Drumfam, what is up?! Welcome to Episode #37 of The Up & Coming Drummer Podcast! This week on the show, I'm chilling with Drummer, Ryan Paolilli!

Every now and then, I book a guest for the show who has a name that I'm not so sure on how to pronounce! There was actually a few questions surrounding the name of my guest today, Ryan Paolilli. You might see that his last name, band name, and Instagram handle all have a similar vibe to them. More on this in a bit. But before hitting record, I like to clear up any pronunciation issues I may have. Ryan asked me to simply refer to him as "Pao". I thought, "This I can handle".

So who is Pao? I'm glad you asked! I've had him booked for the show for quite some time. I was extremely intrigued by his setup. His Instagram profile shows him playing a gorgeous Dark Horse Percussion configured in a way that you don't see very often. But let's get to know about who is as a person first! I asked Pao to tell us a bit about himself outside of drumming. We discussed his upbringing, when he started playing drums, and what his first album was. Pao tells us about playing in the school jazz band, choir, and jamming with friends during his teenage years.

Most notably, Pao plays drums for the band Kaonashi. Here's where the names start intertwining. The bands' name actually came from an anime character and means "No-Face" in English. I was surprised to see that it was not just a play on words. Kao - Pao. See what I'm saying? Being on the road is nothing new for him. Considering that the band is based out of the Philly area, Pao would travel hours just to rehearse with the guys. We talk heavily about the tour life that he's been leading since 2011. We talk about building custom bunks in the van and keeping a day job with having to leave for weeks to tour. a great section of the interview for anyone looking to get on the road.

Next up, we touch briefly on Pao's recording experience. He's played on numerous records, including Kaonashi's most recent releases. You can find out more about this in the links below. What I really was excited for was to talk to him about teaching drums. As you all probably know, I love talking to fellow drum teachers about their approach. Pao has taught privately, on Skype, and even while on tour! What I found to be very interesting is the position he held at the local YMCA. In Lawrence, Ma, the public schools don't really have music ed programs. These classes are sublet to the YMCA. We chat heavily about music in schools. It's sad to see music programs being kicked to the curb. thankfully, we have things like the YMCA, private lessons, and online education.

Earlier I mentioned how intrigued I was by Pao's setup. In the next section, we talk about gear. Pao endorses Dark Horse Percussion. You may remember Daryian Kelton and Dan Macon from past episodes. They also are Dark Horse endorsers. They make incredible drums!!! Pao gives us the rundown on his kit and cymbal setup. However, I had a few questions. Pao was using an Evans G1 on his snare batter side for quite some time. An interesting choice for sure. He also plays Vater 1A's. A stick I had never heard of before. The thing I found most interesting was the lack of any rack toms. Pao only uses a floor tom, and the area where rack toms would normally be is filled with strategically placed cymbals. It's the type of setup that would feel super awkward for me, yet is right at home for him!

Lastly, Pao and I take a look at social media. Being an Instagram drummer is actually a thing! We talked about whether or not he feels it has helped his career. We chat about some of our favorite drummers online, how he approaches making content. Right now, social media is a huge part of our lives as drummers. But have you ever thought about what it would be like if it all went away? I personally feel that social media is responsible for alot of the success I've...