Working Drummer

Spanning more than four decades as an educator, Bruce Becker has been bringing forward unique concepts in developing “The Flow”! Drawing from his more than thirty-year association with drumming guru Freddie Gruber, Bruce is carrying on the torch of a unique approach in getting the student to understand the natural principles of the physical body’s interaction with the drum set.

Through the years Top Drummers Vinnie Colaiuta, David Garibaldi, Tris Imboden, Mark Schulman, Jack Bruno, Glen Sobel, Tim Carman and many more have sought his guidance. 

Bruce co-led the David Becker Tribune for 35 years recording 10 CDs. He has performed/recorded with Ron Carter, Mike Stern, Russell Ferrante, Barbara Dennerlein, John Abercrombie, producer Ken Caillat, Frank Gambale and many others. 

Bruce has conducted master classes all over the world and has been a regular contributor to Drumeo creating the highly successful Drum Technique Made Easy course. He is the author of “The Ultimate Guide to Syncopation” (Hudson), an in depth guide to the classic book “Syncopation“ by Ted Reed, “Puzzles, Rhymes and Riddles” (Hudson) and the DVD “Concepts and Philosophies” (Hudson).

His newest book/course, “Paradiddle Power: A Complete Guide”, will be released shortly. The project takes the paradiddle far beyond the traditional rudiment, exploring it as a vehicle for phrasing, groove, melodic ideas, and the choreography that allows those ideas to flow naturally around the drumset. It is accompanied by 37 instructional videos.

Bruce continues to inspire drummers around the world through books, online education, masterclasses, clinics, and private mentoring, carrying forward a lifelong pursuit of natural movement, musical freedom, and artistic expression. His mission remains the same: to help every drummer discover a more effortless, expressive, and authentic relationship with the instrument.

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Cassius Goens III is active on the Indianapolis scene primarily as a jazz drummer but he gets into plenty of other trouble there. He’s also a professor at Ball State University in Muncie, IN where he was born and raised. He teaches jazz drumset and also leads a 15-piece commercial music ensemble in the Music, Media, and Production department there.

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John Gardner is a Nashville legend who's touring credits include working with artists like Narvel Felts, John Conlee, The Dixie Chicks "Top Of The World" tour, James Taylor and The Dixie Chicks, Earl Scruggs, Don Williams and others.

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Jay Moeller has spent his entire adult life and career in Austin Texas where he has played with a long list of artists and acts from covers at the dive bar to names with international reach. He has also begun to lead his own projects both live and in the studio. 

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A native of France, Ben Lecourt spent his childhood studying percussion with George Van Gucht of the Percussion Of Strasbourg while at conservatory in the south of France. During this time, Ben simultaneously began his discovery of bebop through private studies with various drum teachers. Spending a decade based in Paris, Ben honed his playing nightly in jazz clubs and festivals such as Montreux Jazz.

He moved to LA late 2011 where he studied music production at UCLA Extension, and dove into the local music scene.

He has since been busy recording with the likes of Linda Perry, Mark Stoermer from The Killers, Cat Power, Rocco DeLuca as well as playing live with Denny Laine from Wings and The Moody Blues, The Wallflowers, Aaron Lee Tasjan, Nick Waterhouse, Roger Manning Jr amongst others.

He is currently on tour with Cat Power celebrating the 20th anniversary of the album “The Greatest”.

When not on the road, he can be found in his home studio, Rancho Magnolia.

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Jason Smay has been in Nashville for a decade and plays with his son, McKinley James. Prior to that, he was based in Rochester, NY and toured with JD McPherson, Los Strait Jackets, and others. He and McKinley are also part of the Nashville group The Tiger Beats with Patrick Sweany and Ted Pecchio.

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Christopher Williams was born to be a drummer. Throughout high school, Williams drummed for several rock, jazz, metal, funk and blues groups, as well as the Greenville South Carolina youth orchestra. In 2004 he toured the United States as a member of the Carolina Gold Drum & Bugle corps. Christopher won a gold medal during the annual individual & ensemble competition and retained the title until 2006. Since 2008 he has been based in Nashville, Tennessee where he has built a strong reputation within the music community.

During his school years, Williams was able to study with Paul Riddle of the Marshall Tucker band, Dr. Gary Robinson, Brian Tinkle of the cavaliers drum & bugle corps, Ed Shaughnessy, Jim Chapin, and Elvin Jones.

During April of 2015 it was announced that Christopher would join the legendary heavy metal band Accept. Since then the group has played hundreds of shows in more than fifty countries around the world. Christopher has received global media attention, being featured in magazines and press since joining the band. When possible he performs, records, and tours with other artists & bands in a variety of genres.

Some of the artists/groups he has worked with include: Gene Simmons Ace, Frehley, Accept, Andrew W.K,. Rex Brown, Derek St Holmes, John Corabi, Kaato, Mick Mars, Blackfoot, Lee Greenwood, Kid Rock, Peter Stroud, Her, A Thousand Horses, members of: Parliament Funkadelic, the Rolling Stones, Kiss, Slaughter, Cinderella, David Bowie, Rod Stewart, Alice Cooper, Steppenwolf.

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Jason Smay has been in Nashville for a decade and plays with his son, McKinley James. Prior to that, he was based in Rochester, NY and toured with JD McPherson, Los Strait Jackets, and others. He and McKinley are also part of the Nashville group The Tiger Beats with Patrick Sweany and Ted Pecchio.

In this episode, Jason talks about:

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Growing up in the church among talented and influential mentors, Kevin Watkins developed into a professional drummer and musician. Opportunities for recording, touring and even singing were readily available. His longest gig was with Country Gospel band, Brush Arbor. Although they were based in SoCal, they spent a lot of time in Nashville, recording and doing TV. 

Later in life, Kevin’s drumming took a bit of a back seat to audio engineer and production work. He quickly became passionate about the other side of the glass in part because of his experiences as a player. 

Even though live FOH and production opportunities kept him busy, drums always remained in focus. In early 2023, Kevin made it official and launched K-Wat Drum Co.

In this episode, Kevin talks about:

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Sarah has been behind the scenes in the drum industry for decades, from her longtime role at Zildjian to her podcast Sarah Hagan Backstage to founding and running the Royal Cymbal company with Paul Francis. Most recently, she stepped into her newest role as director of artist relations for both Gibraltar Hardware and Rogers Drums.

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