Mike Dillon's decades-long career as a vibraphonist, percussionist, and drummer has included work with Ani DiFranco, Les Claypool, Stanton Moore, Rikki Lee Jones, and many others. He has also led bands in his own right, the latest of which is Punkadelick, with Brian Haas on keys and Nikki Glaspie on drums. Their new record is called Inflorescence. When not on the road, Mike splits his time between New Orleans and Kansas City.
In this episode, Mike talks about:

His new trio, Punkadelick with Brian Haas on kers and Nikki Glaspie on drums

Finding his place at North Texas as a percussionist rather than a drumset player

Committing to mastering the blues and jazz harmony in the improvisatory context

The influence of Johnny Vidacovich as an improvisor

How the scenes of Kansas City and New Orleans have shaped him

How his wife, visual artist Peregrine Honig, has influenced his art and creative process

433 - Mike Dillon: His "Punkadelick" Trio, Rooting the Avant Garde in the Traditional, Making Creativity More Intentional

With over 450 episodes and counting, Working Drummer Podcast is the source for those interested in what it’s like to be a professional drummer. Hosted by Matthew Crouse and Zack Albetta, Working Drummer covers it all with a dynamic range of pro drummers who represent many different genres and scenes. Each weekly interview features a different performer, sometimes with a less recognizable name, but always with an impressive and distinct body of work. This unique approach has garnered a loyal audience hungry for unfiltered stories about making a living as a musician today.

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Music Interviews

Rhode Island native Adam Marcello is a professional drummer, music director, educator, clinician, and programmer most notably recognized for his work with singer Katy Perry. A graduate of Berklee College of Music, his performances range from multiple world tours, the Super Bowl XLIX Halftime Show, Saturday Night Live, and American Idol to recordings for numerous movies and TV shows including theme songs for Modern Family, Arrested Development, and Deadwood. As a clinician and artist for Roland Drums, he has helped to develop techniques and instruments for hybrid electronic/acoustic drumming as well as programming for drummers and percussionists. These versatile techniques can be applied to live performance and studio recording to help maintain musicality and creativity on the drums.
In this episode, Adam talks about:

Treating the different aspects of your playing like actors treat different characters

Becoming Katy Perry's MD in the early stages of her career "out of necessity"

Owning being a control freak and also sharing responsibility and trusting collaborators

How to be manageable and coachable from the MD's perspective,

How to have greater awareness of the song and the show as a whole

His experience of living in Dublin, and living back in his hometown outside Providence

471 - Adam Marcello: The MD Role, His LA/Katy Perry Chapter, Splitting time between the US and Ireland, His New Teaching Role at Berklee

Italian Drummer, Sound Explorer, music maker Piero Perelli is a musical maverick whose skills stretch from free improvisation to film scores, to performances with international artists and musicians, both live and in the studio. His original style is grounded in his journey as a musical explorer, touring around places like the United States, Europe, Africa and India.
Engaged both in the service of songs and in experimentation, Perelli maintains the creative center of his activity in the Tuscan countryside, where he has also created his own personal laboratory-studio, the SoundSet Studio.
As a drummer and percussionist, Piero has recorded with artists like Eddie Vedder, Glen Hansard, Cat Power as well as producers like Robin Hannibal (Kendrick Lamar, Little Dragon), Vinicio Capossela, Paul Savoy (A-Ha) Simone Giuliani (Andrea Bocelli, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra), Rodrigo DʼErasmo, Edoardo Bennato, Roberto Dell’Era, Niki La Rosa, Effenberg, Andrea Biagioni and many others, Piero has also recorded a library of their specific sounds and grooves and loops for the American That Sound made available to producers from all over the world.
He has recently been touring with Glen Hansard and The Swell Season as well as the well respected Italian singer/songwriter Vinicio Capossela.
His first solo album, Notte is a piece of work where Piero expresses his most intimate and experimental soul.
In this episode, Piero talks about:

   Working and touring with The Swell Season and Glen Hansard

   His journey of learning music and drums in a small town in Italy

   Absorbing regional music throughout the world while touring

   Recording his solo record “Notte”


   Reacting to the acoustics in the space where you’re performing

   Recording on a movie sound track with Eddie Vedder, Cat Power and Glen Hansard

   Italian drummers that have inspired him

   The influence of Tony Allen (father of afro-beat drumming)

470 - Piero Perelli: Touring with The Swell Season and Glen Hansard, Growing up in a Small Town in Italy, Solo Record “Notte”

Brandon Combs is a drummer, programmer, and producer hailing from Lansing, Michigan. Destined to be a great musician, Brandon has been involved with the Grammy Foundation since the young age of 15, attending their Grammy Camp programs in 2009 and 2010 via full ride scholarship. Now living in Nashville, Brandon recently obtained his BM in Popular Music Studies from the University of Southern California (2015). Currently on tour with Grammy Award-winning artist Leon Bridges, Brandon’s skill, versatility, and professionalism have also allowed him to work with many different world-renown artists across multiple genres such as Keith Urban, Raphael Saadiq, Moses Sumney, Lupe Fiasco, NIIA, Gallant, Chris Bullock of Snarky Puppy, and many more. Some of his most recently completed projects include recording drums on John Legend’s A Legendary Christmas album (2019) and the entirety of jazz-pianist Mark De Clive Lowe’s double album Heritage (2019). He’s also put his hands into music production, co-producing the song “Famous” off of The Internet’s Grammy-nominated album Ego Death (2016).
In this episode, Brandon talks about:

Covering the many vibes and sonic palates in Leon Bridges' evolving catalogue

Getting on the same page about drum sounds with FOH sound people

Archiving snare sounds in his studio

Organic relationships leading to his best and biggest opportunities

Studying with Ndugu Chancler and others at USC

What it means to know a whole song

His thoughts on Nashville vs. LA

His outlook as he's about to become a dad

469 - Brandon Combs: Playing with Leon Bridges, Studying with Ndugu Chancler, Nashville vs. LA

Justin Amaral first made a name for himself touring the country in the jam band scene, leading to shows with Mike Gordon of Phish and a profile in Modern Drummer’s (April, 2004) “On The Move” column. After world tours with alt-country guit-steel legend Junior Brown, Justin relocated to Nashville and quickly became first call for many of Nashville’s finest players and songwriters including Paul Burch, Tim Carroll, Fats Kaplin, Jon Byrd, Charles Butler and the late, great David Olney. In addition, Justin has performed and recorded with Jim Lauderdale (Late Night with Conan O’Brien), Laura Cantrell, Michelle Wright, The Wild Iris Brass Band feat. Jeff Coffin, Dennis Crouch, Milan Miller, Mike Farris, Layton Howerton, Tommy Womack, Chris West and many more. Justin maintains an active performing and recording schedule working at some of Nashville’s most prestigious studios like Blackbird, Creative Workshop and the Hen House as well as venues like The Bluebird, The 5Spot, The Exit/In and Roberts Western World. 
In 2024 Justin released a collection of traditional hymns re-imagined as world beat instrumental duets called LIFE IN GROOVELAND - The Hymnal. Each track features a different instrumentalist.
In this episode, Justin talks about:

   Heeding the call to do your own thing

   The origin of his new record: LIFE IN GROOVELAND - The Hymnal

   Creating your own opportunities

   Jump starting the creative process

   The inspiration of Drum and Fife

   Practicing movement and visualization as a technique

468 - Justin Amaral: New Record: LIFE IN GROOVELAND - The Hymnal, Practicing Movement and Visualization as a Technique,  Creating Opportunities

Ty Bailie is currently on tour with Mitski playing keys and organ. He moved to Nashville in 2021 after a stint in LA where his main gig was touring with Katy Perry. Since coming to Nashville, he has also performed with Joss Stone, Don Felder, Tanya Tucker, Wilder Woods, and his own group Uncle Bronco featuring Petar Jancic on drums and Adam MacPhail on guitar.
In this episode, Ty talks about:

Touring with Mitski, and buying into at artist's vision

Being musically agnostic and seeing validity in all types music, musicians, and music fans

What makes a good organ drummer - "don't panic"

Moving from Seattle to LA to Nashville, and the differences between those scenes

Finding different versions of yourself while still being yourself

433 - Mike Dillon: His "Punkadelick" Trio, Rooting the Avant Garde in the Traditional, Making Creativity More Intentional

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