Drummers and Drum Lovers, welcome into Episode #39 of The Up & Coming Drummer Podcast! This week we have the creator of Big Fat Snare Drum, Mr. Kris Mazzarisi!

When I originally booked the interview with Kris Mazzarisi, I had no idea the number of hats he's had his hands in over the years. Sure I knew he created Big Fat Snare Drum, but what I was about to find out literally made my jaw hit the floor! I was super excited to talk with Kris not only to find out about the history of his product, but also about his time touring with major label bands, drum teching for the biggest names in drums, and also tour managing Sara Bareilles!

Kris is the brains behind one of the most beloved Drum accessories on the market today. Anyone in search of that fat, 70's sounding snare drum no longer has to go looking for a vintage drum. Simply toss one of his BFSD's on your existing snare, and you have tone for days! Obviously, we will be getting into this and much more. As usual, I like to find out a bit more about my guests earlier years. I asked Kris about growing up and discovering music. Kris tells us about being brought up in a musical family, all the way through his college years.

During my research, I found out about the many bands Kris has played with over the years including LMFAO. I wanted to find out more about the bands that Kris played with leading up to these headlining acts. He played with several friends in bands but one constant member has always been his brother. Kris played with his brother throughout the years starting out in small clubs until they landed their first record deal. They toured together under his brothers' stage name, Matthew Koma.

What I also found fascinating was Kris's hard work as a drum tech. He tells me about how he became involved int teching, and some of the first jobs he had. He eventually became the tech for Sara Bareilles's drummer. These high profile jobs have helped him land more high profile drumming gigs such as LMFAO! When their drummer had to drop out mid-tour, Kris was able to audition, and get the job immediately! Speaking of Sara Bareilles, Kris is now her tour manager. As I said, a man of many hats!

During the next section of our chat, I asked Kris to tell us about some of the musicians he's played with over the years. Kris has rubbed shoulders with a large number of well-known musicians, so it's always fun to find out what goes on while being on the road. We talk a bit about his time with LMFAO! I remember when the band was at the top of the charts, and I wondered where a "Band" with a "Drummer" came into play. Especially with the dance/club style of music, they were known for. Kris has since moved on though and is back to playing with his brother in their new band "Winnetka Bowling League". You can check out one of their tracks at the end of this episode.

Now that we had the skinny on Kris's touring and teching career, it was time to talk about gear! Obviously, we would get into BFSD, but I wanted to talk about the setup Kris has used all these years touring. Kris tells us about his Gretsch kit, moving from Meinl to Zildjian, his Alesis sample pad, and all of the other products he's relied on to get him through the gig. With his product being a wildly successful drum accessory, I asked him to tell me what his favorite accessory is beside his own!

Kris was kind enough to tell us about the process of creating the BFSD, even though he has spoken about it before in other interviews. It'd one of those things that you think to yourself, "Why didn't I think of that?". The funny thing is, I'm sure many people have before. I vaguely remember doing something similar as a teenager, where I cut out a drum head to use as a dampening ring. But Kris took it a step further. What he went the extra mile to achieve has brought him one of the most recognized companies in the drum industry!