
Free Daily Podcast Summary
by Ben Hilzinger
A podcast for drumers who think too much. Ben Hilzinger talks to the greats about creativity, identity, staying sane, and finding purpose behind the kit. Got a question for The Drum Panel? Submit it for a chance to have it discussed on the show.
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This week on Drummers on Drumming, we’re back with another installment of The Drum Panel with Fred Eltringham and Sterling Laws. Fred is the longtime drummer for Sheryl Crow and has also played with The Wallflowers, The Chicks, and k.d. lang. Sterling is a drummer, producer, and musical director whose credits include Olivia Rodrigo, Chappell Roan, Kim Gordon, and Liz Phair. Highlights from this episode: The danger of treating a hired gig like you have ownership in the project Why loyalty and hard work never make a touring musician fully irreplaceable Loving certain drummers even when their influence never appears in your playing What’s the state of feel? Why the list of great drummers is much longer than the list you would trust to represent you How recording yourself can prepare you for the pressure of a major session We also work through a listener question about measuring success when you’re a hired player. If you have something you’d like us to discuss on a future episode, submit it below. Got a question for The Drum Panel? [SUBMIT YOUR QUESTION HERE] If you enjoy the show, please rate and review it wherever you listen! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Have a question for The Drum Panel? [SUBMIT YOUR QUESTION HERE] This week on Drummers on Drumming, we're back with another installment of The Drum Panel with my co-host Eric Urrea and guest Ben Masters. Ben is a drummer, producer, and songwriter here in LA who's worked with artists like Grace VanderWaal, LÉON, and friend of the pod Chance Fameghetti, AKA Free Arlo. He's also someone whose musical instincts I've really come to admire, especially when it comes to knowing what a song needs and what it doesn't. In this episode: Why the music you haven't listened to might be just as important to your musical identity as the music you have How percussion can completely change the momentum of a song without changing the drum groove Why playing the same songs hundreds of times might actually make you a more attentive musician Being happier than ever with your career while questioning whether you can sustain the pace Practical ways to deal with nerves, physical tension, and losing focus onstage What actually makes someone a “good hang” Why audiences might notice something without ever realizing it. We also answer our first listener-submitted questions! If you've got something you'd like us to discuss on a future episode, please write in via the link at the top of the shownotes. If you enjoy the show, please rate and review it wherever you listen! --- 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
This week on Drummers on Drumming, I'm taking a quick break from our usual format to ask for your help! First, a huge thank you to everyone who filled out the recent listener survey. Your feedback has already helped improve the show, and I want to keep that going. I'm officially introducing Listener Questions as a regular part of The Drum Panel. The idea is simple: You submit questions, and I'll bring them to the panel for discussion. Have a question for The Drum Panel? [SUBMIT YOUR QUESTION HERE] Nothing is too simple, too obvious, or too ridiculous. You don't need to be a professional drummer, either. Some ideas to get you thinking: Motivation, practice habits, and getting out of a creative rut Navigating gigs, band dynamics, and the music industry Technique, gear, and developing your own sound Balancing music with work, family, and everyday life Opinions, frustrations, or anything you've always wanted to ask other drummers You can submit anonymously, and the link will be available in the show notes of every episode moving forward. Thanks again for listening and helping make this show better. I'll be back next week with a regular episode and some great guests on the way! --- 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
This week on Drummers on Drumming (powered by Big Fat Snare Drum), we’re back with another installment of The Drum Panel with Mark Stepro and Chase Elodia. Mark plays with The Wallflowers and has worked with artists like Butch Walker and Brett Dennen, and Chase plays with Hudson Freeman and is getting ready to release his new record, Real Ones, on October 23rd. Check out Chase's music HERE We continue putting the new Drum Panel format to work, using a few loose categories to give the conversation some direction without keeping us from going down whatever rabbit holes come up. In this episode: What people are actually getting when they hire you beyond someone who can play the parts Knowing a song well enough that you don’t need the usual safety nets Adding drums to a song without ruining what already makes it great Getting so good at serving other artists that your own music gets neglected Whether music actually needs to be released to feel finished Translating what an artist says they want into what they actually mean Records that gave us permission to make different choices behind the kit Finding creativity inside really simple drum parts Whether “serving the song” can become an excuse for not making an interesting choice Touring, having a family, and accepting that there might not actually be such a thing as balance Plus, Tom Petty, Steve Ferrone, Brian Devendorf, Alan Myers, Stewart Copeland, Vinnie Colaiuta, and a lot more. --- 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
This week on Drummers on Drumming, we’re back with another installment of The Drum Panel with Eric Urrea and William Goldsmith. William is the drummer for Sunny Day Real Estate and was also the original touring drummer for Foo Fighters. I’ve had him on the podcast before, and he’s incredibly funny, down to earth, and always really thoughtful about this stuff without taking any of it too seriously. We continue putting the new Drum Panel format to work this week, hitting questions from The Work, The Playing, The Why, Drummer Problems, Records + Drummers, The Hang, and Hot Takes. In this episode: The stuff we leave out when people ask how our careers are going Who first made us comfortable enough to sound bad in front of them Getting out of your own way when coming up with drum parts How much of our taste was decided when we were kids Why certain drum sounds just feel right to us What to do when you hate the programmed drum part you’re being asked to play The difference between playing the part and figuring out what somebody actually wants from it Drummers people assume influenced us who really didn’t Hitting too hard in the studio Playing the record exactly versus capturing the spirit of the original drummer Some pretty fucking great stories involving David Bowie, Foo Fighters, Sunny Day Real Estate, and more As always, we also end up talking about creativity, influence, ego, and all the shit we should probably be paying therapists to listen to. --- 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
This week on Drummers on Drumming, we’re back with another installment of The Drum Panel with Eric Urrea and Gunnar Olsen. We’re continuing with the new format for the Panel, using a few loose categories to give the conversation some direction without keeping us from going down whatever rabbit holes come up. A lot of this one ended up being about how your relationship with drums changes the longer you do it. In this episode: The gigs you would've killed for ten years ago that you might not take now Separating being busy from actually feeling successful What happens to your playing when you get nervous How much technique actually matters if what you’re doing sounds good Knowing when a song actually needs a fill Why constantly recording and analyzing yourself can sometimes take something away from playing Leaving a band when you still love the people in it Drummers we understand completely differently now than we did when we were younger --- 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
This week on Drummers on Drumming, we’re back with another installment of The Drum Panel with Eric Urrea and Cain Daniel. This episode is also a test run for a new format for the Panel. After going through the listener survey, I wanted to give these conversations a little more structure while still leaving plenty of room for us to go wherever the conversation takes us. In this episode: What actually makes you recommend another drummer for a gig What we’re listening to while we play that has nothing to do with the drums How we choose the right gear for different gigs Taking a gig you really want when the money sucks Famous drum parts we might not understand the hype around Horrible gigs that somehow led to something good Having your own voice versus being adaptable enough to make a living Whether you actually need to read music to be a professional drummer A few Hot Takes to finish things off --- 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
This week on Drummers on Drumming, we’re back with another installment of The Drum Panel. I’m joined by Eric Urrea, an independent drummer from Chicago who plays with Marina City and La Armada, and Adam Christgau, who has toured and recorded with artists like LP, Troye Sivan, MARINA, Sia, Miley Cyrus, Angel Olsen, Kacey Musgraves, Tegan and Sara, and more. I had just finished a week of rehearsals where we were recording everything, listening back, and picking apart what was actually working. So I came into this one with a bunch of thoughts I wanted to throw at Eric and Adam. In this episode: Why the best-sounding snare might not be the most fun one to play Tuning drums for the microphone versus the room Shells vs plugins Why dynamics might matter just as much as timing The painful importance of recording and listening back to yourself Why a great-feeling show doesn’t always sound great the next day Whether you can actually practice having better taste Learning the difference between what you think you’re playing and what’s actually coming out --- 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
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A podcast for drumers who think too much. Ben Hilzinger talks to the greats about creativity, identity, staying sane, and finding purpose behind the kit. Got a question for The Drum Panel? Submit it for a chance to have it discussed on the show.
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