Merry Christmas everyone, and welcome to Episode #43 of The Up & Coming Drummer Podcast. Joining me this week is Drummer, Educator, and fellow 311 Fan, Alex Lee!

Alex Lee and I first crossed paths when commenting on a post about our favorite band, 311. I saw the word "Drums" in his handle, and immediately knew I had to have a chat with this dude! 311 fans are super hardcore, so not only did I know we could connect on that, but he is also a drummer. After talking for a bit, I asked Alex if he would be interested in coming on the podcast. He obliged, and here we are today about a month later!

As you would have guessed, Alex and I kick things off talking about our favorite band! I'm sure some of you won't have any interest in this part, so I won't be upset if you skip ahead. But for those of you who love the band, or didn't even know they were still "Livin' and Rockin', then sit back and check out the opening of the show! I prepared a few questions for Alex in regards to his favorite album, shows he's attended, favorite member, and more! it was super fun to compare answers, and get to know a little about a fellow 311 lover! If you guys forgot all about this band, I highly recommend moving past "Down" or "All Mixed Up". There are so many killer grooves to be heard. Especially for Drummers!

Alright, anyway, on with the show! So after our little 311 Geek-Fest, it was time to learn about our guest this week! As always, I asked Alex to bring us back to his childhood. We talked about how Alex would take out the pots and pans, and how he eventually got his first drum kit! We discussed being brought up around music, and how it runs in the family. Alex tells us about the music scene in Glendale, AZ, and what it was like joining his first band. Did Alex take lessons, or was he self-taught? You can hear all about it in this first part of the interview!

Moving forward, I asked Alex to tell us about some of the bands he's played with in more recent years. We talked about his former band "Bad Lucy" and the successes he had with them. For a short period, Alex was playing with a band on a cruise ship! I found that incredibly interesting, so we talked about how he landed that job. Much like myself, Alex has been the hired gun kind of drummer more recently. Currently, he is involved with a company that lands him gigs playing with all kinds of artists. It reminded me of a sort of musicians union. I was eager to hear more about this and I immediately started wondering how we could implement something like that here in Pennsylvania!

Alex spent many years marching. In the next section, we talk a bit about how he took the knowledge he obtained in school and later went on to teach Drumline. He shifted his focus from performing with bands to arranging and designing shows for area drumlines! He and his students have had many achievements, winning awards for their performances. We learn all about his time marching, and his time spent teaching. We even manage to sneak in another quick story about 311 drummer, Chad Sexton.

Before wrapping things up, Alex and I talk about a few other things including gear and social media. Alex gives us the rundown on the gear he currently uses, and some of his favorite accessories on the kit. I also wanted him to tell us briefly about the podcast he has with his wife called "The Working Parents Podcast". It's always cool to talk with other podcasters to compare experience, gear, and just an overall sense of how they go about it! If you are a parent who is trying to be successful while raising children, you should definitely check this out! Lastly, we round out our chat talking about creating content for social media. Alex takes us through his process for creating videos and shares some tips on how he has built his following.

As always, you can find Alex Lee and all of our guests at the links below!