University of La Verne (CA) Music History and Percussion Professor Andrés Espinoza talks about his current teaching and performing activities (01:40), being considered Latinx upon arriving in the U.S.A. (11:45), his dissertation on Salsa Music (23:40), the 2016 PASIC Race Panel he participated in (30:20), his years as an adjunct teacher in New England (37:25), growing up in Chile and the arts and music scene there (48:00), doing his first undergrad degree in performance in Cuba (01:03:00), his second undergrad in Jazz Composition at Berklee (01:13:10), his Master’s in Jazz Studies in the United Kingdom (01:21:15), and takes the time for Random Ass Questions (01:28:20).

Finishing with a Rave on the book Attempting Normal (01:40:15).

Links:

Andrés Espinoza's La Verne page

Matt Henry

Neeraj Mehta

Marvin Sparks, Jr.

Michael Taylor

Augusto Pinochet

"Show Me Your Soul" - Red Hot Chili Peppers

Argentine Rock

"Cuando Pase El Temblor" - Soda Stereo

"Rock Box" - Run D.M.C.

"Fight the Power" - Public Enemy

Chilean Hip Hop

"El Juego Verdadero" - Tiro de Gracia

"Contact" - The Police

"Xiomara" - Irakere

"Margaritaville" - Jimmy Buffet

Fitzcarraldo trailer

Do the Right Thing trailer

John Cage

Raves:

Attempting Normal - Marc Maron

Episode 100(!!) gives us Part 2 of Neeraj Mehta’s story, his growing up in Milwaukee with rock music, Hindi music, and swimming (01:35), going to Wisconsin-Madison for undergrad (28:00), his year at the Hartt School of Music (CT) before going to Michigan for his grad degrees (42:25), all of the benefits going to the University of Michigan has to offer (57:15), and setting things up for the Random Ass Questions (01:16:00).

Finishing with a Rave on The Catcher in the Rye (01:30:10).

Links:

Neeraj Mehta, Part 1

"Jump" - Van Halen

Bollywood

"Just Can't Get Enough" - Depeche Mode

"Love Song" - The Cure

"Roundabout" - Yes

"1999" - Prince

Zubin Mehta

Anthony DiSanza

"Blues for Stephanie" - Freddie Green and Count Basie

"Last Train Home" - Pat Metheny

Jesus on the Mainline

Bobby Sanabria

"Black Shogun" - Michael Udow

Scott Walker

James Latimer

Gene Koshinski

Tim Broscious

Jamie Ryan

Jeff Barudin

Pius Cheung

Brian Baldauff

Ian Sullivan

Elliot Beck

Ian Ding

Brian Jones

Michael Haithcock

Circus Maximus - John Corigliano

William Bolcom

Michael Daugherty

Julia Wolfe

Michael Gordon

"Mejunje de Fagobongo" - Alfonso Fuentes

"March Cadenza" - Gert Mortensen

"To The Earth" - Frederic Rzewski

"Tight Sweater" - Marc Melitts

Per Norgard

"Nemo Dynamo" - Per Norgard

Wall Drug

"Thriller" - Michael Jackson

Independence Day: Resurgence trailer

Thor: Ragnarok trailer

On Kawara

Raves:

The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger

Part 1 with CCNY – Queensborough Community College Neeraj Mehta covers his current percussion activities and employment (02:00), his years teaching, performing and living in Wyoming, issues of diversity, and the 2016 PASIC Race Panel he participated in (17:50), and his year teaching at UNCG (42:30).

Finishing with a Rave on the Documentary Lindy Lou: Juror No. 2 (58:25).

Links:

Neeraj Mehta's homepage

Neeraj Mehta's Innovative Percussion page

Per Norgard

Michael Spiro

Mike Mixtacki

Joe Galvin

"Lost Dog"

MK Groove Orchestra

Jonathan Ovalle

Mark Ramirez

Joe W. Moore III

"Continuum" - Gyorgy Ligeti

Keith Jarrett

Luciano Berio

Bob Becker

John Cage

Susan Powell

Brian Baldauff

Sympatico Percussion Group

Russell Hartenberger

B. Michael Williams

Matt Henry

Marvin R. Sparks Jr.

Andrés Espinoza

Indira Gandhi

Santería

Jainism

Cities of the Dead - Joseph Roach

Divine Utterances - Katherine Hagedorn

Cort McClaren

Kris Keeton

Eric Willie

Raves:

Lindy Lou, Juror No. 2

Blinn College (TX) Director of Bands and Percussion Professor Sarah Burke talks about getting the Blinn job (02:20), getting the Director of Bands position (20:20), growing up in Lubbock, TX and getting around to volleyball, pool and reading (36:25), going to Texas Tech for undergrad (49:10), heading to Rutgers (NJ) for her master’s (01:01:02), jumping right into her doctorate at Rutgers and running into burnout (01:19:00), and finishing with the Random Ass Questions (01:31:30). 

Finishing with a Rave on the documentary The Opera House (01:44:45).

Links:

Sarah Burke's Blinn College page

Sarah Burke's Blinn College TedX page

Blue Bell Creameries

Todd Meehan

Blake Tyson

Lisa Rogers

Alan Shinn

William Faulkner

Salman Rushdie

Thomas Hardy

Ernest Hemingway

"Four Rotations" - Eric Sammut

"Rhythmic Caprice" - Leigh Howard Stevens

Concerto for Marimba and Orchestra - Eric Ewazen

"Chaconne" - J.S. Bach

"11th Commandment" - Chuck Mangione

"Bags Groove" - Milt Jackson

"Variations on Lost Love" - David Maslanka

She-e Wu

Alan Abel

Bob Becker

Kristin Lyman

Staci Stokes-Waites

Josh Armstrong

Brett Jones

Aaron Nix

"Eight Pieces for Four TImpani" - Elliott Carter

"EDGE (Corrugated Box)" - Bruce Hamilton

"Northern Lights" - Eric Ewazen

"Time for Marimba" - Minoru Miki

"Rain Tree" - Toru Takemitsu

"Rebonds B/A" - Iannis Xenakis

"Psappha" - Iannis Xenakis

"Merlin" - Andrew Thomas

"The King of Denmark" - Morton Feldman

"Zyklus" - Karl Stockhausen

"Veni, Veni Emanuel" - James MacMillan

Aaron Ragsdale

Christmas Vacation trailer

The English Patient trailer

"Human Nature" - Michael Jackson

First-Person Shooter games

O Magnum Mysterium - Morton Lauridsen

"Sure on the Shining Light" - Morton Lauridsen

Raves:

The Opera House trailer

ProMusica Chamber Ensemble Principal Percusssionist/Timpanist and Music Professor at OSU-Lima Renee Keller stops by to talk about her current teaching responsibilities (01:40), her work with ProMusica and the Duomo Percussion Duo (26:55), growing up in Rochester, NY and her views on women in percussion (38:55), going to the University of Michigan for undergrad (51:10), going to Temple University (PA) and studying with Alan Abel for her master’s (58:20), taking auditions for a year before studying with She-e Wu for her doctorate (01:09:10), and going along with the Random Ass Questions (01:41:35).

Finishing with a Rave on the World Cup (01:49:55).

Links:

Renee Keller's Homepage

Renee Keller's ProMusica page

Les Misérables (Musical)

Les Misérables (Film)

Miss Saigon

Ragtime

The Phantom of the Opera

My Fair Lady

Sarah Waters

Ruth Cahn

Patti Niemi

Michael Udow

John H. Beck

Jonathan Ovalle

Brian Zator

"Ilijas" - Nebojsa Zivkovic

"Moonchild/In Your Quiet Place" - Gary Burton

"Bongo-0" - Roberto Sierra

Sonata in A Minor - J.S. Bach

"She Who Sleeps with a Small Blanket" - Kevin Volans

Tango Suite, No. 1 - Piazzolla/Kevin Super

Angela Zator Nelson

Alan Abel

Philip O'Banion

"Mudra" - Bob Becker

"Mirror in the Shoe Store..." - Susan Powell

"Merlin" - Andrew Thomas

"Generally Spoken..." - Zivkovic

"Rebellion" - Stephen Rush

She-e Wu

Percussion Instruments and Their History - James Blades

"Reflections on the Nature of Water" - Jacob Druckman

"Rebonds A" - Iannis Xenakis

"Chaconne" - J.S. Bach

"Variations on Lost Love" - David Maslanka

"Le Livres des Claviers" - Philippe Manourey

"Omar" - Franco Donatoni

"And What Rough Beast...?" - Mark Satterwhite

"Three Moves" - Paul Lansky

"13 Drums" - Maki Ishii

"Ripple" - Akira Miyoshi

"Arabesco Infinito" - Alejandro Viñao

"Loops 2" - Philippe Hurel

"Psappha" - Iannis Xenakis

"Tambourin Paraphrase" - Keiko Abe

"Nagoya Marimbas" - Steve Reich

The Tooth Fairy trailer

V for Vendetta trailer

Forrest Gump trailer

"Knockin' On Your Screen Door" - John Prine

Matt Coley

San Francisco Opera Orchestra Percussionist and Memorist Patti Niemi talks about her now 26-year position with the Orchestra and her other percussion interests (01:40), how her book “Sticking It Out” came to be (21:25), the issues of power in teacher/student relationships and the Anita Hill hearings (34:30), her career dealing with anxiety (46:10), growing up near Rochester, NY (01:01:00), her years at Juilliard (01:10:00), and managing her way through the Random Ass Questions (01:22:20).

Finishing with a “further” Rave on Patti’s book (01:34:20).

Links:

Patti Niemi's homepage

Patti Niemi's San Franscisco Opera homepage

"Sticking It Out"

Jake Heggie

"Lady Macbeth" - Shostakovich

"Porgy and Bess" Xylophone Excerpt

Messiaen and Percussion Writing

Howard Hersh

"Winter Season: A Dancer's Journey" - Toni Bentley

Williard Scott

 Bryant Gumbel

Jane Pauley

Anita documentary trailer

Will James

Bob Ayers Percussion

Miami Heat History

Glen Rice

Ruth Cahn

Mary Karr

Maya Angelou

Philip Roth

Curtis Sittenfeld

On Writing - Stephen King

Judy Blume

Jon Burgardt

The Graduate trailer

Paranormal Activity trailer

"I Know What I Like" - Genesis

"Che Nell'alma Infondere Amor" from Don Carlo - Verdi

Ohio Northern University (ONU) Percussion Professor Sarah Waters talks about her circuitous path to teaching at ONU (01:50), growing up in Ohio (30:10), going to ONU for undergrad (36:10), teaching band for a couple of years before heading to Western Michigan for her master’s (44:40), women in the percussion world (55:10), doing the doctorate at Ohio State and her Fulbright year in Botswana (01:04:35), and settling in for the Random Ass Questions (01:26:20).

Finishing with a rave on the documentary RBG (01:38:45).

Links:

Sarah Waters' ONU page

Renee Keller

Jerry Rice

Ricky Burkhead

Michael Bump

Ken Broadway

Judy Moonert

Fernando Meza

"Yellow After the Rain" - Mitchell Peters

"Sonata For Xylophone" - Thomas Pitfield

"Sonata for Timpani" - John H. Beck

"Encore in Jazz" - Vic Firth

"William Byrd Suite" - Gordon Jacob

"An Outdoor Overture" - Aaron Copland

"Encounters III" - William Kraft

"Conversation" - Akira Miyoshi

Timpani Concerto - Werner Tharichen

"Two Movements for Marimba" - Toshimitsu Tanaka

The Turn of the Screw - Benjamin Britten

Fulbright Student Program

Ruth Stuber Jeanne

Concertino for Marimba - Paul Creston

Kathleen Kastner

Chris Norton

Lisa Rogers

Bowfinger trailer

Mousehunt trailer

Bonnie and Clyde trailer

The Bourne Identity trailer

Skyfall trailer

"Here There and Everywhere" - The Beatles

"Say Something" - Stellenbosch Choir

Raves:

RBG trailer

Eastern Connecticut State University (ECSU) Adjunct Percussion Instructor Matt Bronson talks about his current percussion responsibilities [along with Jeff Calissi talk] (02:00), growing up in CT [along with more Jeff] (25:25), going to Western Connecticut State for undergrad [Jeff show’s up again] (47:00), getting his master’s at Minnesota-Duluth (59:00), starting the DMA at Hartt before ending up at ECSU [with Jeff] (01:12:15), and finishing with the Random Ass Questions [and some concluding Jeff time] (01:24:40).

Finishing with a rave on the Missouri Bandmasters Association Annual Conference (01:42:40).

Links:

Matt Bronson's webpage

Matt Bronson's Innovative Percussion Page

Jeff Calissi

Das Tabla Camp

Confluence Percussion Duo

"This is the World" - David Maslanka

Brian Leetch

Matt Curley

Ben Toth

David Smith

Shane Shanahan

Gene Koshinski

Tim Broscious

Dino Nuggets

Charles Bronson

Death Wish trailer

Action Bronson

Once Upon a Time in the West trailer

7th Regiment

"Going Down Slowly" - Galactic

"Last Train Home" - Pat Metheny

"Bitches Brew" - Miles Davis

"Down with Disease" - Phish

"Shakedown Street" - Grateful Dead

Sean Avery

"Glide" - JD and The Straight Shot

"At War with the Moon" - Rane

Rick Guastamachio

Jason Varitek

Thom Hannum

Sowah Mensah

"Kim" - Áskell Másson

"Raga #1" - Bill Cahn

"Variations on Lost Love" - David Maslanka

"Plato's Cave" - Casey Cangelosi

"Inuksuit" - John Luther Adams

"Frum" - Áskell Másson

"Variations (After Vinao)" -  Gene Koshinski

"Envelop" - David Macbride"

"Time for Marimba" - Minoru Miki

"Alborada Del Gracioso" - Ravel/Safri

"I Ching - Gentle, the Penetrating" - Per Norgaard

"Hard Boiled Capitalism..." - Ben Wahlund

"Inner Smile" - Glen Velez

"Velocities" - Joseph Schwantner

Jonathan Singer

Ian Finkel

Bob Becker

So Percussion

Bob Van Sice

"Smooth Criminal" - Alien Ant Farm

"Beat It" - Michael Jackson

"Eat It" - Weird Al Yankovic

"Silent in the Morning" - Phish

Raves:

Missouri Bandmasters Association

Lindenwood University (MO) Percussion Professor Jeff Barudin stops by to talk about getting the Lindenwood job (01:45), Lindenwood’s athletic prowess and the St. Charles/St. Louis divide (20:55), growing up in NJ and the nature of sports fandom in the Northeast (30:40), going to Penn State for undergrad (56:45), getting the master’s at Michigan (01:09:50), returning there for his doctorate while working with Michael Udow and Pius Cheung (01:30:00), and finishing with the Random Ass Questions (along with some more sportball talk) (01:43:45).

Finishing with a rave on a Radiohead cover band (02:09:30).

Links:

Jeff Barudin's homepage

Jeff Barudin's Lindenwood homepage

Jeff Barudin's Innovative Percussion page

Lindenwood's Skeet Shooting Teams

Trinity College Squash

Jerry Sandusky

"Tom Sawyer" - Rush

Lawrence Taylor

Dave Winfield

Don Mattingly

S.A.D.D.

Dan Armstrong

Frederick Fennell

Amy Smith

"Variations on Japanese Children's Songs" - Keiko Abe

"Waltz King" - Bill Molenhof

"Chaconne" - J. S. Bach

"Call of Boromir" - Dan McCarthy

"Northern Lights" - Eric Ewazen

"The Anvil Chorus" - David Lang

Michael Burritt

Douglas Walter

Michael Udow

Michael Gould

Zachary Cairns

Chuck Ricotta

Michael Schutz

Brian Fronzaglia

Brian McNulty

Jimmy McNulty

Olman Piedra

Renee Keller

Carrie Magin

Pius Cheung

Brian Zator

Joseph Gramley

Ian Ding

Jonathan Ovalle

"Rain Tree" - Toru Takemitsu

"One Study One Summary" - John Psathas

"Spider Walk" - Marta Ptaszynska

"Songs from the Wood" - Robert Maggio

"Nairobi, La Nuit" - Alexandre Ouzounoff

"Vermont Counterpoint" - Steve Reich

"Steal the Thunder" - Jean Piche

"Etude in E-flat Minor" - Pius Cheung

"Etude in E Major" - Pius Cheung

"Coyote Dreams" - Michael Udow

The Fifth Element trailer

Deadpool 2 trailer

"Billie Jean" - Michael Jackson

"Scream" - Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson

David Tyree's Helmet Catch

Scott Norwood's Wide Right

Lee Gutterman

Andy Hawkins' no-hitter

"Blue Shades" - Frank Ticheli

"The Whole Toy Laid Down" - Dave Hollinden

The Dark Tower Series - Stephen King

"The Way She Walks" - The Dirty Loops

"Overtime" - Knower

"DNA" - Kendrick Lamar

Raves:

Meeting People is Easy

Yamaha Corporation of America Percussion Product Manager Dave Gerhart stops by to talk about his current workload (01:40), his daily duties at Yamaha and conference travel responsibility (20:10), growing up in northern California (40:25), going to CSU – Long Beach (where he is currently a Lecturer in Percussion) for his undergrad and master’s and his steel band experience (01:01:55), and spending time with the Random-Ass Questions (01:18:50).

Finishing with a rave on The Jazz Ambassadors (01:41:35).

Links:

Dave Gerhart's homepage

Dave Gerhart's CSU - Long Beach page

Drumchattr podcast

Mike Mainieri

Jauvon Gilliam

Michael Carney

H. Robert Reynolds

Joshua Simonds

Troy Wollwage

NCPP

Music for All Summer Camp

Michael McIntosh

Thad Anderson

John Kilkenny

Tom Aungst

NAMM

Yamaha Impact Drums

YM-6100

YX-230

James Worthy

"The Catch"

Kobe Bryant's 60-point final game

Huey Lewis and the News

Chris Wabich

Steely Pan

"Aja" - Steely Dan

"French Suite" - William Kraft

"Concertino" - Paul Creston

"Music of the Day" - Bill Molenhof

"Children's Songs" - Chick Corea

Marimba Concerto No. 1 - Ney Rosauro

"Coffee Street" - Andy Narell

"Northern Lights" - Eric Ewazen

IMSLP

Steven Schick

"Zyklus" - Karlheinz Stockhausen

John Tafoya

Tony Cirone

Joe Gramley

Mark Madsen dancing

David Collier

"Smooth Criminal" - Michael Jackson

"Another Part of Me" - Michael Jackson

WTF with Marc Maron

Revisionist History

Another Round

Freakonomics

Code Switch

The Axe Files

Why is This Happening?

Ezra Klein Podcast

MacBreak

This Week in Google

Katie Couric Podcast

Here's the Thing

The Turnaround

Seth Godin's Startup School

ReWork

How I Built This

Shantaram - David Gregory Roberts

The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern

11/22/63 - Stephen King

Bruce Carver

Raves:

The Jazz Ambassadors trailer