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Video essay - https://youtu.be/GS0ZG8os8Ww

Everyone calls Mark Guiliana the drummer who fused jazz and electronic music. He played on David Bowie's Blackstar, he's toured for years with St. Vincent, he made a duo record with Brad Mehldau, and Time Out once tried to explain him using actual maths. All true. All, I think, slightly beside the point.

Because the thing Guiliana keeps talking about in his interviews and his clinics isn't sounds or genres at all. It's what a drummer should be preparing in the first place. This is the story of a kid from New Jersey with a cardboard cymbal, and the idea that quietly rewired how a generation of drummers practise.

Chapters:

00:00 In Time, And Really In Time

01:20 Cardboard Cymbals In New Jersey

03:07 Avishai, Heernt And The First Statement

05:40 Bowie Hires A Band

06:37 The Sound

09:33 The Four Tools

10:48 The Plan Is No Plan

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#markguiliana #davidbowie #drumdog

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Was very excited to chat with Adam, drummer for Chicago blues-rock outfit The Empty Pockets, ahead of their new album Dear Billionaires. We got into joining a band that already had years of history and a married couple at its core, why he stripped his kit down to a three-piece setup and never looked back, and what it was like tracking the new record live in one room at Abbey Road Studio 2. If you've ever wondered whether less gear could actually make you a better player, this one's for you.

00:00 Meeting Adam Balasco
01:24 Pitching The Empty Pockets
02:08 Joining An Established Band
07:28 Married Couples In A Touring Band
09:54 Splitting Songwriting Credits
11:06 New Album: Dear Billionaires
12:09 Recording Live At Abbey Road
15:23 Chasing The Perfect Take
19:16 Kit Setup At Abbey Road
21:11 The Three-Piece Kit Philosophy
23:19 The Economics Of Touring Small
29:36 Stripping Back For Creativity
32:08 Building A Groove-First Feel
36:55 Favourite Drummers
38:12 New Album & Tour Dates

👉 Check out Drum Dog for more lessons from world-class drummers: https://drum.dog

#adambalasco #theemptypockets #drumdog

🥁 Less scrolling. More playing.

The full Drum Dog lesson library gives you somewhere useful to go when you have ten minutes, half an hour or a proper session behind the kit. No grades and nothing to prove, just good ideas from drummers who have lived them.

Take a look inside. Membership comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee:

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Video essay - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlWzjU8OVv8&t

You've probably heard Chris Dave play drums without ever knowing his name. He's contributed grooves to Adele's ‘21’, D'Angelo's ‘Black Messiah’, and Justin Bieber's ‘Purpose’. Questlove called him “the most dangerous drummer alive.” In this video, we trace how a Houston church kid who chose drums because he didn't want to sing in the choir became the drummer other drummers study frame by frame, and why the thing that makes him so good is exactly what's kept him out of the spotlight he never asked for.

00:00 The Most Dangerous Drummer Alive
00:44 Church, Choice, and the Houston Sound
03:41 Chris Dave's Sound
07:09 Fingerprint

#chrisdave #robertglasper #drumdog

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🥁 You can learn plenty from what a drummer played. Sometimes you learn even more from why they played it.

Drum Dog membership brings together artist stories, interviews, performances and practical lessons, helping you stay close to the music and players that made you want to drum in the first place.

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Blue Note's opening a London venue, so Jochen's back for his second appearance and we're running through the London rooms that actually matter for jazz. Ronnie Scott's, the Jazz Cafe, Steam Down, Cafe OTO, and a fifth slot we gave up on and turned into honourable mentions.

00:00 - Cold open: take two, and Blue Note coming to London
01:50 - Ronnie Scott's: Soho, Steve Gadd, and the cinematic jazz club
06:20 - Jazz Cafe, Camden: eclectic programming and Jochen's favourite room
11:36 - Steam Down: the collective and the Wednesday night sessions
18:53 - Cafe OTO: experimental bookings and the Japanese underground
28:21 - Number five, or honourable mentions instead
29:19 - Barbican, Southbank Centre, Pizza Express Live & more

Got a drummer you want spotlighted, gear you reckon I should check out, or an album that's been on your heavy rotation? Drop me a message:
📩 Spotify fanmail (built into the app)
📷 Instagram: @drumdoguk
✉️ [email protected]

New episodes every Tuesday. Hit follow so you don't miss out on any drum chat!

About Drum Dog:
Drum Dog is the UK membership platform for drummers, combining world-class lesson packs, live events, gear discounts, and an ad-free community. Join at drum.dog.

#TheBackBeat #DrumDog #Drumming #Drummers #DrumPodcast #RonnieScotts #CafeOTO #SteamDown #LondonJazz #DrumCommunity

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Video essay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PptKcRhw4MM

Most drummers would be lucky to have played a part in just one era-defining band, but with New Order and Joy Division, Stephen Morris did it twice. His early post-punk style matched minimalism with momentum, before reinventing itself by fusing with new drum technologies to help spark the dance music explosion.

Intro: 00:00
Career: 00:32
Style & Influence: 06:15

#stephenmorris #joydivision #neworder

Music credit: I Had A Feeling - TrackTribe

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We sat down with Anna for a video interview just days before she competed in the World Pipe Band Championships with the City of St Andrews Pipe Band. At 17, Anna's already earned a $120,000 scholarship to Berklee starting September 2027, delivered her first ever clinic at Dorset Drum Festival, and picked up a pair of Steve Gadd's own sticks after meeting him in Glasgow. If you've ever wondered what it takes to break into the drumming world as a teenager today, this one's for you.

00:00 Catching up before the World Championships
00:58 Inside the World Pipe Band Championships
02:00 What a competition snare line actually is
04:26 The last minute call to play Iceland
07:54 Handling nerves: gigs vs competition
08:22 Her first ever clinic at Dorset Drum Festival
12:26 The $120k Berklee scholarship
15:08 Growing up as a young drummer on social media
20:23 Age restrictions and building inclusive gigs
22:43 Her three biggest influences
26:04 The story behind her Steve Gadd sticks
33:18 A favourite groove for building hand speed

Watch Anna play at Dorset Drum Festival: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vd53pTgZ33E
Follow Anna on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_anna_fettes_/
Help Anna get to Berklee: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-anna-fettes-study-at-berklee-college-of-music-boston

👉 Check out Drum Dog for more lessons from world-class drummers: https://drum.dog

#annafettes #pipeband #drumdog

🥁 Drum Dog is a membership built for drummers — gear discounts, members-only flash offers, artist sessions and interviews, prize draws, event and ticket perks (including free Drum Show tickets), and full access to the lesson library. 

Want to try it? 30-day money-back guarantee, no questions asked. 👉 https://link.drum.dog/join

🎧 Listen to the Drum Dog Podcast wherever you get your podcasts:

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Apple → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/drum-dog-podcast/id1806605706
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Video essay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V93JXlGXLV4&t

Often overshadowed by his louder peers, Deep Purple’s Ian Paice quietly shaped the sound of hard rock drumming. Combining swing-era finesse with unmatched speed and precision, Paice built grooves that were as musical as they were powerful.

In this video essay, we explore how Paice’s technique, tone, and phrasing helped define a generation — and why his influence is still heard across modern rock.

🎥 This video was originally created in collaboration with Drum Dog, and I’m sharing it here to give it some extra exposure.

👉 To learn more about Drum Dog, check out our website: https://www.drum.dog/

#ianpaice #deeppurple #classicrock #rockdrumming #drummeranalysis #drumhistory #hardrock #speedking #burn #fireball #madeinjapan

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Steve Gadd gets the spotlight this week because, honestly, how could he not. Plus a fusion find on Vincen García's Ventura, the Meinl Marshmallow Pad in the studio, and a Gavin Harrison clip that might change how you practice.

00:00 - Cold open / what's on this week
00:30 - Heavy Rotation: Vincen García, Ventura
01:53 - Drummer Spotlight: Steve Gadd, the formality that isn't
04:24 - New Gear: Meinl Marshmallow Pad
05:15 - Think Piece: Does practice pad time actually transfer to the kit?
06:37 - Outro & fanmail

Referenced in this episode:
→ Vincen García, Ventura (Aprieta): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOl6xHy0r7g&list=PLT4F4IG7YwYo2SC_yFFFcXDHSKssyazzP
→ Steve Gadd with Al Di Meola: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHrzhFoYXu0&list=PLOq5FKEh5CHViUxD1X-jsICQCcfhZTAvU
→ Meinl Marshmallow Pad: https://www.grahamrusselldrums.com/meinl-12-inch-marshmallow-practice-pad-in-sea-foam.html?srsltid=AfmBOoq1MCp5k_cYnfROtSyK7MlJ7LE8DN2uY_s2oI4k8aqF2PzkXWmn
→ Gavin Harrison interview, full episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9B794MBuE10&t

Got a drummer you want spotlighted, gear you reckon I should check out, or an album that's been on your heavy rotation? Drop me a message:

📩 Spotify fanmail (built into the app)
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New episodes every Tuesday. Hit follow so you don't miss out on any drum chat!

#TheBackBeat #DrumDog #Drumming #Drummers #DrumPodcast #SteveGadd #MiguelLamas #Meinl #PracticePads #DrumCommunity

🥁 Drum Dog is a membership built for drummers — gear discounts, members-only flash offers, artist sessions and interviews, prize draws, event and ticket perks (including free Drum Show tickets), and full access to the lesson library. 

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🎧 Listen to the Drum Dog Podcast wherever you get your podcasts:

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Video essay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tot2osqBPFQ&t

Keith Carlock might be the most quietly influential drummer working today: jazz educated, delta raised, and impossible to pin to a single genre. This video essay traces how he engineered that sound.

We start in Clinton, Mississippi, where a childhood steeped in soul, R&B and funk (Stevie Wonder, Earth, Wind & Fire, Tower of Power) gave Carlock the pocket as a first language, not a theory learned later. From there it's North Texas and the jazz studies programme under the legendary Ed Soph, the improvisational laboratory of the 55 Bar with the Wayne Krantz Trio, and the microscopic perfectionism of his long tenure with Steely Dan.

Along the way we break down what he actually brings to the music: his read on Toto's "Hold the Line" live in 2014, channelling Jeff Porcaro while pushing the groove harder, the linear funk of Rudder's "3 AM Club", and the way he threads human swing through Steely Dan's unforgiving grid. It's a study in one idea: character and precision were never mutually exclusive.

Chapters:

00:00 – Intro
00:44 – Starting out
01:43 – North Texas & Ed Soph
03:20 – New York & Wayne Krantz
04:54 – Steely Dan
05:50 – Toto
06:40 – Rudder
07:07 – Steely Dan (Cont'd)
07:36 – Why Carlock matters

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We sat down with Ralph Rolle at the Drum Dog studio during his latest visit to the UK. Ralph talks growing up in the Bronx, the high-pressure audition that landed him the Nile Rodgers & CHIC gig, and the stories behind sessions with D'Angelo, Biggie Smalls, and the Rocketman soundtrack. If you've ever wondered what it takes to build a career playing with music legends, this one's for you.

00:00 Welcome Back & Talking Dogs
02:35 From The Bronx to Rural Somerset
04:44 Learning Drums in the Bronx River Houses
07:06 Saving Up for His First Drum Kit
08:33 Landing His First Professional Gig at 19
15:26 The Cookie Business: Soul Stacks
19:08 The Nile Rodgers Audition That Almost Wasn't
26:34 Playing on the Rocketman Soundtrack
29:20 Discovering D'Angelo Before Anyone Else
36:13 The Biggie Smalls Session & the Credits Mix-Up
40:44 Walking Away from the Apollo
43:12 Why He Chose Drum Dog

#ralphrolle #chic #drumdog

🥁 Drum Dog is a membership built for drummers — gear discounts, members-only flash offers, artist sessions and interviews, prize draws, event and ticket perks (including free Drum Show tickets), and full access to the lesson library. 

Want to try it? 30-day money-back guarantee, no questions asked. 👉 https://link.drum.dog/join

🎧 Listen to the Drum Dog Podcast wherever you get your podcasts:

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Apple → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/drum-dog-podcast/id1806605706
Amazon → https://music.amazon.co.uk/podcasts/b859c830-c051-46c6-a094-cc9b92973e4a/drum-dog-podcast

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