The Modern Drummer Podcast

Hello everyone! Welcome to this week's Modern Drummer Podcast. This week Billy Amendola and David Frangioni speak openly about the current state of the Modern Drummer brand. Joining us in conversation are world educator Dom Famularo and M-Network TV/Film producer Thom Mozloom. It’s a candid fly-on-the-wall conversation that explains what’s happening in the world of MD.

We are also proud to “officially” announce the 2021 Modern Drummer Festival to debut stream on December 25th on the Modern Drummer Website. Would you please go to: https://www.moderndrummer.com/festival2021/ for details, VIP packages, tickets, and more?

Happy Hanukkah, Happy Holidays season! We look forward to spending Xmas with you! We can’t think of a better gift for the musician in your life. We can’t stress enough how much we appreciate our readers and supporters, and we look forward to a safe, healthy, and happy 2022. Enjoy!

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Welcome to this week's Modern Drummer Podcast featuring Gina Schock of the Go-Go’s. Gina and MD’s Billy Amendola have a relaxing afternoon in Brooklyn discussing the effect of her first concert at eleven years old igniting her dream of becoming a musician and leading her on a path of success. Gina also discusses her first book, Made in Hollywood: All Access with The Go-Go’s. A coffee table book packed with stories and photos collected by the drummer over her 40-year career. “I’m excited to share this with everyone because these photos have just been sitting in drawers and under the beds and closets and all over the place,” says Schock. “It’s nice to have them all in one place so that everybody will be able to see them.”

Recently the Go-Go’s were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame by actress Drew Barrymore. “When I was about seven I discovered the Go-Go’s. I went out and bought their album Beauty and the Beat. And as the vinyl twirled, my whole world changed.”

The Go-Go’s were the first all-female band to have a Number One album in the Billboard 200 when Beauty and the Beat hit the top spot in 1982. The quintet — Belinda Carlisle, Charlotte Caffey, Gina Schock, Kathy Valentine, and Jane Wiedlin also performed during the 2021 ceremony. Let’s listen in!

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Hi! Welcome to Part 2 of MD’s Podcast with Earl Young & Billy Amendola.

Listen and watch this legend continue with his valuable words of wisdom as a young enthusiastic 80 year old, with 65 + years of experience playing and entertaining.

We continue where we left off of part one with Earl breaking down the three sounds he helped create with TSOP, MSFB, and the Salsoul Orchestra (featuring musical director Vince Montana)

Sit back, relax and enjoy!

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Welcome to this week’s Modern Drummer Podcast with Billy Amendola and August 2021 MD cover artist Earl Young.

Tune in to watch/listen to part 1 as Billy and Earl talk about how The Sound of Philadelphia (TSOP) was born—Earl’s early days learning drums, going in the studio with the rhythm section Baker, Harris, Young, and how the trio began working with Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff, and Thom Bell - three of the most successful producer/songwriters of all-time.

Parts of Earl’s interview can be read in his cover story in both print/digital editions of MD but, we had so much to cover that we wound up talking for hours and having enough material for the magazine and two episodes for the MD Podcast.

Earl’s career is astounding because most people know him as the recording drummer/singer/performer of the Grammy award-winning group The Trammps. To this day, the group is still selling out shows around the world. Earl also happens to be one of the most recorded Disco/R&B/Soul drummers of all time. Earl created a whole new sound he innovated called disco.

At one point, TSOP/MFSB/Salsoul turned out hit after hit after hit and had songs on the radio in the 1960s & 70s that are now “Soul/R&B/Disco classics.”

Enjoy part 1, and please come back for part 2. “Burn Baby Burn!”

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Welcome to this weeks Modern Drummer Podcast with Billy Amendola and Doobie Brothers drummer Ed Toth. (with special “pop in guest,” radio personality, actor, & film maker Al Banderio). Al mentions the upcoming Rocky IV movie he is in, which features a new directors cut theatrical release on November 11th.

Ed Toth, who was a member of the 90s million selling group Vertical Horizon, has been touring with the Doobies now for sixteen years. He joined original Doobie Brother’s drummer Michael Hossack from 2005 to 2010, and doubled drums with Tony Pia from 2010 to 2016. After Tony’s departure, the band decided to just keep it at one drummer. Ed has held down the fort for the rest of 2016, 2017, and in 2018, famed percussionist Marc Quiñones from the Allman Brothers joined on percussion. Ed says; “Marc and I have a really cool thing happening and he is a joy to play with!”

The band with Michael McDonald is currently wrapping up their 50th anniversary tour for 2021 and have plans to tour again in 2022.

Ed explains the often confusing revolving drum chair in a Doobie Brothers drummer timeline and so much more! Lets listen in and enjoy!

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Welcome to this week's Modern Drummer Podcast with Billy Amendola and his guest Josh Freese. If you’re not familiar with his enormous body of work, please look up his discography, and it’ll make your head spin. Since a very young age, Josh has been a touring musician, a first-call studio musician, a singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist, and a band member as both a leader and hired gun. He recently finished up touring and doing dates with Devo and The Offspring, in between playing on hit albums and songs, and he’s getting ready as we speak to head out back on the road with Sting. He is a member of the Vandals (since 1989) and Devo (since 1996), he played drums for Guns N' Roses from 1997 to 2000, A Perfect Circle from 1999 to 2012, Nine Inch Nails from 2005 to 2008, Weezer from 2009 to 2011, and recorded over 400 records. In December 2010, Freese toured with Paramore on their South American tour. In fall 2016, he returned to playing full-time with Sting, whom he toured and recorded within 2005. In 2021, he toured with The Offspring. It’s mind-boggling. Let’s listen in and discover or be reminded why Josh is one of the greats. Enjoy!

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For today’s podcast, we are running a #TBT with Andy Newmark and producer Jack Douglas to remember John Lennon on what would have been his 81st birthday on October 9th.

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Welcome to this week's Modern Drummer podcast with Billy Amendola, featuring one of Canada’s most in-demand drummers Mike Sleath.

Mike’s main gig has been touring with pop-superstar Shawn Mendes for over five years on sold-out worldwide tours. Sleath fills us in on his acoustic DW setup, playing a high-profile gig with Roland electronics, incorporating triggers, clicks, and loops, and how getting turned down for music college three years in a row helped make him even more determined to become one of the best. Enjoy!

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Beautiful Day’s Elizabeth Freund curated this week's MD Podcast with Ringo Starr on a private Zoom press conference to announce Ringo Starr Change The World, a new EP to be released on September 24, 2021.

The 4 tracks were all recorded at Starr's Roccabella West studio and features frequent and new collaborators.

Ringo comments, "I only want to release EPs at this point and here is the next one. What a blessing it's been during this past year to have a studio here at home and be able to collaborate with so many great musicians.”

The lead single "Let's Change The World" was written by Joseph Williams and Steve Lukather of Toto.

"Just That Way" was written and performed by Ringo and his longtime engineer Bruce Sugar, and it carries on the reggae vibe from his last EP, Zoom In's "Waiting for the Tides to Turn" with Tony Chen returning on guitar, joined by Fully Fullwood on Bass and Ed Roth on Hammond B3.

"Coming Undone" is Starr's first collaboration with songwriter/producer Linda Perry, who wrote and plays on the track that also featuring Trombone Shorty.

For the final number, Ringo rocks his own version of "Rock Around The Clock" revved up by the unmistakable licks of Joe Walsh on guitar. They are joined by Nathan East on Upright Bass, Bruce Sugar on Piano and Amy Keys and Windy Wagner on Backing Vocals.

Besides the EP, Ringo also talks about the upcoming much anticipated six hour “Get Back” film coming November 2021. Enjoy!

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Welcome to this week’s Modern Drummer Podcast with Billy Amendola and his special guest, session, and touring drummer, Randy Cooke.

Born in Canada, Randy grew up listening to Top-40 radio and folk music as well as watching his dad perform in marching band, where Randy also learned Drum Corp playing in his early years before joining his first band Phase 4 at fifteen years old.

In 2004, already having a successful studio career in Canada, Randy moved to California and became a top call session drummer and has never looked back. He’s recorded albums with Kelly Clarkson, Eurythmics Dave Stewart, as well as touring recently with Colbie Caillat, and Smash Mouth to name a few. One of the coolest groove masters on the planet. Ladies and Gentlemen, Randy Cooke.

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