Working Drummer

By Working DrummerBusiness Arts Music Performing Arts Careers Music Interviews

Working Drummer episodes

August 14, 2025531 - Eric Gardner: Playing With Melissa Etheridge and Tom Morello, Patience on the LA Scene, “Finding An Artist’s Language”
Eric Gardner has been on the LA scene for 25 years touring and recording with a wide variety of bands and artists over that time. These days, two in particular represent most of his activity - Melissa Etheridge and Tom Morello. He is a graduate of Steve Rucker's program at the University of Miami and has performed with Garbage, Iggy Pop, Cypress Hill, Iggy Pop, Morrisey, Steve Vai, MC5, Slash, Beck, and many others.
In this episode, Eric talks about:
Getting the Melissa Etheridge gig from a single recommendation, sight unseen

Learning to be sensitive to an artist's anxiety and need for control, and act accordingly

What it means to “find an artist’s language”

His long musical and personal relationship with Tom Morello

How “going out to network” should look more like “going to see your friends play”

His first few years in LA and how his relationship with the scene has evolved over 25 years

Studying with Steve Rucker at University of Miami

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1 hr 16 min
August 07, 2025530 - Taylor Friesth: Website GrooveMPL.com, Marketing Your Skills, Opportunities Aside from Live Performing
Colorado native, Taylor Friesth, is a drummer, producer, author, and educator who has delved deeply into drumming since the age of 6. He has performed on stages such as Red Rocks and Folsom Field and his drumming has led him to perform with various groups from GRiZ to New Orleans style brass band Guerrilla Fanfare. His versatility has given him a wide range of musical abilities that has resulted in a unique sound of his own.
Taylor runs GrooveMPL.com where you can master the techniques, gear, and secrets top engineers use to capture the perfect drum sound. Also, you can dive into how running backing tracks through Ableton Live can make you a
more versatile drummer, opening the door to more gigs by ensuring bands
and artists that they can rely on you for a polished, professional live show.
In 2016, Taylor released his book “The Sly Hat”, a 13 chapter book focused on how to use your hi-hat foot as a part of your grooves and fills, as opposed to having it keep a steady pulse under what you are playing.
In this episode, Taylor talks about:
    Different ways creating online content

    Creating work aside from live performance

    How to be effective when marketing your skills

    http://GrooveMPL.com educational site

    Combining skills to create a more complete career
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1 hr 32 min
July 31, 2025529 - Russ Gold: 30 Years on the Bay Area Scene, "Repetition Over Variation", What It Means to Stay Relevant
Russ Gold has toured extensively throughout the US, Europe, and Asia., performing with jazz, rock, fusion, and theater groups. Russ’ performing experience includes work with musicians as diverse as Gary Lyons (producer of Rolling Stones, Grateful Dead) Johnny Colla of Huey Lewis and the News, Seth Justman of the J. Giles Band, CBS Fusion artists Full Circle, and jazz greats Tom Scott, Sam Rivers, George Coleman, Dave Douglas, and Howard Johnson. He is the author of "Phrasing: Advanced Rudiments for Creative Drumming, and his talent had also been recognized by endorsements of Sabian cymbals, Pro-Mark sticks, Fishman transducers, and Kurzweil synthesizers.
How acting and Meisner technique informed music making for him

What drew him to San Francisco after school at Berklee

Leaning more and more into musical theatre work

Playing with “no mind”
The concept of his book “Phrasing: Advanced Rudiments for Creative Drumming”

The value of repetition over variation

What it means to “stay relevant”
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1 hr 21 min
July 24, 2025528 - Louie Palmer: The Importance of Sound and Presentation, His Online School: Playbetterdrums.com, Playing Traditional Grip
British-born and now Los Angeles-based drummer, Louie Palmer, has recorded and performed with some of the world’s best musicians including Mike Stern, Randy Brecker, Tom Scott, Luis Conte, Tim Lefebvre, Mitch Forman, Gary Husband, Jason Rebello and many more. In addition to performing, Louie also runs an online drum school (playbetterdrums.com) which has become a huge online resource for drummers of all abilities around the world.
In this episode, Louie talks about:
Moving from the UK to LA

Accommodating traditional grip with a variety of set ups

The problem with defining yourself as a “pocket player”

Why you should practice improvisation

The importance of sound and presentation

Louie’s background on traditional grips

Creating a variety of income streams

His online school: Playbetterdrums.com
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1 hr 32 min
July 17, 2025527 - Jon Doing: A Variety of Roles with "Hamilton," The San Francisco Scene, Finding Balance on Tour
John Doing is based in San Francisco and has compiled a deep resume of musical theatre experience, most notably being involved in the Hamilton world for many years. He has been a chairholder and sub on multiple tours, he did the show’s San Francisco residency, he’s done the drumset chair, he’s done the percussion chair. In addition to Hamilton and a lot of other musical theatre work, he has played drums and percussion in all sorts of capacities, from jazz and latin music during his grad school years in New York, to cover bands in his hometown of Madison Wisconsin, to recording in his home studio in the bay area.
In this episode, John talks about:
Getting a start on the scene in his hometown of Madison, WI

The wide range of subjects and teachers he was exposed to in grad school at NYU

How musical theatre presented an opportunity to explore a lot of the variety he was interested in

Doing part of the Hamilton tour with his wife and two small kids in tow

The Hamilton drumset chair vs. the percussion chair

The high level of scrutiny in the Hamilton world

How Hamilton challenged him physically

Doing musicals that are in development in San Francisco

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1 hr 21 min
July 10, 2025526 - Jay Weinberg: Taking Every Opportunity Seriously, Touring with Suicidal Tendencies, Trusting Your Instincts
Jay Weinberg is best-known as the former drummer of the band Slipknot as well as the son of Bruce Springsteen's longtime drummer Max Weinberg. But from an early age, Jay proved to all that he was his own drummer and artist who could create a career of his own. Along with subbing for his father on in 2009 with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street band, Jay stayed busy in many other projects that included groups like The Reveling, Against Me and Madball. In 2014, Jay replaced Joey Jordison as the drummer for Slipknot, and stayed with the band until his departure in November 2023. In 2024, Jay was announced as the new drummer for Infectious Grooves. He is also currently in Suicidal Tendencies.
In this episode, Jay talk about:
His approach to clinics

Jay’s organic discovery of drums

Performing with Springsteen at 17

Total commitment to the music you’re performing

New solo project

Trusting your instincts

Recovering from hip surgery

Touring with Suicidal Tendencies

Life and music post Slipknot

Taking every opportunity seriously

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2 hr 10 min
July 08, 2025525 - Greg Sadler: Freelancing in LA, Playing with Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band, Studying with Ed Soph
Greg Sadler is a Los Angeles-based drummer who keeps a relentlessly busy schedule both in the studio and on the stage. He has provided the rhythmic foundation for GRAMMY, Emmy and Tony winners, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees, and many more. He is a graduate of the University of North Texas, where he was a member of the six-time GRAMMY-nominated One O’Clock Lab Band in 2012. Greg also teaches privately and has coached some of the biggest names in Hollywood, helping actors prepare for on-screen drum features.
In this episode, Greg talks about
Studying with Ed Soph at North Texas
Playing with Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band
The idea that each of us almost can't help but sound like ourselves
Taking advantage of the variety LA has to offer
Making his social media presence reflect that variety, and gearing different posts to different audiences
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1 hr 22 min
June 26, 2025524 - Glen Sobel: Drumming for Alice Cooper, Creating Trust On and Off Stage, Staying Healthy while on Tour
Currently on tour with rock legend Alice Cooper and the Hollywood Vampires Glen Sobel has played in a variety of genres including rock, hip hop, pop, metal, punk, and fusion. A seasoned pro with world tour experience, Glen has developed a reputation for being a quick study, known to learn an entire set of material in a day or record a CDs worth of songs on short notice. Glen subbed a week for Tommy Lee in Mötley Crüe on a few hours notice pulling double duty on the Crue/Alice tour.
 Recent live events have found Glen playing in the house band backing such heavyweights as Steven Tyler, Rob Halford, Weird Al, Pat Simmons & Michael McDonald of The Doobie Brothers, Sammy Hagar, Richie Sambora, Joe Lynn Turner, Night Ranger, Jonny Lang, Nils Lofgren, Sarah Mclachlan, Nuno Bettencourt, Dexter and Noodles of The Offspring, Robby Krieger of The Doors, Ke$ha, Orianthi, Johnny Depp, Mike Myers and many more.   Other touring/recording credits for Glen include Chris Impellitteri, Jennifer Batten (Michael Jackson's guitarist), Tony Macalpine , Gary Hoey, Warner Bros recording act Beautiful Creatures (Ozzfest tour), Cypress Hill and many others.
Glen has conducted and appeared at CLINICS AND DRUM FESTIVALS in many countries. He has established himself as a respected player and teacher in LA and was hired as an instructor at MUSICIANS INSTITUTE as well as contributing to DRUM! Magazine.
In 2016 Glen was voted #1 Hard Rock Drummer in Drum Magazine's DRUMMIES readers poll. The past couple of years have seen nominations in hard rock / metal categories in readers polls for Modern Drummer, DRUM! Magazine and Rhythm UK Magazine.
He spends much of his time in Los Angeles doing sessions for some of the music industry’s top producers. His performances are dynamic and visual and his track record as a session player is impressive
In this episode, Glen talks about:
Touring

Drumming for Alice Cooper

Staying healthy

Creating trust on and off stage

Modernizing older songs

What he learned from early recordings with Tony McAlpine

The origin story of the band, The Hollywood Vampires

Subbing for Tommy Lee on Mötley Crüe’s farewell tour
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1 hr 22 min
June 19, 2025523 - Shawn King: Playing for Devotchka, The Denver Scene, Knowing the "Why"
Shawn King. Shawn has been the drummer for the band Devotchka for over 20 years and has been based in Denver for longer than that. Over that time he has been tightly woven into the Denver scene and involved in all kinds of projects from experimental festivals to musical theatre. We are right around the 20 year anniversary of both Devotchka’s album “How it Ends” and the movie “Little Miss Sunshine” for which Devotchka provided the soundtrack and score.
In this epsidoe, Shawn talks about:
The high premium placed on multi-instrumentalism in Devotchka

The record label model vs. the Patreon model, and the full record model vs. the single model

Treating the drumset as the multi percussion instrument it is, thinking more in terms of patterns than grooves

Structuring improvisation through parameters and limitations

What has kept him in Denver

Recording the soundtrack for “Little Miss Sunshine”

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1 hr 39 min
June 12, 2025522 - Curt Bisquera: Groove Above All Else, Recording with Bonnie Raitt, Tom Petty,The Threat of A.I.
Curt Bisquera is one of Los Angeles' top recording / touring drummers and
producers. Curt has recorded and/or toured with the biggest names in
music including Sir Elton John, Johnny Cash, Mick Jagger, Tom Petty,
Bonnie Raitt, Josh Groban, Ricky Martin, Sarah McLachlan, Hans Zimmer
(Superman / Batman), The Beach Boys, Lana del Rey, John Legend, Tina
Turner, Celine Dion and countless others.
In this episode, Curt talks about:
Embracing new social media norms

The power of the human connection

Adapting to changes in the industry

Recording digitally for the first time on the first Seal record

How to reconcile the threat of A.I.

The importance of time feel and groove above all else

Recording with Bonnie Raitt, Tom Petty

Low snare drum tunings

X: @curtbisq
IG band: @alnesbittalchemy
The Kirkee B. Show: IG - Youtube: @thekirkeebshow
Drum Consultation: [email protected]
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1 hr 29 min

About Working Drummer

From the publisher's feed

With 500 episodes and counting, Working Drummer Podcast is the source for those interested in what it’s like to be a professional drummer. Hosted by Matthew Crouse and Zack Albetta, Working Drummer…