business and recently added “product developer” to the list. He’s always looking for gaps in the market and in the musical conversations being had, and thinking of ways to constructively fill them. What began as a project to design a pair of good-sounding but affordable in-ear monitors for himself turned into his new business, Session Ace. Boasting two types of hybrid driver IEM’s and a variety of other tools and accessories for working musicians, Brian launched the Session Ace brand in early 2018. In this podcast, Brian Talks about: Quality over quantity in social media interactions How being hired by someone is a continuation of previous interactions you’ve had “The currency of trust” – making your social media presence reflect your musical values, judgement, and trustworthiness Keeping your taste more elevated than your status Develo

Terence Clark is a Memphis based drummer, producer and overall creative. Known for his impeccable and soulful performances, his professionalism and discipline of craft, Terence has traveled the world building relationships with and through music. As Terence finds inspiration in his travels and engaging other cultures, he always lends inspiration with his unique brand of performance, solid groove and musical knowledge and excellence. It’s always been more than “just about the music”, to Terence; it’s about creating the very best and discovering a community of artists with which to learn from and create with along the way. Terence began to dream about making music at the age of two. His father, Marc Clark, an organist and pianist and grandfather Loyce F. Clark, a guitarist and legendary quartet vocalist, became his early mentors along with music producers, Kevin Paige and Niko Lyras. Terence developed the gritty elements of his style while playing with local bands on Beale Street. Those experiences stirred up h

Johnny Rabb became a household name in the drumming community as a product developer and clinician. For years, he worked the clinic and convention circuit to great success, but he missed actually being in a band and playing shows. In 2012, a chance meeting at NAMM with Collective Soul‘s Will Turpin led to Johnny becoming the band’s new drummer, and he still tours and records with them today. In this podcast, Johnny talks about: Being a hired gun vs. being “the new guy” in a band vs. being a full-fledged member How commitment to a group and prioritization of it result in job security Diversifying income streams, musical and otherwise Why he lives in Indianapolis How excitement can sometimes blind you to potential red flags Maintaining perspective and gratitude Johnny Rabb endorses ProLogix, Remo heads, Meinl Cymbals and Percussion, Cympad, Audix Microphones, and of course, Johnny Rabb drumsticks. This episode is sponsored by Crush Drums.

South Louisiana native Doug Belote grew up in Cajun country, immersed in the sounds of jazz, rock, funk, R&B, Cajun, zydeco, Dixieland, gospel, Latin and New Orleans second line rhythms. He began playing the drums at age 12 and worked in clubs and at recording sessions while still in high school. After just a semester at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, he sold everything he owned including his drums and hit the road for The Drummers Collective in New York City, where he studied with Ricky Sebastian and Kim Plainfield and broadened his musical palette. In his early 20s, Belote began touring Europe, Japan and the Caribbean with a variety of New Orleans-based jazz, blues and funk artists. He has recorded on more than 100 albums and his resume includes work with Mike Gordon, Jeff Coffin, George Porter Jr., Willie Nelson, Sonny Landreth, Henry Butler, Delfeayo Marsalis, Anders Osborne, Cyril Neville, Ivan Neville, Clarence Gatemouth Brown, Allen Toussaint, Fred Wesley, Steve Masakowski, Charlie Hunter, J