Drummers I Like Podcast

Welcome back to another episode of the Drummers I Like Podcast! This week we have the pleasure of chatting with the Australian Coffee slaying, Single Kick drum playing master known as Stan Bicknell.

if you’ve seen any of his videos you know that his right foot is inhumane. Stan has his own innovative way of playing with unique setups and techniques that he has taught himself over the years.

Stan Bicknell's Sponsors: Remo, Pearl, Lowboy Beaters, Zildjian.

Stan has also had quite the excitement filled past, playing and touring with a handful of artists all around the world!

So without further hesitation let's dive in and hear it first hand from Stan!

Intro – 12:00 Kevin and Richard open us up by going over some of the new gear they each acquired throughout the week. Kevin has upgraded to some new SHURE in ear monitors which he has already found to be a good investment, not only while rehearsing but during his live performances as well. Kevin and Richard both also received their Predator Percussion snare drums this week and they will go more into depth on those in the product review episode coming soon.

15:00 – 45:30 Now it begins, Stan starts us out down his musical journey growing up in New Zealand  and starting around the age of fourteen when Stan played on his friends’ kit and found his groove. Stan gained a lot of influence in his younger years from drummers such as, David Silveria, John Otto, Jose Pasillas, Brad Wilk, and Abe Cunningham, which helped him really get into the pocket. As Stan moved into his twenties and his influences started to chang he found his way into a TOOL cover band as well as a band he is still a part of called The New Caledonia. This group opened many doors for Stan as well as shifted his drumming style to a more progressive approach. Stan also played with pop-rock band 48 May, and Kimbra. Stan moved to Melbourne where he did a lot of work with Kimbra, and his old mates from The New Caledonia, which eventually became the backing band fulltime for Kimbra.

Stan also played with other bands for a period of time. They were Miami Horror and I ca Vandal, but with his family being his top priority Stan chose to take it easy, open his roast house and focus on improving his voice behind the kit. Stan is fortunate to have his kit setup in the back of his coffee house to practice once he is free during his busy week.

45:00 – 52:00 Since Stan hasn’t currently been touring he has spent a lot of time recording his practices. Rich asks what it is that Stan does when recording his videos for Instagram and what is was that caused such a massive growth for him. For Stan, the recording of his practice started as a technique to “put a spot light on himself,” and give him that added pressure to help him hone in and focus as if he was in front of a live audience again. Stan also has a foot technique second to none and giving that he highlights this with camera angles, it does contribute to him standing out in the crowd.

52:00 – 59:00 Stan describes his foot technique as sort of a floating Moeller technique. This way of playing came to Stan because of his experience playing trick pedals. The weight and resistance of the pedal built his stamina so when he uses his Pearl Eliminator pedal it allows him to play quickly, accurately and with ease. Although Stan doesn’t think that his method is something transferable, he does recommend if you want a solid single foot to get rid of your double bass. Stan has cut out the double pedal in his playing and stuck to the single pedal to challenge himself. It’s something that started almost by accident while playing but has turned into somewhat of an icon to others in Stan’s playing.

“Get rid of the double bass!”

Something new to Stan is that he has lowered his throne while he plays. This is based on a suggestion from a fellow drummer, who reached out to Stan,

On this week's episode, we dwell deep into Rich's mind as He and Kevin break down some of the apps they are using to help with drum practice as well as maintaining a productive, organized, and healthy lifestyle. Richard and Kevin also get into depth about the Drummers I like App, future guests, gear reviews, and more! 

Intro- 4:30 Kevin and Richard catch up with each other and how their practice has been throughout the week. Kevin is always busy behind the kit, between rehearsals and shows he needs to follow a strict and cohesive drum practice routine to keep up his consistency. Richard finds useful ways to utilize time behind the kit to his benefit and has great was of staying focused on doing so as we break down Richards extensive use of Mobile apps for practicing drums and maintaining a firm strategy to do so.

4:30 – 22:00 Unfortunately for Drummers there aren't a lot of drum practice apps in the app store. With the exception of the Drum Lessons app and a ton of mediocre metronome apps, we are pretty dry. If you have never heard of Trello, or only use it for business, then you are severely missing out. Trello is a virtual whiteboard used to keep all your tasks, and ideas, in one easy to view location. Richard and Kevin and the Drummers I Like team uses Trello to keep this show running, but Richard breaks down how he has used it to maintain a solid drum practice. Most drummers whether they admit it or not, have at some point sat down to practice with an idea in their head, then before you know it your jamming to your favorite song or working on too many grooves at a time. Thus, not getting the most out of your practice time. Trello is a great tool that can be used to combat that, by giving you the ability to add structure and guidance to practice and achieve goals you have created for yourself.

Richard Breaks his method for how to practice drums effectively breaking his Trello board down into a few different sections. He deems this his method for mastering "how to practice drums without a drum set"

* Current Rudiments - This is the list of rudiments he is currently working on perfecting.

* Locked In Rudiments - This is a section of rudiment he has considered locked down. This board keeps Richard consistently seeing his progress while plugging his mind with the rudiment reference. This is a good way to embed it into your subconscious and start to develop and hone your drum vocabulary.

* Grooves in the works - A list of grooves Richard is currently working on. This list is extensive to ensure Rich is always working on different languages and not getting caught up in one specific groove.

* Books to work through. - The list of books Richard is currently working on.

* Grooves Locked down - This is the section of grooves he has considered locked down. This board like board 2 keep the progress in his mind and works on long-term memory.

* Song covers in the works - Any song covers Richard is working on He lists here. Within those lists, he breaks down sections with check lists and notes.

* Song covers ready to film - This section is where he keeps the lists of songs he has perfected and is ready to record on video.

* Songs I want to cover - This is self-explanatory. If Rich hears a song he wants to learn he pops it in this list to make sure he doesn't forget.

 

Richard Drumming Progress Trello Board

It is important to make sure that within our cards we are setting goals and checklists for our Drum practice exercises. Here is the most simplified way of doing so within Rich's "doubles" card.

Welcome to the First episode of 2017, and we are super excited to have Joey "Bones" Parasole on the show! Better known as "Joey Bones" this fine gent has seen it all, traveled the world, conquered the odds, and the way he tells it all is entertaining and enlightening, to say the least. Join us as we gain a little insight from Joey Bones as to how he makes it all happen with style.

Intro – 1:30 Joey Parasole plays for the Morgan Freemasons, and is endorsed my Zion Cymbals. Joey is a very talented drummer and has some great stories to share about it all.

1:30-10:00 We dive right into this one, exploring the in-depth and diverse past of Joey Bones. Joey was raised in Brooklyn and after many different attempts at other instruments ranging from the Cielo to the Violin, Joey realized that the drummers for him was where it was at, and at age ten there was no looking back. In 2001 Joey found college didn’t work and the manager for Pennywise, picked him up and brought him to California where he got a taste of the touring lifestyle. From there Joey made it back to New York to play with the band Fair-Weather who was with equal vision records.

10:00 – 15:00 Since his wild ride, Joey has since married and had children but the time away from the kit wasn’t cutting it for Joey so about a year ago, he started back up with his Instagram account which has taken off. Joey expands on the craziness by saying that although it has grown exponentially for joey its really about the sharing, and the community. Richard and Kevin agree and expand by saying the something about the drumming community is really based about just that a community of drummers sharing ideas and experiences with each other.

15:00 -19:30 Richard asks Joey to break down how he gets such clear sound and high video quality. For Joey, it’s simple, a GoPro Hero4 silver and his drum kit. Joey plans to acquire more audio equipment, but for the time being Joey is focusing more on his playing and his family until the right time.

20:00 -29:00 Joey Bones now breaks us down the Love Custom drum kit he uses. Love being one of the first custom companies he found on Instagram and his endorsers providing him with his four-pieces 7-ply maple kit. Joey also can’t resist collecting many snares from his Love custom snare made of aged steel and trick throw off. Joey also has other custom drums ranging from pork pie little squealer to an older Spawn acrylic snare, too many others Joey is addicted to snares. And the addiction doesn’t stop there, Joey also announces his recent custom snare made by Predator Percussion, who really knows how to make an amazing snare with an incredible hands-on experience.

29:00 – 38:00 Not only does Joey release his own drumming content for others to enjoy, he also manages an Instagram page known as Groove Share, where he hand selects drum videos daily of known and up and coming drummers to share with the drumming community. To Joey helping other drummers who have the talent but not the time to share videos is what makes it enjoyable for him, and why he created Groove Share. Joey also mentions how he is working towards creating some loops that he hopes to be released soon.

RAPID SINGLES! (Lightning Round)

1. What was holding you back from becoming a successful drummer? Getting over the hurdle of time.

2. What is the best piece of advice you have ever received? Jona Vola told Joey never stop, smile threw your mistakes.

3. what's a personal habit that contributes to your success? Punctuality

4. share a resource or tool that helps you survive as a drummer. Zion Cymbals

5. recommend just one book. what would it be and why? George Lawrence-Stick Control, Joey says it’s the foundation for drummers!

6.imagine you woke up tomorrow in a world exactly like ours, you still had all the same knowledge and talent that you have as a dru...

Welcome back drummers to Episode 30, today we are sitting down with Tosh Peterson, better known as Tosh The Drummer. Tosh is a very diverse independent drummer who plays with a multitude of bands and even at a young age has a strong following via his Instagram channel (@toshthedrummer).

Tosh has developed a lot of his chops on his own but has been very fortunate to receive lessons from some of the best drummers in the industry. Tosh is endorsed by Thump Drums, Destroy A Drum Clothes, Fusion Bags, GoPro Cameras, Kbrakes, Kick Strap, Knockout Beaters, Vic Firth Drum Sticks.

6:00-15:00 Tosh takes us to where it all began, being influenced by his dad, who was a drummer himself and who also gave him his first drum kit at a very early age. From then on Tosh played anything he could on drums even recordings of drum machines. Tosh started to practice gospel chops and tried to play some Thomas Pridgen fills during his journey. Kevin mentions that by reaching out and posting a video on Instagram, Tosh was able to meet and take his first lesson with Thomas that would ignite a strong connection through drumming.

15:00-21:00 Tosh now goes a little more into how he developed his own voice. It all came from just wanting to be a better drummer himself, and not be good at playing what someone else already has. Tosh mentions that at the end of the day his voice hasn’t come from trying to play what he heard, but more from playing what he wants to hear. This has really made Tosh stand out and apart of standing out is releasing good quality videos, Tosh explains how he has cut down to recording about 3 minutes a day as opposed to recording his whole practice sessions, then searching for the perfect clip. Richard and Tosh speak on how this helps not only improve the quality, but it allows for more videos being uploaded, and more time to practice.

21:00 – 27:00 Tosh gets asked the important question, what kind of practice routines is he doing? For Tosh, since he found his arms and legs hurting in the past, he has developed his own warm up routine to deflect the pain and get his arms and legs ready. Most of his practice time is spent trying to learn something he didn’t do the day before, and always with the metronome on. From there, his practice consists of learning any music he has for upcoming shows or trying new ways to incorporate licks into grooves.

27:00- 38:00 Tosh breaks down for us what kit he plays on. Tosh keeps it simple yet unique with four-piece custom made Thump Drum kit. Although not many drums in the kit, it’s the sizes that really make these drop one of a kind, and with a plethora of snares to switch from it makes finding the perfect sound for the gig effortless. Tosh likes to keep the cymbals consistent with Zildjian Cymbals all around his kit while using low volume cymbals to create some interesting stacks to add effects to the entire set-up.

38:00 -51:00 RAPID SINGLES!

1. What was holding you back from being a successful drummer? Tosh said not having a smartphone to post videos

2. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received from another drummer? “Don’t care, just play!” One of the first couple things Thomas Pridgen told him in a lesson

3. What’s a personal habit that contributes to your success? Tosh says being competitive against himself, he always wants to be better than he was the day before.

4. What is a tool you need to survive as a drummer? Socks and his Vic Firth Metal End drumsticks!

5. If you could recommend one (drumming) book what would it be?

Welcome back to another episode of the Drummers I Like Podcast! This week we are bringing you our end of the year 2016 update show and filling you in on everything going on at the Drummers I Like camp!

It has seriously been one of the biggest years in Drummers I Like history and the amount of things we have done are almost too much to fit into a single podcast, but we are absolutely stoked about what's been happening and what's about to go down for the year 2017 and can’t wait to bring you all this new!!

Richard and Kevin kick off this week's episode by recapping the week and talking the holidays with the family.

10:30 - 12:40: We start off this episode by looking back to April 20th when our first show was aired and how we have grown as a company and as individuals. The constantly increasing number of downloads and subscribers have all been the direct result of our dedication to providing something to our listeners we would want to hear ourselves, as drummers.

12:45 - 15:25: Now we recap the amazing artists we have had on the show

* Sam Applebaum of Veil of Maya

* Matt Halpern of Periphery

* Freddy Charles

* Benjamin Benzel Cowan of Parliament Funk

* Steve Carey of The Color Morale

* Anthony Martone

* Jovan Dawkins producer for Jamie Foxx

* Jesse Shelley of Sleep Wave

* Travis Orbin of Darkest Hour

* Jared Easterling of Fit For A King

* Jay Postones of Tesseract

* Mike Levine

* Pablo Viveros of Chelsea Grin

* Amir Oosman

* Alex Camerena from Silent Plant

* Charlie Engen up and coming

* Josh Manuel of Issues

* Jared Folk Founder/owner of Drumeo

* Richie Martinez IG up and comer

* Jessica Bureaux IG up and comer

* Aaron Stechauner of Rings of Saturn

* Jamie Gamble of Beyonce

* Craig Pilo of Frankie Vallie

* Samus Menihane of Vanna

* Tito Felix Of Upon a Burning Body

15:25 - 32:00: Now we break down how we have expanded on social media and all the exciting news for 2017. Starting on YouTube where we now have 2k followers. And getting close to 10K followers on Instagram! Social media is what has launched Drummers I Like and it couldn't be what it is without our amazing followers. Something like 3,000 plus #Drummersilike hashtags is using on Instagram. The amazing feedback from our 2017 brand rep search. We have a lot of exciting interviews, artists, and even a Drummers I like app in the store for next year. Drummer takeovers live shows, gear reviews, and of course new shows every week with some very exciting drummers!

32:00- 37:00: Lastly we just would like to say thank you to our fans most importantly, for tuning each week for, following our social media pages. Of course thanks to the artists for taking the time to allow us to interview them. And thank you for your continued support into the next year we couldn't be happier to bring as much drumming awesomeness to you guys in 2017 as we can.

-

Well, that wraps it up for this episode of the Drummers I like Podcast 2016 update and for this year in general! Once again, we can’t thank our listeners enough for giving us a reason to do this show every week and consistently showing us love via social media! Make sure you catch next week's first episode of 2017 featuring Tosh The Drummer!!!

Until next time!

- Rich - with contributions from Josh Bonner

Do you enjoy the Drummers I like Podcast? Leave an Itunes review here, let us know how you feel, and help us become your favorite drummer’s podcast! 

Subscribe to the Newsletter for early access to content, contests, and offers!

First Name 

Hello Drummers, glad to be back with another show for you! Today our guest is Tito Felix from Upon A Burning Body.

We're really honored to have Tito on the show today. His playing prowess is awesome. We also are big fans of Tito's band. If you're a metal head like us we know you keep up with those guys. Tito's playing with the group is really phenomenal so we couldn't wait to talk with him to get into some details of his playing, his background in brazil music, his journey on the drums, and a little about his setup preferences. Don't forget to listen for Rapid Singles today as well. It's always a lot of fun and worth the wait! So let's get to it!

13:00 - 30:40: In our first segment of the show we get into Tito's history with the drums. He takes us through first finding the drums when living in Brasil. Then we dig into that a bit as well as some of his recommendations for some samba artists to check out. Then Tito tells us how he moved to the states and really grew up behind the drums and promoting himself with social media. There are a lot of great topics that are discussed throughout this segment so listen closely.

30:40 - 36:00: Now we dig into how Tito got involved with Upon A Burning Body. He attracted attention through his YouTube videos and was contacted by the group to join up. Tito gets into more detail about how it all worked out. As we've said previously, we love this group and really enjoy what Tito brings into the band.

36:00 - 43:00: Here Tito talks about what's up and coming for Upon A Burning Body. We know a lot of you listeners enjoy these guys as much as we do so check out what Tito has to say here and keep checking back for updates on when you can check them out the next time their near your hometown! Toward the end of this segment, we have some fun off-topic conversation so that was fun too.

43:00 - 50:00: Next Tito breaks down his current setup. We talk about his long love affair with DW/Pacific drums and what shells he's currently using. As well as getting into detail about his TRX cymbals. He uses mainly their Icon and BRT lines. We've been keeping and eye on TRX lately ourselves and have been very impressed. Our intern Brendan is on their roster and he has had nothing but great things to say about them.

50:00 - Rapid Singles 

1. What was holding you back from becoming the successful drummer? – His lack of confidence early in his career. 

2. What is the best piece of advice you have ever received? – "Don't worry what other people think" 

3. What’s a personal habit that contributes to your success? – Making time to work on his craft and always seeking knowledge and furthering his education behind the drums. 

4. Share a resource or tool that helps you survive as a drummer? – Listening to lots of music. We can always find inspiration just by listening. 

5. Recommend just one book. what would it be and why? – This was a different one for us here. Tito recommends a book on spirituality called Serpent of Light by Drunvalo Melchizedek

6. Imagine you woke up tomorrow in a world exactly like ours, you still had all the same knowledge and talent that you have as a drummer but you know no one. All you have is $500, a smartphone, and small portable drum set. What would you do first? – If Tito went back and did things again he would use the smartphone to get back on social media and maybe try play some small places to focus on really digging into music. As well as using his spending cash to maybe buy some lessons with some heavy hitters. 

We finish today with some random topics out of Rapid Singles so check that before we sign off. I apologize for having to leave the end of the show to Rich but the time was of the essence for me so thanks for your patience.

Drummers and friends, boy are we glad to be back! We can't wait to bring you today's guest Seamus Menihane.

Seamus is currently playing full time with Vanna. As well as staying very busy with a number of other artists that we talk a bit about on today's show as well. Seamus is a very knowledgeable drummer and we really can't wait to get into our talk. In the beginning of today's show, we had a fair amount to talk about. I got to express my excitement that Dave Lombardo formally of Slayer will be featured on Late Night with Seth Meyers on December 12-15 at 12:35pm EST. So set your dials and enjoy some Dave Lombardo! Rich then gets into a new social media app that he fell in love with. It's definitely something you'll want to listen for if you manage several social media sites. But enough with all that noise. Let's get on with the show!

14:00 - 17:00: We start things off as we like to do. Getting into how Seamus found drumming and how it all started. It's important to mention what Seamus was in Vienna Austria when he was on the show with us and it was after midnight. He was standing outside of the venue he played that night because it was the only place he could get wifi. So a big shout out for staying up late to go on the show with us.

17:00 - 20:00: Now Seamus talks about some of his early days on the drums. As well as his early influences. From listening to his parents records at an early age. To starting to find a more modern rock in his early teens. As well as his road through drum lessons and drum education.

"All of the drummers that I liked, like Travis Barker. I was like, man I don't need to be taking lessons to play like that...But little did I know, I did have to be taking lessons."

20:00 - 25:00: Here we start to dig into Seamus's early bands and how he started playing with other musicians. From starting with cover bands to progressing to creating his own music. Then of course how that ended up leading into the metal and hardcore genres. Seamus hails from the Boston area which is known for its great hardcore scene so he had a great chance to experience some great shows.

25:00 - 29:00: Now Seamus shares how he got into professional drumming. From his early days of booking his first tours. To knowing when he really wanted to pursue drumming as a career. That leads into his playing with VATTNET to how he ended up joining Vanna.

29:00 - 31:00: Vanna had cut quite a few records before Seamus joined with them. So in this segment, we unpack a little about ways to dig into a band's large catalog of music when you are taking over the drum seat. It can be overwhelming to have a lot of songs to learn. Especially if it's in a short amount of time so this can really help a lot of drummers out there that might be in a similar situation.

31:00 - 36:00: Next we dig into where Seamus is now. Playing with Vanna and living the life of a professional touring and studio drummer. He talks about his current European tour with Vanna and some cool stuff he's got to experience on the road.  As well as the logistics of having a drumset to play when over in Europe.

36:00 - 41:00: Seamus plays a pretty simplified kit these days. In this segment, you get to hear him break down how and why he likes that setup. We really like hearing Seamus talk about his acrylic SJC kit. A perfect material for the type of music Seamus plays. As well as his 16" hi-hats put together from crash cymbals.

"Broken cymbals make us sad!"

41:00 - 49:00: That morphs into a talk about how we as metal drummers sometimes get enough of an adrenaline rush while playing live. That sometimes it's easy to black out and forget good technique when you're in the moment. As well as a fun chat about the late great Keith Moon!

49:00 - 55:00: Now we talk about some of Seamus's tuning techniques on his acrylic kit.

Welcome back to another episode of the Drummers I Like podcast! Today we are honored to have Craig Pilo of Frankie Valli on the show with us!

Craig has played with Frankie Valli for the past 11 years, and also with many other acts. Craig is the consummate professional, as well as a great guy to have a drumming conversation with. He also studied drums at the University of North Texas with greats like Ed Soph and as usual, there is a ton of drumming knowledge in this episode. So enough of my banter. Let's get on with the show.

13:00 - 17:00: As always we get into how Craig found the drums and music in general. For Craig, it was really Buddy Rich that started the obsession. From there he soaked up as much music as he could get his hands on and wore out his dad's big band records. He touches on his early influences and his first real taste of the drums.

17:00 - 22:00: Here Craig mentions being influenced my Maynard Ferguson the renowned trumpet player. Craig went on to play a tour with Maynard. He recalls some of those experiences which were some of his first as a touring drummer.

22:00 - 24:00: Now Craig talks about his journey leaving his hometown in Connecticut, studying with greats like Ed Soph at the University of North Texas, and how he got to Los Angeles. In this segment, we also learn that Craig and Rich live 5 minutes from each other. So look out for some Drummers I Like content featuring Craig sometime soon.

24:00 - 30:00: Craig gets into his long-time work with music legend Frankie Valli. He's been on the gig for the past 11 years. That's a long time to hold a single gig and that is a lot of Frankie Valli songs to learn so it was cool to hear some of his experiences with touring and playing with Frankie.

30:00 - 33:00: Here Rich gets into some of Craig's practice routines and what materials he likes to practice. Practice time is pretty scarce for Craig. He is always either out playing with other musicians, performing in sessions, or working on writing and producing music for film and T.V. Craig says one of the most important things he does to keep up with drumming is to check out some of the hot upcoming drummers. We also chat a bit about metal in this spot so that's fun too!

33:00 - 37:00: The last conversation runs into the next and we talk a bit about how important it is to be an open minded and diverse drummer throughout different styles of music. Also how important it is to be able to comfortably play in many different styles.

37:00 - 40:00:  Now we start to get into some drum gear related chats, starting with a little about Craig's approach to tuning. His toms sound awesome and we really wanted to hear about his tuning technique. He also talks a little about his Yamaha maple drums.

40:00 - 41:00:  Here we get into some of Craig's drum teaching.  He teaches lightly at the California College of Music with a few students. He hopes to build that a bit once his home studio gets finished up. But because of his very busy playing schedule, it's pretty hard for him to take on a lot of students.

41:00  - 49:00: Then we get into a talk about Craig's composing skills and how he built them. As we've mentioned he created scores for film and T.V. After playing a lot of drumming gigs for T.V. he found it was pretty easy to create that type of music that was needed for these shows so he decided to take some advice and get into it.

49:00 - 54:00: That whole conversation turns into a talk about diversifying as a drummer to be able to keep your career going. But Craig stresses that no one should only do something in music just for the money. It's important to keep passionate about everything we do. As well as again talking about the importance of not being close minded. This is a great chat that goes's through several topics that include some good experiences from his studies with Ed ...

Welcome to the Drummers I Like Podcast. Today we have a great drummer, and good friend Jamie Gamble!

We are very excited to have Jamie on today's show. Rich and Jamie have been spending quite a bit of time together working on several projects and we knew he would be a great guy to have a chat with here on our podcast. Jamie is a very inspiring drummer who has worked with artists like Destiny's Child, P Diddy, and Jamie Foxx. As well as many others. There is a lot to learn Jamie's experience as a working drummer. From playing to professionalism. Listen closely as we chat with one of the best.

Start - 5:00: In the usual Drummers I Like fashion, we get things started by introducing Jamie and getting into his backstory and how he found the drums. He came into drumming at a very young age and honed his skills in church. Jamie talks about his early influences and lists some of the younger guys now that continue to influence his playing.

5:00 - 7:00: Here Rich asks Jamie to dig into his early years a bit more and he talks about getting his first serious kit and how his self-taught drumming started to form.

7:00 - 13:00: In our next spot we talk about how he made the leap into professional drumming. He gets into really playing a lot in church and "paying his dues" which helped open doors to get into a career of drumming. As well as playing with musicals which helped build his skills. Those experiences also helped pave the way for his first big gig with Montell Jordan.

13:00 - 19:00: From there we start digging into some of Jamie's work after his time with Montell Jordan. He gets into his work with pop star Brandy and filming a Disney musical with Ray J.

19:00 - 21:00: Then Rich gets into Jamie's work with the comedy legend and pop icon Jamie Foxx. It becomes a common theme in Jamie's story that these gigs all start him getting referred from friends from church. Making those early connections really helped keep him busy.

21:00 - 32:00:  Now we step back a bit and talk about the acts that followed his work with Brandy. Jamie got another call from a good friend to play a date with P Diddy. That moved into playing with Destiny's Child. As well as many gigs in between. We really touch on a lot in all these early sections. So make sure to listen closely.

32:00 - 40:00:  Now we talk a bit about demystifying "gospel chops" and get Jamie's take on what i sometimes like to refer to as the latest drumming buzz word. That leads to a talk about how he was influenced and about the entertainment side of the craft. But we bring it back to the fact that we all need to be opened minded as a drummer and practice lots of different styles.

40:00 - 47:00: Then Rich gets into his fist shedding session and how those sessions, as well as some recent jams with Jovan Dawkins and Jamie, has really helped his playing. That moves into a conversation about how we take influence and how we use it to help our drumming.

47:00 - 1:00:00: This is our time to get into Jamie's setup. He speaks highly of his DW kits and go's through his preferred sizes these days.  Then he breaks down his Impact cymbal selection. Jamie works very closely with Impact and we love what those guys are doing over there! He also touches on his selection of Remo drumheads and Vater drumsticks.

1:00:00 - Rapid Singles

1. What was holding you back from becoming the successful drummer? – Just having the experience of playing. But we also talk about the importance of attitude as well. 

2. What is the best piece of advice you have ever received? – "When you got the people bobbing their heads. You got em."

3. What’s a personal habit that contributes to your success? – Staying relevant. 

4. Share a resource or tool that helps you survive as a drummer? – His good ole drum key. He also talks about investing in yourself.

Welcome back to another, Drummers I Like podcast. Today we have Aaron Stechauner from Rings of Saturn with us!

We're excited to be back with another show for our listeners today. As most of you know Rich and Kevin are metal heads. So it was cool to talk with a metal drummer again. Aaron's band Rings of Saturn are definitely in the extreme metal genre so we were excited to dig into such a physically demanding style and really get into some fun conversations today. So let's get on with the show!

4:00 - 9:00: We start things off with a fun chat about the rent prices in southern California. Then that gets into our usual introduction section where we get to hear Aaron tell us a little about how he found the drums and his story up to today. Aaron really gets into his early influences. He talks about his experiences coming up through his school's music program and how that led to his early gigs.

9:00 - 14:00: Here Aaron digs into his love of playing jazz from a pretty young age. It's pretty cool to hear a guy who currently plays extreme metal talking about how he loved playing swing jazz. It's a great section to listen out for. As well as how he progressed into finding metal and extreme metal. There is a lot packed into this section so make sure to listen out.

14:00 - 19:00: Aaron continues to talk about his progression through getting into the hardcore scene and how that ultimately led into joining up with the guys from Rings of Saturn. He talks about his first experience in a full-time touring band when he joined Abiotic. Which gets into some good detail about how he broke into the scene as a full-time drummer and some of the trials and tribulations that come along with it.

19:00 - 32:00: Now we get into some of what Aaron does to keep up his extreme metal chops and some of the tricks he uses in that style of drumming. He even gets into some "cheat codes" for extreme drumming so make sure to listen for that! His connection gets a little rough in this section but its worth it to listen closely to hear what he had to tell us. We even get into a quick chat about triggering acoustic drums here.

32:00 - 35:00: Here the conversation starts to morph into a talk about what it takes to be a professional working drummer and some of the tools we should all have at our disposal. As well as the attitude that professional drummers should have to be successful. Also a little about what his real personal preferences are as far as drumming is concerned.

35:00 - 45:00: Now this is a good time to get into Aaron's setup. Rich starts things out asking about his cymbal setup to his right side. Aaron likes to keep things simple and in this talk, he mentions some of the ergonomic choices he's made in his setup to help with extreme drumming.

45:00 - Rapid Singles

1. What was holding you back from becoming the successful drummer? – Joining Abiotic and the initial first experiences on big tours.

2. What is the best piece of advice you have ever received? – K.I.S.S. - Keep it simple stupid. 

3. What’s a personal habit that contributes to your success? – Not letting jealous and envy get to you. 

4. Share a resource or tool that helps you survive as a drummer? – Music that you like to listen to while playing with a metronome.

5. Recommend just one book. what would it be and why? – Travis Barkers Autobiography - Can I Say: Living Large, Cheating Death, and Drums, Drums, Drums

6. Imagine you woke up tomorrow in a world exactly like ours, you still had all the same knowledge and talent that you have as a drummer but you know no one. All you have is $500, a smartphone, and small portable drum set. What would you do first? – Create Viral videos and anything that could create a hype spike.