Drummers on Drumming

This week’s guest is Mark Stepro. Mark is the epitome of an LA-based working drummer with a resume that includes recording and/or performing with The Wallflowers, Ben Kweller, Courtney Love, Jackson Browne, Brett Dennen, Keith Urban, Dwight Yoakam, John Prine, Butch Walker, Leon Bridges…the list certainly goes on. Mark has an infectious energy and we actually shared lockouts across from each other in LA for about a year without ever realizing it. I always just heard this great drummer across the hall that reminded me how much I needed to work on my feel. So thanks Mark. We start the show with walk down memory lane before hopping into Mark’s top 5 influences that made him into the drummer he is today. Cheers!

---

Get Your Copy of the Drummers on Drumming Book Today!

🎯 Click here to order now!

Drummers on Drumming (the book) takes you inside the stories, records, and moments that shaped some of the world’s greatest drummers. Built on the Big Fat Five format of digging into top influences, it’s packed with candid interviews and personal insights. Whether you’re just starting out or have been playing for years, this book is here to inspire you to sharpen your skills and find your own voice behind the kit.

For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out www.bigfatsnaredrum.com and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week’s guest is Richard “Crave The Spave” Spaven. He’s been one of the most requested names as of late and ohhhhhh what a treat it was! Having played with Jose James, Flying Lotus, Gang Star, Cinematic Orchestra, Jameszoo (which I was hipped to via Ian Maciak on HIS episode) and many more, Richard’s career as a sideman alone is enough to put him in the legend category, but it’s his solo ventures that really showcase his unique ability to be a drummer’s drummer without being too drummy. These are, of course, all technical terms, but he respects both the craft and the audience at all times. His ability to finagle through complex patterns while maintaining a conscious level of listenability is second to none. He’s a proper English gentlemen and, in this episode, he dissects the 5 biggest influences that made him into the drummer he is today. 

Big Fat Five Podcast – Richard Spaven Playlist

Source Direct - Secret Liaisons 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=480Q_aZUcxw

---

Get Your Copy of the Drummers on Drumming Book Today!

🎯 Click here to order now!

Drummers on Drumming (the book) takes you inside the stories, records, and moments that shaped some of the world’s greatest drummers. Built on the Big Fat Five format of digging into top influences, it’s packed with candid interviews and personal insights. Whether you’re just starting out or have been playing for years, this book is here to inspire you to sharpen your skills and find your own voice behind the kit.

For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out www.bigfatsnaredrum.com and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week’s guest is Adam Betts. My brain does not move as fast as his hands can drum (which might not mean a lot these days), but Adam is a beast of a player with a list of collaborators including Squarepusher, Three Trapped Tigers, Heritage Orchestra, Goldie, Jarvis Cocker, Pete Tongand many more in addition to his solo project titled Colossal Squid which has new music coming out this year. Adam’s energy does not stop at the kit and this conversation about his top 5 influences is filled with a ton of insight from one of today’s most creative drummers. 

---

Get Your Copy of the Drummers on Drumming Book Today!

🎯 Click here to order now!

Drummers on Drumming (the book) takes you inside the stories, records, and moments that shaped some of the world’s greatest drummers. Built on the Big Fat Five format of digging into top influences, it’s packed with candid interviews and personal insights. Whether you’re just starting out or have been playing for years, this book is here to inspire you to sharpen your skills and find your own voice behind the kit.

For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out www.bigfatsnaredrum.com and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week’s guest is Griffin Goldsmith, drummer for the band Dawes. He has also worked with countless artists such as Jackson Browne, John Fogerty, Robbie Robertson, Jim Keltner, Elvis Costello, Sharon Von Etten, Angel Olson, Jenny Lewis, Bahamas and the list goes on and on. He’s recently added film scoring to his list of accomplishments. His delicate and deliberate touch is timeless and honors the gold standard of what it means to be a studio musician. Conversations like this are why I get so excited every week to talk to the best drummers of the day. Griffin’s choices are sourced from the apex of human artistry behind the kit and I know you will all be better drummers after hearing what he has to say. That being said, the audio on this one wasn’t the best. As a sign of the times, we had to resort to zoom audio for most of this. I pride myself in trying to get the best audio for you guys, but heyyyy…as Dawes says, “Things happen; that’s all they ever do”. Please enjoy my conversation with Griffin Goldsmith…also please go down a rabbit hole of his playing, not only throughout the entire Dawes catalogue, but all the artists I just mentioned. I can't stress enough how underrated he is. 

Griff Using an Arbiter Auto-Tune (as promised):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhJYm1VDqMM

---

Get Your Copy of the Drummers on Drumming Book Today!

🎯 Click here to order now!

Drummers on Drumming (the book) takes you inside the stories, records, and moments that shaped some of the world’s greatest drummers. Built on the Big Fat Five format of digging into top influences, it’s packed with candid interviews and personal insights. Whether you’re just starting out or have been playing for years, this book is here to inspire you to sharpen your skills and find your own voice behind the kit.

For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out www.bigfatsnaredrum.com and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week’s guest is Mark Guiliana. So so much to say. If you’re listening to this show, I’ll assume you are aware of the man but still, he’s a bandleader for his groups Beat Music, the Mark Guiliana Jazz Quartet, and Heernt in addition to being a key collaborator with artists such as Brad Mehldau, Avishai Cohen, Dave Douglas, Matisyahu, Chris Morrissey, and the late, legendary David Bowie. Of course the list goes on and on. Mark’s blend of jazz with electronic music continues to set him apart and in this episode, we, as always, dive into the top 5 influences that shaped his playing style. I started off the show by picking a few songs from marks career and asked him to tell a little backstory surrounding each. This one meant a lot to me and I hope you enjoy listening as much as I did. Cheers! 

---

Get Your Copy of the Drummers on Drumming Book Today!

🎯 Click here to order now!

Drummers on Drumming (the book) takes you inside the stories, records, and moments that shaped some of the world’s greatest drummers. Built on the Big Fat Five format of digging into top influences, it’s packed with candid interviews and personal insights. Whether you’re just starting out or have been playing for years, this book is here to inspire you to sharpen your skills and find your own voice behind the kit.

For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out www.bigfatsnaredrum.com and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week’s guest is Jesse Kongos of the band...Kongos. I had the pleasure of opening up for and sharing a bus with Kongos for two tours in 2019 and those memories are some of my favorite ever from being on the road. In this episode, Jesse (the drummer and one of the vocalists / singers for the band) breaks down the top 5 influences that shaped the player and writer he is today. 

---

Get Your Copy of the Drummers on Drumming Book Today!

🎯 Click here to order now!

Drummers on Drumming (the book) takes you inside the stories, records, and moments that shaped some of the world’s greatest drummers. Built on the Big Fat Five format of digging into top influences, it’s packed with candid interviews and personal insights. Whether you’re just starting out or have been playing for years, this book is here to inspire you to sharpen your skills and find your own voice behind the kit.

For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out www.bigfatsnaredrum.com and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week’s guest is Ian Maciak…or as many of you might know him…@ianhitsdrums on instagram. His machine-like playing incorporates the proper pinch of humanity to pull you in and build a soundscape that only he can create. I’ve loved the finesse of his playing from afar for quite some time now and it’s certainly a direction I want my OWN playing to go. You can check him out on the track ‘Sleepy Pietro’ from the new Machinedrum album or relax to his drumming in the “Focus” and Lo-Fii Beats” playlists on the Headspace app…among many other projects that he’ll be announcing soonish. Also, go check out his Patreon where you can download his original drum grooves, loops, and one shots. And as always, you can check out all the songs referenced or played during this episode in a Spotify playlist. Just search for 'Big Fat Five Podcast - Ian Maciak'. Alright…enjoy my chat with Ian Maciak and the top 5 influences that shaped his amazing style. Cheers! 

As promised: Naji

---

Get Your Copy of the Drummers on Drumming Book Today!

🎯 Click here to order now!

Drummers on Drumming (the book) takes you inside the stories, records, and moments that shaped some of the world’s greatest drummers. Built on the Big Fat Five format of digging into top influences, it’s packed with candid interviews and personal insights. Whether you’re just starting out or have been playing for years, this book is here to inspire you to sharpen your skills and find your own voice behind the kit.

For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out www.bigfatsnaredrum.com and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is short little bonus clip that was cut from the main episode featuring Aaron Steele for the sake of time. In it, Aaron breaks down a few songs chosen by me from his prolific career that represent a few different periods of his life. Be sure to check out the main episode where Aaron breaks down the top influences that shaped his playing and writing style. Cheers!

---

Get Your Copy of the Drummers on Drumming Book Today!

🎯 Click here to order now!

Drummers on Drumming (the book) takes you inside the stories, records, and moments that shaped some of the world’s greatest drummers. Built on the Big Fat Five format of digging into top influences, it’s packed with candid interviews and personal insights. Whether you’re just starting out or have been playing for years, this book is here to inspire you to sharpen your skills and find your own voice behind the kit.

For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out www.bigfatsnaredrum.com and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week’s guest is Aaron Steele. Aaron is a melting pot of creativity who has a Rolodex of influences including everything from hardcore to jazz to singer-songwriter to r&b to electronica to funk to pop and back again. Don’t you dare put him in a box! Aaron’s resume includes Portugal. The Man. Hayley Williams of Paramore, Peter Bradley Adams, Chrome Sparks, Jose James and, of course, many more. Our chat went well over two hours, so I consolidated it just a bit. We’ll be jumping in right as we get into the topic of comparing yourself to other players (something that Aaron never does)…before eventually dissecting the top 5 influences that shaped Aaron’s style. As to be expected, Aarons’s choices are NOT expected, but they are very impactful and I’m really excited to dive deeper into all these artists.

You can find all the songs referenced or played in this episode in a Spotify playlist. Just search ‘Big Fat Five Podcast - Aaron Steele’. Please enjoy my conversation with the ever-unique and talented Aaron Steele. 

Jameszoo: Against The Clock

Hayley Willaims: Tiny Desk Concert

---

Get Your Copy of the Drummers on Drumming Book Today!

🎯 Click here to order now!

Drummers on Drumming (the book) takes you inside the stories, records, and moments that shaped some of the world’s greatest drummers. Built on the Big Fat Five format of digging into top influences, it’s packed with candid interviews and personal insights. Whether you’re just starting out or have been playing for years, this book is here to inspire you to sharpen your skills and find your own voice behind the kit.

For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out www.bigfatsnaredrum.com and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Part 2 and essentially a bonus episode for my conversation with Dan Mayo. Today, Dan talks about the 5 specific records that shaped the way he tunes his drums (something that he is quite known for) and approaches writing in general. Cheers!

---

Get Your Copy of the Drummers on Drumming Book Today!

🎯 Click here to order now!

Drummers on Drumming (the book) takes you inside the stories, records, and moments that shaped some of the world’s greatest drummers. Built on the Big Fat Five format of digging into top influences, it’s packed with candid interviews and personal insights. Whether you’re just starting out or have been playing for years, this book is here to inspire you to sharpen your skills and find your own voice behind the kit.

For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out www.bigfatsnaredrum.com and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices