Working Drummer

Quinton Robinson moved to Atlanta from Miami in 2010, and has established himself as a busy touring and session drummer for acts including Kenny Lattimore, Avery Sunshine, Algebra Blessett, and the newly released New-York-based musical “Born For This.” Jonathan Joseph served as his primary mentor on the drums, and Q has also made himself valuable as an expert Ableton practitioner and STEM producer. In addition to many roles as drummer, Quinton is also the musical director for Anthony David.

In this podcast, Q talks about:

The advent of JammCard in LA, Atlanta, and Nashville

The mentorship of Jonathan Joseph and Will Kennedy

Making the jump from his gospel upbringing to the broader music world

The mixed reputation of the term “gospel drummer”

How church drumming makes you “road ready”

Why at least some Ableton literacy is almost necessary

How programming can be used as an enhancement or a crutch.

Quinton Robinson endorses Pearl drums, Vater sticks, Sabian cymbals, Humes & Berg cases, Reunion Blues gigbags, Audix microphones, Empire ears, Pighog cables, Ableton, Kickport, Drumdots, and Big Fat Snare Drum.

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Billy Thomas moved to Nashville from Los Angeles in 1987 and immediately began working with award winning singer, songwriter and instrumentalist Vince Gill. He has been a member of Gill’s touring band ever since and regularly sings and plays on Gill’s records. Billy is also a member of the multi Grammy nominated western swing band, The Time Jumpers. 

Billy has recorded and/or toured with Patty Loveless, Emmylou Harris, Steve Wariner, Marty Stuart, Ricky Nelson, Don Williams, Earl Scruggs and Dolly Parton. During the early ‘90s, Thomas was a founding member of the MCA Records trio, McBride & The Ride. The band’s Top 10 singles included “Sacred Ground,” “Going Out Of My Mind,” “Just One Night” and “Love On The Loose, Heart On The Run.” Thomas’ songs have been recorded by McBride & The Ride, Gill, Dottie West, Little River Band, Ricochet, the Oak Ridge Boys and Andy Griggs, among others.

In this episode, Billy talks about: 

* The current changes Nashville is experiencing 

* The important role of the drummer 

* Using technique as a vehicle for achieving a great feel 

* Continuing to find joy in music after many years and experiences

* The importance of good health

* The willingness to be part of a team

* Touring and recording with Vince Gill for the better part of thirty years

* The Time Jumpers

* Singing and drumming

Billy endorses: Ludwig Drums, Sabian Cymbals, Pro-Mark Sticks, Evans Drumheads

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Dylan Wissing has been quietly amassing a resume of A-list recording credits including Jay-Z, Eminem, Kanye West, Alicia Keys, and John Legend. He grew up in Bloomington, IN, studied with Kenny Aronoff and Shawn Pelton, and toured for 13 years with the band Johnny Socko. When the band had run its course, Dylan ended up in the New York area in 2003 and began touring and recording with a huge variety of artists. He had worked with producer Ken Lewis on Johnny Socko’s last record, and Lewis began hiring him for new projects. This relationship has been central to Dylan’s career and continues to this day. In 2008, Dylan opened Triple Colossal Studios in Hoboken, NJ where he has been a go-to for just about any drum groove or sound anyone can think of.

In this podcast, Dylan talks about

* The early influence of Shawn Pelton and Kenny Aronoff

* The 13 years he spent on the road with Johnny Socko

* Making the transition from touring to doing more session work

* How studio carpentry and selling drums on Ebay put him in the drum and music world, and how he developed skills that he uses as a session drummer and studio owner

* Listening to drums with your ears, not your eyes

* The three pillars of his business: An arsenal of drums, a huge set of technological skills, and a lifetime of listening to and absorbing music

* A few of the essential drum breaks in the hip hop lexicon

* The importance of knowing how to achieve a wide variety of snare sounds

* Trends in tone

* “Gear with a vibe”

* His marketing strategy – delegating to experts when it comes to graphic design, mixing, etc.

Dylan Wissing endorses GMS Drums, Sabian Cymbals, Promark Sticks, Aquarian Drumheads, and TnR Products.

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Jake Gammon is the touring drummer for accomplished singer/songwriter Phil Vassar. When not on the road with Phil, Jake keeps a full schedule performing many shows a week on Nashville’s legendary lower Broadway music scene.

Originally from Lexington Kentucky, Jake was learning the business side of music at an early age and by fourteen, he was a drummer for hire. His high school years were spent drumming for many Lexington based bands.

In October 2009, Jake made the long anticipated move to Nashville to continue his pursuit of a career in music. Jake has worked for Chase Bryant, Josh Gracin, Josh Adams, Lyndsey Highlander just to name a few. In the Summer of 2011 Jake completed an 11 city tour of Japan as the drummer for “Far from Idol”, that featured former American Idol finalists. The tour was part of an effort to support our Nations men and women serving in the military abroad.

In this episode, Jake talks about: 

* Working with Phil Vassar

* Unique experience gained from working on lower Broadway in Nashville

* Recognizing the contributions of iconic Nashville drummers 

* Balancing work and life

* Meeting Chad Cromwell as a 12 year old kid

* Spotify playlist: The Golden Age of Nashville

* Playing with confidence as an asset to those who employ you

* Finding inspiration in other players

Jake endorses Vater Sticks

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Isabelle De Leon grew up in the Washington, DC area in a musical family. Her father instilled a love of music in all his daughters and for awhile, Isabelle and her siblings comprised the band Ivy Rose, which made an appearance on America’s Got Talent. She attended The University of Maryland where she delved into jazz for the first time, gravitating to the playing and energy of Tony Williams and his most famous protege, Cindy Blackman. Although she began her freshman year with no jazz training or knowledge whatsoever, she quickly rose through the ranks of the jazz department, and earned a bachelor’s degree in jazz studies. Her main gigs currently are with two synth-pop bands, Prinze George and Paperwhite, and with the DC-base funk/soul band Lionize. She also hosts a Sunday jam session at Pearl Street Warehouse in the popular District Wharf area of Washington.

In this podcast, Isabelle talks about:

* Her recent performance with an all-female drumline for “A Capitol Fourth“

* Ivy Rose’s appearance on America’s Got Talent, and the difficult criticisms that came from it

* DC’s music scene, “a working musician’s city,” and its musical identity and history from punk to go-go

* The central part music played in her family and Filipino culture

* Being the only female in a college jazz department, and the only one with no jazz training

* Finding her passion for jazz through passion for specific players

* The male-derived climate that women in music must negotiate, regardless of whether or not they are explicitly victimized

* Different musical circles’ attitudes towards women and competition

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Joe Crabtree played his first professional gig at 14 and was teaching by age 15.

After studying Physics at Durham University (where he spent the majority of his time playing with function bands, small jazz bands and the university big band) he returned to teaching and playing in the North of England for a few years before moving to London to embark on a career as a professional musician.

He played and recorded with a number of original bands before joining the David Cross (King Crimson) band in 2004. He played shows with David Cross in Japan, Italy, and the UK before leaving to join Pendragon.

After a couple of European tours with Pendragon including 2 DVD releases he joined classic rock legends Wishbone Ash in 2007 and remains their drummer to the present day.

His sense of rhythm and melody led to production and and co-writing credits with Elena, the David Cross Band, and Wishbone Ash. Joe co-wrote songs on Wishbone Ash’s “Elegant Stealth” and “Blue Horizon”which he also co-produced.

In his down time from touring Joe created an online music school – JoeCrabtree.com, as well as an extremely versatile and useful metronome app called the PolyNome. 

He has also helped to redefine how we learn and understand complex odd time signatures with a revolutionary method called the Key Counting Method. 

Discounts available for WDP listeners for Joe’s website and the Key Counting Method

To receive 10% off, enter the affiliate/discount code for KeyCounting.com : http://keycounting.com/workingdrummer

At http://www.JoeCrabtree.com/join, you can get 20% off an annual Gold Pass, or the lifetime Platinum Pass with the coupon code WORKINGDRUMMER

In this podcast, Joe talks about: 

* Learning how to write code and developing the PolyNome app

* Facing and overcoming your fears 

* The many useful features of the PolyNome

* Drumming for Wishbone Ash

* Creating content that you enjoy 

* The “Key Counting Method” as a tool to understanding odd time signatures

* Drumming “vocabulary” as key

* Cultivating other interests outside of drumming

Joe endorses: Sonor Drums, Vic Firth Sticks, Zildjian Cymbals and Evans Drumheads 

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Will Groth is the drummer for Electric Avenue among other Atlanta-based projects. Electric Avenue bills itself as “The 80s MTV Experience and plays theatres, clubs, and private events nationwide. Will grew up and got his start in Minneapolis, MN, and moved to Atlanta in 2005. He quickly secured himself on the scene working steadily with Mike Geier (a.k.a. Puddles The Clown) for five years, after which he has stayed busy with a variety of rock, blues, and cover projects.

In this podcast, Will talks about:

Keeping cover songs at their original tempos

The surprises and challenges in the drumming of 80s pop

How he and the band approach getting their sounds and tones right

Playing in an organ trio with Ike Stubblefield and Grant Green Jr.

How working his way into the Atlanta scene changed his perspective on music

Why he always has and always will play traditional grip, and the curiosities of drumming ergonomics

Finding ways of playing that will be physically sustainable as you age

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Arjuna Contreras is a drummer/ percussionist based out of Dallas, TX with plans to relocate to Nashville, TN in the fall of 2018. He possesses the uncanny ability to sound equally at home in a wide variety of musical styles including Jazz, Country, R&B, Latin, Rock, and even “Nuclear Polka”! Arjuna is often noted for the energy, soul, and excitement he brings to music both as a performer and an educator.

As a performer, Arjuna’s experience is vast. He currently records and tours with the Reverend Horton Heat. He has toured nationally with the popular Texas Country band, Eleven Hundred Springs as well as Grammy Award-winners Brave Combo, Donna Summer, and Howard Scott (original lead singer and guitarist for WAR). 

As an educator, Arjuna has taught at Colleyville Heritage High School and its surrounding middle schools since 1996. His duties have included teaching the high school drum line, coaching percussion ensembles, daily teaching of 6th grade percussion classes, as well as giving private lessons to students in 6th through 12th grades. Over the years, his students have garnered top honors at drum line competitions, solo and ensemble contests, and band competitions. 

Arjuna’s drumming can be heard on Eleven Hundred Springs’ recording, Eight the Hard Way. Their song, This Ain’t the First Time, is currently in rotation on many Country music stations in Texas and beyond. He also appears on the song, Belgium Polka, off of RCA/Jive Recording Artists, Bowling for Soup’s latest album, Sorry for Partyin’. Other recent recordings of Arjuna’s include Brave Combo’s album, The Exotic Rocking Life, and Fingerprints’ latest release, Dream Life. Arjuna is also currently working on innovative instructional multimedia materials for drummers.

In this episode, Arjuna talks about:

Drumming for The Reverend Horton Heat

The styes covered and influences of psychobilly 

Subconsciously preparing for future gigs and opportunities

Leaving a band on good terms 

Redefining the term “chops” to include touch and feel

Creating a drum solo that entertains the audience

Keeping a solid feel and groove while performing at fast tempos

The importance of an online presents

And, WDP documenting his journey for his first year in Nashville

Arjuna endorses: Ludwig Drums, Zildjian Cymbals, Remo Drumheads, and Vic Firth Sticks

This episode is sponsored by Session Ace

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Atlanta-based drummer and studio musician Brian Hudson has performed, toured and recorded a diverse mix of music for various artists for the past 20 years. Hudson grew up in Clearwater, Florida. After high school, he attended The University of South Florida School of Music and later transferred to the University of Georgia and the music town of Athens, Georgia, which provided him with a rich diversity of music opportunities.

In 2000 Hudson moved to Atlanta, Georgia and immediately started playing and touring with various acts covering a variety of styles from jazz to blues to rock to country. In 2001, he was invited to audition for Capricorn Recording Artist Memory Dean who had gained national success with the release of 6 studio albums. Hudson landed the gig and has performed with Memory Dean as a member of the band ever since. In addition to Memory Dean, Hudson has performed with a variety of other acts including soul/funk/blues band SOULHOUND, The Dave Mathews Cover Band (The DMCB), power pop singer Steve Baskin, smooth jazz artist MADOCA, country artist Thomas Tillman, R&B/Smooth Jazz band Momentum, Johnson Ferry Worship and many others.

In August 2017, Hudson released his debut jazz/fusion album, NEXT LEVEL, worldwide. The songs blend jazz, jazz/fusion, funk, and Latin with a contemporary jazz underpinning and feature some of the most talented musicians in the southeast. Since its release, NEXT LEVEL has gained attention from radio stations and listeners from all over the world. Brian currently leads his jazz/fusion band Next Level, is a member of former Capricorn Record Artist Memory Dean and performs with various other artists covering a diverse mix of music. In addition, he is an active studio musician in Atlanta and also tracks drums remotely for artists around the world. Brian is on the Advisory Board for Georgia Music Partners and is a voting member of The Recording Academy.

In this podcast, Brian talks about:

Wearing all the hats necessary to make a record: Drummer, composer/arranger, engineer, producer, etc.

Partnering with pianist and composer Randy Hoexter

The necessity of using promoters and bookers to get a project out into the world

Playing with Memory Dean

Setting up profiles on Airgigs and Soundbetter

His church gig

His political involvement with state and local government to build music business infrastructure in Georgia

Brian endorses Sakae Drums, Paiste Cymbals, Regal Tip Drumsticks and Headhunters Creations.

This episode is sponsored by Session Ace

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Harry Miree is a drummer currently based in Nashville, TN and is the drummer for Ryan Follese of Hot Chelle Rae. Harry will touring the summer of 2018 with Warner Brothers artist Troy Cartwright and indie rock band, Sons Of Bill.

Harry has built a very entertaining YouTube channel where he covers many topics like The True Life of a Side Musician, Open Handed Techniques, alternatives to playing a Cajon and many other useful videos. Currently, Harry has close to 60,000 subscribers.

Harry was a founding member of the rock band Boom City, which used the internet as a platform for music and videos. Boom City signed with a major rock label, toured arenas with Panic! at the Disco, and then disbanded. Miree graduated Berklee College of Music and moved to Nashville, securing the spot as touring drummer for recording artist Whitney Wolanin.

In 2015 he toured with then-Capitol Records artist Joey Hyde, and in 2016 toured with Big Machine artist Levi Hummon. In 2017, Miree toured with LoCash (known for hit songs I Love This Lifeand I Know Somebody), and Clare Bowen, singer/actress known for her role as Scarlett O’Connor on the television show Nashville.

In this episode, Harry talks about:

What goes into making YouTube videos that resonate 

Finding your own creative outlet

Building an audience on your YouTube channel

Speaking your truth

Making lifestyle choices to afford a life in music

Early influences

Coming through the other side of an attempted suicide 

Trying to separate ones sense of self worth from the gig that you have 

The lessons and strength gained from failures 

Finding the joy and inspiration in music by listening to music!

Harry endorses: Vic Firth Sticks, Meinle Cymbals, Pearl Drums

This episode is sponsored by Session Ace

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