Drumeo Gab Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Horacio "el Negro" Hernandez (Carlos Santana, Steve Winwood) - Drums Are My Savior Apr 19, 2020

Show notes

"I play because I need to play. For me."

Havana, Cuba native, Horacio "el Negro" Hernandez, has been said to be one of the most innovative and skilled percussionists in the world. He has had a very rich musical life growing up in Havana and then many years later when he left home to become an internationally acclaimed musician. It did not come easily but as Horacio describes in this interview, it has always been his passion in life and he has never considered doing anything else.

Horacio has had the pleasure of working with so many incredible artists throughout his career including Carlos Santana, Zucchero, Steve Winwood, McCoy Tyner, Michel Camilo, and the Tropi-Jazz All Stars of the late Tito Puente. Horacio is also a Grammy award winning artist, which he received in 1997.

I have personally been in love with Horacio's playing for 20 years. Back when it was new, the Modern Drummer 2000 DVD featured Horacio. I remember watching his clips, along with Vinnie, Dave Lombardo, Billy Ward and Hilary Jones over and over. Among the roster, it was Horacio who captured my attention the most. He was always smiling and acting so casually while playing incredibly demanding music and displaying some of the most advanced independance I have ever seen before or since then. To have a moment with one of my heroes was simply incredible and it is an interview that I will never forget.

You Will Hear About….

Horacio talks about his performance at Drumeo Festival 2020.
What drumming means to him.
Why he was imprisoned at the age of 13.
Imitating our idols and Horacio's thoughts on the younger generations.
His three year stay in Rome back in 1990.
Horacio's appreciation for a great instrument to play.
His career once he was given permission to emigrate to the USA.
Horacio's health concerns from roughly five years ago.
What Horacio learned from playing 20 hours a day at the EGREM studios.
Why you don't see Horacio much on Instagram (usually, until CoV happened)

Why Should You Listen?

It is rare to see an interview with Horacio in English. Even rarer is to hear and see an interview with Horacio with good sound and video quality. He is quiet online usually and isn't that concerned with publicity. For Horacio, this was just fun for him to talk about his life and I feel fortunate that he took the time to do it. Again, he is a veteran musician with a storied career and has almost no need for publicity.

However, this interview covers a lot of his musical career, his thoughts about drumming and music and a nearly catastrophic medical issue that could have ended his career that he has never spoken publicly about. So, if you are a fan of Horacio you won't want to sleep on this episode.

Horacio's Socials

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Photo: Ronn Dunnett

VIP - 04/15/20 - The Hiatus Episode Apr 15, 2020

Show notes

VIP is created in part by YOU, the audience. Submit your media to Seamus@drumeo.com.

Today's episode is themed around two different story types. The first one is about drummers who started playing drums later into their adulthood. The other is about drummers who used to play when they were in their youth and then retired the sticks only to rediscover their passion for drumming years later.

The submissions for this week came from Ed Koop, Bill Granville, Robert Daughtridge, and Jorge Bazo.

I also read a bunch of comments from last week's question on my Instagram

"Who started playing drums later in life, or picked up the sticks after a long hiatus?"

We received over 70 comments, so I read a few of them. I also share my own experience with a long hiatus from drums that took place during my twenties.

To top it all off I have included a teaser of the upcoming interview with Horacio "el Negro" Hernandez. Enjoy and stay safe :)

Chris Coleman (Beck) - Pain Is Fuel Apr 12, 2020

Show notes

"My pain is my sound"

Chris Coleman's story will give a lot of hope to drummers out there who are trying their absolute best to become who they want to become. He is a fighter, a survivor and has been put through hell to get where he is today. He has been considered, in the public's eye, a fantastic drummer for many years. His win back in 2001 for the Guitar Center DrumOff was such a huge affirmation to Chris that he was indeed on the right path. But it always wasn't so clear.

In this interview, you are going to hear about the pain and struggle that was necessary to get to the place that he has arrived. Chris has such a long and meandering path of little victories and big setbacks. At a certain point, he tried to kill his passion for drumming that he had inside of him. It is incredible how he persevered and once he moved to LA things started to work in his favor and he was well on his way to his well-earned destination.

When we watch Chris perform we can sit back and enjoy the product. And really, we should. But to hear where that sound was born from adds a completely new layer of depth. This is why interviews can be important. His career was born out of something that was constantly working against him and eventually through sheer determination he managed to forge an elite tier status on the instrument. Simply incredible.

You Will Hear About….

Chris arrived at a good place with the Drumeo Festival
His early years growing up with music in Church
Discovering the true you
Don't copy other drummers' licks. Instead, Focus on your sound.
Chris on haters
The importance of control over speed
Why he couldn't be a pilot or Navy Seal
The road to LA
Instant gratification and investing in maybes

Why Should You Listen?

In these times during COVID-19, this interview may have more power to it? Regardless, in any situation for any person, there is some pretty significant value here. Chris' story is filled with darkness and then at the end, parting clouds and some sunshine. But I just see life screaming at Chris, "STOP DOING THIS!" and he responded with a hard NO. I have so much respect for that. That takes some serious determination and willpower and it is great to hear it told in such raw detail from an elite drummer. It is an unbelievable chat with a timeless message.

Chris' Socials

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Photo: Ronn Dunnett

VIP - 04/08/20 - The Positive/Negative Episode Apr 08, 2020

Show notes

Sign up for only $5 (all proceeds go to the Covid Solidarity Response Fund) to enroll in the Drumeo Learn Songs Faster Masterclass. This is for a limited time only. (Closes April 10th at Midnight)

VIP is created in part by YOU, the audience. Submit your media to Seamus@drumeo.com.

Update on Ian - Ian and his wife Joanna have returned home to Toronto safe and sound. Yay!!

Lou Santiago Jr. talks about his experience working in the ER in NYC during the Covid pandemic.

Here is the link to the podcast where the astronaut Scott Kelly provides advice for people in isolation.

Here is the link to Austin's new podcast.

Anika Nilles (Nevell) - On The Record Apr 05, 2020

Show notes

Sign up for only $5 (all proceeds go to the Covid Solidarity Response Fund) to enroll in the Drumeo Learn Songs Faster Masterclass. This is for a limited time only.

"Something changed. It was a heavy time."

Anika Nilles has built quite an impressive career for herself over the last six years or so. Her profile blossomed into international status almost overnight with the release of "Wild Boy" on YouTube. From there, she has gained considerable exposure and has been in high demand for clinics and other educational platforms, such as Drumeo. It could be argued that Anika was one of the main influencers on the popularity of quintuplet phrasings but also disguised them well to make these odd-phrasing ideas approachable and musical.

This was the second interview opportunity that I have had with Anika. The first was over two years ago where we spoke over Skype while she was home on a quick break. It was amazing to have her on the podcast but also quite disappointing to me personally due to the outcome of the audio I recorded. It was compromised heavily due to static and other noise that I couldn't remove from the recording. I have always been a bit upset by that. However, this episode sounds quite good and the conversation is so much more compelling than the first one we had. I feel like I got the interview with Anika that I always wanted.

Anika opens up here. She discusses things that she has never discussed publicly and perhaps to an even further extent, at all. I am very thankful that she was so willing to be transparent and honest about her career, the obstacles that have been challenging and the things that still trouble her to this day.

You Will Hear About….

Stage fright
Needing control
Anika's thoughts on musical freedom
What really happened on October 18, 2017's announcement
Anika's objectives right now
Looking on the bright side
American influence on European drummers
How viable is the online influencer option today?
Does Anika know how to future proof her career?
The best nights of music aren't always the ones you thought were great at the time.

Why Should You Listen?

This is the interview you have never heard before. In fact, I was in disbelief after the interview just how open Anika was. I pushed a bit into territory that was a bit vulnerable for her but she didn't shy away from the questions. She really put herself out there in an honest and transparent way. Anika has a lot of fans who see her as a deeply inspiring drummer and personality and the things she discussed with me will likely end up furthering that feeling for her fans. She is an exemplary person who shows us that the top level professionals have fears too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1AtfdNKYug

Anika's Socials

ANIKA"S NEW ALBUM - For A Colourful Soul

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VIP - 04/01/20 - Solosode Apr 01, 2020

Show notes

VIP is created in part by YOU, the audience. Submit your media to Seamus@drumeo.com.

Ned's Facebook Live interview that I talked about.

https://umatter.ca/2020/03/28/embracing-kindness/

Rich Stitzel's DrumMantra podcast where I was interviewed live.

https://player.fm/series/the-drummantra-podcast

Jojo Mayer (NERVE) - It's A Human Thing Mar 29, 2020

Show notes

"Technique is just legwork. It's not a paradigm shift for the most part."

This interview with Jojo was the last interview that I recorded during the Drumeo Festival in 2020. The night prior to this interview was when NERVE closed the festival with a tremendous performance that blew the minds of the audience in attendance. I have been listening to NERVE since early on, in fact, it was the Prohibited Beats album where I discovered them with the incredible tune "Far".

Prohibited Beats was the first NERVE album release but there were also major parties that Jojo hosted in NYC that he called "Prohibited Beatz". At the Drumeo VIP dinner he shared that entire story of how he was no longer allowed to host these parties, as people well into the thousands would attend. Look up what the "Cabaret Law" is for some nice casual reading. It was that among other contributing factors that forced Jojo to stop the Prohibited Beatz parties.

Jojo Mayer is a very creative and ingenuitive musician. It has been commented on many times before that Jojo possesses very high technical abilities both in his hands and feet. He broke all of this technique down in his two highly acclaimed instructional Hudson Music DVD's "Secret Weapons for the Modern Drummer". The first release was dedicated to hand technique and the second release was for feet. Combined, these DVD's covered everything you'd ever need to know about technique.

There is no question that Jojo Mayer is among the greatest drummers of all time and has been incredibly influential in music and the arts.

You Will Hear About….

The message, "you can't do that" and how Jojo basically ignored that.
How New York isn't matching the creative output it used to produce.
Whether a musician who hasn't struggled as much is missing something musically?
Jojo on "Rock n' Roll".
Jojo on technique.
Jojo is concerned about the safety and prosperity of mankind.

Why Should You Listen?

Jojo is obviously an expert musician and I love his music but his interviews are always interesting too. His thoughts about society, art, culture and beyond always have an enlightening edge to them. Speaking for myself, I find the words he speaks to be almost as enjoyable as the music he performs. Much like Frank Zappa in that regard. I am very happy to have had the opportunity to have one on one time with a hero of mine and to have captured something of value for listeners.

Jojo's Socials

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VIP - 03/25/20 - COVID-19 Mega Episode Mar 25, 2020

Show notes

VIP is created in part by YOU, the audience. Submit your media to Seamus@drumeo.com.

This episode was a massive collaborative effort by listeners, past guests/friends. This was created to bring more strength, hope, and perspective to people. It is not just for drummers. It is instead, from drummers FOR people. I am very proud to present this MEGA episode to you all. Many thanks for your support and PLEASE SHARE THIS CONTENT WITH YOUR FRIENDS AND LOVED ONES!!

Contributors were

Curt "KIRKEE-B" Bisquera

Shawn Lafferty

Ned Burwell - UMatter Website

Nick D'Virgilio (Big Big Train, Tears For Fears, Sweetwater) - For The Working Drummer Mar 22, 2020

Show notes

"Try to think ahead of what you really want. The end goal. Where you really wanna be."

Nick D'Virgilio is a name that if you are tuning into YouTube and other social media platforms likely recognize due to his presence at Sweetwater. That is certainly Nick's main gig these days but he has had a very rich musical career leading up to Sweetwater. He has worked with Genesis, Tears for Fears, Cirque Du Soleil, Spock's Beard, Big Big Train and more.

Can you imagine actually recording on the final Genesis album? In that studio that produced some of the most important prog-rock in history? Or touring with Tears for Fears? But leading up to the time where he met Kevin Gilbert randomly at a ski resort was a long grind of sameness, very little momentum and in Nick's words, "what am I doing with my life kinda stuff."

Nick's story is one of perseverance. He just wouldn't accept an alternative even though he wasn't going where he wanted to be for years. He found his break with Kevin and had the desire and abilities to make his mark and the rest is history. A truly amazing life of music and a story that will resonate with so many people.

You Will Hear About….

Whether Nick thinks that social skills have changed over the last fifteen years.
How Nick felt about interviewing people in the beginning.
Kevin Gilbert and what that did for Nick's early career.
Recording for Genesis
The days at the Jolly Roger and when Nick was at odds with his music career.
Trusting your instincts.
The cost involved with a career in music.
Nick's new concept album.
Nick's take on brand loyalty
A bit about Sweetwater
How Nick likes his lifestyle now compared to before when he toured a lot.

Why Should You Listen?

I think that this episode will be particularly beneficial for listeners who are grinding at the bars, playing small festivals, tracking for low budget artists, and essentially sticking with it in hopes that they will get their big break. With Nick, he couldn't have imagined what was in store for him. It is good that he stuck with it and worked hard on his craft. His story will likely strongly resonate with working drummers who listen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1rYSLqWqoM

Nick's Socials

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VIP - 03/18/20 - The Endorsement Episode Mar 18, 2020

Show notes

VIP is created in part by YOU, the audience. Submit your media to Seamus@drumeo.com

In this episode you'll hear:

- A word of encouragement, concerns about social distancing and coronavirus.

- An update from a friend of the show, Heather Thomas.

- Ray Byrne from Byrne Cymbals on endorsements.

- Comment reads. The question was "Do you want an endorsement and why? Commenters who I read in this episode were @Karlgrohmanndrums, @freddycharles, @thefitdrummer, @mattcordier, and @davidraouf.

- Instagram clip shoutouts. I asked IG who their favorite Up and Coming Drummer was. The drummers were randomly selected after being voted in the comments. They were @vinnywrk, @joelturcotte, @nathshinglerdrums, @lioncamp, @7tomi8, @dimitrifantini, @zackaustindrums and @oliverlab.

- A small clip from Nick D'Virgilio's episode about endorsements and whether we invest in gear that is brand-specific as a potential investment for down the road.

- A small clip from the upcoming Chris Coleman episode.

- I share a story about when I first met Larry Davidson and thought I was going to get an endorsement.