Drum Dog Podcast

Mel Gaynor spent 38 years behind the kit with Simple Minds. Here he talks about the exit, the book that’ll tell the full story, and playing with Elton John.

In this clip from our full interview, the Simple Minds drummer looks back on four decades in one of the biggest bands of the 80s. He explains why the exit story is saved for his book, why the 80s drum sound deserves to stay, and what the Elton John sessions were like.

It’s a great watch for Simple Minds fans, session drummers and anyone who loves the 80s arena era.

Full interview: https://youtu.be/PB_MhIc37P4

#MelGaynor #DrumInterview #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:

👉 https://link.drum.dog/join

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

Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/2s8IAlRWNnu3SGOZo0BxTW
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

🔔 Subscribe for interviews, lessons, gear and performances from world-class drummers.

Follow us:
Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/drumdoguk/
Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/drumdoguk
TikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@drumdoguk

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Full video essay: https://youtu.be/zh_VAbL8B3w

Dave Weckl is one of drumming's most influential figures and a technical monster. In this video I give an overview on his career and take a look at this approach to the drums.

Intro: 00:00
Career: 00:40
Means (Technical): 02:30
End (Philosophical): 07:15

#daveweckl #chickcorea #buddyrich 

Music credit: Smoke - Lish Grooves

Support the channel: https://www.patreon.com/cw/offbeatmusic

For any enquiries: [email protected]

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

A bite-size insight from our interview with Bill Bruford. This is one moment from a longer conversation, and you can watch the full interview on the Drum Dog YouTube channel.

Bill Bruford on what he’d tell his younger self: ease off the arrogance, slow down, and put yourself where you haven’t a clue.

In this clip from our full interview, the Yes and King Crimson drummer reflects on being too arrogant and in too much of a hurry as a young player, and on moving from group to group out of a sense of duty. He finishes with advice for any drummer: seek out the scary musical situations.

It’s one for anyone who’s ever felt stuck on the comfortable side of their playing.

Full interview: https://youtu.be/rtVSwAZnN7c

🥁 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:

👉 https://link.drum.dog/join

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

Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/2s8IAlRWNnu3SGOZo0BxTW
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

🔔 Subscribe for interviews, lessons, gear and performances from world-class drummers.

Follow us:
Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/drumdoguk/
Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/drumdoguk
TikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@drumdoguk

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Full video essay here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNJzWNIoiHg&t

Anika Nilles went from a preschool classroom in Germany to a viral YouTube video, Jeff Beck's final touring band and Neil Peart's seat in Rush. In this video I look at how she got there, and what it takes to play a feel that isn't naturally yours.

Anika was picked by the Patreon community as the next drummer I cover. Want a vote on who's next? Join here:   / offbeatmusic 

Chapters:

00:00 The Name Geddy Half Remembered

01:19 Early Start & YouTube

04:05 The Beck Call

05:57 Joining Rush

07:14 Anika's Technique & Style

Support Anna's journey to Berklee! - https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-anna-...

🌏 The biggest protection in the game! Upgrade your online protection with an all-in-one security app! Get an exclusive NordVPN deal + 4 months extra here ➼ https://nordvpn.com/special/?utm_medi.... It’s risk free with NordVPN’s 30-day money-back guarantee!

For any enquiries: [email protected]

🥁 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.

Take a look inside:

👉 https://link.drum.dog/join

Membership includes a 30-day money-back guarantee.

#anikanilles #rush #drumdog

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

A bite-size insight from our interview with Mel Gaynor, the Simple Minds drummer. This is one moment from a longer conversation, and you can watch the full interview on the Drum Dog YouTube channel.

Mel explains how he approaches John Bonham’s drum parts, and the difference between drummers who sit on the beat and drummers who sit behind it. He covers Bonham’s lazy feel, Jeff Porcaro, Buddy Rich holding back, and Phil Rudd’s groove. His closing point is that feel counts for more than technique.

You can find our interview with Mel on our profile or on YouTube,

🥁 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:

👉 https://link.drum.dog/join

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

Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/2s8IAlRWNnu3SGOZo0BxTW
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

🔔 Subscribe for interviews, lessons, gear and performances from world-class drummers.

Follow us:
Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/drumdoguk/
Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/drumdoguk
TikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@drumdoguk

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Video essay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDp_tV8MhOc&t

Omar Hakim is the drummer you've heard on more classic records than you probably realise: David Bowie's Let's Dance, Sting's The Dream of the Blue Turtles, Miles Davis's Tutu and Daft Punk's Get Lucky, plus years behind Madonna and a spell in Weather Report.

Drawing on his own interviews, this video follows his path from the jazz clubs of Jamaica, Queens to the biggest stages in the world. It covers the Weather Report call he took without an audition, the Let's Dance session, how he made Money for Nothing by almost playing nothing, and why he believes a room full of humans still matters.

00:00 intro
01:34 Growing Up in Queens
03:31 The Weather Report Call
05:02 Bowie, Dire Straits and Sting
07:41 The Frame Around the Picture
11:11 Daft Punk
12:22 Freedom, Soul and Legacy

🫶 Support the channel:   / offbeatmusic 

🌏 The biggest protection in the game! Upgrade your online protection with an all-in-one security app! Get an exclusive NordVPN deal + 4 months extra here ➼  https://nordvpn.com/special/?utm_medi.... It’s risk free with NordVPN’s 30-day money-back guarantee!

For any enquiries: [email protected]

🥁 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.

Take a look inside:

👉 https://link.drum.dog/join

Membership includes a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Studio tips for drummers from Rob Brian, who’s been making records for 35 to 40 years and says he’s still picking up new tricks.

Rob has recently worked at Abbey Road and Real World Studios. Here he shares what he’s learnt about walking into a session ready to play.

We cover what gear to bring (and why a few spares in the car always pay off), how to choose kit, heads and cymbals for the style of music, and why you should carry plenty of drum keys, including a slotted one for house kits.

We also get into working with engineers, producers and everyone else in the room, and why being easy to work with keeps the calls coming. Then Rob talks through preparing for a session with your own charts and questions for the artist, and what to do when you’re handed nothing.

Plus staying consistent between takes, keeping your head in the game, and whether the room changes how you play.

00:00 Intro: studio wisdom with Rob Brian
01:19 What gear to bring to a session
03:11 Choices: sticks, heads and tuning tricks
04:34 Why you need a pile of drum keys
05:28 Getting on with everyone in the room
07:23 Why being easy to work with gets you rehired
08:59 Preparing the material
10:48 Walking in cold: counting bars and tape pressure
13:04 When the producer changes the plan
14:04 Consistency between takes
15:04 Staying in the zone (no phones)
16:51 Give them more takes to choose from
17:37 Does the room change how you play?
18:44 Match grip requests and the “naive” sound
19:50 Outro

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

#RobBrian #StudioDrumming #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:

👉 https://link.drum.dog/join

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

Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/2s8IAlRWNnu3SGOZo0BxTW
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

🔔 Subscribe for interviews, lessons, gear and performances from world-class drummers.

Follow us:
Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/drumdoguk/
Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/drumdoguk
TikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@drumdoguk

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Four working-class kids from one of the roughest corners of Birmingham picked up guitars, bass and drums with no plan beyond getting out of the factories - and ended up inventing an entire genre. This is the story of Black Sabbath: the blues club circuit, the accident that nearly ended Tony Iommi's career before it started, the album that gave heavy metal its name, the firing that could have finished them, the singers who came and went, and the final, impossible night 57 years later when the original four stood on a stage in Aston one last time.

00:00 Intro 
01:06 Earth: Blues, Jazz and Birmingham 
07:06 The Debut Album and the Sabbath Sound
11:04 Paranoid to Never Say Die: The Ozzy Years 
14:13 Ozzy's Exit 
15:25 The Dio Era & The Revolving Door 
19:20 Reunion
23:45 Legacy

#blacksabbath #ozzyosbourne #heavymetal

🫶 Support the channel:   / offbeatmusic 

🌏 The biggest protection in the game! Upgrade your online protection with an all-in-one security app! Get an exclusive NordVPN deal + 4 months extra here ➼  https://nordvpn.com/special/?utm_medi.... It’s risk free with NordVPN’s 30-day money-back guarantee!

For any enquiries: [email protected]

🥁 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.

Take a look inside:

👉 https://link.drum.dog/join

Membership includes a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Had a great chat with Pat Garvey ahead of Ozric Tentacles' UK tour to talk about 32 years as a working drummer. He tells us how he landed the teaching gig at BIM, how he went on to start the Brighton Drum School, and what it was like recording drums for the new Ozrics album, Harmonic Mind.

We also get into how to stay professional (and pleasant) on the road, why the portfolio career has taken over, and how social media is changing the way young drummers learn.

If you've ever wondered what it takes to last as a professional drummer, this one's for you.

00:00 A Day in the Life of Pat Garvey
01:47 Who Is Pat Garvey?
04:14 Joining BIM and First Day Teaching
07:41 Balancing Teaching and Touring
09:35 Skills Beyond the Kit
12:40 Staying Professional on Tour
14:17 How Young Drummers Have Changed
17:44 Ozric Tentacles Tour and New Album
21:38 The Sound of Ozric Tentacles
24:20 Freddie G's Drum Camp
29:19 Hosting Drum Events That Hold Their Value

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

#patgarvey #ozrictentacles #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:

👉 https://link.drum.dog/join

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

Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/2s8IAlRWNnu3SGOZo0BxTW
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

🔔 Subscribe for interviews, lessons, gear and performances from world-class drummers.

Follow us:
Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/drumdoguk/
Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/drumdoguk
TikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@drumdoguk

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

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

Bernard Purdie reckons he has played on 4,000 albums for 2,500 artists, and the striking thing is that almost nobody in the business thinks he is exaggerating by much. Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Steely Dan, King Curtis, Louis Armstrong, Hall & Oates. If you have ever owned a radio, you have heard him.

What I keep coming back to is that a man with that CV built the whole thing on playing less than everybody else. This one is about the philosophy behind the pocket, where the Purdie shuffle actually came from, and why the loudest mouth in the studio spent sixty years preaching restraint.

00:00  The Man on 4,000 Records
01:16  From Elkton to 104th Street
04:20  Stay Out of the Way
09:11  The Purdie Shuffle
14:10 In the Room
15:31  Legacy

🫶 Support the channel:   / offbeatmusic 

For any enquiries: [email protected]

🥁 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.

Take a look inside:

👉 https://link.drum.dog/join

Membership includes a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show