Working Drummer

Dave Harrison is a graduate of West Virginia University School of Music. He performed with the world famous Percussion ’90 under the direction of Phil Faini where he served as arranger and featured performer.

Dave moved to Nashville in 1990 and started working in the studios. He joined the Edwin McCain Band in January 1996 and over the next 10 years, recorded 6 albums with the group, co-producing 2 of them. He played drums on the monster hit “I’ll Be”, which was in the top 40 for nearly a year, and which yielded a top 10 video.

Dave has also performed with Taylor Swift, Maia Sharp, Olivia Newton John, Hootie and the Blowfish, John Hiatt, Caroline Dawn Johnson, Rachel Proctor, Cyndie Thomsyn, and many others.

In this podcast, Dave talks about: 

Changing careers

Tracking percussion in the studio

Drummers “creating magic in the studio, not math”

Moving to Nashville

Meeting and hanging with Larrie Londin

Getting the Edwin McCain gig

Touring and recording with Edwin McCain

Auditioning for Peter Frampton

Trying to get back to that original feeling of playing drums for the first time

The parallels between playing drums and playing golf

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Ryan Lee was born and raised in Kansas City, MO, and earned a bachelor’s degree in music from The Conservatory at The University of Missouri-Kansas City. New York, Nashville and LA are established as places from which to launch an international performing career, but Ryan has stayed in Kansas City and found many opportunities to perform around the world with artists including Jose James, Tony Tixier, and A Bu. He remains a fixture on the Kansas City scene, having established himself as a creative voice in many circles including jazz, hip-hop, funk, gospel, and the projects that often result from KC’s various musical camps joining forces and overlapping.

In this podcast, Ryan talks about:

How new skills, from bass to piano to Ableton and in-ear systems, help him conceptualize his creative projects

Studying with Bobby Watson, and how he’s just beginning to understand some of what Bobby taught

Recording Watson’s big band album, Gates BBQ Suite

His collaborations with KC trumpeter Hermon Mehari

How a huge opportunity came at the worst possible time, and the learning experience that ensued

Being part of a local scene while still exploring opportunities and experiences around the world.

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Scot Corey is a freelance drummer/percussionist who has performed as an ‘extra’ with the Nashville Symphony for over 17 years, including NSO’s Carnegie Hall Debut (2000), their Naxos recording of Piazzola’s Sinfonia Buenos Aires and their return to Carnegie Hall. He has served as adjunct percussion faculty at Trevecca Nazarene University since 2000 and is a founding member of the Matrix Percussion Trio which has provided free educational concerts to over 37,000 students in the greater Nashville area. He served as the percussion specialist at Freedom Intermediate and Middle schools (Franklin, TN) from 1997-99, and as percussion faculty at the Southeast Chamber Music Institute (grades 9-12) at Tennessee Tech University from 1998-2002.

Scot began his professional career in 1985 at the age of 17 as drummer/percussionist for musical theater. To date, he has played more than 50 different shows, including many at Cumberland County Playhouse and TPAC.

Scot’s training includes a BM (Performance) from the University of Illinois, where he studied with Frederick D. Fairchild and Thomas Siwe. He also received an MA (Education – Music) from Tennessee Technological University, where he studied with Joseph Rasmussen.

Since moving to Nashville, Scot has maintained a very active schedule as a freelance drummer/percussionist. Gigs range from percussion (Nashville Symphony, Nashville Opera – Principal Percussion, Nashville String Machine, Gateway Chamber Orchestra, Parthenon Chamber Orchestra – Principal Timpani, Miss Tennessee Pageant Orchestra, and Nashville Chamber Orchestra – including Bonnaroo 2004) – to Drumset/Loops/Percussion (various recording sessions/live gigs and Green Hill Church, Mt. Juliet) – to steel drums to ethnic percussion (Som Brasileiro – nine-piece Brazilian band).

Scot endoreses Pearl/Adams drums & percussion and Innovative Percussion sticks and mallets

In this podcast Scot talks about:

Teaching in the information age

Learning how to handle being “thrown into the fire” (learning on your feet)

Suplimenting drum set studies with multi-percussion studies

Balancing work and family

Taking chances early in life

Playing with The Nashville Symphony

Continuing to learn

Playing percussion in a symphonic recording session

Saying no to gigs with a “Red Flag”

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L.A.based drummer Jamey Tate has been solidly busy for almost 15 years. He studied under Peter Erskine as a grad student at USC and has put Erskine’s lessons, musical and otherwise, to good use since then. He has made a name for himself touring and recording with two of the biggest names in smooth jazz, David Benoit and Mindi Abair, as well as being in demand for studio work around LA on creative and commercial projects alike. In recent years, he has also taken on other musical roles as a producer, composer/arranger, and musical director.

In this podcast, Jamey talks about:

How his first lesson with Peter Erskine set the course of his career, and one lesson he learned the hard way

His experiences in the world of smooth jazz, and what it has to offer drummers

How he bounced back professionally and psychologically after a major tour was cancelled with three days’ notice

Switching to Sakae Drums

Playing with bassist David Hughes

Expanding his career beyond just playing drums

Jamey Tate is an artist endorser for Sakae Drums, Zildjian Cymbals, Evans Drumheads and Vic Firth Drumsticks.

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Establishing himself in Nashville as one of the top studio drummers, Eddie Bayers has worked with some of the biggest names in the music industry, including Vince Gill, George Strait, Alan Jackson, Steve Winwood, Peter Frampton, Bob Seger, Trisha Yearwood, Garth Brooks, Kenny Chesney, Uncle Kracker and the list goes on and on. Playing on hundreds of gold and platinum albums and numerous movie soundtracks, Eddie has received the Academy of Country Music Drummer of the Year Award 14 times (11 times in a row). He was put into the Honor Roll for Modern Drummer Magazine for winning the readers poll 5 years consecutively. DRUM Magazine named Eddie one of the Top Ten Session Drummers Of All Time.

Trained as a classical pianist, it was during his college years in California that his musical interests took a turn. Eddie began jamming with local musicians, including Jerry Garcia and Tom and John Fogerty (of Creedence Clearwater Revival fame) and through Tom he became involved with studio work. Soon, he began hearing good reports about the Nashville music community.

After moving to Nashville, he auditioned at a club as a piano player in 1973, and the drummer for the quartet was none other than the infamous Larrie Londin. Larrie inspired Eddie to play drums professionally.

Eddie is Nashville’s first-call session drummer and certainly one of the busiest musicians in the world. His calendar is booked months in advance to provide the beat behind country music’s biggest stars, as well as pop icons like Mark Knopfler, Lyle Lovett and Sting.

Eddie endorses these companies: Zildjian, Sakae drums, Remo, Peavey, Sure and Metro phones

In this Podcast, Eddie talks about:

Being on the “list”

Knowing your musical history, genres

Keying in to different instruments, not the click to determine feel

How songs get on the radio

Eddie transitioning from piano to drums

His many accolades and awards

Why he plays open handed

Recording in the age of triggering

Recording with John Fogerty

The power of major labels

Recording 6 songs in a 3 hour session

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Marlon Patton was born and raised in the Atlanta area, attended college down the road at The University of Georgia in Athens, then returned home to Atlanta where he has lived and worked ever since. He is a true genre-hopper, in terms of the many types of music he plays and the many types of work he does. Any given day could find him mixing a jazz record in his studio, tracking a rock record in someone else’s, playing a live show in one of Atlanta’s many venues, or out on the road as a hired gun. Over the years his huge skill set, fine-tuned musical sensibilities, and affable humor have made him indispensable to artists and bands all over the region as a drummer and engineer.

In this podcast, Marlon talks about:

The long, gradual process of acquiring the gear and skills needed to run his home studio

Recording jazz vs. other genres

Attending The University of Georgia in Athens (home of R.E.M., The B-52’s, and many others) and the wide variety of playing opportunities he found there, in and out of school

How breaking his ankle led to one of his original projects, Weisshund

Playing with bassist Robby Handley in The ATL Collective and Kenosha Kid

Balancing local work with road work

Marlon Patton endorses C&C Drums.

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Rick Malkin has made a career for himself by combining his passion for drumming and photography. Growing up in Pittsburgh, Rick learned photography at an early age from his father who was a full time photographer. At the age of 10, Rick discovered the drums and at the age of 14 he was already playing drums in musical theater.

After meeting Eddie Bayers for a Modern Drummer cover shoot, Rick moved down to Nashville and worked as Eddie’s drum tech for 11 years.

Along with his continuing work in photography, Rick was the house drummer for 13 years at the Boiler Room Theater in Nashville and continues to stay involved in the theater community.

In this podcast, Rick talks about:

Playing drums in musical theater and learning to read from the record

Taking pictures of many famous drummers like Jeff Porcaro, Larry London, Steve Gadd and Alex Van Halen. And learning from the experience.

Balancing work as a drummer and photographer

Taking pictures of celebrities over the years including Buddy Rich and Prince

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Josh Heffernan is the drummer for Dustbowl Revival, an eight-piece outfit based in LA. Their most recent album, With A Lampshade On is their biggest yet, and their touring schedule is keeping them busy all over North America and Europe, and most recently, China. Josh grew up in Seattle and got some of his first professional experience in an Army band before moving to LA. He attended the Los Angeles College of Music where he studied with Ralph Humphrey, and was a freelancer around LA until the Dustbowl drum chair became his full time job. Comprised of an acoustic rhythm section, two singers, trumpet, trombone, mandolin and fiddle, the band is a mashup of folk, rock, bluegrass, New Orleans swing, and whatever else they can come up with. No matter what musical or geographical territory they find themselves in, Josh is at the center of it finding ways to get people dancing.

In this podcast, Josh talks about:

Dustbowl Revival’s recent tour of China

His post-high school musical education first in an Army band, then at the Los Angeles College of Music

Being a “jack of all trades” vs. dedicating yourself to one style

Dustbowl Revival’s latest album, With A Lampshade On, and the unique way it was put together

The band’s stylistic development, from hitting a different style with each song to trying to blur the lines for a sound that is more homogenous and more their own

The hustle of freelancing vs. the hustle of being in a band

Blending the old and the new, both in his playing and his gear

This episode is sponsored by Aquarian Drumheads.

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Troy Luccketta entered his musical career at 17, and by the time he was 23 he was touring with The Eric Martin Band (lead singer for Mr. Big), and found himself on Dick Clark’s “American Bandstand.”

For more than 30 years, he has been the drummer for the multi-platinum rock band Tesla, with whom he still tours with to this day.

Troy started working with Marc Bonilla in 1991, and after playing drums on Marc’s first two solo records, the two continued to collaborate. As a result, the two formed the band Saville Row, and released their first album in 2014. Their music has already been featured on television dramas like NBC’s “Las Vegas” and Lifetime’s “Monarch Cove.”

Along with his wife, Troy has become passionately involved in the creation of a web-site and organization called “A Song For Wellness”. The goal is to simply provide all the information and resources you would need to live healthy and fight major diseases like cancer through the power of nutrition.

Most recently, Troy was poised to tour with the great Keith Emerson before his untimely death earlier this year. Troy will be one of the power house drummers at Keith Emerson tribute concert at the El Ray Theater in LA, May 28th, 2016.

Troy is endorsed by Tama Drums, Zildjiancymbals and Promark drumsticks.

In this podcast, Troy talks about:

A Song For Wellness – A nutrition guide website

Hanging out with Steve Smith in 1983

Preparing for Keith Emerson tribute show

The band Tesla

Auditioning for John Mellencamp

The challenge of promoting yourself

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Using ever-changing combinations of drumset and hand percussion, Colin Agnew has developed an earthy, organic signature sound that has made him indispensable to artists and producers of many stripes. He is the rare musician who can come up with creative ideas but use them judiciously in support of the music. Colin grew up in Savannah, GA, where he began studying classical percussion, piano and drumset in middle school. In high school and college, he got involved in several types of Latin music, performing as either drummer or percussionist, eventually developing ways to combine to two worlds. After graduating from Georgia State University, Colin stayed in the Atlanta area and has amassed a huge list of live and studio performance credits.

In this podcast, Colin talks about:

His recent first experience at South By Southwest with Cicada Rhythm

Using complex coordination and independence to combine drumset and percussion in musical ways

Studying drums and percussion with Kinah Boto

How Latin music and musicians served as his bridge between college and the pro scene

How playing and collaborating with singer/songwriter Adron has helped him expand his skill set

Playing and touring with Blair Crimmins & The Hookers

This episode is sponsored by Aquarian Drumheads

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