Welcome into Episode #41 of The Up and Coming Drummer Podcast. This week on the show, I'm chatting with one of the hardest working drummers I've ever met, Jamie Dull.

When preparing for this interview, I was amazed at the long list of hats Jamie Dull has his hands in. Sometimes I worry that I won't have enough questions to produce our typical one and a half hour shows. But after digging through everything Jamie has going on, I knew we would have plenty! He and I start off our chat catching up and discussing how our morning is going. And after a few minutes, I knew we had to start digging in. I honestly don't think I even want to write everything we talked about. That's why it's an audio podcast, right?

To kick things off, Jamie brings us back to his childhood and tells us about the small town he grew up in. There wasn't much of a music scene at the time so finding bandmates wasn't always easy. Practices were held in barns and basements, and gigs were at the few local pubs in the area. Jamie started playing in bands at a very young age, so we reminisced about the early years. I started off at around the same age so it was cool to talk to someone who could totally relate. To sum it up, we covered everything Jamie went through from his childhood, up into his early twenties.

Next up, I wanted to talk about the bands Jamie recently and currently plays in. This is what I meant by a long list. It's quite amazing that he is able to juggle all these bands. Being someone who plays in a few myself, I know how hard it can be to coordinate. Jamie takes us through the timeline of bands he's in, how they formed, what they play, and how some of them are connected. Jamie plays in a few tribute bands including  Led Zeppelin, Rage Against the Machine, and System of a Down bands. Along with those, he also plays with a band called Uncle Jesse and the Rippers which is a 90's cover band. He also plays with singer/songwriter Katie Kadan and in his original band, Stampy. Links to all his projects will be listed below.

After wrapping up the band topic, Jamie and I talk about many other things that sum up his drumming career. Now living in Chicago, Jamie teaches drums full-time. He explains how he had to re-teach himself theory in order to become an instructor. Both of us had learned the drums by ear when we were young so again I can relate to how he had to teach himself everything related to theory in order to become a teacher.  We also discussed The Chicago Community Drum Shed which he organizes, where drummers from all around the city come to jam, including his students.

It's hard to go in any type of order with how much we bounced around. I can say that we did cover gear. Jamie gave us a rundown on what he's using and some of the companies he used to work with. He tells us about the roughly 10 full-length albums he's produced, and the 20-some he has played on. Jamie directed his band Stampy's first music video! And we even found some time to talk about social media, and the love/hate relationship he has with it. To wrap it up, I asked Jamie what he could possibly be looking to accomplish in the new year. For someone as busy and focused as he is, I have no doubt he will be reaching all of his goals. To check out Jamie Dull, and all of his bands, check out the links below!

Jamie Dull

http://www.jamiedull.com

https://www.facebook.com/jamiedullmusic/?ref=settings

http://www.instagram.com/jamiedull

http://www.twitter.com/jamiedull

Stampy

http://www.stampymusic.com

http://www.

Welcome into the 40th Episode of The Up & Coming Drummer Podcast! This week we have a special treat for you guys. Joining me is our old friend, Drummer, and Educator, Tim Buell.

If you don't already know Tim from his Youtube Channel, Instagram, Transcription Business, and his last appearance on the show, then you get to meet him today for the Tim Buell Q&A episode! Tim and I caught up a few weeks ago and we were talking about some of the questions he gets from his students and folks from around the world! He and I decided that not only would it be great to catch up with each other, but it would be fun to do an episode where we try and answer some of these questions.

We promoted the upcoming Skype session for a few weeks, posting on social media, asking everyone to submit the questions that they wanted to be answered. We collected the questions, hopped on the call, and got to business. This episode features the questions of many of you listeners and followers from Instagram and Facebook. We hope that we have been able to help, and even if you didn't post a question, you can learn quite a bit from our chat! Think of it like "The View" for drummers.

Tim is one of the most knowledgeable guys I know. He currently lives in Nashville, Tn where he has a full-time career in the music business. He has toured with bands, received a degree in Music, Transcribes for many companies and artists including Vic Firth, 180 Drums, Steven Taylor, and more! Tim was even kind enough to put together a list of FREE resources in regards to the topics we covered that you can find in the links below! Along with that link, you can also check out my original interview with Tim, his website, Youtube, Instagram, and Facebook! We had a ton of fun and if you guys like the idea of this type of episode, I'd love to it again! Enjoy!

Tim Buell Q&A Episode Resources

http://www.timbuellmusic.com/upandcoming

Tim's Original Episode

http://www.upandcomingdrummer.com/tim-buell

Tim Buell

http://www.timbuellmusic.com

https://www.instagram.com/timbuell

https://www.facebook.com/timothy.buell/

https://www.youtube.com/user/TIMplaysDRUMS

For more info, or to follow the show...

www.upandcomingdrummer.com/podcasts

www.instagram.com/upandcomingdrummer

www.facebook.com/upandcomingdrummer

www.twitter.com/UCDrummerPod

www.chrislangandrummer.com

#Drummer T-Shirt and Hoodie

http://www.teespring.com/drummershirt

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!

Welcome into a very special 38th Episode of The Up & Coming Drummer Podcast. This week, I am joined by Host of the DrumGab Podcast, Mr. Seamus Evely!

Normally, I give you guys an outline of the episode here in the show notes. Basically, a play by play of how the interview flowed. Today, however, I am gonna follow suit with the whole vibe of this episode, and go off script a bit. I'd much rather take this opportunity to rant a bit and talk about the man we here in the drum community have all come to know and love, Seamus Evely.

As you will soon find out, if you haven't already, I wanted to go above and beyond for this episode. You see, whether you know it or not, the Drumgab Podcast was highly influential in the creation of this podcast. I was working a pretty shitty construction job this time last winter, and I began listening to podcasts to help make the day go by quicker. I honestly wasn't banking on there being much that would interest me considering all I really care about is drums! (And my family of course...But you get the point.) Surprisingly, I found this show called DrumGab. It would not only make my work day better but would influence me to try something I never thought possible.

There were several Drum Podcasts at the time which came as quite a shock! Besides Modern Drummer, I'd never heard of any of these dudes who were running their own shows. I liked the Modern Drummers show. I was familiar with Mike and Mike, and it was cool to listen to episodes about some of the best drummers in the industry. But it wasn't until I heard Drumgab that I realized that there was an entire world of drummers out there who were making a name for themselves, and people were interested in them! It was an eye-opener for me. A guy who has been playing drums and teaching his whole life, but has never got recognized outside of this small Pennsylvania town.

Listening to DrumGab gave me the drive to start taking social media more seriously. If Seamus was interviewing big-name drummers, and drummers from the internet, then I could certainly make myself known on the internet. I had what it took. No doubt it! I began to focus on creating better content, and retire that God damn hammer if it killed me! Putting everything I had into making myself known. I continued to listen to DrumGab as often as new episodes were released. All of a sudden I found myself buying cameras, recording gear, and learning the ropes of how to do all this stuff. It consumed me, but I knew it would eventually pay off if I just kept going...No matter how hard or non-rewarding it could feel at times.

My plate was loaded up. I was doing everything. Making Youtube videos, stuff for FB, Instagram, building a website for myself, etc. I literally went all in on a career in drums. Mind you I was still teaching and gigging 2-4 times a week, but this was a whole different avenue I was going down that I've never experienced before. To add to an already overwhelming amount of hats to have my hands in, I decided I too was going to create a podcast! Yep, one more thing I didn't know shit about! Why not though! I was so inspired by what Seamus had done with DrumGab, that I was determined to find a way to chat drums with some of the best drummers in the world as well.

Creating a podcast proved to be one of the biggest pains in the ass I've ever experienced. I can totally see why 90% of them fail. But I wasn't a quitter. I was going to make a Podcast that solely focused on guys like me, and that was all there was to it! I made a flyer for Instagram asking the very few friends I had to hit me up if they wanted to come on my show (which I had no idea how to run).  Although I was in the dark as to how I would pull this off, I subconsciously had the best training anyone could ever need. I listened to fucking DrumGab for hours on end! Lol. Clearly, I couldn't just rip off his show, but folks.....

Welcome in to the first Episode of "Catching Up With..."

Hi everybody. I'm so glad to share with you a new side project within The Up & Coming Drummer Podcast! This new series of Podcasts are called Catching Up With...! Really it's just an excuse to talk with some of my favorite drummers from around the world. And to add to that, it's seriously an amazing community of Drummers. This show blossomed into something I never would have imagined. I've gotten the chance to talk to some of the nicest people in the world through this. We've formed groups on social media, we constantly text, and message each other seeing what everyone's up to. We toss a like on each other's social media content, and attend each other's events. It's all really amazing, so I wanted to check in with all these friends I've made. And hell, why not record it! They're your friends too.

Let's go catch up with Mr. Chris Stephenson!

Check out Chris's Original Interview

http://www.upandcomingdrummer.com/chris-stephenson

https://www.instagram.com/chrisstephensondrums/

https://www.instagram.com/ojband/

 

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...

Welcome to the 36th Episode of The Up & Coming Drummer Podcast! Glad to be back for another week of drum chat. Joining me this time, is Drummer and Educator, Stu Fagan.

Stu Fagan has been on my radar for quite some time now. The way I found him was through Instagram. I have a Youtube Channel called "Behind the Beat with Chris Langan." One day while scrolling through Instagram, I saw a page called "Beyond the Beat". I had to do a double take! While my Youtube Channel has a name, my Instagram is just Chris Langan Drummer. Upon second glance, I noticed that this page did not, in fact, share the same name as my channel. But now that it had my attention, I figured I might as well take a look around!

When Stu and I hopped on the call, I immediately told him about my brief scare. After catching up for a few minutes, it was time to dive in and learn about my new buddy! Stu is from the UK so, at this point, he was about done with his day while mine was just getting started. So I asked him about growing up in Warrington, a neighboring city to Manchester and Liverpool. Stu gives us a nice look into the culture and music scene. We learn about when he first got into the drums, and what inspired him to do so. We discuss whether he took lessons, or if he was self-taught. Stu sets us up for how his career grew into where he is today.

Stu had always jammed with friends growing up. We talked about some of those experiences, and about how he began playing his first gigs at the age of 15. We talked about the bands that he played with throughout the years, and the bands he plays with currently. Over the years Stu has become comfortable with playing with musicians he's never met. This has allowed him to get many gigs as a fill-in drummer. Learning songs on the way to the show is a common thing for him these days. I asked him to give some advice to young drummers who want to be known as the go-to guy in town.

Like myself, Stu makes his living completely on performing and teaching the drums. We talk about what got him into wanting to teach. Stu is very eager to share his passion. you can tell how much he thoroughly enjoys what he does. He works for a few different facilities where he teaches. We discuss the different programs he's involved with and also a bit about how he presents his curriculum. What's next in Stu's teaching career? You'll have to listen to find out!

Next up I moved on to the topic of gear. Stu's kit and setup are unmistakable when you approach his posts in the Instagram feed. You can't miss him with that sweet looking DDrums kit and the orange walls behind him. Stu walks us through his cymbal setup and also lets us in on a little secret about his kit. Did you realize that the toms are actually not a part of the original kit? Stu actually re-wrapped his shells and got everything to match. You would never know it unless he told us!

With the gear comes the platform we see him on. in my next segment, Stu and I discuss his Instagram profile. I asked him what made him want to start an IG page. Over the last year or so, Stu has really built up a following! Aside from the bright orange room, he said alot of people recognize him and follow him because of his enthusiastic facial expressions. I told him that one of the things I notice about his playing is how great he is with dynamics! You'd swear he is about to bash those drums, but he plays with just the right touch and finesse. Before we wrapped up, we talked briefly about followers and why people get jaded about this number we all keep an eye on.

Stu reminds us to stay humble, be ourselves, and forget about numbers. He was a pleasure to talk with and I feel like the listeners will take alot away from this episode. We finish with having Stu tell us about some of the future goals he has set for himself. If you don't already follow Stu, make sure you head to the links below where you can f...

Welcome into Episode #35 of The Up & Coming Drummer Podcast. Joining me this week is Drummer for the band "Breaking Anchors", Locke Nishihara.

I've been following Locke Nishihara for quite some time on Instagram. You may know her from her handle, @ShutupLocke. Her content is immediately recognizable with her bright pink drum room/bedroom, and beautiful DW Drumkit. I was excited to finally get the chance to ask her about her drumming, her artwork, and what it's like living on a tropical island!

It was 3 pm in Hawaii when I hopped on the call with Locke. For me, it was the end of the day. 9:30 pm. She was halfway through her day, and I was about done with mine. I always wanted to go to Hawaii, so we start off the interview by talking about growing up and living there her whole life. Believe it not, Locke isn't really much of a fan of the ocean, nice weather, and nature. I immediately offered to trade places with her if she would rather live here in crappy Pa. It literally rained all summer and our winters are like 8 months long. Depressing to say the least.

After chatting about her life as a child, I asked her about first getting into music. We talked about the bands she liked, and the drummers that grabbed her attention. Locke originally took ukulele lessons but wasn't a fan of the instrument. She decided to take up the drums for no other reason than wanting to do anything but play the uke. Locke explained that she took some brief lessons, but didn't like the idea of having to be somewhere each week. It was then when she started teaching herself how to play.

As locke progressed on the drums, she decided to join her local Church's worship team. She played mostly in Church besides some random jams with friends up until last year when she joined her first band. She responded to an add looking for a drummer and got the gig. Their band is called  "Breaking Anchors" and can be seen playing throughout their local scene. They recently recorded a few songs. One of which you can hear at the end of this episode! You can also check them out by heading to the links below.

Next up, I wanted to ask Locke about some her feature in Drum Magazine. She was featured in the New Blood section of the magazine and explained how she thought the person who contacted her was just pulling her tail. She was surprised to see a few months later that they actually put her in the mag! I actually remember reading that specific magazine and seeing her in there in October of 2017. I recognized the pink room immediately when I started talking to Locke about being on the show!

Earlier I mentioned that Locke is also an amazing artist. Although she will tell you she just "doodles", Evans Drumheads even reposted the work she does on drumheads. If you check out her Instagram, you'll see some of the incredibly detailed patterns she draws and paints on drumheads. I asked her how long it usually takes her and she said depending on the size of the head, and detail of the painting, it could take anywhere from 1 to 3 hours generally. Locke has even done work on her guitarists Fender body. She doesn't really sell her pieces but has received money for some of them. If you are interested in a custom head, I'm sure you could work out a deal with her!

Since we were sort of on the topic of gear, I figured it would be a good time for her to give us the rundown on her setup. Locke plays a slick looking DW kit. Her cymbal setup is also pretty awesome. It combines the best of both worlds in my opinion. She uses both Meinl Byznace, and Zildjian K Custom Hybrid. Two of my favorite lines in the cymbal world! Locke doesn't currently endorse any companies but with her talent as a drummer, her artwork, and over 15K followers, I'm sure it's just a matter of time!

Speaking of followers, we round out the interview talking a bit about social media.

Drummer guys and gals of the world, welcome in to Episode #34 of The Up & Coming Drummer Podcast! We are back this week with Drummer for the band "The Dear Misses", Bret Collins!

When I first chat with potential guests for the show, it's sometimes months before we actually do the interview. There are many emails that go back and forth discussing the topics of the show. This protocol was no different with Bret Collins. However, it seemed like we ran into a few more scheduling issues than usual. It actually worked out for the better. I was two weeks behind on episodes for the longest time. This is the first time in a long time that I am recording an episode the same week that it comes out!

Enough about that though. Let's talk about my guest, Bret Collins. After a long day at work, Bret sat down with me to tell us a bit about his career as a drummer. We first learn about Bret's upbringing. He tells a bit about how he got into music, his love for Garth Brooks, and playing in middle school band. Bret walks us through his years in concert band, taking lessons, and high school marching band. After graduating high school, Bret went on to study music in college. We chatted about the music scene in his area, and the musicians he jammed with in his early years as a drummer.

Our conversation leads us up to his current band, "The Dear Misses". Bret explains how the guys met, and points out how his singer was actually the head drummer in his drumline. Bret describes their sound as alternative rock, with sprinkled in influences of each of the bands members. We talk about some of the places they've played, national acts they've opened for, adn getting radio play in their hometown! Bret's band has shared the stage with former guest Jacob Dorn's band, "Sweet Ascent".

Recently, The Dear Misses were lucky enough to win some free studio time in which they took the opportunity to record a couple of their new songs. This would be Bret's first ever experience in a recording studio. I took this time to pick Bret's brain about what that experience was like. He offers up some great tips on how to prepare for a recording session. It's important to be prepared. That clock is ticking so be ready, and know your material.

I had mentioned before that Bret works a full-time job and puts many hours on the clock. Like most of us, we dream to be able to play drums for a living. Bret explains how you never know if it's for you until you try it. he would love to see himself in a touring band, or even as a drumtech just to get the taste of life on the road. We talk about the steps he's currently taking to get closer to his goal.  He is even considering teaching drums to help get himself closer to full-time drummer status.

Next up, I wanted to ask Bret about his relationship with Jacob Dorn. It turns out that Jacob would often set up his kit at Bret's house when he was coming off of tour. The two would jam together and Bret expressed how important it is to jam with other drummers. He said he learned alot from jamming with Jacob. We plan on having Jacob back on the show soon so keep your eyes for a follow up with him.

Bret and I shift the conversation to social media. Bret had stated that he was at one time very shy, not wanting people to see him play. I asked him if this has had any effect on putting himself out there on Social Media. Turns out that Bret is very active on these platforms doing most of the posting for his band, and interacting with people on his personal pages as well. We talk tactics on how to grow your presence. You can check out all the pages Bret and his band can be found below.

In the next part of our chat, Bret and I talk about gear. he gives us a rundown on his DDrums kit complete with sizes. Bret plays Zildjian Cymbals. All rides by the way! He credits John Bonham for giving him the idea to use ride cymbals as crashes.

What's up, everyone! Welcome into Episode #33 of The Up and Coming Drummer Podcast! This week, I'm sitting down with Drummer/Educator, Zee Johnson!

I've had Zee Johnson booked for the show for quite some time so it was nice to finally get the chance to talk with her! She had some pretty cool things happen for her lately so it couldn't have been a better time to have her on the show! As usual, I like to find out a bit about my guests younger years. So before we get into everything that she has going on now, I asked Zee to tell us about growing up in Texas, how she found the drums, and what some of her influences were.

Zee got her start on the drums in her church. I have a student who is looking to join his church's band, so I wanted to ask Zee a few questions about how you get involved with the worship team. I never had the chance to play in church, so I had Zee tell us how she landed her position behind the kit. This is a great part of the interview for anyone who is also looking to join their church's band!

More recently, Zee has been performing with a Christian band called "Conclave". The band was formed featuring members from various churches in her area. I asked her about how the group was formed, and what their performance schedule looks like. Zee tells us that even though the band sometimes has a rotating lineup, they still manage to play throughout the area frequently.

If you follow Zee on Instagram, you probably saw that she recently played the GraceHopper Convention. The convention hosted Presidents, CEO's, and other members of some of the biggest tech companies in the world! Through a youtube video, Zee was discovered and asked to open the convention that had over 20,000 folks in attendance! I asked Zee to tell us about this experience and what it was like to be a solo performer for that many people. She has listed this as one of her greatest achievements and told me about meeting some of the most powerful women in the tech business.

Being a Full-Time Drummer myself, I always like to ask fellow drummers how they have managed to make a career out of their passion. Zee originally went to college to study the sciences but changed her career path to pursue music. Being able to do music full-time doesn't mean just playing drums. There are many facets of this career. You have to teach, gig, and take any session work that comes your way. I chatted with Zee about the different "Drumming Jobs" that she has.

Zee has accomplished some pretty amazing things in her career thus far. She was featured in Drum Magazine's "New Blood", and was a top 20 finalist in the "Hit Like a Girl" competition. But the accomplishments she holds dearest to her heart are the relationships she has with some of the gear she plays. Zee is an endorsee of Mia Moore Drumsticks, Sledge Pad, and Domain Cymbals. I asked Zee to run us through her set up and tell us a bit about the gear she plays and loves.

Social Media was the topic of the next portion of our conversation. Zee has a massive following on Instagram. With close to 20k followers, you would never guess that she almost gave it all up. She had been bullied pretty heavily on her youtube channel which almost made her give up creating content. But if there's one thing you need to understand about Zee, it's that she is deeply rooted in her faith.  This is a great part of the interview, especially for anyone who might be unsure of whether they want to create drumming content. Zee inspires us with her drive to push through the negative and shows us how the negative things have forced her to work even harder.

In the final part of my interview with Zee Johnson, I wanted to talk to her about the female drumming community. Zee is very passionate about the stigma surrounding female drummers. She goes on to explain that the general public doesn't seem to take a female drummer seriously.