180 Drums Podcast | Pro Drummers On: New Gear, Getting Gigs, Full-time Musician Lifestyle, Tips And Tricks

Mike Dawson is managing editor for Modern Drummer, the world’s most widely read magazine for drummers, and he serves as book editor for Modern Drummer Publications, with most recent releases including FUNdamentals of Drumming for Kids by modern country great Rich Redmond and co-author Michael Aubrecht, Stick Technique by rudimental drumming specialist Bill Bachman, and Exercises in African-American Funk by University of Miami professor Steve Rucker and top touring drummer Jonathan Joseph (Jeff Beck, Joss Stone, Richard Bona). In the pages of MD, Dawson has authored dozens of artist features, educational columns, event reports, and product reviews. An active performer, teacher, and session drummer in the New York City area, Dawson has a bachelor’s degree in music education from West Virginia University and a master’s degree in music from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He’s Senior Lecturer in music journalism at the University of the Arts. Mike also produces drum tracks for artists al

Greg Clark Jr had played with everyone from Cody Simpson to Snarky Puppy to Leann Rimes. On this episode he discusses the art of cultivating your own sound and wisdom for being in the music industry. He shares his experiences from playing at the white house for Obama to being asked to sit behind Dennis Chambers kit, mid gig.   Born and Raised in Washington DC, Greg started playing drums in church around 3 or 4 years old as a left handed drummer who was forced into learning to play right handed. Then an opportunity arose to switch over to setting up the kit left handed and he’s never looked back. "I love that drums are a never ending challenge” are words echoed by Greg in so many ways throughout this podcast.   While young in his career Greg was on his first big travel date in Aruba and had his eyes opened by the uniqueness of Mary J Blige drummer Rex Hardy Jr's playing. This furthered Greg’s desire to begin cultivating his own sound and sharing how others could do the same.   How to go about cultivating your

Sarah Hagan is the director of Artist Relations worldwide with Zildjian. This means Sarah is in touch with many of your favorite drummers. It also means she has years of experience under her belt. Working with people around the world, understanding commonalities between drummers and, almost without fail, wearing a black shirt and blue jeans every day of the week are skills Sarah has adopted. Just kidding on the last point... but in all serious-ness Sarah has an amazing ability to develop, build and maintain relationships on the daily with more people than most talk to within an entire month. Get ready for a podcast that is going to provide you some serious insight on what it means to be a drummer in this day and age.

Mike Sleath is one of Canada’s most in-demand drummers. After getting turned down for music college three years in a row Mike shares the path he took, landing him his current gig with Shawn Mendes. We’re going talk about the most important parts of his job on AND off the kit and some of his most important lessons he’s learned along the way. Why Listen? Learn: The importance on onomatopoeia in drumming Why it’s extremely important to understand how to run backing tracks One of Mike’s biggest lessons he’s learned from being on stage What to do if music college doesn’t let you in three years in a row How to transform your drum sounds on the fly Working with a Musical Director on stage MikeSleathDrums.com  /  Instagram  /  Twitter  /  YouTube  

In this episode of we have Kris Mazzarisi of @BigFatSnareDrum and Trey Smith, Front of House extraordinaire for Matt Kearney & Sara Bareilles, discussing how to create an amazing live drum sound. From tuning, mic positioning, mic selection, EQ'ing and Gate-ing, Kris and Trey cover it all. This unique and valuable insight is difficult to find anywhere else. Lastly, this entire episode was recorded at the White House... Yes, the white house. Enjoy!

Ever wondered how you can use tools like YouTube and Instagram to spread the word about your drumming and create a career? Josh Manuel did at a young age and began exploring every area of the net in search for different ways to share his talent. Eventually landing a touring gig with Issues, Josh shares his experiences and insights into the world of Social Media as it was when he got his start, and as it is today. 

Ever wondered what it takes to make a living playing drums? Have you had your first audition for a band? Are you thinking about studying to get a college level education within the music industry? Wondering if playing music without an education was the right decision? Today with Tim Buell, we're answering your questions. We're focusing on the heart of the matter, discussing his experiences doing all of the above. Tim shares phenomenal insight into his studies and current strategy. He shares tips and tricks on how drummers can expand their playing. As well as how drummers can use all their senses to improve their skills. Hold on tight, this is a good one.

Preconceptions, ego and fear are a few topics who's prevalence should lead to greater self inspection. As drummers it's important we realize not only how to improve, but how to refrain from creating self-made pitfalls. Preconceptions are the perspectives that form in our mind while ego is the response to our preconceptions with a focus on me. Lastly, fear is that driver that motivates preconceptions and ego to protect oneself, often at the expense of others... and almost always at the expense of ones self in due time. Preconceptions, Egos and Fear What we're saying in this post is, self-awareness in life isn't always as important as self-forgetfulness. Creating models that matter while adding value to those around you, is what matters most. This podcast features Wayne Blanchard, and let me tell you, he is one incredibly wise man. Not only is Wayne a studied drummer in his own right, but Wayne also has worked with everyone from Neil Peart to Dave Weckl. In his time working for Sabian, Wayne helped the company

Value, how do you add it? Are you wondering how you can add value to the massive wall of content being uploaded to Instagram every day? Confused about where to begin, how to make a name for yourself or whether you have value to add in the first place?  Often times we overestimate what we can achieve in the short term, get discouraged and give up, before our idea is ever realized. The problem is we've underestimated what we can achieve in the long term. If we could keep our ideas going for days, weeks, months, or most importantly, for years, believing it would one day pan out - we would likely achieve far more than we ever thought possible. Enter, Tristan Kelley. With well over 50,000 followers and 1,000 posts, Tristan Kelley has successfully posted an Instagram "new beat a day" for the last several years. 700 days to be exact. Are you kidding me? Years, folks! Talk about consistency and dedication to the vision. Drummers have begun to find the value in his creativity, and it didn't happen over night. His beat

Creating a career drumming isn't easy. Creating a versatile drumming career is wiser, yet harder still. Creating a life that is driving with clarity, using your highest level of capability, and is executed with confidence is astronomically harder to achieve... Unless you put in the work, then something strange happens. Things begin to fall into place. Decades of experience as a drummer, author, speaker, coffee consumer, and full time human being First experience behind a drumset at 5 years old Experience starting with cello and moving to drums at 9 years old Moment watching The Beatles and Ringo Starr on Ed Sullivan Battle against Cancer Favorite books Moment of realization having played drums in front of over a billion people (1,000,000,000 - incase you don't realize how big that number is) Experience writing his book "3 Steps to Top Performance - Conquering Life's Stage Freight" Experience doing clinics since 1991 Failed audition for Bad English taught him more in a moment than many successes in his career

Nashville. Why do drummers move there? How about Los Angeles and New York City? Nashville is our topic today and in this podcast interview with Joshua Sales, we're diving into a number of different subjects about how working drummers can get paid to do what they love, play the dang drums. We start off discussing Josh's experience growing up in Indianapolis, Indiana and how a sudden move to London, England, had him leaving his dreams of becoming a professional MLB pitcher behind. This is when the drums took the spotlight. Front and centre, baby. Why Listen to this Podcast? You will learn: Whether or not you should move to Nashville for a drumming career The most important skills to start gigging in a new city The most important qualities to possess as a drummer Books, drummers and quotes to jot down What it is other musicians are look

Ever wondered how you can create a career drumming and begin to make money with multiple streams of income? Jumping into this podcast is immediately going to reveal a number of different ways you can begin to establish a career as a drummer and earn some cash while you play... so your bank account isn't empty while you're out drumming! It might just surprise you how many different ways you can make money playing the drums, and while developing a career as a drummer is a challenging, it's not an unrealistic goal. We are excited to hear how this podcast helps you on your journey to becoming the best drummer you can be and creating a career that sustains you for the years ahead! Why listen to this episode? You will learn about Chris': Todays music industry Experience in Cover Bands Experience teaching drums Move to Los Angeles to Pursue a Career Tips on Getting gigs Tips on preparing for gigs and auditions Different ways to make money playing drums How to view drumming as a business Enjoy! Subscribe to 180

DISCLAIMER: Harry spoke with the Jewish Defense League before writing on, and covering, this story. This post is not in support of any racist or anti-semitic behaviour, actions or visuals. This article is written to take a further look at the early 1900's history, prior to World War II, as well as some of the definitive moments in drum collection history. This blog post is going to be not only extremely interesting, but also quite controversial and historical in nature. This podcast and blog is highlighting William S. Hart, a famous movie star of the early 1900's who made a purchase from Ludwig & Ludwig for his son, that today is highly valued and, even more so, misunderstood. Harry J. Cangany, a drum historian of sorts, and avid writer for many news mediums, including Modern Drummer, Drum! Magazine, Not So Modern Drummer and many more, joined us to discuss and shed light on this controversial piece of drum history. Harry also spends time highlighting the recent sale of a $2 million Ringo Starr drumhead u

We've heard about pocket so many times but what does pocket mean, and do you have it? We thought we would delve a little further to understand who is widely recognized as having a deep pocket to better help you create one. Written by Josh Teitelbaum & Jake Nicolle. Pocket.  To me, pocket implies the point at which a song feels just right.  When you hear the pocket, it sounds perfectly comfortable and groovy. When you play in the pocket, you are serving the song and making it feel good.  The musical importance of pocket cannot be overstated enough; it is paramount in any style.  Furthermore, pocket allows the musicians around you to feel supported and grounded in a solid sense of time.  Often times, it is the rhythm section’s responsibility to establish the pocket, for which a groove or song can be built around.  As drummers, we have huge influence as to how a song feels, and how it moves from beginning to end.  Below are some of my favorite drummers who have an uncanny ability to play what’s right for the

  "The drums speak for themselves." – Nathaniel Mela. Playing a major role in helping bringing Craviotto drums to the marketplace. He's also surrounded by Craviotto drums daily, making him one of the luckiest guys we can think of. Nathaniel gives us the lowdown on his experience working with Craviotto and the backstory of Johnny Craviotto. He shares how Johnny growing up using drums from the 20-40's had an impact on Johnny's inspiration to pursue a particular style of drum crafting after seeing a shift from major manufacturers to ply drum shells in the 80's. About Craviotto Drums Craviotto one-ply, solid shell drum sets provide a sound and feel that is instantly recognizable. Each drum is handmade from premium quality, hand-selected wood boards. We begin at the source to ensure your instrument is free from imperfections. From there, each drum takes several weeks to make - start to finish. The result is an instrument that speaks for itself and inspires others. Each Craviotto one-ply, solid shell drum wears o

"It's vital to understand that music is a business, not just art. You're an entity inside of a larger industry. Think beyond music." – Nate Robinson Nate Robinson is not just Lecrae's drummer, but he's also an amazing teacher and entrepreneur. Nate has played with a variety of Grammy-winning and Billboarding-topping artists including: Wayman Tisdale, Kelis, Tank, Angie Stone, Lecrae, Jermaine Dupri, Sarah Morrow, and Tyler Perry among others. His style is flavorful and unique. He never plays to hog the audience’s gaze, but rather to form the greater whole of the musical experience through unity and balance. “Heard Not Seen.” Why listen to this episode? You will learn how to: Play for the Music Not Talk Too Much Develop your Weaknesses Expose your own musical Identity Create a successful music business Develop a strategy for a successful career Enjoy! Subscribe to 180 Drums Podcast Listen to it on iTunes. Stream by clicking here.******   Nate's #180Seat ZION Cymbals   AJP Custom Drums   Hardware DW

Drake's Drummer Adrian Bent walks us through how he got the gig and played bass on some Drake tracks you love as well. Have you ever tried to understand how the guys touring arenas all over the world and playing on your favorite records first landed their big break? We have too and we know what that curiosity feels like. Getting a big gig is hard and there's a lot more than just one element involved. Hard work, network and opportunity all vary in their significance, person to person, but they matter. Adrian has all three working for him and explains how he practiced and put in the time to be prepared when the opportunity came knocking... Even though it did catch him sleeping ;)  Subscribe to 180 Drums Podcast Share this: Facebook    Twitter   Email Written by Jake Nicolle "A lot of people can fall by the wayside... and give up. But, if they just stayed the course, they would realize nothing is built overnight." – Adrian Bent Adrian Bent has played not just drums on Drake tracks you know... He's played the

"Cymbals are one of the best way for drummers to customize their sound. Picking cymbals out is a really special experience and it helps you create your sound... That's a really big deal for people who work here and are players at Zildjian." Tony hosts the most eclectic vocabulary to describe cymbals. "Lush, shimmering, flavours, shades, Distortion boost, White noise, raw aggression." Tony is responsible for Cymbals, Stick, Accessories and Gear at Zildjian His role as Product Manager has an artist relation focus, brand awareness, and marketing co-relationship. Tony creates his lists every day and eats his morning cereal from his desk. " A funnel, not a tunnel. Funnel your ideas down into prioritization. This has the biggest potential... This is what people are absolutely screaming for." Methods to the madness: Evernote, Google Docs Cymbals trends: bigger Diameter and darker crashes, hi hats, rides. Fewer cymbals. "There's so many directions we can go and there's never a shortage of ideas." New Products 20" A C

 - SHOW NOTES -  “Out of everything I've done musically... such an easy idea is getting me traction.” – Tristan Kelley Tristan Kelley (@TristanKelley) has more than 1,000 videos of original grooves. Try that one on for size. What's exciting about todays podcast is it's emphasis on creating original ideas and being unafraid to share those ideas with the world. It can be intimidating creating your own videos and ideas but trial and error is your best friend.  Why listen to this episode? You will learn: Tristan's drum collection How Tristan grew his Instagram account More about your own creative process How to Re-evaluate your own playing How Tristan picked up the drums How to quickly create new ideas Tristan's daily routine Why slow is fast  - SHOW NOTES - 

“You can only regret what you don't do.” – Lindsay Artkop (2015 Hit Like a Girl Contest Winner - Berklee School of Music Graduate) Lindsay Artkop (@LindsayArtkop) is quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with, and an influential female in the world of drumming. You might know Lindsay from her success becoming the 2015 winner of the Hit Like a Girl Contest. What's exciting about todays podcast is it's focus on have a focused practice routine and how Berklee stirred up much of the way Lindsay developed that focused practice regimen. She shares the secrets to how she created a routine that's helped her maximize and focus her time in the practice room towards specific goals.  Why listen to this episode? You will learn: How Lindsay got started playing drums at a young age The influence of various mentors on her life The value of studying at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts How to build a focused and disciplined practice routine How Lindsay utilized the mentors in her life Lindsay's experience