Working Drummer

L.A. drummer Kevin Stevens recently completed two tours of Europe with David Brighton’s Space Oddity, a David Bowie tribute show. He is the drummer and bandleader for three groups (Rumproller Organ Trio, Brass Monkey Brass Band, and The Deep Cuts) under the umbrella of his company, Grits n’ Gravy Music. Kevin grew up in Denver, studied music at the University of Miami, cut his teeth as a pro on cruise ships and on the scene in San Francisco, and has lived in L.A. since 2003. He is also on the faculty at Musician’s Institute where he developed a 10-week course on the music, drumming, and drummers of New Orleans.

In this podcast, Kevin talks about:

First getting involved in Space Oddity ten years ago, being away from it for years, and being asked back three months before Bowie died.

His process of learning the songs, making charts for himself, and incorporating the tracks he’s responsible for running.

Instrumentation for the Oddity gig, on the road and at home

The psychological game of sharing a drum chair, and maintaining confidence in yourself and your relationships

How leading three separate bands led to leading a single company

His New Orleans Drumming course at Musicians Institute and his long love affair with New Orleans music of all kinds

The keys to successful marriage and family life as a musician

Kevin Stevens endorses Remo Drumheads, Sabian Cymbals, Vic Firth Sticks, and Protection Racket Cases.

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Kasey Todd is a professional drummer, percussionist, vocalist, and an all around musician and entertainer. Along with being a performer, he also has credits as a producer, arranger, and bandleader.

Kasey grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio and was involved in music at a very young age. His father is the Co-Owner and front man of 50’s and 60’s show band, The Van-Dells. This has allowed Kasey to be around the music business his whole life, gaining great first hand experiences into the industry.

Kasey moved to Nashville, Tennessee in the fall of 2011, and is working as a full time touring and studio drummer. Before moving to Nashville, Kasey graduated from Otterbein University, in Columbus, Ohio, with a Bachelors Degree in Music with a focus in Jazz Studies. At Otterbein, Kasey studied all styles of music and spent a lot of time on drumset, vibraphone, orchestral and hand percussion.

Kasey has toured the globe as bandleader with Canadian country artist Aaron Goodvin(Warner Bros.). The latest single ‘Woman In Love’ reached #7 on the Canadian country charts. Kasey also performs and records with singer-songwriter Jace Everett, best known for the theme song to HBO’s True Blood. Kasey can be heard on the new Jace record ‘Dust & Dirt’ (2017). Kasey still holds the drum chair live and in the studio with The Van-Dells. And, starting in the summer of 2017, Kasey has been touring with the band Tonic. Kasey keeps busy working with a wide range of Nashville artists, and is even an entertainer at the Big Bang Dueling Piano Bars where he can be found singing, playing piano, drums, and bass.

Kasey has been on stage performing since the age of two and has had the pleasure to play with many great artists and groups. Some of those include Tonic, Jace Everett, Josh Thompson, Aaron Goodvin, Sam Lewis, Morgan Frazier (NBC’s The Voice), The Van-Dells, Rick Brantley, Megan Ruger (NBC’s The Voice), Matty Monk, Andrew Varner, The Central Ohio Symphony Orchestra, The Otterbein College Faculty Jazz Ensemble, and The Westerville Symphony Orchestra just to name a few.

In this episode, Kasey talks about:

Starting to tour with the band Tonic

Growing up watching his fathers band, The Van Dells and then taking on the drum chair

Learning to play piano and bass

Studying at Otterbein University

Dealing with perception vs. reality in the music business

Working with singer/songwriter Jace Everett

Recording at Abby Road Studios

Endorsements

Paying your dues

Recording at home

Kasey endorses: Promark Sticks, Paiste Cymbals, Evans Drum Heads, Kelly Shu mic mounting system, Westone in-ears, Humes and Berg cases, Snare Weight, Vintage Logos and Swan Percussion

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Go-Go Ray has been a Kansas City fixture since he moved there in the early 90s. He grew up in Dallas where he played in every possible school ensemble from 4th grade on, and got his first professional experience in a local funk/R&B cover band. He studied music briefly at North Texas but was drawn to the rock, punk, and other music scenes that were happening outside of school. Mike Dillon‘s band Billy Goat needed a new drummer and the chair was offered to Go-Go, with the caveat that he had to move to Kansas City where the band was based. Go-Go made the move and hasn’t looked back, playing in a litany of groups including Mike Dillon’s Go-Go Jungle, Karma, The Brody Buster Band, and most recently with blues guitarist and singer Samantha Fish. In 1992, he won the Guitar Center Drum Off and in 2010, won the Roland V-Drum Competition. He has also been an educator for 20 years, maintaining a steady roster of private students to whom he is known not as the drum teacher or the drum instructor, but The Drum Counselor.

In this podcast, Go-Go talks about:

The musical culture of Texas when he was growing up there

Playing in various projects lead by Mike Dillon

The history of the blues scene in Kansas City

Making his playing more mainstream after playing experimental music

How advertising himself as The Drum Counselor started as a gimmick but quickly became an educational philosophy

The growth that comes from participating in competitions

His five-year tenure with Samantha Fish and why it was time to move on

Putting himself in a position to be patient and wait for the right project to come along, rather than taking whatever comes up next

Go-Go Ray endorses Yamaha Drums, Paiste Cymbals, Aquarian Drumheads, Promark Drumsticks, Humes & Berg Cases, Sweet Spots, Carmichael Thrones, BDM Mic Clips, Cympads, and 64 Audio.

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Milton Sledge is a session drummer best known for a string of sessions in Muscle Shoals, Alabama as well as several albums with country super-star Garth Brooks. With Garth, Milton wrote and played drums on several key albums including the self-titled 1987 Capitol release, “No Fences,” “Ropin’ The Wind” and “The Chase.” Milton can be heard on many recordings including those of: John Anderson, Barbara Mandrell, Tracey Lawrence, Jo Dee Messina, Randy Travis, The Amazing Rhythmn Aces, Asleep at the Wheel, Mark Chesnutt, Paul Overstreet, Bryan White, Becky Hobbs, Crystal Gayle, Neal McCoy, Juice Newton, Eddie Rabbitt, The Statler Brothers, Gene Watson, Kathy Mattea, Emmylou Harris, George Jones, Alabama, Hal Ketchum, Shenendoah, Trisha Yearwood, Pam Tillis, Chris LeDoux, Vince Gill, Toby Keith and Garth Brooks, just to name a few. As a songwriter, Milton has written for Pat Alger and Bruce Bouton along with Garth Brooks. Milton has played drums on over 30 number 1 singles and the albums that he has played on have sold over 180 million copies.

In October of 2016, Milton along with the hand picked group of musicians dubbed “The G-Men” were inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame for their work and creative contributions to almost every Garth Brooks recording.

Originally from Decatur, Alabama, Milton grew up in the Clements community, west of Athens, AL, not far from Muscle Shoals, an area known for its wide variety of music. After graduation from high school and a stint in the Army Band, Milton returned to the Shoals area to attend college and study music at the University of North AL. While in college there, Milton started to pursue his dream of playing in the recording studios of Muscle Shoals. He worked his way through the ranks and worked regularly in the studios there for 4-5 years. Soon he began to receive more and more calls for recording sessions in Nashville. This prompted him to move there in 1984, where he has been a mainstay in the Nashville recording studios ever since.

In February of 2014, Milton moved back to his hometown of Athens to “give back” by offering his expertise/assistance to local musicians. He is once again an active part of the music scene in the Shoals area, as well as Nashville. Since his return, he has been writing with various songwriters and playing at local venues. As well as producing. He has also played with the Muscle Shoals All-Stars and recorded at Fame Studio, The Nutthouse, all in Muscle Shoals AL.

In this episode, Milton talks about:

Recording at the original Muscle Shoals Sound Studio at 3614 Jackson Highway

Tuning the kit for different rooms

The “Muscle Shoals sound”

Recording all the Garth Brooks records

Changes in the Nashville studio scene over the last 30 years

Giving back, paying it forward

Getting a good ear mix in the studio

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Evan Pazner is a native and life-long resident of New York City. For the last six years, he has been the touring drummer for Lee Fields & The Expressions, a truly old-school soul band. It’s not old school just because they got the right gear and the right sound, it’s old school because Lee Fields has been doing it for over four decades. Evan got into drums playing in bands with friends as a teenager, catching the tail end of a New York music scene in which some clubs allowed 15-year-olds to play there. After earning a liberal arts degree at NYU, he entered The New School for two years of intensive drum study with Jimmy Cobb, Joe Chambers, Billy Hart, Joey Baron, and others. Recently, when not traveling with Lee Fields, Evan has also been working on Broadway as a sub drummer for Cirque Du Soleil’s “Paramour.”

In this podcast, Evan talks about:

How he landed the gig with Lee Fields and what a straight-up soul band requires of the drummer, stylistically and technically

How growing up in New York City shaped him as a musician and as a person

His time at the New School, and why a degree wasn’t the point

The most valuable lesson he got from Jimmy Cobb

How there is no substitute for the confidence that comes from putting in the work and getting experience

What has changed about New York since he was a kid, and what will never change

How family life has made it easier to be in the moment, on stage and at home.

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Since the age of three, Derrek C. Phillips has had a deep passion for music. From that time he has carved out an exciting musical career as a performer, educator, and composer

While attending high school, Phillips played snare drum for the Concord Blue Devils drum and bugle corps from 1990-93. In 1998, he received his bachelor’s degree in jazz studies at William Paterson University in Wayne, N.J. He studied privately with Horace Arnold, Yoron Israel, John Riley and Tony Williams.

As an educator, he has also worked with several school bands and drums corps as a percussion and marching instructor, jazz and drum set clinician, composer, marching drill designer, and private tutor. He is currently the presiding drum set and ensemble instructor at both Middle Tennessee State University and Vanderbilt University.

In the spring of 2014, Derek became the touring drummer for Hank Williams Jr. His drumming is featured on Vanessa Williams’ recording The Real Thing and Michael McDonald’s This Christmas. He has also worked with Rachael Lampa, Jonny Lang, Charlie Peacock, Mike Farris, the McCrary Sisters, Seth Walker, James Otto, Charlie Hunter, Jimmy Hall, Tommy Sims, Delbert McClinton, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Greg Osby, Joshua Redman and Kurt Elling.

He has performed on the CBS Early Morning Show and A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor, BET (Black Entertainment Television) and throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe, as well as Brazil, Korea, South Africa, Turkey, India, Panama, the Caribbean, and Japan.

In this episode, Derek talks about:

Teaching at Middle Tennessee State University and Vanderbilt University

Utilizing a curriculum when teaching

Getting into drum corp and joining The Concord Blue Devils

Master classes with Tony Williams

Working with Charlie Hunter

Touring with country legend Hank Williams Jr

Derek endorses: Spaun Drums, Istanbul Cymbals, Evans Drumheads and Vater Sticks.

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At the helm of The Equinox Orchestra are tenor saxophonist and bandleader Jeremy Davis, lead vocalist Clay Johnson, and trumpet player, musical director and tour manager Tommy Brinson. Their combined efforts have gotten the 11-piece group on the road for a 2 month, 18,000 mile U.S. tour, the most ambitious undertaking in the band’s 15-year history. The three talked with their drummer and Working Drummer Podcast co-host Zack Albetta about their individual roles, the drummer’s role, their perspective as leaders of a group and owners of an enterprise.

Equinox began as a traditional 18-piece instrumental big band playing performing whenever and wherever they could, but has evolved into a multi-faceted group with line-ups ranging from three to 25 playing everything from restaurants and bars to theatre shows and private events. Jeremy and Clay have recently sought to use Equinox for philanthropic causes in addition to their regular for-profit gigs.

In this podcast, the guys talk about

The types of gigs Equinox has played and what their goals are

How Tommy ascended the ranks from regular sideman to musical director and tour manager

Jeremy and Clay’s musical background leading up to Equinox

The outsized role and responsibility of the big band drummer

How bands and musicians can use their talents for causes they believe in

Jeremy’s strategy to keep the band working – the more leads you chase down, the more will pan out

How to create a band identity and monetize it, and how to attract multiple funding sources

How to eat well on the road

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Angie Lese always wanted to be a drummer since she could remember. Growing up in Fort Wayne Indiana, she took to music early and studied flute throughout high school. It wasn’t until her college years that Angie decided to follow her drumming passion, bought a kit and taught herself how to play. After graduating and starting a career in meteorology, Angie moved to Louisville Kentucky and heavily pursued music.

She played for a Sony recording artist, several cover bands, and was a session drummer as well. Her main band, CatFight (original pop/punk rock), received a strong local and regional following along with the support from Little Heart Records of Louisville, KY. In 2013 they released a self titles EP – CatFight. While that was taking off, Angie was offered a promotion in her meteorology career that prompted a move to Nashville Tennessee in 2012.

After immersing herself in the Nashville music scene, Angie joined forces with artist Leticia Wolf, fellow Catfight member Erica Sellers, and two other musicians to form The Dead Deads, a heavy, hard rock/pop band. Having just formed in late 2013, The Dead Deads have garnered quite a bit of attention from Page Hamilton of Helmet/David Bowie, Chuck Garric of Alice Cooper, Tom Petersson of Cheap Trick to Lzzy Hale of Halestorm. As a result of The Dead Deads’ quick rise, Angie and her band have been on several national tours with acts like Halestorm, P.O.D., Bush, Chevelle along with the Motorboat and the Shiprocked cruises. They have recorded two full-length albums, “Rainbeau” (2014) and “For Your Obliteration” (2016), produced by Page Hamilton.

In this podcast, Angela talks about:

Current news with the Dead Deads

Pros and cons of playing in an all girl band

Recording and writing for the new Dead Deads record

Transitioning from “regular jobs” to touring in a band

Cultivating a strong fan base

The benefits of an online presence

The challenges of an all girl band

Having hobbies and distractions in life to keep your headspace healthy

Angela endorses TAMA drums, Sabian cymbals, Evans heads, Promark drumsticks, and Humes and Berg cases.

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Jermal Watson is a native of New Orleans and like so many musicians there, got his musical start playing in church. Growing up in New Orleans, he explains, young musicians learn songs and styles by ear and by the time you’re grown, all of the city’s musical languages – the swing feel of Preservation Hall, the street beats of the brass bands, the funk of The Meters and The Neville Brothers – are languages you just know. As a young drummer, Jermal was brought along on the scene by two of its elder statesmen, Russell Batiste and Gerald French and for decades now, he has been among The Crescent City’s first-call drummers. His resume includes The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Big Sam’s Funky Nation, Eddie Roberts, and many more. For the past two years, he has also headed a percussion program at Encore Academy, in which almost 90 elementary school students participate.

In this podcast, Jermal talks about:

His elementary school percussion program

Playing with the Dirty Dozen Brass Band

Why learning songs by ear on the fly is particularly common in New Orleans

How Russell Batiste and Gerald French helped him work his way onto the scene

How New Orleans changes the playing of drummers who move there

A project he was recently involved in called Attakid, a collaboration between New Orleans and San Francisco musicians

Playing with Big Sam’s Funky Nation

Where to go for live music in New Orleans (hint: it’s not Bourbon Street).

The New Orleans style of recording

Jermal Watson endorses Mapex Drums and Meinl Cymbals

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Around The Kit with Joe Gansas

For close to a year and a half, Joe Gansas has been hosting an online radio show focused on drummers and all things drums. This show is called Around The Kit. Joe digs deep into the life, career and background of each guest whether it’s a well known drummer like Kenny Aronoff or a lesser known drummer with important and relatable storys to tell.

Joe has surrounded himself with a strong team that helps Joe create a thoughtful and consistent show week by week. A few highlights of Around The Kit include multiple guests every episode as well as tribute shows. Some of Joe’s guests include Simon Phillips, Dave Weckl and Cathy Rich. This show can be found www.aroundthekit.net. It airs 8-11:00pm eastern time every Sunday night

In this episode, Joe talks about:

His internet radio show – “Around The Kit”

Drug addiction in our community

Joe’s performance background and his influences

The importance of listening

The future of Around The Kit

Asking important questions

This episode is sponsored by Mapex Drums

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