Ben O'Brien Smith and Cody Rahn are the hosts of a new YouTube channel Sounds Like A Drum. In this three-way conversation, we touch on so many amazing pro-tips without stepping aside to get to them. They just come up in naturally and it is delivered with genuine passion for drums and the sounds they can make. These guys are some of the biggest drum nerds I have ever talked to and it is exciting to hear these dudes drop knowledge that is rarely discussed, based on experience, and articulately delivered.

Round two with Scott Pellegrom. Flip back to Episode 23 to hear our first session. In this episode, we had some deep conversation about the creative side of approaching drumming, destiny, what is wrong with society, and some social media stuff. Most of this episode was just improvised because Scott kept saying things that I wanted to dig deeper into that I had no expectations about hearing ahead of time. So my prep pretty much went out the window.

Tim Buell is a drummer based out of Nashville, TN who studied at Belmont University and has worked with many artists over the years including Remedy Drive, Gloriana, The Grand Hotel, and Brinley Addington but over the last couple of years, Tim has focused on making his living from home using the internet. In this episode, we discuss whether music school is worth the money, social media balance, deep work, whether drummers are entrepreneurs, the balance between money and stress, and much more.

Nick Baglio is an incredibly skilled drummer hailing from Raleigh, NC who is the owner and operator of The Fill Station studio. He plays drums for a variety of artists including The Hot at Nights, The Foreign Exchange, Nicolay, Laura Reed, Boulevards, and Roosevelt Collier. He also teaches drums privately and through Skype. We discuss The Fill Station, his background as a musician, music schools and whether they are worth it, social media addiction and the rising popularity of entrepreneurship.

Ralph Rolle has worked with many legendary artists over his long and storied career which include, Lady Gaga, Elvis Costello, Al Green, Sting, Slash, Queen Latifah, Erykah Badu, D’Angelo, Chaka Khan, and Lauryn Hill. He is currently the drummer for Nile Rodgers and Chic and has been for over a decade. He is also an entrepreneur with his cookie company, Soul Snacks. This two-hour episode covers much of his life experiences told through compelling dialogue that will blow you away.

Matt Davis creates audio/video presentations using found footage and sampling original drum performances from the likes of Paul Mabury, Mike Johnston, Aaron Sterling, Dan Mayo, Ash Soan, Brody Simpson, Steve Nadler and many others. Since August of 2017, Matt has created over 200 of these short videos. Listen carefully to this episode because I have made it reward a careful listener.

EMAN has been the touring drummer for the pop artist, Andy Grammer, for four years now. EMAN hit me up to say that he was rolling through Toronto for a gig and wondered if we could get together for a pint and watch the show, so I upped it by offering him an interview for the podcast. This interview was captured in the tour bus at the Phoenix Concert Theatre in Toronto, ON. We discuss longevity in the industry, the challenges of touring life, and we even got a surprise visit from a couple of his bandmates.

Drummer and music educator, Juan "Carlito" Mendoza is famously known as the 2012 Guitar Center Drum Solo Grand Champion. That YouTube video has over 3.5 million views. Juan has also written his own educational book titled, Rudiment Creativity Vol. 1: Rolls and Paradiddles. Volume Two is planned to be the works this coming fall. In this interview we discuss the importance of patience, being genuine and authentic and why having a creative outlet is beneficial for people.

The story told in this podcast with Devin Sumner is one that so many drummers, musicians, and entrepreneurs can relate to. Maybe you have just begun your quest with little to no feedback on whether your idea will work, or you have already cleared your first major milestone and by receiving those affirmations you become even more dedicated to your brand and vision. Where ever you are in your journey, this podcast will probably spark a reminder of where you are heading and where you have already been.

Mike Dawson is the managing editor of Modern Drummer magazine, co-host, and editor of the Mike and Mike podcast and quite frankly a brilliant drummer as well. Listen to our deliberations concerning journalism, the correlation between luck and hard work, the fleeting muse of a musician, and parallel universes....yes you read that correctly. This is a highly conversational episode that could have went on longer than it did but I am sure there will be another session with Mike...next week! J/K