Drum Channel Podcast

Latest Episodes:

S2 E23 - Andrew Marshall Sep 16, 2022

Show notes

Welcome to the Drum Channel Podcast with Billy Amendola. This week Billy talks with Billie Eilish/Finneas drummer Andrew Marshall.

Andrew, currently on tour in New Zealand, talks about the stage show, gear, playing and programming drums, and more.

Marshall, born in New York, started playing drums at nine and paid his dues performing around the tri-state area by the time he was fourteen, playing professionally before moving to California in 2017. He has been touring with Eilish’s band for years and has played every festival and TV show (a few times) as Eilish and her brother Finneas grew into worldwide superstars.

In between tours, Marshall records drum tracks remotely for songwriters and artists from his home studio.

Andrew endorses Gretsch drums, Istanbul Agop cymbals, Vater sticks, Remo heads, DW pedals and hardware, 64 Audio in-ear monitors, Porter & Davies drum monitoring systems, and Big Fat Snare Drum accessories.

Let’s talk drums, touring, recording, and performing. Enjoy.

Please subscribe to Drum Channel and save 30% off your subscription with the code BILLY30.

S2 E22 - Kobi Reese Sep 10, 2022

Show notes

Hello everyone, this week’s Drum Channel podcast with Billy Amendola is about starting from the beginning.

Our topics are geared as a lesson to the young generation. Still, it also reminds our older and established era of that exciting feeling as a kid just starting and dreaming of being a “rock star.”

Let’s listen in as Billy introduces Kobi Reese, an up & coming 11-year-old-drummer from New Jersey, who is kick-starting his music career with his first significant interview here on Drum Channel. The enthusiasm is charismatic and inspiring. Everyone, meet Kobi Reese.

S2 E21 - Matt Starr Sep 02, 2022

Show notes

Welcome to this week’s Drum Channel Podcast with Billy Amendola and his guest Matt Starr.

Matt, having his own solo career, has been a first-call-road and recording warrior for years, performing with Ace Frehley, Joe Lynn Turner and Mr. Big among others.

Starr shares his experiences touring and recording with KISS’ guitarist Ace Frehley and Mr.Big (filling in with and for the late Pat Torpey).

Matt also tells us how he tracked down super-producer/songwriter Mike Chapman, learning about the business side of music and more. Let’s listen in. Happy Weekend!

S2 E20 - Denny Seiwell Aug 26, 2022

Show notes

Welcome to the Drum Channel west coast broadcast with Billy Amendola and Don Lombardi. This episode features long-time friend and former Paul McCartney and Wings drummer Denny Seiwell.

Denny talks to Billy & Don about his New York audition with Paul & Linda and his recording of McCartney’s classic album RAM. Before he knew it, Seiwell was invited to join McCartney’s new project, Wings, where he toured and played on the albums Wild Life and Red Rose Speedway, as well as singles such as “Hi, Hi, Hi,” and more.

Never one to slow down, now at the young age of 79, in 2015, Alfred Music published his drum instructional book, What Not to Play! and you can still catch Seiwell performing with his jazz trio, his rock band, or a young group of friends paying tribute to the 50th anniversary of the ex-Beatles RAM ON project, co-produced by Fernando Perdomo. Let’s listen!

Thank you to west coast Drum Channel, Thomas Lang, and the Westlake staff. Audio edited by Butch Jones at the east coast DC studios.

S2 E19 - Gethin Davies Aug 19, 2022

Show notes

Hello, it’s me, Billy Amendola. Welcome to this week’s Drum Channel Podcast. My guest today is Gethin Davies of the UK band The Struts.

The Struts are one of the newer breeds of bands, keeping the rock flag flying high since 2012.

Today, Friday, August 19th, ten years later, the bands latest single, “Fallin’ With Me,” is their first release on the label Big Machine. A singalong-anthem-rocker, the song has been a favorite in concert where the band has recently returned from a sold-out UK tour.

The British 70s/80s influenced rock band, now relocated in California, has four times the personality. The band features the magnetic showman/lead singer Luke Spiller, bassist Jed Elliot, and guitarist Adam Slack. Together, they have ranked up over 300 million streams here in the United States.

The new single “Fallin With Me” is produced by Jayson DeZuzio (Imagine Dragons)

The band is hard at work recording a new album and has previously shared the stage with the Rolling Stones, Mötley Crüe, Guns N’ Roses, the Killers, The Who, and the Foo Fighters.

Gethin says “We will be releasing our next album and we are very excited at the prospect of putting out some new music and performing the new tracks live. We will be back touring relentlessly soon in an effort to bring rock ’n’ roll music back to the mainstream! See you on the road! Thank you all for listening, and I hope you check out our music.” Enjoy the podcast!

S2 E18 - “Billy’s Bubble” Podcast Aug 12, 2022

Show notes

Welcome to this week’s Drum Channel Podcast featuring Billy Amendola and Liberty DeVitto.
This week Liberty joins Billy in the studio to talk about Muscle Shoals session legend Roger Hawkins.
DeVitto, who’s played on over 150,000 selling albums with Billy Joel, listens and talks about all things drums and drumming with Amendola on recordings by Hawkins as well as their own recording sessions and more.
Enjoy this casual conversation between two long-time friends about their favorite drummers.

S2 E17 - Joe Vitale Aug 05, 2022

Show notes

Welcome to Drum Channel with Billy Amendola. This week I’m speaking with not only an award-winning singer/songwriter, author, keyboardist, and A-game touring and recording drummer, he is one of my favorite people on the planet, Joe Vitale.
Vitale has been close pals with his boss of 55 years, and still tours and records with him to this day, the legendary Joe Walsh. (Vitale co-wrote “Rocky Mountain Way”), He’s written, recorded, and toured with The Eagles, (writing “Pretty Maids All in a Row,” for Hotel California, one of the biggest selling albums of all-time).
In his early days he’s toured and or recorded or both with Ted Nugent (before hooking up in Walsh’ band), Rick Derringer, Peter Frampton, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, as well as a solo Neil Young, and more. His autobiography “Backstage Pass” came out in 2008 (still available), he’s a favorite at Rock & Roll Fantasy Camp, and on November 13th, 2022, he’ll be performing on an all-star concert with Joe Walsh for Walsh’s yearly event to help raise money for the veterans in Columbus, Ohio. Let’s welcome Joe Vitale.

S2 E16 - Gordy Knudtson Jul 29, 2022

Show notes

Welcome to this week's Drum Channel Podcast with Billy Amendola.

This podcast features Gordy Knudtson, most known as the touring drummer with the Steve Miller band for the past thirty years. Gordy, recently retired from touring to spend more time at home and taking care of his company GK-Music.com, the first company to make and market hearing protection headphones for musicians called DrumPhones. His current model called UltraPhones is the isolation headphone of choice for top professionals across the country.

Knudtson is also an educator and author of numerous drum method books. When he wasn’t on tour, he was Head of the Percussion Department he created at McNally Smith College in St.Paul, Minnesota.

Gordy took an interest in playing drums at age 15 after taking piano and clarinet lessons. By age 19 he was doing studio work in Minneapolis’ busy commercial music scene of the 1970’s. He recorded advertising jingles, radio & TV station logos, and industrial film scores during the day, while performing with regionally renown Minneapolis bands at night.

I’m 1982, he began a six year association with jazz pianist/vocalist Ben Sidran, performing in jazz clubs and festivals around the world, which led to his association with Steve Miller.

In 2002 Gordy released the first book and instructional video about Open/Close Technique, which introduced nomenclature, notation, and synchronizations, and showed how it can be used to create a family of single stroke rolls which directly parallel the double stroke rolls. *Watch for a video with a lesson on Drum Channel in the near future.

Let’s listen. Enjoy the show!

S2 E15 - Alvin Taylor Jul 22, 2022

Show notes

This week’s Drum Chanel Podcast with host Billy Amendola features session and touring drummer Alvin Taylor.
Taylor started his professional career at the young age of fourteen, touring with Little Richard, where he played drums for Richard, and featured Jimi Hendrix on guitar and keyboardist Billy Preston, who Alvin would have a lifetime experience both musically as well as a mentor.
Years later Preston invited George Harrison to the studio when he was working with the Burke brothers from The Five Stairsteps featuring Taylor on drums. That led to Alvin being invited to play on the Harrison debut solo album 33 and a 1/3 for his Dark Horse label debut.
Always one to stay in the background and do his job, and do it very well, Taylor recorded and or toured with The Eric Burdon Band, Billy Thorpe, Elton John, Bob Welch, Sly Stone, Leo Sayer, Billy Preston, Little Richard, George Harrison and more.
Let’s listen as Alvin shares his words of wisdom, tips, and advice on a lifetime of making it in the music business. Enjoy!

S2 E14 - Education Round Table Jul 15, 2022

Show notes

Hi and welcome to an exclusive Drum Channel podcast featuring three top-notch educators and working drummers, Frank Bellucci, Joe Bergamini, and Jim Mola.
Join me, Billy A, as three friends share their experiences and words of wisdom about being on both sides of the fence in this “drum world” we all live in.
Listen as we discuss tips on the importance of reading music, staying professional, working club dates, performing on Broadway, the challenges of teaching feel, time, and much more.
We send our love and speedy, healing wishes to our drum brother Dom Famularo; this one’s for you!

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