Working Drummer

John Spittle has been the long-time drummer with Country icon Trace Adkins. John began his career on the drums in Southern California playing in bands and recording sessions since the age of 15. Since moving to Nashville, TN, in 1997, John has toured and recorded with various artists, including Sara Evans, Aaron Tippin, Chris Cagle, Kellie Coffey, Matt King, Paul Brandt, and more. When not on the road, John has a studio where he records drums on over 100 songs a year for producers/artists all over the world.

TV credits include The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Conan O Brien Show, Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, The Today Show, ACM Awards, CMT Awards, Craig Ferguson Show, NYC New Year's Eve Bash, Ellen DeGeneres Show, NBC Country Christmas, Grand Ol Opry Live, Emeril Live, Miss America USA, and many more.

In this episode, John talks about:

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Bruno is a Brazilian drummer and percussionist based in the Bay Area and the longtime drummer for indie rock icon Mitski.

He graduated from Berklee College of Music in Boston, moved to New York in 2011 and to Los Angeles in 2020. Throughout the last 15 years, Bruno has toured every continent of the world, played drums on the hit Broadway show Hedwig and The Angry Inch (4x Tony Awards winner), appeared on many TV shows, and has performed at festivals such as Coachella, Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits, Bonnaroo, Java Jazz Festival (Indonesia), Fuji Rock Festival (Japan) and legendary concert venues such as the Hollywood Bowl, Radio City Music Hall (NYC), Red Rocks Amphitheater, Wembley Stadium, The Greek Theater, Ryman Auditorium, Kennedy Center, Central Park SummerStage amongst many more. Recording credits include records in the USA, Japan, Argentina and Brazil.

In this episode, Bruno talks about:

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Originally from Merrick, NY, Marc Slutsky built his reputation as both a touring and studio drummer, working with a wide range of internationally recognized artists.

Marc first gained broader visibility performing with Splender, a late-1990s/early-2000s alternative rock band signed to Columbia Records. The bands first album “Halfway Down The Sky” was produced by Todd Rundgren. The group achieved chart success with their singles “Yeah, Whatever” and “I Think God Can Explain,” helping establish Marc as a solid and expressive drummer. Splender made a second album on Clive Davis’s J records “To Whom It May Concern” which featured Slutsky’s drumming further.

After Splender, Slutsky became a highly in-demand touring and session musician.

Over the years he has performed, recorded, or toured with artists including: Peter Murphy, Bauhaus, Adam Ant, Puddle Of Mudd, Kylie Minogue, Delta Goodrem, The Calling, Sons Of Silver, Alexa Ray Joel, Tom Morello (RATM), Terri Nunn (Berlin), Lou Gramm (Foreigner), Hugo, Gavin Degraw

In addition, Slutsky has appeared extensively on TV including shows such as X-Factor, The View, Good Morning America, Queen Latifah Show, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Last Call with Carson Daily, Late Show with David Letterman, Wendy Williams Show, 2010 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting (NBC) with Kylie Minogue, and Jimmy Kimmel Live.

In this episode, Marc talks about:

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Jeff Hamilton attended Indiana University and later studied with John Von Ohlen. Hamilton was influenced by Gene Krupa, Buddy Rich, Mel Lewis, “Philly” Joe Jones, and Shelly Manne. In 1974, he got his first big break playing with the New Tommy Dorsey Orchestra. He then joined Lionel Hampton’s Band until 1975 when he, along with bassist John Clayton, became members of the Monty Alexander Trio. He attained a childhood goal in 1977 when he joined Woody Herman and the Thundering Herd, with whom he made several recordings. In 1978, he was offered a position in the L.A.4. with Ray Brown, Bud Shank, and Laurindo Almeida. He recorded 6 albums with the L.A.4.

From 1983-1987, he performed with Ella Fitzgerald, the Count Basie Orchestra, Rosemary Clooney, and Monty Alexander. Hamilton began his association with the Ray Brown Trio in 1988 and left in March of 1995 to concentrate on his own trio. From 1990-1995, he was also a member of the Oscar Peterson Quartet w/Herb Ellis and Ray Brown. Hamilton has toured with his own trio, the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, and Diana Krall. The latest CHJO recording LA Treasures was nominated for a GRAMMY. Hamilton has been on more than 300 recordings with artists such as Ray Brown, Natalie Cole, Diana Krall, Milt Jackson, Rosemary Clooney, Barbra Streisand, Mel Torme, John Pizzarelli, Dr. John, Paul McCartney, and many others. He appeared in Diana Krall’s Live in Paris and Rio DVDs. He is a four time winner of Modern Drummer magazine Readers’ Poll.

In this episode, Jeff talks about:

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As SABIAN’s Director of Artist & Public Relations, Chris Stankee leads the charge in shaping and nurturing the company’s artist program on a worldwide scale. His responsibilities span from talent recruitment to artist development and support, all while playing a pivotal role in product development and elevating SABIAN’s presence across social media platforms.

In this episode, Chris talks about:

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Nate had been a fixture on the Nashville scene for 14 years and recently landed the proverbial big gig. He found himself in Zach Top’s drum chair when Zach was an opening act in thousand cap rooms, and the whole operation was very DIY. Not long after, Zach’s popularity exploded make him an international arena and stadium headliner seemingly overnight, and he took Nate and the rest of his band with him.

In this episode, Nate talks about:

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Originally from Fort Bragg, California, Zoltan Tobak started playing drums at an early age. After years of performing throughout California as well as attending the Musicians Institute in Los Angeles, he relocated to Nashville in 2014 to pursue music full time.

Since 2016, Zoltan has been the live and studio drummer for Muscadine Bloodline, performing extensively and recording five full-length albums. Beyond touring, he stays active in the Nashville community, playing and recording across a range of projects.

In this episode, Zoltan talks about:

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Sean McDaniel is currently the drummer for Chess on Broadway.  He also played Smash, Cabaret, Some Like It Hot, Frozen, The Book Of Mormon, Spamalot, Violet, La Cage Aux Folles, and Nine To Five on Broadway.  Off-Broadway he originated Hamilton. Sean can be seen and heard in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tick Tick Boom.  He has played all over the country with American Idol Runner-Up Clay Aiken.  Other performances include Sutton Foster, Barry Manilow, Audra McDonald, Jennifer Hudson, Sting, Dolly Parton, Idina Menzel, Tituss Burgess, Jane Lynch, and the Tony Awards. Sean earned his BM at University of North Texas and his MFA at New York University. He is endorsed by DW, Evans, Vic Firth, and Sabian. 

In this episode, Sean talks about:

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Ben Koller is an Los Angeles based drummer who worked with bands like Converge, Mutoid Man, Killer Be Killed and All Pigs Must Die just to name a few. He is involved in the Heavy Music Collective a community of musicians and royalties professionals that are committed to getting money back to the bands.

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Nate's formal drum set training began during high school with Grant Menefee in Baltimore, Maryland. He continued his education in Boston, Massachusetts as a performance major at the renowned Berklee College of Music, studying with drummers such as Ed Uribe, Ian Froman, John Ramsay and Ron Savage. Upon graduating in 1994, he taught and played locally in Boston until moving to Los Angeles in 1999 where he has since amassed live performance and recording credits that include Natalie Cole, Michael Bolton, Madonna, Miley Cyrus, Pink, Paulina Rubio and Thalia among others. In 2010, he was the house band drummer on Bonnie Hunt's day time talk show, as well as performing with Cher for her string of appearances at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace. Now, you can catch him grooving during prime time on the NBC hit show, THE VOICE.

In this episode, Nate talks about:

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