Drummers on Drumming

Latest Episodes:

Big Fat Five: Martina Barakoska's Top 5 Influential Records Feb 16, 2022

Show notes

This week’s guest is Martina Barakoska….a Macedonian drummer / educator / composer and clinician. I heard about Martina via Instagram and was hooked immediately. She’s just starting her career and I’m really excited to see how it unfolds. All in all, she’s a badass drummer and I wanted to chat. Go give her a follow at @iamthe_m on Instagram and Tik Tok and go to school. Today, we discuss the 5(ish) records that helped shape Martina into the drummer she is today. Cheers!

---

Get Your Copy of the Drummers on Drumming Book Today!

🎯 Click here to order now!

Drummers on Drumming (the book) takes you inside the stories, records, and moments that shaped some of the world’s greatest drummers. Built on the Big Fat Five format of digging into top influences, it’s packed with candid interviews and personal insights. Whether you’re just starting out or have been playing for years, this book is here to inspire you to sharpen your skills and find your own voice behind the kit.

For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out www.bigfatsnaredrum.com and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Big Fat Five: Erin Tate's (Minus The Bear, Kill Sadie) Top 5 Influential Records Feb 02, 2022

Show notes

This week’s guest is Erin Tate, founding member of the Seattle-based indie-rock, Minus the Bear, but he’s played with many great bands throughout his career including Kill Sadie (from Minneapolis), Ghost Work, Time Pieces (etc.) in addition to running Indie Drummer Collective…which we get to right off the bat. Erin has an incredible ability to weave his way through odd time and syncopated phrases with seaming-ease and confidence. He’s a legend and a big inspiration to a lot of my peers (especially having grown up in the northwest). I’ve know Erin for a few years now, but this was the first time we’ve had the chance to chat like this and I was grateful to say the least. Please please PLEASE go check out Erin’s discography. He truly is a drummer with a uniquely unique creative voice. You’re amazing Erin. So here are the top 5 records that shaped Erin’s approach to the drumset. Alright cheers!

---

Get Your Copy of the Drummers on Drumming Book Today!

🎯 Click here to order now!

For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out www.bigfatsnaredrum.com and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Big Fat Five: Joe Bagale AKA Otis McDonald's Top 5 Influential Records Jan 26, 2022

Show notes

This week’s guest is Joe Bagale, a San Francisco-based producer, artist, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and educator. Now, I know that might seem like he’s a jack of all trades and a master of none, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. As Joe’s bio states on his website, his sound is “fresh, but tangibly rooted in nostalgia” and I think that’s the perfect way to describe it. Joe is also a self-proclaimed “Groover Not A Prover” and this conversation perfectly showcases that vibe. Originally from Rochester, NY, Joe has produced and released a number of albums under his name, followed by a project he calls Otis McDonald, writing audio library music for YouTube. As I said, he basically does everything and on top of produced / recording … he’s shared the stage with (and I might add not always on drums) with Stevie Wonder, Mickey Hart of Grateful Dead, Fred Wesley and PeeWee Ellis (members of James Brown’s band) Dave Schools (of Widespread Panic), Mike Gordon (of Phish), Martin Luther (of The Roots), Gift2Gab, Lyrics Born and many more. At the end of the day, Joe just wants you to dance. Enjoy the top 5 records the built Joe Bagale into the musician he is today. Cheers!

---

Get Your Copy of the Drummers on Drumming Book Today!

🎯 Click here to order now!

For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out www.bigfatsnaredrum.com and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Big Fat Five: Connor Denis' (Beartooth) Top 5 Influences Jan 19, 2022

Show notes

This week’s guest is Connor Denis…drummer for the rock band Beartooth. Connor has been touring since he was 15…making sure that live rock n roll music still rocks. Seriously, he’s a basher, but has all the technical prowess in the world to back it up. He’s got an insanely long career ahead of him and has already accomplished so much at such a relatively young age. I rarely get young, hard hitting rock n rollers on this show, so this was a fun one. Please enjoy the top 5 records (in order) that shaped Connor’s playing.

---

Get Your Copy of the Drummers on Drumming Book Today!

🎯 Click here to order now!

For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out www.bigfatsnaredrum.com and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Big Fat Five: Dave Elitch's Top 5 Influences Jan 12, 2022

Show notes

This week’s guest is Dave Elitch and this chat is long overdue because he’s one of the most-mentioned drummers on this podcast…behind Levon Helm, of course. Dave has played with The Mars Volta, The 1975, Miley Cyrus, Justin Timberlake…and countless others, but a lot of drummers know him as a “teacher’s teacher”. He’s helped many of the best drummers (and instructors) fine tune their own playing such as Jason McGerr, Benny Greb, Tomas Haake, Chris McHugh and even Bill Burr...who I would love to get on this podcast. His zen-like approach to viewing drummers as athletes and listening to the body and how it relates to one’s goals makes him one of the most sough-after teachers today. His online instructional course, aptly named “Getting Out Of Your Own Way” was just updated (and we do talk about all of that in this episode), but I wanted to get to know the drummer behind the instructor. I hope you enjoy my chat with Dave about the 5 records that helped shaped the way he approaches the instrument. Cheers!

As promised: https://drinklmnt.com🤘🏻🥁🔥

---

Get Your Copy of the Drummers on Drumming Book Today!

🎯 Click here to order now!

For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out www.bigfatsnaredrum.com and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Big Fat Five: Matt Johnson's (Jeff Buckley's album 'Grace', St. Vincent) Top 5 Influences Jan 05, 2022

Show notes

This week’s guest is Matt Johnson...one of the most-respected drummers to a handful of the guests I’ve had on this podcast. He is probably most-known in the drumming community for playing on ‘Grace’ by Jeff Buckley. He was also the touring drummer with St. Vincent for a handful of years and played with many, many other artists (you can look them all up), but the two I just mentioned are enough to make him a legend. He’s an incredible teacher and a very philosophical thinker. This episode is chalk full of fun tangents that showcase his deep thinking and very passionate approach to music. We actually recorded this episode earlier in 2021, so I apologize for the wait, but it’s finally here!

So…the audio isn’t the best in this one, which is partly why I hadn’t released it, but I think the content is all worth it. The first words you’ll hear from Matt is him responding to a story that I’ve told a few times on this podcast about when we shared practice spaces across the hall from each other at a facility in Los Angeles. I took a lesson with him (it was obviously great) and at the end he wanted to see what kit I was working with him my room. At the time, it was a shared kit; it wasn’t even mine. I wanna say it was an old beat up Ludwig standard? with pitted heads and it was just falling apart. It did not sound good when I played it at all. But when he sat behind the kit, it transformed into the most vibey, musical kit I’d heard in-person in a long time. He proved it really is all in the hands and mind of the player. I think about that moment all time…anyways…enjoy my lighthearted, but simulatanously heavy conversation with one of my favorite drummers matt Johnson.

---

Get Your Copy of the Drummers on Drumming Book Today!

🎯 Click here to order now!

For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out www.bigfatsnaredrum.com and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Big Fat Five: Joe Plummer's (Cold War Kids, Modest Mouse, The Shins) Top Influences Dec 22, 2021

Show notes

This week’s guest is Mr. Joe Plummer. Joe has played drums for Modest Mouse, Cold War Kids, The Shins, The Black Heart Procession and so many more in addition to releasing his own album, Hew Time, with Dale Crover and Coady Willis. Basically, he’s a really cool dude. He’s the epitome of a working drummer and I love the personality he brings to any band he signs on with. He’s also the host of his own podcast called Tour Stories, which we discuss towards the end of the episode. Please enjoy my conversation with Joe about the main influences that shaped him into the very-sought-after drummer he is today. Cheers! And Happy Holidays! Relax for a damn second.

---

Get Your Copy of the Drummers on Drumming Book Today!

🎯 Click here to order now!

For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out www.bigfatsnaredrum.com and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How Riz Ahmed Learned To Play Drums For 'Sound of Metal' Dec 15, 2021

Show notes

This is part 2 of my conversation with Guy Licata. While we kept to the traditional format in the first half of our chat, I think the topic of today’s episode deserved its own place in the sun. Guy prepared Emmy Award-winning actor Riz Ahmed for his role as a drummer in Amazon Studios’ film ‘Sound of Metal’. He was tasked with all aspects of the drum set instruction and preparation for the role over a seven-month period. To crudely sum it up, the movie tells the story of Reuben, a touring metal drummer who experiences sudden and permanent hearing loss and how he has to deal with the life-altering consequences that diagnosis entails. I wanted to hear all about that process and how it most-certainly differs from normal instruction.

---

Get Your Copy of the Drummers on Drumming Book Today!

🎯 Click here to order now!

For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out www.bigfatsnaredrum.com and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Big Fat Five: Guy Licata's (Museum of Love, Reflexx Practice Pads) Top 5 Influences Dec 08, 2021

Show notes

This week’s guest is Guy Licata. Guy is most recently known as the founder of Reflexx Practice Pads (now the Zildjian Reflexx Conditioning Pad), but Guy is more than just a business owner; he’s a master player himself. While he’s a very-sought after teacher himself, Guy has studied with the greats including Jim Chapin and Jojo Mayer, which we get into during the episode. He’s played with countless artists over the years including Museum of Love (fronted by LCD Soundsystem’s Pat Mahoney), Santigold, Head Automatica, Shakira, RAC, Fischerspooner and many, many more. He’s a fountain of energy with a passion for talking drums that makes my job as a host very easy. He also prepared Emmy Award-winning actor Riz Ahmed for his role as a drummer in Amazon Studios film ‘Sound of Metal’ where he was tasked with all aspects of the drum set instruction and preparation for the role over an intensive seven-month period, with Riz having no formal experience as a drummer. We discussed that experience for a ‘Part 2’ of our conversation coming out at a later date, but for the time being, please enjoy my conversation with Guy Licata as he dissects the top 5 influences that shaped the way he approaches the instrument. We talked for a while prior to pushing record, so you’re jumping into a moving train right off the bat. Cheers!

---

Get Your Copy of the Drummers on Drumming Book Today!

🎯 Click here to order now!

For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out www.bigfatsnaredrum.com and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Big Fat Five: Jason McGerr's (Death Cab For Cutie) Top 5 Influences and much, much more... Dec 01, 2021

Show notes

This weeks guest is Mr. Jason McGerr. What can you say about Jason?...wellllllll, he’s the drummer for Death Cab For Cutie and one hell of a drum educator. It seems like everything he says is carefully thought out and this conversation is no exception. Yes, we get into the top 5 influences that shaped the player he is today, but it’s the little pockets of wisdom throughout that made this one of the most fruitful conversations we’ve had on this podcast. I look up to Jason a whole hell of a lot and his perspectives on technique, finding your own voice and ultimately protecting that voice with a vengeance are something we should all subscribe to. I hope you enjoy this chat as much as I did, and if you haven’t already, please rate and review. Unless you hate it…just have a great day! Cheers.

---

Get Your Copy of the Drummers on Drumming Book Today!

🎯 Click here to order now!

For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out www.bigfatsnaredrum.com and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices