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By Ben Hilzinger
4.9
1111 ratings
The podcast currently has 236 episodes available.
This week’s guest is Eric Somers-Urrea…a Chicago-based drummer, educator and producer who I very-much admire both on and off the kit. His main project is a band called Marina City and his sincerity / kindness as a person matches his incredible prowess on the drums. I just can’t say enough good things about him.
This is a edited and re-airing of my conversation with Eric from a few years ago so some references are a little dated, but I'm pushing this to the top of the feed because I might be switching things up a bit and, to keep things cryptic, let's just say I want you to get to know Eric a little bit more. Stay tuned. Please enjoy our chat about the 5 main influences that shaped Eric into the drummer he is today, but first…we play a little game. Cheers!
ERIC'S BIG FAT FIVE:
Performance - Drum Corps International 2004 Finals
Release Year - 2004
Artist - The Cavaliers
Song Choice - https://youtu.be/KpUuMM1y2_o?t=140 (anywhere between 2:20-4:20ish)
Drummer - The Cavaliers Drumline
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Album - Quadrophenia
Release Year - 1973
Artist - The Who
Song Choice - The Real Me (1:30ish)
Drummer - Keith Moon
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Album - Deadwing
Release Year - 2005
Artist - Porcupine Tree
Song Choice - Glass Arm Shattering (3:30ish)
Drummer - Gavin Harrison
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Album - Mer De Noms
Release Year - 2000
Artist - A Perfect Circle
Song Choice - Judith (2:40)
Drummer - Josh Freese
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Album - With Teeth
Release Year - 2005
Artist - Nine Inch Nails
Song Choice - All the Love in the World
Drummer - Dave Grohl/ Trent Reznor
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HONORABLE MENTIONS:
"Glass Prison" by Dream Theater
"Heart Don't Stand a Chance" by Anderson .Paak (Tiny Desk Concert version 3:45)
For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out www.bigfatsnaredrum.com and follow us on Instagram.
This week's guest is Megan Spencer, a talented young drummer and educator from just outside Los Angeles. Megan recently caught my attention with her amazing cover of Marques Murrey's Million Dollar Baby remix, and I was instantly drawn to her unique tones and vibe. So, I’m excited to have her on the show! I'm always grateful for the opportunity to connect with new drummers who inspire ME and learn about the drummers who inspired THEM, in hopes of inspiring YOU. Thanks for hanging around. Today, Megan will share the five records that have significantly shaped her journey as a drummer. Enjoy the episode! Cheers!
MEGAN'S BIG FAT FIVE:
Album - Innervisions
Artist - Stevie Wonder
Release Year - 1973
Key Track - Higher Ground
Drummer - Stevie Wonder
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Album - Bad
Artist - Michael Jackson
Release Year - 1987
Key Track - Smooth Criminal, Bad, Dirty Diana, Man in the Mirror
Drummer - John (JR) Robinson
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Album - Ten Summoner’s Tales
Artist - Sting
Release Year - 1993
Key Track - Seven Days
Drummer - Vinnie Colaiuta
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Album - Alive in South Africa
Artist - Israel Houghton & New Breed
Release Year - 2005
Key Track - Turn it Around, Still Standing
Drummer - Mike Clemmons
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Album - Loopified
Artist - Dirty Loops
Release Year - 2014
Key Track - Hit Me, Rolling in the Deep
Drummer - Aron Mellergard
For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out www.bigfatsnaredrum.com and follow us on Instagram.
This week's guest is Chris Fryar, primarily known for his work with the Zac Brown Band. He has also worked with Oteil and the Peacemakers, led by bassist Oteil Burbridge of the Allman Brothers Band, as well as with Victor Wooten, John Popper, Steve Bailey, and many more.
Chris is powerful, creative, and consistent, yet very reactive and conversational with his playing. I was so happy to chat with him. I'll be honest—I haven't really said this in an intro before, but this conversation is what I envisioned when I started this podcast. Chris is incredible at sharing his story through his choices and offers invaluable advice along the way.
This is hands down one of my favorite episodes. Please enjoy my chat with Chris Fryar about the five records that shaped him into the musician he is today. And make sure you check out his honorable mentions. He's got plenty, and they'll all make you a better player. I promise.
Cheers!
CHRIS' BIG FAT FIVE:
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Album - Zenyatta Mondatta
Artist - The Police
Release Year - 1980
Key Track(s) - Shadows In The Rain, Driven To Tears, When The World Is Running Down
Drummer - Stewart Copeland
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Album - Ten Summoner's Tales
Artist - Sting
Release Year - 1993
Key Track(s) - Seven Days, St. Augustine in Hell, She's Too Good For Me, Shape of My Heart
Drummer - Vinnie Colaiuta
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Album - Kind of Blue
Artist - Miles Davis
Release Year - 1959
Key Track(s) - So What, All Blues, Freddie Freeloader
Drummer - Jimmy Cobb
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Album - Live and In Living Color
Artist - Tower Of Power
Release Year - 1976
Key Track(s) - Knock Yourself Out (live), What Is Hip (live)
Drummer - David Garibaldi
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Album - Robben Ford & The Blue Line
Artist - Robben Ford
Release Year - 1992
Key Track(s) - You Cut Me To The Bone, Real Man, Prison Of Love
Drummer - Tom Brechtlein
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Aja - Steely Dan
Big Swing Face - Buddy Rich Big Band
TOTO IV - TOTO
Led Zeppelin IV - Led Zeppelin
Moving Pictures - Rush
Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack - various artists
Life On Planet Groove - Maceo Parker
At Fillmore East - Allman Brothers Band
HELP! - The Beatles
Rubber Soul - the Beatles
Revolver - the Beatles
John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman
Apple Juice - Tom Scott
Col. Bruce Hampton & the Aquarium Rescue Unit
Heavy Weather - Weather Report
For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out www.bigfatsnaredrum.com and follow us on Instagram.
This week’s guest is Mark Guiliana, a visionary drummer and solo artist known for his eclectic style that blends jazz, electronic, and experimental music. He’s worked with artists like David Bowie, Brad Mehldau, St. Vincent, and has his own projects such as the Mark Guiliana Jazz Quartet and Beat Music.
Mark continuously pushes the boundaries of rhythm and sound, earning him a reputation as a trailblazer in contemporary music. This is a condensed version of my conversation with Mark from early 2021. With his new album, Mark, coming out in July 2024, I wanted to highlight his insights and present an episode that fits better with our current format.
Instead of a top 5 list of records, I gave Mark a set of prompts to choose from, and we went from there. There’s so much wisdom in this chat, so even if you heard it before, give it another listen. I definitely learned new things the second time around.
Concierto de Osain del Monte VIDEO
For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out www.bigfatsnaredrum.com and follow us on Instagram.
This week’s guest is Porter Bliquez, a young American drum prodigy from San Francisco. Despite his age, Porter has already recorded and performed with award-winning producers and musicians associated with Kevin Gates, Olivia Rodrigo, Haan, Andy Prado Jr., and more.
While still attending USC, Porter manages to carve out time to make a significant impact in both the LA and online drum communities. At my ripe old age of 37, it's refreshing to connect with the younger generation of drummers and see what’s happening in their world. Porter is destined for the biggest stages globally, so I'm thrilled if this is the episode that introduces you to him. Please enjoy the records that helped shape Porter into the exceptional drummer he is today. Cheers!
Eric Harland - Zildjian Performance Video HERE
PORTER'S BIG FAT FIVE:
Album - Homey
Artist - Chon
Release Year - 2017
Key Track(s) - Sleepy Tea / Water slide
Drummer - Brian Evans
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Album - Black Focus
Artist - Yussef Kammal
Release Year - 2016
Key Track(s) - Strings of Light / Wingtai Drums / Joint 17
Drummer - Yussef Dayes
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Album - Chon
Artist - Chon
Release Year - 2019
Key Track(s) - Peace / Pitch Dark
Drummer - Brian Evans
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Album - Two Star & The Dream Police
Artist - Mk.gee
Release Year - 2024
Key Track(s) - Rylee & I / Dream Police / DNM / How Many Miles
Drummer - Micheal Gordon
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Album - Misadventures
Artist - Peirce the Veil
Release Year - 2016
Key Track(s) - Song For Isabel / Texas is Forever / Phantom Power / Ludicrous Speed
Drummer - Mike Fuentes
For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out www.bigfatsnaredrum.com and follow us on Instagram.
This week's guest is Wiktoria Bialic. Wiktoria has been nominated for four Grammy awards for her recordings on Allison Russell's album, "The Returner." She has also recorded drums for Grammy-winning musicians like Ondre J. Pavic, Alex Marley, Maati Baani, Ralph Kaminski, SARSA, and various other artists and producers from Britain, India, Scotland, Poland, America, and Puerto Rico.
Wiktoria collaborated with Zildjian Artist Ash Soan on the single "Dark Dark Days" by Black Dog All Starsand often fills in for other well-known drummers in Poland. She won the Hit Like A Girl contest in 2021 and has performed at prestigious drum festivals such as PASIC, Bag Show, The UK Drum Show, and Silesia Drum Festival.
You can find her Instagram HERE and listen to a Spotify playlist featuring many of her recordings HERE. Wiktoria offers a great perspective on excelling as a studio musician, so get ready to improve your drumming skills. I hope you enjoy the recordings that shaped Wiktoria Bialic into the musician she is today.
WIKTORIA'S BIG FAT FIVE:
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Album - Exodus
Artist - Bob Marley
Release Year - 1977
Key Track(s) 0 Three Little Birds / One Love / Whole Record :)
Drummer - Carlton Barrett
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Album - The Returner
Artist - Allison Russell
Release Year - 2023
Key Track(s) - Stay Right Here / Springtime
Drummer - Wiktoria Bialic
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Album VoodoO
Artist - D'Angelo
Release Year - 2000
Key Track(s)
The Root
Drummer - Questlove
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Album - Feats Don't Fail Me Now
Artist - Little Feat
Release Year - 1974
Key Track(s) - Skin It Back
Drummer - Richie Hayward
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Album - 7
Artist - Seal
Release Year - 2015
Key Track(s) - Redzone Killer
Drummer - Ash Soan
For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out www.bigfatsnaredrum.com and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok.
This week’s guest is Brandon Combs. Brandon is a drummer, programmer, and producer hailing from Lansing, Michigan. Brandon obtained his Bachelor of Music degree in Popular Music Studies from the University of Southern California in 2015 and is currently based in Nashville, Tennessee. He’s worked with so many amazing artists, including Grammy Award-winning artist Leon Bridges, Joy Oladakun, John Legend, Raphael Saadiq, Moses Sumney, Tori Kelly, Greyson Chance, Chris Bullock of Snarky Puppy, and many more. He’s got a lot of energy and his choices center around very hirable theme. I hope you enjoy the records that helped shaped Brandon Combs into the artist he is today. Cheers!
BRANDON'S BIG FAT FIVE
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Album - Perpetual motion
Artist - Dave Weckl Band
Release Year - 2002
Key Track(s) - Child's play
Drummer - Dave Weckl
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Album - Heavier Things
Artist - John Mayer
Release Year - 2003
Key Track(s) - New Deep / Something's Missing,
Drummer - Steve Jordan
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Album - Somethin' Bout Love
Artist - Brian Culbertson
Release Year - 1999
Key Track(s) - Do you Really Love Me?
Drummer - Chris Miskel
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Album - Mixtape - Volume One
Key Track(s) - Movin / Nine
Drummer - Ben Jones
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Album - Opal / Brunei
Artist - Vinyl Williams
Release Year - 2018 / 2016
Key Track(s) - Lansing / Feedback Delicates
For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out www.bigfatsnaredrum.com and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok.
This week’s guest is Myles Sargent. Myles is a drummer, musical director and playback engineer based in Brighton, UK. Throughout his career, he's collaborated with an array of artists and bands, including The Japanese House, Justin Jesso, Calum Scott, Thomas Headon, Gabriels, Cavetown, Mae Stephens, Gang of Youths and MANY more. He’s quickly become one of my favorite online-converted-to-real-life buddies and I was excited to force him to answer my questions for an hour. I hope you enjoy the 5 records that helped shaped Myles Sargent into the player he is today. Cheers!
MYLE'S BIG FAT FIVE
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Album - American Idiot
Artist - Green Day
Release Year - 2004
Key Track(s) - Holiday / American Idiot
Drummer - Tre Cool
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Album - Rumours
Artist - Fleetwood Mac
Release Year - 1977
Key Track(s) - You Make Loving Fun / The Chain
Drummer - Mick Fleetwood
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Album - Nm Brass 2015 - 1. Division
Artist - Oslofiord Brass
Release Year - 2015
Key Track(s) - St. Magnus (5:45 it gets cooking)
Composer - Peter Maxwell Davies
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Album - Little Voice
Artist - Sara Bareilles
Release Year - 2007
Key Track(s) - Vegas
Drummer - Matt Chamberlain
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Album - Rickie Lee Jones
Artist - Rickie Lee Jones
Release Year - 1979
Key Track(s) - Chuck E's in Love (and that fill at 1:55)
Drummer - Steve Gadd
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Any Honorable Mentions?
Album - Face Value
Artist - Phil Collins
Release Year - 1981
Key Track(s) - In the Air Tonight
Drummer - Phil Collins
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Album - Regatta De Blanc
Artist - The Police
Release Year - 1979
Key Track(s) - Walking on the Moon
Drummer - Stewart Copeland
This week's guest is Steve Durham. Steve is a Drummer, Musical Director and Producer from London, UK. He began playing drums at 8 years old and was out on the road by the time he was 14. Since then he's worked with Louis Tomlinson (One Direction), Dermot Kennedy, Wolf Alice, Foals, Holly Humberstone, Aurora, Declan Mckenna, Marina and the Diamonds and more. I hope you enjoy the 5 records plus a few honorable mentions that helped shape Steve Durham into the drummer he is today. Cheers!
STEVE'S BIG FAT FIVE
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Album - VHS! Invisible Touch Tour
Artist - Genesis
Release Year - 1987
Key Track(s) - Drum Duet / Los Endos
Drummer - Phil Collins & Chester Thompson
WATCH HERE
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Album - Who’s Next
Artist - The Who
Release Year - 1971
Key Track(s) - Won’t Get Fooled Again
Drummer - Keith Moon
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Album - Colour Of Spring
Artist - Talk Talk
Release Year - 1986
Key Track(s) - Give It Up
Drummer - Lee Harris
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Album - The Bends
Artist - Radiohead
Release Year - 1995
Key Track(s) - High and Dry
Drummer - Phil Selway
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Album - Puzzle
Artist - Biffy Clyro
Release Year - 2007
Key Track(s) - Saturday Superhouse
Drummer - Ben Johnston
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HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Artist - Led Zeppelin
Key Tracks(s) - Good Times Bad Times / Whole Lotta Love
Drummer - John Bonham
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Album - The Trees Are Dead & Dried Out, Wait for Something Wild
Artist - Sikth
Key Track - Skies of the Millennium Night
Release Year - 2003
Drummer - Dan ‘The Lord’ Foord
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Performance - Live at Woodstock '69
Artist - Santana
Key Track - Soul Sacrifice
Drummer - Michael Shrieve (age 20)
WATCH HERE
For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out www.bigfatsnaredrum.com and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok.
This week's guest is Gunnar Olsen. Gunnar's been on the show a lot recently with "save it for the pod" segments. But I noticed his Big Fat Five episode is almost 4 years old, which is a shame. Recently, I went to the Hollywood Bowl with my friends Mike Robinson and Neal Daniels, both show alumni, to see Gunnar play with Puscifer on the Sessanta tour, celebrating Maynard James Keenan's 60th birthday. It was mind-blowing. Gunnar is an incredible drummer, one of the best out there. At this show, Josh Freese was playing with A Perfect Circle, but now that Josh is busy with Foo Fighters gigs, Gunnar is playing with both Puscifer and A Perfect Circle for the rest of the tour. It's unbelievable and well-deserved. Puscifer is a perfect fit for Gunnar. Apart from this tour, Gunnar has also recorded or toured with Big Data, Bruce Springsteen, Miley Cyrus, HOKO, Mother Feather, Fischerspooner, Goo Goo Dolls, and many others. He's possibly my favorite drummer, and I admire him a lot. He's a close friend, and I always try to catch his shows when we're in the same town. Although this conversation is from 4 years ago, I wanted to bring it back up because the information is still relevant. It's fascinating to hear Gunnar talk about Tim Alexander of Primus, who has been a big influence on him, and now see them hanging out on tour together, seeming like best buds. Anyway, Gunnar, I'm really proud of you, and I admire your career more than you know, even though I tell you all the time. I hope you enjoy the records that helped shape Gunnar Olsen into the drummer he is today. Cheers!
GUNNAR'S BIG FAT FIVE
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Album - ...And Justice For All
Artist - Metallica
Release Year - 1988
Key Track(s) - Harvester of Sorrow
Drummer - Lars Urich
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Album - Reggatta De Blanc
Artist - The Police
Release Year - 1979
Key Track(s) - The Bed's Too Big Without You
Drummer - Stewart Copeland
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Album - Songs for the Deaf
Artist - Queens of the Stone Age
Release Year - 2002
Key Track(s) - Song for the Dead
Drummer - Dave Grohl
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Album - Dust
Artist - Ben Monder
Release Year - 2006
Key Track(s) - Dust
Drummer - Jim Black
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Album - Largo
Artist - Brad Mehldau
Release Year - 2002
Key Track(s) - When It Rains
Drummer - Matt Chamberlain
For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out www.bigfatsnaredrum.com and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok.
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