Working Drummer

Latest Episodes:

117 – Evan Pazner: Touring with Lee Fields, Being a Lifelong New Yorker, Studying at the New School May 25, 2017

Show notes

Evan Pazner is a native and life-long resident of New York City. For the last six years, he has been the touring drummer for Lee Fields & The Expressions, a truly old-school soul band. It’s not old school just because they got the right gear and the right sound, it’s old school because Lee Fields has been doing it for over four decades. Evan got into drums playing in bands with friends as a teenager, catching the tail end of a New York music scene in which some clubs allowed 15-year-olds to play there. After earning a liberal arts degree at NYU, he entered The New School for two years of intensive drum study with Jimmy Cobb, Joe Chambers, Billy Hart, Joey Baron, and others. Recently, when not traveling with Lee Fields, Evan has also been working on Broadway as a sub drummer for Cirque Du Soleil’s “Paramour.”

In this podcast, Evan talks about:

How he landed the gig with Lee Fields and what a straight-up soul band requires of the drummer, stylistically and technically

How growing up in New York City shaped him as a musician and as a person

His time at the New School, and why a degree wasn’t the point

The most valuable lesson he got from Jimmy Cobb

How there is no substitute for the confidence that comes from putting in the work and getting experience

What has changed about New York since he was a kid, and what will never change

How family life has made it easier to be in the moment, on stage and at home.

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116 – Derrek Phillips: Drumming for Hank Williams Jr, Teaching at Two Universities, Master Classes with Tony Williams May 17, 2017

Show notes

Since the age of three, Derrek C. Phillips has had a deep passion for music. From that time he has carved out an exciting musical career as a performer, educator, and composer

While attending high school, Phillips played snare drum for the Concord Blue Devils drum and bugle corps from 1990-93. In 1998, he received his bachelor’s degree in jazz studies at William Paterson University in Wayne, N.J. He studied privately with Horace Arnold, Yoron Israel, John Riley and Tony Williams.

As an educator, he has also worked with several school bands and drums corps as a percussion and marching instructor, jazz and drum set clinician, composer, marching drill designer, and private tutor. He is currently the presiding drum set and ensemble instructor at both Middle Tennessee State University and Vanderbilt University.

In the spring of 2014, Derek became the touring drummer for Hank Williams Jr. His drumming is featured on Vanessa Williams’ recording The Real Thing and Michael McDonald’s This Christmas. He has also worked with Rachael Lampa, Jonny Lang, Charlie Peacock, Mike Farris, the McCrary Sisters, Seth Walker, James Otto, Charlie Hunter, Jimmy Hall, Tommy Sims, Delbert McClinton, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Greg Osby, Joshua Redman and Kurt Elling.

He has performed on the CBS Early Morning Show and A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor, BET (Black Entertainment Television) and throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe, as well as Brazil, Korea, South Africa, Turkey, India, Panama, the Caribbean, and Japan.

In this episode, Derek talks about:

Teaching at Middle Tennessee State University and Vanderbilt University

Utilizing a curriculum when teaching

Getting into drum corp and joining The Concord Blue Devils

Master classes with Tony Williams

Working with Charlie Hunter

Touring with country legend Hank Williams Jr

Derek endorses: Spaun Drums, Istanbul Cymbals, Evans Drumheads and Vater Sticks.

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115 – A Sit-Down with The Bosses: Equinox Orchestra’s Bandleader, Lead Singer, and Musical Director/Tour Manager on Getting a Band on the Road May 10, 2017

Show notes

At the helm of The Equinox Orchestra are tenor saxophonist and bandleader Jeremy Davis, lead vocalist Clay Johnson, and trumpet player, musical director and tour manager Tommy Brinson. Their combined efforts have gotten the 11-piece group on the road for a 2 month, 18,000 mile U.S. tour, the most ambitious undertaking in the band’s 15-year history. The three talked with their drummer and Working Drummer Podcast co-host Zack Albetta about their individual roles, the drummer’s role, their perspective as leaders of a group and owners of an enterprise.

Equinox began as a traditional 18-piece instrumental big band playing performing whenever and wherever they could, but has evolved into a multi-faceted group with line-ups ranging from three to 25 playing everything from restaurants and bars to theatre shows and private events. Jeremy and Clay have recently sought to use Equinox for philanthropic causes in addition to their regular for-profit gigs.

In this podcast, the guys talk about

The types of gigs Equinox has played and what their goals are

How Tommy ascended the ranks from regular sideman to musical director and tour manager

Jeremy and Clay’s musical background leading up to Equinox

The outsized role and responsibility of the big band drummer

How bands and musicians can use their talents for causes they believe in

Jeremy’s strategy to keep the band working – the more leads you chase down, the more will pan out

How to create a band identity and monetize it, and how to attract multiple funding sources

How to eat well on the road

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114 – Angela Lese: Drumming for The Dead Deads, Cultivating a Strong Fan Base, From “Regular Job” to Touring Musician May 03, 2017

Show notes

Angie Lese always wanted to be a drummer since she could remember. Growing up in Fort Wayne Indiana, she took to music early and studied flute throughout high school. It wasn’t until her college years that Angie decided to follow her drumming passion, bought a kit and taught herself how to play. After graduating and starting a career in meteorology, Angie moved to Louisville Kentucky and heavily pursued music.

She played for a Sony recording artist, several cover bands, and was a session drummer as well. Her main band, CatFight (original pop/punk rock), received a strong local and regional following along with the support from Little Heart Records of Louisville, KY. In 2013 they released a self titles EP – CatFight. While that was taking off, Angie was offered a promotion in her meteorology career that prompted a move to Nashville Tennessee in 2012.

After immersing herself in the Nashville music scene, Angie joined forces with artist Leticia Wolf, fellow Catfight member Erica Sellers, and two other musicians to form The Dead Deads, a heavy, hard rock/pop band. Having just formed in late 2013, The Dead Deads have garnered quite a bit of attention from Page Hamilton of Helmet/David Bowie, Chuck Garric of Alice Cooper, Tom Petersson of Cheap Trick to Lzzy Hale of Halestorm. As a result of The Dead Deads’ quick rise, Angie and her band have been on several national tours with acts like Halestorm, P.O.D., Bush, Chevelle along with the Motorboat and the Shiprocked cruises. They have recorded two full-length albums, “Rainbeau” (2014) and “For Your Obliteration” (2016), produced by Page Hamilton.

In this podcast, Angela talks about:

Current news with the Dead Deads

Pros and cons of playing in an all girl band

Recording and writing for the new Dead Deads record

Transitioning from “regular jobs” to touring in a band

Cultivating a strong fan base

The benefits of an online presence

The challenges of an all girl band

Having hobbies and distractions in life to keep your headspace healthy

Angela endorses TAMA drums, Sabian cymbals, Evans heads, Promark drumsticks, and Humes and Berg cases.

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113 – Jermal Watson: Born & Bred in New Orleans, Playing with The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Allowing the Traditional to Evolve Apr 26, 2017

Show notes

Jermal Watson is a native of New Orleans and like so many musicians there, got his musical start playing in church. Growing up in New Orleans, he explains, young musicians learn songs and styles by ear and by the time you’re grown, all of the city’s musical languages – the swing feel of Preservation Hall, the street beats of the brass bands, the funk of The Meters and The Neville Brothers – are languages you just know. As a young drummer, Jermal was brought along on the scene by two of its elder statesmen, Russell Batiste and Gerald French and for decades now, he has been among The Crescent City’s first-call drummers. His resume includes The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Big Sam’s Funky Nation, Eddie Roberts, and many more. For the past two years, he has also headed a percussion program at Encore Academy, in which almost 90 elementary school students participate.

In this podcast, Jermal talks about:

His elementary school percussion program

Playing with the Dirty Dozen Brass Band

Why learning songs by ear on the fly is particularly common in New Orleans

How Russell Batiste and Gerald French helped him work his way onto the scene

How New Orleans changes the playing of drummers who move there

A project he was recently involved in called Attakid, a collaboration between New Orleans and San Francisco musicians

Playing with Big Sam’s Funky Nation

Where to go for live music in New Orleans (hint: it’s not Bourbon Street).

The New Orleans style of recording

Jermal Watson endorses Mapex Drums and Meinl Cymbals

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112 – Joe Gansas & Around The Kit: Online Drum Talk Radio Show, Asking Important Questions Apr 19, 2017

Show notes

Around The Kit with Joe Gansas

For close to a year and a half, Joe Gansas has been hosting an online radio show focused on drummers and all things drums. This show is called Around The Kit. Joe digs deep into the life, career and background of each guest whether it’s a well known drummer like Kenny Aronoff or a lesser known drummer with important and relatable storys to tell.

Joe has surrounded himself with a strong team that helps Joe create a thoughtful and consistent show week by week. A few highlights of Around The Kit include multiple guests every episode as well as tribute shows. Some of Joe’s guests include Simon Phillips, Dave Weckl and Cathy Rich. This show can be found www.aroundthekit.net. It airs 8-11:00pm eastern time every Sunday night

In this episode, Joe talks about:

His internet radio show – “Around The Kit”

Drug addiction in our community

Joe’s performance background and his influences

The importance of listening

The future of Around The Kit

Asking important questions

This episode is sponsored by Mapex Drums

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111 – Carter McLean: Drumming on Broadway, Playing Duo & Trio with Charlie Hunter, Running a Teaching Website Apr 12, 2017

Show notes

Carter McLean has been a New Yorker for most of his adult life. From his home base in Brooklyn, he commands a multi-pronged career as the drummer for The Lion King on Broadway, playing regularly with 8-string guitarist Charlie Hunter, and running his own educational website, Four Hands Drumming.

In this podcast, Carter talks about:

His first experiences in NYC – working at Manny’s Music, driving 12 hours for a $100 gig, going to Jeff “Tain” Watts’ jam session.

His typical day, which almost always includes one or two Lion King shows

Fighting the complacency that comes from a steady paycheck

His educational website, Four Hands Drumming, and how the focus is practical musical concepts that everyone can apply

Basic gear and techniques drummers can use to improve the quality of their videos

His approach to micing drums and how using fewer mics gives the drummer more control and more responsibility to self-mix

Playing with Charlie Hunter

Carter McLean endorses Dunnett/George H. Way drums, Istanbul Agop Cymbals, Vic Firth sticks, Remo heads, DW Hardware, Tackle Instruments, BigFatSnareDrum, Beyerdynamic mics, and BAE mic pres.

This episode is sponsored by Mapex.

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110 – Russ Miller: Recording for Soundtracks, Touring With International Artists, Finding A Coach Apr 02, 2017

Show notes

Russ Miller is internationally known as one of the top drummers of today. As a Multi-Platinum recording artist, he has played on multiple Grammy award winning recordings with combined sales of over 26 million copies. His musical versatility has led him to work with an incredible list of over 50 international artists from legends like Ray Charles, The Fifth Dimension, Natalie Cole, Tina Turner & Bobby Caldwell through modern stars, Nelly Furtado, The Psychedelic Furs, Hilary Duff, Steve Perry, Andrea Bocelli, Kavita Krishnamurthy, Daniel Bedingfield and Meredith Brooks. As a star of the Los Angeles studio scene, the Modern Drummer Magazine Readers Poll has repeatedly voted Russ in the top 5 Studio Drummers in the world, including the 2015 Poll, where he was voted the #3 Session drummer. He has performed on more than 300 albums (including many #1 Billboard hits like Nelly Furtado’s “Whoa Nelly” and Hilary Duff’s “Metamorphosis”). Russ has also recorded for many T.V. shows and over 60 international movies (such as #1 box office titles like “Chicken Little”, “Fracture”, “Lakeview Terrace”, “Resident Evil Apocalypse”, “Percy Jackson” and the “Boondock Saints” series of movies, just to name a few). Along with his many sideman recording credits, he has been a staple on T.V. “house bands”. Such as “American Idol”, for all of their “Mentoring Sessions”.

Russ also has four critically acclaimed solo albums, Cymbalism, Arrival and the Arrival Live concert DVD/CD and his latest “Chagada3” with the Arrival Trio. In addition, Russ performs educational clinics throughout the world. In October of 2014, Russ was awarded an “Honorary PHD” for “ sustained lifetime accomplishments that have benefited Drumming artistry and the Global Drumming community”, from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, in Shanghai, China. He also has authored two books: The Drum Set Crash Course and Transitions, along with his three videos, “Arrival-Behind The Glass” from Hudson Music, The Drum Set Crash Course and The Drum Set Crash Course Tuning Edition from Alfred Publications. A 7-time Modern Drummer readers poll winner, Russ’ solo projects were also voted the #1 educational books and videos in the world (2001-2004).

In this episode, Russ talks about:

Russ’s current gigs including Andrea Bocelli, India superstar Kavita Krishnamurthy and his band Arrival

Recording on TV and Movie sound tracks

Russ’s approach to world music

Being a life long student and finding a “coach”

The YouTube effect

Gig opportunities in technology

Creating your own voice

Russ Miller’s interest in product development

Explaining the Mapex Design Lab series

Russ endorses: Mapex Drums, Zildjian, Remo, Vic Firth, Porter & Davies Tactile monitoring, Hercules stands, May E/A Mics, Prologix, SKB cases, Arrel Audio Electronics, Puresound Snares, Korg and Meinl music instruments

This episode is sponsored by Mapex Drums

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109 – YonRico Scott: Playing in The Derek Trucks Band, The Musical Legacy of Detroit, Approaching the Drumset with a Percussionist’s Mind Mar 29, 2017

Show notes

Yonrico Scott has been a fixture on the Atlanta scene and in Southern music in general for decades. He was born and raised in Detroit, where he began touring and recording as a teenager. His interest in percussion brought him to The University of Kentucky where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in classical music. After college, he moved to Atlanta and quickly felt like he was home. In the late 90’s he joined the band led by guitar prodigy Derek Trucks with whom he recorded several albums and toured extensively for a decade. He was also a member of Southern super group The Royal Southern Brotherhood, co-led by Devon Allman, Mike Zito and Cyril Neville. YonRico has just released Life of a Dreamer, his fifth album as a leader.

In this Podcast, Yonrico talks about

Recording “Life of a Dreamer” at ZAC Recording Studios in Atlanta with engineer Tony Terrabone

Recognizing when a unique drum part is called for vs. something more obvious

Playing congas and percussion in funk, R&B, and pop settings as opposed to Salsa, and the subliminal power of a shaker

How he was shaped by the musical culture and history of Detroit.

Studying percussion at Kentucky State University and the University of Kentucky, and approaching the drumset more like orchestral percussion.

His time in The Derek Trucks Band, and what he and Derek learned from each other.

Sentiments on his recently departed friend and Allman Brothers drummer, Butch Trucks.

Yonrico Scott endorses Pearl Drums, Ziljian Cymbals, Vic Firth Sticks, and LP Percussion.

This episode is sponsored by Mapex.

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108 – Rob Mitchell: Drumming and World Traveling with Sixpence None the Richer, Staying Mentally Healthy on the Road Mar 22, 2017

Show notes

Rob Mitchell has built an impressive resume list of gigs throughout his decades in Nashville, Tennessee. Currently, Rob continues to hold down the drummers chair with the band, Sixpence None the Richer. Due to their light touring schedule, Rob finds time to work with singers like at James Otto, Chuck Wicks, Wes Cunningham and Chris Carmack from the TV show “Nashville”. Rob stays busy in Nashville’s vibrant studio scene recording everything from demos to independent projects.

Originally from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Rob moved to Nashville in the mid 80’s to study music at Belmont University. During his time at the Belmont, Rob received the type of professional experience he needed to maintain steady work as a professional musician.

In this episode, Rob talks about:

Working with Sixpence None the Richer

World travel and playing shows around the world in places like Japan, Buenos Aires, and Jacarta, Indonesia

Receiving “real world experience” in college

Taking charge from the drum chair when needed

The challenges of promoting yourself online

Sharing a house with drummer Kevin Murphy!

Being prepared for what the music business offers

Staying mentally healthy on the road and dealing with “down time”

This episode is sponsored by Mapex Drums

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