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by Working Drummer
With 500 episodes and counting, Working Drummer Podcast is the source for those interested in what it’s like to be a professional drummer. Hosted by Matthew Crouse and Zack Albetta, Working Drummer covers it all with a dynamic range of pro drummers who represent many different genres and scenes. Each weekly interview features a different performer, sometimes with a less recognizable name, but always with an impressive and distinct body of work. This unique approach has garnered a loyal audience hungry for unfiltered stories about making a living as a musician today.
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- 2 weeks ago1h 14m
590 - Cassius Goens III: Playing on the Indianapolis Scene, Teaching at Ball State University, "You can make it happen wherever you're at"
Cassius Goens III is active on the Indianapolis scene primarily as a jazz drummer but he gets into plenty of other trouble there. He’s also a professor at Ball State University in Muncie, IN where he was born and raised. He teaches jazz drumset and also leads a 15-piece commercial music ensemble in the Music, Media, and Production department there. In this episode, Cassius talks about: Growing the drumset presence at Ball State from having no drumset teacher to a studio of 24 students Leading the school's semi-pro commercial music ensemble Coexisting and collaborating with the percussion and jazz departments Being self-taught on drumset until grad school at University of Iowa Taking transcription further as a compositional tool Why his path has kept him close to home His busy and varied playing schedule, and Indy’s not one but two dedicated jazz rooms How he feels like his prime as a drummer is yet to come Here's our Patreon Here's our Youtube Here's our Homepage Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
- 3 weeks ago1h 29m
589 - John Gardner: Touring with The Chicks, Early Days of Triggering, Listening and Being Sensitive to the Music
John Gardner is a Nashville legend who's touring credits include working with artists like Narvel Felts, John Conlee, The Dixie Chicks "Top Of The World" tour, James Taylor and The Dixie Chicks, Earl Scruggs, Don Williams and others. He has recorded with many many artists including Rhonda Vincent, Don Williams, Larry Gatlin, Porter Waggoner, Jerry Douglas, Jesse Winchester, Al Kooper, Gene Watson, Ricky Scaggs, Josh Turner, Lee Roy Parnell, Tim O'Brien, Jim and Jesse ,Jim Lauderdale, Mickey Gilley, Merle Haggard, Daily & Vincent Dierks Bentley, Earl Scruggs, Dixie Chicks Steve Wariner, Michelle Wright, Taylor Swift, Willie Nelson, Phoebe Snow, Ed Snodderly, Steep Canyon Rangers & many more From 1999 - 2002 he was the staff drummer for the Grand Ole Opry. And from 2015 - 2020 he was an adjunct professor at East Tennessee State University He was nominated for a Grammy as a band member for Earl Scruggs "The ultimateCollection, Live At The Ryman". His TV credits include The Grammys, David Letterman, The Tonight Show, Good Morning America, The Today Show and Saturday Night Live In this episode, John talks about: How he ended up in Nashville in the 1970’s Touring with the legendary Don Williams The early days of triggering drums The realities of AI and it’s effect on how we do things Moving away from Nashville Touring with the Dixie Chicks and recording a live record Working as a staff drummer at the Grand Ole Opry Listening and being sensitive to what’s being played Here's our Patreon Here's our Youtube Here's our Homepage Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
- 4 weeks ago1h 33m
588 - Jay Moeller: Life and Music in Austin, TX, "I just wanna be the one guy that sounds like Jay Moeller"
Jay Moeller has spent his entire adult life and career in Austin Texas where he has played with a long list of artists and acts from covers at the dive bar to names with international reach. He has also begun to lead his own projects both live and in the studio. In this episode, Jay talks about: Feeling like he’s in “a race against time” Bringing something essentially “him” to every project Making the case for what he does best in recording sessions Coming up on the Austin scene which was centered around Antone’s How timekeeping and groove should be the responsibility of everyone in the band The double-edged sword of old school players with old school thinkin The many things that can define Texas shuffle How to decide which weaknesses to strengthen Here's our Patreon Here's our Youtube Here's our Homepage Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
- Oct 1, 20261h 31m
587 - Ben Lecourt: From France to LA, Touring with Cat Power, Performing with Legends
A native of France, Ben Lecourt spent his childhood studying percussion with George Van Gucht of the Percussion Of Strasbourg while at conservatory in the south of France. During this time, Ben simultaneously began his discovery of bebop through private studies with various drum teachers. Spending a decade based in Paris, Ben honed his playing nightly in jazz clubs and festivals such as Montreux Jazz. He moved to LA late 2011 where he studied music production at UCLA Extension, and dove into the local music scene. He has since been busy recording with the likes of Linda Perry, Mark Stoermer from The Killers, Cat Power, Rocco DeLuca as well as playing live with Denny Laine from Wings and The Moody Blues, The Wallflowers, Aaron Lee Tasjan, Nick Waterhouse, Roger Manning Jr amongst others. He is currently on tour with Cat Power celebrating the 20th anniversary of the album “The Greatest”. When not on the road, he can be found in his home studio, Rancho Magnolia. In this episode, Ben talks about: How to be a good tour-mate Growing up in the south-east of France Moving from France to Los Angeles, US Building new friendships and relationships in a new place Discovering American Jazz while growing up in France Touring with Cat Power Preparing for a tour Performing with legends Here's our Patreon Here's our Youtube Here's our Homepage Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
- Sep 24, 20261h 10m
586 - Jason Smay pt. 2: Pursuing the Right Opportunities for the Right Reasons
Jason Smay has been in Nashville for a decade and plays with his son, McKinley James. Prior to that, he was based in Rochester, NY and toured with JD McPherson, Los Strait Jackets, and others. He and McKinley are also part of the Nashville group The Tiger Beats with Patrick Sweany and Ted Pecchio. In this episode, Jason talks about: Thinking about longevity in terms of exercise and overall health His roots drumming heroes Forming a relationship as young drummer with fellow Rochester native Steve Gadd Using one set of sounds for a whole record Why he loves producers who were/are also drummers His disposition toward the growing role of tech in all music Learning how to pursue the right opportunities for the right reasons Here's our Patreon Here's our Youtube Here's our Homepage Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
- Sep 13, 20261h 50m
585 - Christopher Williams: Drumming for Accept, Life Between Tours, Financial Realities in the Metal World
Christopher Williams was born to be a drummer. Throughout high school, Williams drummed for several rock, jazz, metal, funk and blues groups, as well as the Greenville South Carolina youth orchestra. In 2004 he toured the United States as a member of the Carolina Gold Drum & Bugle corps. Christopher won a gold medal during the annual individual & ensemble competition and retained the title until 2006. Since 2008 he has been based in Nashville, Tennessee where he has built a strong reputation within the music community. During his school years, Williams was able to study with Paul Riddle of the Marshall Tucker band, Dr. Gary Robinson, Brian Tinkle of the cavaliers drum & bugle corps, Ed Shaughnessy, Jim Chapin, and Elvin Jones. During April of 2015 it was announced that Christopher would join the legendary heavy metal band Accept. Since then the group has played hundreds of shows in more than fifty countries around the world. Christopher has received global media attention, being featured in magazines and press since joining the band. When possible he performs, records, and tours with other artists & bands in a variety of genres. Some of the artists/groups he has worked with include: Gene Simmons Ace, Frehley, Accept, Andrew W.K,. Rex Brown, Derek St Holmes, John Corabi, Kaato, Mick Mars, Blackfoot, Lee Greenwood, Kid Rock, Peter Stroud, Her, A Thousand Horses, members of: Parliament Funkadelic, the Rolling Stones, Kiss, Slaughter, Cinderella, David Bowie, Rod Stewart, Alice Cooper, Steppenwolf. In this episode, Christopher talks about: The origins of his woodworking skills Managing life with a newborn son Drumming for the legendary band Accept How Christopher plans for recordings The importance of being able to read & write notation Inspiring experiences early in life How he spends his time between tours The financial realities of touring with a legendary band Here's our Patreon Here's our Youtube Here's our Homepage Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
- Sep 10, 20261h 8m
584 - Jason Smay pt. 1
Jason Smay has been in Nashville for a decade and plays with his son, McKinley James. Prior to that, he was based in Rochester, NY and toured with JD McPherson, Los Strait Jackets, and others. He and McKinley are also part of the Nashville group The Tiger Beats with Patrick Sweany and Ted Pecchio. In this episode, Jason talks about: Bringing his son McKinley James up on the Rochester scene Touring with JD McPherson from 2011 to 2020 Moving to Nashville because it was best for McKinley’s career Entering the Nashville scene without expectations Committing to what you love long enough for opportunities to come to you, rather than chasing trends or money gigs How people have the power to make or break your experience, regardless of the music and the money Here's our Patreon Here's our Youtube Here's our Homepage Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
- Sep 3, 20261h 35m
583 - Kevin Watkins: K-Wat Drum Co., Building The Go To Snare, The Power of Relationships
Growing up in the church among talented and influential mentors, Kevin Watkins developed into a professional drummer and musician. Opportunities for recording, touring and even singing were readily available. His longest gig was with Country Gospel band, Brush Arbor. Although they were based in SoCal, they spent a lot of time in Nashville, recording and doing TV. Later in life, Kevin’s drumming took a bit of a back seat to audio engineer and production work. He quickly became passionate about the other side of the glass in part because of his experiences as a player. Even though live FOH and production opportunities kept him busy, drums always remained in focus. In early 2023, Kevin made it official and launched K-Wat Drum Co. In this episode, Kevin talks about: How he started building and restoring drums What makes a “go to” snare drum Creating a drum with character The reasoning behind the names of his snares The origin story of K-Wat drums Growing up playing in church Learning from Dave Williamson, Scott Williamson’s father His long time affiliation with the Christian band Brush Arbor Here's our Patreon Here's our Youtube Here's our Homepage Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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About Working Drummer
With 500 episodes and counting, Working Drummer Podcast is the source for those interested in what it’s like to be a professional drummer. Hosted by Matthew Crouse and Zack Albetta, Working Drummer covers it all with a dynamic range of pro drummers who represent many different genres and scenes. Each weekly interview features a different performer, sometimes with a less recognizable name, but always with an impressive and distinct body of work. This unique approach has garnered a loyal audience hungry for unfiltered stories about making a living as a musician today.
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