Designated Drummer

Traveling as a working musician can be super awesome. It can also be a nightmare at times. Through the years I have experienced all of the above. I have discovered that being a traveling musician is just what you make of it.

Ken Love is an audio mastering engineer. He is responsible for the final output and sound quality of a song or album project before it actually goes out to radio or for sale. Ken has been Mastering records since 1985! Just about the time CD’s started to come out. He owns and operates FivePoints Mastering in Nashville. It’s totally fascinating to hear him talk about how mastering records, especially in the good ole vinyl days, and the history of how digital took over and now vinyl is even back again. Ken is at the top of his field for sure. I should mention that he mastered Lonestar’s Lonely Grill record with “Amazed” on it back in 1999 and has just finished mastering our new "10 to 1” album due out for release very soon.

Sound Check: the good, the bad, and the ugly. It can be really fun, or a total nightmare. A good sound check is crucial to any live performance. In this episode, I talk about how a proper sound check is conducted, how things have changed, and even how some really great things have come from sound checks in the past.

Nashville’s Drum Paradise is just that, a paradise! It’s a place to rent drum kits and have them carted and set up to where ever you need. Harry McCarthy started Drum Paradise in Los Angeles in 1989. Relocating to Nashville in ‘94, he continued the Drum Paradise shop and has been servicing the needs of drummers and other session players ever since. We sit down and chat with Harry and his 2 techs AJ and Grayson at the Nashville facility.

In the spirit of Halloween I talk about the Horrors of performing on stage. Stuff happens! I share a few stories of funny and crazy things that have happened to me on stage through the years. I also called upon my good friends Rich Redmond, David Black, Tommy Hardin and Chuck Fields to share a few horror stories of their past gigs. The lesson is: expect the unexpected!

Graham Unsted is the general manager at the School Of Rock in Markham Ontario. He is primarily a guitar player and teacher with added skills to teach just about any instrument. We talk about how the School Of Rock has taught and inspired so many youngsters and adults and brought them out of their shell so to speak. With over 300 schools throughout the world and over 55,000 students, it is an amazing enterprise! I had a great time visiting and talking with Graham.

In this week's episode, I let you guide the subject. I dig into the question bank and talk about what you have been wanting to know.  I answer your questions from Aquarian (heads) to Zildjian (cymbals). A to Z, I try to answer them all.

Click track or no click track? That’s the question and discussion on this episode. There are many varying opinions on the subject. I talk in depth as to why it can be a good, as well as not-so-good thing. Do we need a drummer to be so perfect that it’s almost sterile? Let’s get into the weeds about click tracks and just good drumming!

Bass Player Mike Brignardello, Originally from Memphis, has been a Nashville session bass player for decades. He has played on some of the most iconic country records of all time. His story is very unique with beginnings playing bass for a very young Amy Grant. LA, London, and Nashville. He’s been all over and worked on many albums. He even played on Amazed!

Drummer Greg Morrow joins us on this week's episode of Designated Drummer. Greg came to Nashville from Memphis Tennessee in the mid 1990’s and has been playing sessions and live gigs almost constantly since that time. His list of drumming credits is astonishing. My personal favorite is his drumming on “wide Open Spaces” by The Chicks. Welcome to Designated Drummer!