Some of us remember that big 80’s hit from Canadian rocker Kim Mitchell called “Go For A Soda”. Well, in this next episode, while visiting my daughter up in Toronto I sat down with Paul Delong, the very drummer who played on that big hit, toured for 12 years with Kim Mitchell’s band all over the world, and even was the drummer for some big stage play productions like Hair and Rent. Paul explains it all and how he prepared for such big productions and his big touring days opening for Rock acts like Van Halen. Check it out!

On this episode of Designated Drummer, I have the absolute pleasure of talking to a hero of mine, John Dittrich formerly of Restless Heart. I remember seeing Restless Heart back in the 80’s when I was just starting out and seeing John play drums and sing harmony. I just remember thinking how badly I wanted to be a member of a band like that. Many years later on the same record label no less, I got to live out that wish and now sitting across from John and hearing the full story for myself. He is officially retired now and was very gracious to spend an hour talking drums and his career. Thank you John!

On this episode I have a very special guest with me, Chris Hugan, an Entertainment Lawyer and expert on everything publishing and licensing within the music and publishing world. He’s a wealth of information and like I always say, It never hurts to know just what the heck you're signing! Right? We talk about being a musician and writer and what you need to know going in to this crazy world of music. I get asked a lot about how a person is paid for a certain song they’ve written and in this podcast we break it down as best we can. Check it out!

Here is a link to find out more about Hugan Law

Here is a link to the book mentioned in the podcast
All You Need To Know About The Music Business

In this week’s Designated Drummer podcast I share my thoughts and experiences about being a member of a successful group and playing for a group as a paid player. Both have their pluses and minuses but all in all, it’s just great to play drums for a living. I’ve learned so many things over the almost 40 years I’ve been making my living as a drummer both as a hired player and as a full member of a chart topping group. I hope you’ll join me as I talk about my journey to where I am now still playing big shows with Lonestar.

Building Your Drumming Stamina with Keech Rainwater.pdf

Mills Logan, one of Nashville’s hardest working audio engineers is my very special guest on this episode of Designated Drummer. First as a frustrated guitarist, Mills started out working as a studio engineer back in the days of analogue tape. Struggling through the transition into digital and remembering working with the very first version of Pro Tools they called Sound Tools at the time. He currently engineers records all over Nashville, mixes some of the biggest albums and creates surround sound mixes on some of the early classic records made decades ago. His technical expertise is apparent as we dive deep into what makes good sounding music, especially when it comes to recording drums.

JD Blair, better known as The Groove Regulator Joins me in this episode of Designated Drummer. He has been laying down the groove for such artists as Wynonna Judd, Lyle Lovett, Shelby Lynne, Big and Rich, and Shania Twain. He has released 4 solo albums and frequently heard grooving with Bassist Victor Wooten. We talk about his beginnings and getting the gig with Shania Twain during the biggest tour of her career. His amazing talent is heard in every note he has played in his over 40 year career.

This week I sit down with the legendary Paul Leim. I can’t even begin to list all the hit records he has played on. As a session drummer starting out in the late 60’s and still playing on hit records to this day, Paul is a wealth of information and experience. We talk about his early days at 15 being recognized as a solid beat maker into the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s and still going with no plans to slow down. His love of just getting in the studio with the full gang of hit making players and just laying it down all at once is exiting and inspiring. Check it out, you won’t believe how many times you’ve heard Paul and didn’t even know it. Paul has so much wisdom and so many stories to share with my audience that I added the full unedited version to my youtube account. If you would like to listen click here.

https://youtu.be/DqdR3Di2j2s

In this episode I talk with Memphis drummer Chuck Fields who has played with Terri Clark for many years as well as other Canadian artists. We dive into how he got his start in Memphis, playing jazz and what led him to drum for all these Canadian country artists. Very interesting conversation, check it out!

In this episode Michael and I go way back to the Canyon days of the early 90s. Yes we were band mates just before Lonestar. Together we break down what it is that musicians seem to like about a certain drummer and how groove and feel affect the quality of a song and the vibe of a live gig.