Drummers I Like Podcast

Welcome to the Drummers I Like podcast. On today's show, we have Jessica Burdeaux!

Thanks for checking out the Drummers I Like podcast! Whether you're new to the show or one of our regular listeners. Today we have the pleasure of bringing you another one of Instagram's finest drummers Ms. Jessica Burdeaux! We have been infatuated with her playing for quite a while so we were really stoked to get her on the show with us today! So let's get this thing started!

9:00 - 12:00: As we always like to do, we start things off with Jessica telling us a bit how she found music and the drums and a little about her journey playing the drums up to the present day. She talks about how it all got started with a kit that was bought for her brother and really breaks down about her experience with learning the drums through school all the way through college and beyond.

12:00 - 15:00: Here Rich talks a bit about Jessica's long-time teacher Earl Talbot and how she's been able to take his teachings and really make them her own. She also mentions a lot of her musical influences and how that has shaped her playing as well.

15:00 - 22:00: Jessica has amazing hand technique. In this section, she breaks down and answers some good questions about her approach to her hands and how she has developed that amazing technique over time.

22:00 - 31:00: Now we really dive into Jessica's long-time teacher Earl Talbot and how he has helped her playing and what he has brought to the table to help elevate her drumming to the next level. By the time we finish up this part of the show we all want to head to the Chicago area to book a lesson with Earl!

31:00 - 42:00: Here we get into Jessica's drums and her setup. She likes to keep things simple but her drums look so ergonomic and comfortable. It's great to hear her cymbal selection, (Meinl). As well as a great breakdown of her shells. That breaks into a great talk about changing our setups and how that can sometimes help our creativity.

42:00 - 52:00: Kevin brings up the topic on double bass drumming. Jessica recently got her first double pedal so we wanted to see how things were progressing in that department. Then we fall into a good chat about the importance of counting with the left foot on the hi-hat.

52:00 - 55:00: Now we chat a bit about how Jessica makes her excellent quality videos for social media. It's always good to hear how drummers achieve their look and sound. Jessica's setup is especially good to hear about due to the fact that it's so simple yet so effective.

55:00 - Rapid Singles

1. What was holding you back from becoming the successful drummer? – Fear of the unknown. 

2. What is the best piece of advice you have ever received? – "Invision yourself doing well." 

3. What’s a personal habit that contributes to your success? –  The ability to not let negative practice or jam sessions get into her head.  

4. Share a resource or tool that helps you survive as a drummer? – A camera to record practice sessions, not just for social media content. But for a practice tool to see yourself from a different angle. 

5. Recommend just one book. what would it be and why? – African Rhythms for Drumset by Christian Bourdon

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? – As a different approach, she would use the money to relocate to a musical city and start attending open mic nights and take that opportunity to meet and jam with other musicians. Then use the smartphones to document her journey through that experience to help build a social media presence.

Welcome back to another Drummers I Like podcast. We're excited today to bring you our guest, Richie Martinez!

Welcome back to all of our regular listeners, and welcome to our new ones. We are so excited to bring Richie on the show today. From watching and following his great Instagram page we have really enjoyed hearing his awesome grooves and amazing chops. He has a great sense of humor and we know you will all enjoy the fun and relaxed feel of the show. So let's get to it!

5:00 - 9:00: As usual we start things off by introducing Richie and getting to know how he found drumming and a little about his journey up to today! As with many of our guests, Richie comes from a very musical family that really nurtured his desire to play. He talks about his journey through learning the drums in school, with both drums and from the music theory side as well.

9:00 -15:00: Here Kevin gets into the details of Richie living in Nashville and living as a working drummer. We all know it's one of the most competitive cities for musicians. Which really brings up a discussion about challenging yourself and pushing to reach your goals. Then we fall into Richie's take on Nashville and what he specifically did to prepare for that challenge.

15:00 - 17:00: Here Rich and Richie talk a little about mental practice and finding time no matter what you're doing to practice something. Just like Richie is working on his left foot at a coffee shop while he's talking with us. So that moves into his practice and teaching methods and how he approaches teaching.

17:00 - 23:00: From there Richie starts talking about a Ted-Ed video that he was watching that was about the neurological effects that music has on the brain. You'll have to listen as we all get into a deep conversation about having drums on the brain. Among other things.

23:00 - 35:00: In our next segment Richie breaks down his personal drum setup for us. He gets into his Mapex shells as well as his Mapex Wraith snare drum which is Matt Halpern's signature snare and man does it sound sweet! He also breaks down his cymbal setup. Richie is using Meinl cymbals and just after we recorded this podcast he made the announcement that he in now endorsing Meinl.

35:00 - 42:00: Now Rich starts to get into Richie's Instagram page and some details on how he built up his following and how he comes up with his content. He really digs into this section and lets us know how he looks at social media and how he puts himself out there. We also chat about the business and get into how social media is part of our brand as drummers and how important it is to look at drumming from that point of view if you plan on being a professional drummer.

42:00 - 46:00: This is a great section that talks a little how important attitude can  help you get gigs. We often heard drummers talk about being easy to personable and professional. It can be the biggest factor on whether or not you get hired for a gig. This also still ties into helping your brand overall! Richie also gets into a little about how being a hard worker can help you with endorsements as well as how throwing yourself into a city with competitive musicians can push you, even more, to work hard.

46:00 - 49:00: Next we talk about how to fit practice in with a busy schedule. Richie goes into detail about consolidation to make the most out of your time and how that can be applied to drumming and to life.

49:00 - 53:00: Here Rich points out how drummers can use the tools we have to find creative ways to make revenue in creative ways highlighting your skills and knowledge as a drummer. Also how important it can be to be active in a media rich world to help make an impact on people. You never know who you could be influencing and how it could be helping other people. That alone can be the sign of great success.

Welcome back to the Drummers I Like podcast. Today we have a very special guest! Jared Falk owner and founder of Drumeo!

Today's show is a real treat both for us as hosts and for all you listeners as well. Jared has had quite an effect on all of us here at Drummers I Like and we couldn't be happier to have Jared on the show! It's really cool to get into topics such as his background with drumming, how he founded Drumeo, and his personal preferences on gear and setup. As always make sure to check out our last part of the show, Rapid Singles-- always good for some awesome off the cuff answers. So let's get on with the show!

4:00 - 10:00: In the usual Drummers I Like fashion, we kick things off with our introduction and hearing a little about how Jared found music and how he gravitated toward the drums. It's great to hear his early story here and how hockey was truly his first love. "Like any good Canadian boy." He talks about his very first kit and it has some cool history. He also touches on his first lessons and how that helped set his foundation and a little about the learning curve for beginner drummers. Then after only a little over a year of drumming, he started to teach lessons. So you can see Jared's love of drumming education started almost along with his love for playing drums!

10:00 -12:00: As we move along, Jared talks about a local church event that was held every week that gave him the chance to play in a large scale live setting every week. That definitely helped him develop his great chops and build great drumming knowledge and experience. He also gets into his early touring career and how that came to a halt and starts to talk about when he dove back into more technique on the drums.

12:00 - 14:00: Now Jared talks about how his teaching career really kicked off. Then, of course, the early stages of his experimentation with online drum education. He also touches a bit on his personal tastes in music.

14:00 - 27:00:  This next segment is really a lot of fun to listen to. Here you'll hear Jared break down the history of Drumeo, from his humble beginnings of starting to tap into the online drum education field, all the way to where Drumeo is today! It's cool to hear about the process of building up to where he and his company is today and equally valuable to hear about some of the hardships that he's had to endure as well.

27:00 - 29:00: Here we all touch a bit on the state of the music industry and how we feel musicians now may have some of the best opportunities that have been around for quite a while. As long as you can be disciplined. Rich also touches on having a backup plan as a musician to be ready for the possibility of not having a steady paying gig.

29:00 - 38:00: In our next spot, Rich digs into exactly when Jared went full time with drum education. Then Kevin brings up how Jared finds time to practice his personal drumming with everything that he has going on. Then we talk about what type of stuff he is practicing specifically these days-- things like independence, working on material for clinics and soloing.

38:00 - 48:00: Now Rich brings up the P4 practice pad and we get into some of the details of Drumeo's premier practice tool. Rich ordered his while we were on this chat so I'm sure he'll be telling us all about it soon, on an upcoming podcast.

48:00 - 53:00: Here Jared breaks down his kit and his personal gear preferences. Gear talks are always fun and this was no exception. Make sure to listen for him to break down his personal Yamaha kit and his Paiste cymbal selection.

53:00 - Rapid Singles

1. What was holding you back from becoming the successful drummer? – How he budgeted his time. In this, he talks about trying to design your life in a way you can achieve your goals as a drummer.  

2. What is the best piece of advice you have ever receiv...

Welcome back to the Drummers I Like podcast. Today we have the honor of having Josh Manuel on the show.

As you all know Josh has been displaying some high-quality drumming for quite some time now. Whether you know him from some of his early YouTube videos or playing with his band Issues, it's agreed that he has some great skill behind the kit! We couldn't wait to catch up with him-- so let's get to it!

6:00 - 13:00: As usual, we get our show started with Josh giving us a breakdown of his history with the drums. Growing up playing in the church he started young and was encouraged by his parents to play. He received a lot of good advice through different players through the church that really helped shape his foundation. He also gets into his early days of drum lessons and how he progressed through learning the drums, and some of his early influences. He takes us through his time with the drumline and continues to walk us through his journey on the drums with him getting into local bands.

13:00 - 17:00: Here, Josh digs in a bit more on his history with local Atlanta based bands and gets into his experience playing studio drums in a spot built by him and a good friend, which ultimately led to Josh meeting the guys from Issues. It was really cool to hear that Josh played over one of the Issues tunes that were cut in the studio and then presented to the band-- It wasn't long after that when he was called to join the band!

17:00 - 21:00:  Then Rich and Josh talk a bit about touring and how sometimes that really makes you appreciate your hometown a bit more. We also all chat about that local Atlanta venue the Masquerade which also had ties to the Tampa, Florida Masquerade so Josh, Kevin and Rich touch a bit on that.

22:00 - 31:00:  Now Rich starts a conversation about Josh's studio experience. With a little fun interruption from Rich's son Everett! (Cute kid!) which turns into a bit of a chat about family and kids. Then Rich starts to unpack Josh's work with creating drum samples. He gets into his work with Lane Johnson of Hewlett Studios and some of the details of creating his drum samples with a legend like Lane.

31:00 - 39:00: So now we get to talk a bit about Josh's personal drum and cymbal setup. Josh is endorsed by Zildjian so here he talks us through what cymbals he likes to use on the regular. We'll just say he loves his K's! Rich jumps back to a quick question and discussion about Josh's samples and loading them up with his setup. Then we get back to Josh's gear. He plays SJC Drums and they always put out amazing kits. Josh's are no exception! He goes through both his drum kits. Plus his snare selection. Including his sick Calvin and Hobbs snare!

39:00 - 43:00: So before we get into our Rapid Singles round with Josh, Rich gets into what he has up and coming with Issues! He talks a bit about the album that was released in May called Headspace, playing Warped Tour last summer and then a bit about their upcoming date in Japan for Knotfest in the beginning of November! Then Josh hints at some things that are yet to be announced from Issues that should be starting around the beginning of next year. So keep a look out for that!

43:00 - Rapid Singles

1. What was holding you back from becoming the successful drummer? – Overcoming self-doubt

2. What is the best piece of advice you have ever received? – "Great men do things before their ready."

3. What’s a personal habit that contributes to your success? – Jamming to music that you personally enjoy

4. Share a resource or tool that helps you survive as a drummer? – His practice pad kit. Which has now transitioned into his v-kit. 

5. Recommend just one book. what would it be and why? – Stick Control by George Lawrence Stone

6. Imagine you woke up tomorrow in a world exactly like ours,

Welcome back to another episode of the Drummers I Like podcast! Today we have Charlie Engen on the show with us!

Drummers I Like absolutely loves Charlie's work both in Ideology and as a social media video monster. His technique is so clean and he has tons of creativity. We have been looking forward to this show for a long time. So here it is!

7:00 - 10:00: We start our chat off in usual Drummers I Like fashion, by talking about how Charlie started on the drums! He definitely got his start young and had some hair metal rocker parents to thank for exposing him to music both live and recorded through some formative years. Playing wise he started in the mid-ninety grunge era. From there it just snowballed into heavier and heavier music. Then came the prog influence. It's a great section to hear a timeline of Charlie's influences.

11:00 - 14:00: In our next spot we talk about Charlie playing in school. He started with the drumline in his sophomore year of high school and played both snare and tenor drums. He continues to talk about how he progressed into his first taste of college. There is a lot of value here for you young drummers that dream of doing this full-time so you'll definitely want to pay attention to this section. He talks about some of his bands he did at that time and talks about going back to college and getting his masters in music performance for percussion. Which he finished up last December!

14:00 - 19:00: From there Charlie, Rich, and myself chat about Charlie's well-rounded skills and get into his practice routine. We also talk a little more about his reading skills and breaking down difficult songs. More great knowledge for all drummers out there through this section.

19:00 - 22:00: Here we talk about how Charlie got started with his band, Ideology, how they formed and a quick review of how they got to where they are today.

22:00 - 31:00: Now, Rich gets into how Charlie finds time between all he does to nurture a thriving social media presence. It was interesting to hear that he started his social media videos more as a time capsule to gauge his improvement as a player. Over just trying to get his drumming noticed by the masses. He also touches on how he films and records his drums. So all you drummers making videos here's some good insight into how one of the best does it.

31:00 - 35:00: Keeping on the subject of drum videos. We talk about staying fresh when trying to post content every day and how to keep from getting into ruts. Charlie and Rich talk a lot about strategy on creating the content and keeping things fresh and how making these videos can help you keep playing drums to help overall.

35:00 - 37:00: Here I bring up the topic of Charlie's videos that have drum notation at the bottom of the screen. I personally love that he adds that touch mainly because I like reading drum notation. But it's cool to hear what he uses to add those into his videos for those of us who like to break things down by reading them.

37:00 - 55:00: Rapid Singles

1. What was holding you back from becoming the successful drummer? - Committing material to recording and finishing work. G.T.D. "Get things done."

2. What is the best piece of advice you have ever received? - "Let the click play you." Sometimes playing to a click can be like target practice so this advice will help with a more natural feel when playing with a metronome. 

3. What’s a personal habit that contributes to your success? - Attention to detail. Make sure to listen as Charlie gets more in depth with this question. 

4. Share a resource or tool that helps you survive as a drummer? - Online media in general. Both for promoting himself as well as finding inspiration from other drummers out there. 

5. Recommend just one book. what would it be and why? - Mastering the Tables of Time by David Stanoch.

Welcome back to another episode of the Drummers I Like Podcast! Today we chat with Alex Camarena of Silent Planet!

I have personally been waiting weeks and weeks to do this episode because as of recently, I have become a big fan of Silent Planet and the amazing playing and writing that Alex is capable of doing.

On today's episode, Alex Camarena gives us a break-down of his journey into playing the drums and how he's reached the success he has today. We start early, learning about his days growing up playing and being the " church guy " to ultimately realizing his true passion of wanting to tour full time!

We chat in depth with Alex about his upbringing in music, joining Silent Planet, his ability to speak fluent Australian, him ruling the world in Kan Jam and more! So stay tuned for another great episode of the podcast! 

00:00-03:00 - Show Intro

03:00-07:00 - We talk about his current tour and getting to be on a package with August Burns Red and hang out with Farmer Dad Matt Greiner.

07:00-11:00 - We get into his roots tracing back to the start of Alex's career learning how to play drums with his dad who was a touring church musician. We talk about being known as the church drummer playing at the Crossroads church in Southern California eventually leading to a slew of Mega Church gigs.

11:00-14:00 - Just as he decided to wind down and take a break from playing music full time he was invited out to a For Today show he wouldn't forget. After meeting his now long time merch buddy, Mark, that night, he was introduced to the group that would change his future.

14:00-17:00 - We talk about his first practice gig with Silent Planet and not knowing how to play drums (listen in for a cool way to build your own double bass pedal haha). With minimal practice, Alex was a regular Tomas Haake defying his dads wants to keep the house a quiet place.

17:00-23:00 - We talk about relationship needs being on point when Silent Planet couldn't lock down a solid drummer and Alex couldn't find a dedicated group of musicians. 1 foot forward and some real hard work and they were signed to Solid State Records.

23:00-26:00 - We talk about Alex's past bands-- or lack thereof. Alex breaks down his urge for wanting to play for a metal band so bad that he found himself using metal licks in his Ska band.

26:00-30:00 - Alex gets into his involvement with the writing process in Silent Planet and breaks down some of his choices when it comes to playing. Kevin touches on his ghost note abilities as we get into his influence in the realm of playing with grace. Kevin touches on the emergence of players writing physical ghost notes into their parts rather than just using feel.

30:00-35:00 - As we get off our rant on playing ghost notes, Alex starts to get into giving lessons and how it's just not his area of expertise. We get into the fundamentals of learning how to play drums with feel versus learning the theoretical side.

35:00-40:00 - YouTube drum videos become a focal point as we get into the vast amount of material you can get for free using YouTube closing out our conversation regarding giving lessons.

40:00-42:00 - Alex breaks down his drum setup and his choices for drum sizes, cymbals and layout. We get into church rig vs touring.

42:00-50:00 - Alex talks with us about his Anchor drum set, the relationship he has with the company and the awesome snare that led him to want to get involved with the company himself. He talks about throwing Shawn the wheel and letting him choose some of the key materials and sizes for his kit. We also get into the durability of the drum set and how well they have held up over touring.

His build is as follows. 

Snare drum - Black Brass 14X8

Hey, everyone! Welcome to another episode of the Drummers I Like Podcast! Today we have the joy of chatting with creative mastermind and renaissance man Amir Oosman!

Amir is an L.A. Native and after a handful of attempts to meet up, the forces aligned and we finally got the call in for the show. Amir is the epitome of what all creative drummers should be striving, to be quickly rising up in the social media ranks as a quality content producing machine.

In a world with so many voices, it is harder to stand out, more than ever, so stay tuned as we pick apart the mind of Amir Oosman and break down what it takes to really stand out! From basically walking into the Blue Devils ( killed his audition ) to playing drums in the car, Amir is an encyclopedia of information. 

0:00-9:00 - Show Intro

9:00-17:00 - Amir breaks down his journey in music leading up to now touching on how drum lessons didn't really work for him in the beginning. It wasn't until age 13 when he saw the blue devils play at his school driving him to audition on quads only a year later. He talks about these core periods being a part of his technique and approach today.

" there is not one right way to play drumset, there is not one right technique, there's a lot "

17:00-22:00 - Amir talks about his time at Berklee summer music college and how it played a big role in driving him to take his craft more serious than ever. Rich and Amir touch on local musicians and the awesome community built around Los Angeles Musicians.

22:00-30:00 - We talk deeply on social media playing an essential part in his growth with his online community. Rich and Amir point out the lack of posting from some of the bigger players in the industry. Amir breaks down the steps it took for him to reach his current popularity and the daily work he is putting in. We talk about his mentor, Jack Jacobson, teaching him some of the core functions of having a good attitude. We also get into what it took to break through to the next level.

30:00-36:00 - We get into what it takes to tour with new artists, working with different personalities and how to fit in with everyone. Amir talks about how time-consuming building his brand and creating all his materials has become when you are the one editing your videos, mixing your audio and doing your marketing.

" I thought I needed expensive mics, but instead I just went with the basics, that way, if you learn to do a lot with a little, you can do a lot more down the road. "

36:00-43:00 - We talk about his intro into the Motown world and how he got his foot in the door. He mentions how a performance reel on his Google Drive account leading to him landing a gig. Amir preaches being prepared heavily and uses this experience as the prime example.

43:00-53:00 - Amir and Rich get into the topic of playing drums in the car and how much of a role it plays in his practice regimen. He touches base on the car being his favorite place to mentally practice because he is consistently learning music. We also touch on diversity and how he didn't want to be known as " that guy who drums in his car ".

53:00-1:00:00 - We touch on focusing on doing the things you love and not " forcing it " as many musicians do just to get the gig. We talk about learning things you want from the drummers who do it best and taking the time to break things down.

" if you like Steve Gadd listen to what he played on "

1:00:00-1:05:00 - Amir gets into discipline and the eye-opening moments during his time with Randy Gloss at Cal-arts learning to really take his time learning Table and breaking things down on drumset to build a serious mental strength. Richard and Amir touch on Chris Coleman and Rich's obsession with Chris when he first learned of him.

1:05:00-1:13:00 - Amir talks about what he has going on now and what is to come with him as an artist.

Hello fellow drummers! Thanks for joining us for our first podcast all about drum gear.

On today's episode, we will be talking to Don Kulcsar and Matt Schallmo from Stick Twirl.

Don, Matt, Rich and Kevin get right into the show with lots of topics that will really give you great insight into this new product. Drummers I Like has had a chance to play around with some of the 3-D printed prototypes so we have some questions and feedback that we think drummers would definitely want to have a clear understanding of.

Most importantly, Don and Matt are really great musicians and people. So it was a pleasure to chat with them about their exciting product.

Don Kulcsar is the owner/founder and Matt Schallmo is the V.P. of Marketing and P.R. for Stick Twirl.

2:00 - 3:35: Don starts things off by telling us a little about his history as a drummer and some of his early drumming projects in the South Florida area, then into how drums were put on hold while he raised two daughters. At a later stage in his life, he was re-introduced to drums through his church. He makes an important point that even if you have to put drumming down for a while the desire stays with us.

3:36 - 5:00: In this section, Don talks about where his idea for the product was born from. Don first thought of attaching perpendicular rings on a drumstick to aid him in learning the Moller technique. It was almost an afterthought to also be able to use the device for incorporating stick tricks.

5:00 - 6:30: Here everyone jokes a bit about some of the masters of our craft and how they make the drumstick seem as if it's an extension of their body. Don points out the fact that you can learn all the traditional stick tricks without a Stick Twirl. However, there are things that you just won't be able to do without their innovative product. Don also tells a cool story of how a bandmate's wife was mesmerized by how he was able to flip his drumstick while playing a gig with his cover band.

6:30 - 7:30 Don mentions that another benefit of the Stick Twirl is when playing long sets or shows. It allows you to be able to relax your fulcrum a bit so you can stay loose and limber through the performance. He also tells us that the color for the production models will be a natural wood color. With that in mind, the product will be very difficult to notice when attached to the drumstick.

7:30 - 10:00: This spot is when Don gets into the controversial aspect of his product starting out with a neat experience with Jared Falk from Drumeo. Jared's feedback was great but there was a small percentage of people that saw this product as a way of cheating or maybe like a performance enhancing device! More importantly, he talks about the great response they've received from many drummers out there. From there, Don makes some good points about having to get a feel for the Stick Twirl.

10:00 - 11:00: In our next section Kevin brings up that Don and Matt have joined NAMM and we talk about them being at the summer show in Nashville, Tennessee. We also touch a little on that show plus the upcoming winter NAMM show in Anaheim, California.

11:00 - 13:00: Here Kevin talks about his first impressions when he heard about the product. Like Don pointed out earlier, the Stick Twirl can be a great fulcrum aid. But in Kevin's case, he talks about how it can be helpful for developing skill with the french grip.

13:00 - 14:00:  Now Don brings up the great point that this product could definitely help drummers with hand disabilities or fatigue. Even carpel tunnel is mentioned and we think it's a great topic to get into.

14:00 - 18:00: This spot has Matt and Don talking a bit about some of the support they have from the drum manufacturers and professional drummers out there. Guys like Billy Thunder with Tim McGraw and manufacturers like Pro-Ma...

Welcome to another episode of the Drummers I Like Podcast! We are stoked to bring you Pablo Viveros from Chelsea Grin.

Pablo has been playing drums for a very long time and his story is nothing short of amazing emphasizing some of the reoccurring themes we tend to get into on the show.

Richard, Kevin and Pablo dive into a handful of topics ranging from drum lessons, not going to your lessons and what being a cool guy with drive can do for you. We also make continual reference to the strict guidance of Momma Viveros as she continually pushed Pablo to master his true craft of playing the drums.

Pablo is an amazing player with an amazing approach to playing the drums and to life itself, so tune in!

7:00 - 13:00: Pablo takes us through his journey starting with the beginning days in Mexico jamming with his dad in their music room. He goes on to tell us about moving to America and how his brother purchased what ended up being his first kit. Pablo snatched up that kit in 8th grade and started playing heavily every day trying to learn any and all Pop Punk albums. We go on to talk about his introduction to music lessons with " Sneeze " and being thrown off by the odd curriculum thrown at him from day one.

13:00-15:00: We talk about Pablo's short stint with the jazz band and how his ability to play landed him the spot ultimately to have his lack of being able to read get him kicked. Kevin points out his dislike for that type of teaching behavior suggesting the teacher should have worked with Pablo instead of giving him the boot.

15:00-21:00: Pablo talks in depth about his first pop-punk band three-star hotel and his introduction to recording with the gig that lasted about 2 years. Pablo and Rich reminisce on genre-jumping between pop-punk and screamo and Kevin reminds us his age as we talk anthrax and Kevin's hardcore sludge days.

21:00-27:00: Pablo gets into his pop punk cover bands and jamming covers at his parent's house in his teens. We get into his journey of playing with different bands, talent shows and more. Pablo gets into continually being drawn to guitar ( against his mom's wishes ) and going into a drum hiatus. Ultimately being led back to jamming more pop punk covers doing his best to emulate his hero, Travis Barker.

27:00-31:00: Kevin points out the commonalities between Pablo and Rich as they get into having the same Sonor kits and same beat cymbals. They go on to discuss entry level drum sets and playing with broken cymbals... the struggle is real. As the guys nerd out on cymbals, Kevin points out growing up with Scimitar cymbals and playing his CB-700 kit.

31:00-36:00: As we dig deeper into Pablo's story we hear about his short soccer career missing his first practice for a talent show tryout his band ultimately didn't make the cut for. He jumps back to his lessons with Sneeze leading to his original band connections happening there.

36:00-44:00: Pablo talks about moving to Pocatello to join screamo band Death in December. The band was well established with great musicianship and backing so it seemed like a no-brainer. He talks about the ups and downs and eventually recording with Don Lithgow, journeying with the band and learning the ups and downs of being a full-time drummer. After some rough bumps and a year of not doing much he left the band and headed home to take a break.

44:00-52:00: We get into the next few years of music leading up to his band Becoming Everest as the lead guitar player. He also ended up meeting his now current drum tech, Jesus. This eventually led to him recording at the same studio as Chelsea Grin forging the first connection to the crew that he would ultimately end up joining.

52:00-57:00: Pablo talks about getting the text from Alex about potentially joining Chelsea Grin and what it took to learn the songs he needed to learn i...

Hey, Everyone! Welcome to another episode of the Drummers I Like Podcast! On today's episode, we bring on metal powerhouse and Birmingham, Alabama Native Michael Levine.

Along with continually pushing himself to the next level, Mike is currently playing and touring with Metal Outfit Exotype and Experimental groove house The Poison Kitchen.

So take out your Notepads and get ready for another great episode! 

Today, Mike takes us through his experience going through the ranks of a local drummer that made his way to the big leagues offering insight on his hard work and passion. Touching base on his ethic, we talk about his entrance into the industry with the metal machines Bermuda leading into his stint with Glasscloud and the call that eventually lead him into joining his current projects.

Mike is an encyclopedia of knowledge and this episode doesn't fall short on the educational value side so tune in.

11:oo-29:00 - Mike breaks down his intro to music and his first drum set being built from books, pillows, pots and pans including being professional. " If everything you do is based on professionalism, you're going to succeed."

32:00 - 51:00 - Mike talks about his setup and the steps he takes to master his craft, keep up with his material and overall practice to continue to progress. We touch specifically on using metronomes and putting a mic on your kick and isolating it in your ears.

51:00 - 55:00 - We talk on tracking drums and the uprising in guitar players writing the drum parts and drummers falling more in line with allowing programmed drums do the work for them. We touch on the quality aspect as well as the question of affordability and saving a few bucks on studio time. Mike also touches on the current state of recording in the studio and how we have gone from being the first to track, to the last.  We also talk about the advantages that come with tracking last v.s.'s first.

55:00-1:00:00 - Richard touches on Mike's Guitar CEnter Regionals winning streak diving into the focus it takes. We talk about his paradigm shift when it comes to playing and being around the industries so-called " top players " and how they aren't the robots and machines we always perceive to be." Everyone has the ability to be right up there with the top drummers."

1:00:00-1:05:00 - Mike catches us up on his current bands including updates on what we can expect from Exotype, including a new album. He also fills us in on his project entitled " The Poison Kitchen " featuring sherder Ian Eubanks. He also lets us know that he will be filling in with It Lives, It Breathes on a direct support tour with Ice Nine Kills.

1:05:00 - 1:19:00 - Rapid Singles

1. What was holding you back from becoming the successful drummer? - Speed and Strength - 8 on the hand

2. What is the best piece of advice you have ever received? - Always push through 

3. What's a personal habit that contributes to your success? - Time management 

4. Share a resource or tool that helps you survive as a drummer? - Tru Tuner 

5. Recommend just one book. what would it be and why? - The Orange book

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? - Get a GoPro, Start making videos and posting them to youtube. Mike would go to shows and start making connections with other artists and bands. " I would just hang out by the vans and start a conversation with them ".

1:19:00 -1:40:00 -  Show outro

We are stoked to have brought episode 15 of the Drummers I like Podcast. Michael Levine is not only a fantastic musician but a fantastic mind as well. Make sure to check out Mike's great bands,