Working Drummer

 Matt Starr is a 20-year veteran of the LA scene and recently landed in Sarah McLachlan's drum chair. Over his career, he has divided his time playing live and recording in the pop/rock world and has also been producing music in his own studio. Matt began formal study of drums in his hometown of Toronto with Vito Rezza, and went on to study with Joe Morello, Jim Chapin, and Bernard Purdie. In addition to the Sarah gig, he has also performed with Buffy Sainte-Marie, Chris Shiflett (from the Foo Fighters), Christopher Cross, Lisa Loeb (with whom he recorded a grammy winning album in 2018), Deana Carter, Glen Ballard, Alphonso Johnson, Lucy Hale, Kiki Ebsen, Kevyn Lettau and Inbar Starr.

In this podcast, Matt talks about:

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400! We’ve celebrated milestones in different ways over the years and this time around we wanted to make you the listener the special guest. Over the last few months we’ve been collecting messages from y’all about where you are in your drumming journey and where the podcast has fit into that.

Matt and Zack also reflect on where they are in their drumming journeys (two very different places) and the role the podcast is playing for in that, professionally and personally.

We want to thank everyone for calling and writing in, it’s been really rewarding to hear from old friends and new, some close to home, some halfway around the world about how what we do here is valued. And thanks also to everyone who has listened, donated, told a friend about us, followed us on social media, there have been so many ways y’all have supported us over the years and that support is the reason we’ve reached this milestone. Thank you.

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Drummer, singer, and songwriter Jerry Gaskill founded the progressive metal band Kings X in 1983. A native of Bridgeton, New Jersey, Gaskill began playing at a young age, forming a band with his father and brother and playing his first gig at the age of seven. After playing in bands throughout high school, he became heavily involved in the Christian faith and enrolled at Evangel University in Springfield, Missouri. Not long after arriving in Springfield, he befriended bassist dUg Pinnick and the two formed a sturdy rhythm section, backing up artists like future Petra singer Greg X. Volz and guitarist Phil Keaggy.

After trying out various combos of their own, Gaskill and Pinnick were joined by guitarist Ty Tabor and the trio, then called Sneak Preview, relocated to Houston, Texas. Changing their name to Kings X in 1987, they eventually signed with metal label Megaforce and released their debut, Out of the Silent Planet, a year later. A prog trio with a strong melodic bent and elaborate three-part harmonies, Kings X have enjoyed a successful career with stints on Atlantic, Metal Blade, and InsideOut Music. Gaskill's contributions as drummer, writer, and occasional lead singer are an integral part of Kings X's sound.

In 2004, he released his solo debut, Come Somewhere, which was recorded and produced by bandmate Ty Tabor. In addition to his work with Kings X, Gaskill has contributed to side projects by his two bandmates as well as albums by blues guitarist Jay Hooks and New Jersey songwriter Bob Burger. After suffering a heart attack in early 2012, Gaskill's home was destroyed by Hurricane Sandy later that same year. Waylaid by a second heart attack in 2014, he rallied to release his second solo LP, Love & Scars. The album was released in October 2015 and featured guest spots from Billy Sheehan, Phil Keaggy, Earl Slick, and others.

In this episode, Jerry talks about:

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Based in Boston, MA, Tim is an international touring musician, session drummer, educator, and published author with both Alfred Music and Hudson Music. Tim currently records and tours extensively with GA-20, a three-time Billboard #1 blues trio signed to Karma Chief/Colemine records. He also leads two of his own projects: Tim Carman & The Street 45s—a world-groove inspired funk band—and the Tim Carman Trio—a vintage organ jazz trio (à la Jimmy Smith) nominated for “Jazz Act of the Year (2022)” by the Boston Music Awards.

Along with performing, Tim is a dedicated educator who has released four drum books: Haynes-ISM (2022 via Hudson Music), Groove Systems (2021 via Hudson Music), Shape Beats: Drum Notation Simplified (2020), and Shape Beats for Kids (2017 via Alfred Music). 

In this episode, Tim talks about

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Kris Mazzarisi is the founder and owner of innovative drum company Big Fat Snare Drum. Big Fat Snare Drum has become a standard must have piece of gear that is used by the majority of drummers around the world.

When he isn’t running his business or inventing new products to add to the BFSD legacy, Kris tours with his brother in the band Winnetka Bowling League.

Kris leans into his years experiences in the music industry as an intuitive guide in the running and growth of Big Fat Snare Drum. 

In this episode, Kris talks about:

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Mona Tavakoli is a Los Angeles-based drummer, singer and performer bets known for recording and touring with Jason Mraz. While Mona is equally comfortable performing as a drummer and a percussionist, she is especially known for adapting the cajón to unexpected genres such as rock and pop.

Mona and Mraz have been collaborating for nearly a decade. She toured worldwide on Mraz’s 2012 album, Love is a Four Letter Word, and they performed together as a duo on programs such as The Today Show, The David Letterman Show, Ellen, Dancing with the Stars, and Late Night With Jimmy Fallon.

She is a co-founder and co-director of the Rock n’ Roll Camp For Girls Los Angeles, a nonprofit that encourages girls to find their voices through music during an intensive, weeklong summer day camp. Mona also promotes music education by hosting rhythm workshops at elementary schools and colleges around the country.

Mona has been featured in DRUM!, Tom Tom Magazine, judged and hosted the Hit Like A Girl drum contest and awards show and is the recipient of the 2016 She Rocks awards “Inspire Award” for her work with the Rock n’ Roll Camp for Girls.

In this episode, Mona talks about:

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   John Dittrich is the well known drummer, singer and founding member of the band Restless Heart who had numerous hits in the country and pop genres. John is originally from Syracuse, New York and moved to Nashville Tennessee in 1981. By 1984, Restless Heart released it’s first recording and continued to record and tour for over thirty years.

   After a successful and extensive career, John now enjoys retirement. 

In this episode, John talks about:

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NYC based drummer, educator, and product inventor, Pat Petrillo has been a leader in the drum industry for years. He has backed a wide array of artists from many genres, including Patti LaBelle, Gloria Gaynor, Glen Burtnik, Oz Noy, and numerous Broadway shows. His popular video lessons on Drumeo.com and numerous others have inspired millions of drummers over the years. He now leads his own group, the NYC Big Rhythm Band, which has just released a new record called The Power Station Sessions. Pat also has man product designs to his credit, including the very popular 21" K Custom Organic Ride, and the new Drumeo P4 Practice Pad.

In this episode, Pat talks about

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Shawn Pelton has recorded with a wide range of artists and has been a first call player since moving to New York in the late 1980s.

Shawn has recorded with artists such as Sheryl Crow, Shawn Colvin, Natalie Merchant, Ingrid Michaelson, Billy Joel, Van Morrison, Elton John, Rod Stewart, Johnny Cash, Rosanne Cash, Pink, Shakira, Kelly Clarkson, Five For Fighting, Michelle Branch, Regina Spektor, Tears for Fears, Citizen Cope, Matisyahu, Jonatha Brooke, David Byrne, Edie Brickell, Marc Cohn, Richie Havens, Joan Osborne, Hall and Oates, Odetta, Pavarotti, Phillip Phillips, George Michael, Carly Simon, Dixie Chicks, Chris Botti and Buddy Guy, and has played on several Grammy winning albums for artists including Ray Charles, The Brecker Brothers, Shakira, Shawn Colvin, Les Paul and the Hank Williams tribute album with Bob Dylan.

Shawn is also the longtime drummer in the house band for Saturday Night Live.

Since 2007, Pelton has been regularly appearing as the drummer on Daryl Hall's internet concert series Live from Daryl's House.

Pelton also served periodically as the substitute drummer in the CBS Orchestra on Late Show with David Letterman during regular drummer Anton Fig's absences.

Pelton is also a founding member of the NYC-based band The Cringe.

In this episode, Shawn talks about:

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Willy Rodriguez is a Latin GRAMMY-winning drummer, percussionist and bandleader. He was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico and began playing drums at age thirteen. He received his musical start playing throughout Puerto Rico in rock and pop bands. When Willy was twenty-one he started working as the Musical Director and drummer for Latin American Idol’s touring group. Following his experience at Idol, he was awarded a scholarship to attend Berklee College of Music in 2007. His reputation as a skilled musician spread quickly in the Boston area and he began playing extensively with musicians such as Jason Palmer and Andre Heyward. At Berklee, Willy studied with a host of famed teachers such as Terri-Lyne Carrington, Yoron Israel, Ralph Peterson and Greg Osby.

In 2014, Willy graduated from New England Conservatory with a Master’s degree in Jazz Drum Performance. At NEC, he studied with Billy Hart, Cecil McBee, Miguel Zenon, Jerry Bergonzi and Bob Moses, among others. He has performed alongside some of the premier musicians in jazz and Latin jazz including Jason Palmer, Papo Vasquez and Dave Liebman, with whom he has recorded and played with extensively. In addition to his work in jazz, he has performed and/or recorded with an extensive list of genre-spanning artists including Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, Mon Laferte, Domino Saints, and more. In 2019, he won a Latin GRAMMY for his work on Mon Laferte's 'Norma'. Willy recorded the self-titled seventh album by The Mars Volta, released in 2022 after a ten-year hiatus. 

In this episode, Willy talks about

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