Drummer's Resource

Elmo Lovano goes after what he wants. From a young age he was touring the country as a drummer, became a music director for multiple bands and pseudo-retired from drumming around the ripe old age of…wait for it….30. Why? He has a bigger vision. Elmo is driven to change how musicians are viewed in the […] The post 292 – Elmo Lovano: Drummer and music director turned tech startup founder appeared first on Drummer's Resource: Conversations with the world's greatest drummers and music industry pros. .

No doubt about it, YouTube has changed the landscape of drumming forever. From YouTube stars and drummers landing the “dream gig” after someone saw their video to countless footage of the greatest drummers in the world. As with any technology there is a good and bad that’s associated with it, YouTube included. We have the […] The post 291 – Drumming in the YouTube era appeared first on Drummer's Resource: Conversations with the world's greatest drummers and music industry pros. .

Steven Wolf is a surviver – not only in his personal life, but in his professional life, too. Wolf, as he’s commonly referred to, came up during a time of live drum tracks and studio dates. Over time he saw the writing on the wall and began to hone his programming chops to embrace the […] The post 290 – Steven Wolf: How to make it in the session world appeared first on Drummer's Resource: Conversations with the world's greatest drummers and music industry pros. .

There’s no shortage of arguments on both sides of the fence whether you should work fro free or not. Many feel that it devalues your art and craft and others think that working for free is the best way to get your foot in the door. In my opinion there’s a time for both but […] The post 289 – Should you work for free? appeared first on Drummer's Resource: Conversations with the world's greatest drummers and music industry pros. .

Stanton Moore makes his second appearance on the podcast, this time detailing the works of his new album, why he loves teaching and why he’s busier now than he’s ever been – and he LOVES it. No stranger to hard work, Stanton keeps himself busy with touring with Galactic, teaching masterclasses, hosting is Spirit of […] The post 288 – Stanton Moore: New record, new practice routine and relentless work ethic appeared first on Drummer's Resource: Conversations with the world's greatest drummers and music industry pros. .

David Phillips is no stranger to rubbing elbows with the who’s who of drumming. After an 8-year stint with Pearl drums and now the longtime European artist relations director for DW Drums, it comes with the territory. Equally as impressive as who who’s worked with is who he’s photographed. Over the years, Phillips has taken […] The post 287 – Your all access pass to the greatest drummers in the world with David Phillips appeared first on Drummer's Resource: Conversations with the world's greatest drummers and music industry pros. .

Homer Steinweiss is not a generalist. If you want a straight ahead Jazz drummer or a rock drummer, call someone else. But if you’re looking for vintage soul and afrobeat drums, Homer is your guy. He’s a specialist by design and he likes it that way. Known for his work as a founding member of […] The post 286 – Homer Steinweiss (Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings): Creating vintage sounds for modern music appeared first on Drummer's Resource: Conversations with the world's greatest drummers and music industry pros. .

For most of us drummers, we’re considered sidemen or “work for hire” musicians. The downside is that our career is often left in other people’s hands and we wait for the phone to ring for gigs. No phone call? No gigs. Over the past few months I’ve had more and more conversations (3 yesterday, in […] The post 285 – What to do when you can’t get gigs appeared first on Drummer's Resource: Conversations with the world's greatest drummers and music industry pros. .

Kendrick Scott is a Houston, TX born Harlem, NYC residing force in the music world. Self-described as a musician (not a drummer) who is here to serve one purpose: to communicate musically. Whether he’s playing with his band Oracle, or performing with A-listers like Herbie Hancock, Terence Blanchard and Pat Metheny, Kendrick stays true to form […] The post 284 – Kendrick Scott: An instrument of peace appeared first on Drummer's Resource: Conversations with the world's greatest drummers and music industry pros. .

In this podcast I talked to legendary drummer, John Blackwell who was best known for his powerful grooves behind the conic star, Prince for 12 years.  Blackwell has also performed with Billy Eckstine, Cameo, Pattie LaBelle, Justin Timberlake, Crystal Kay, and P Diddy.  In addition to his work with various artists, John frequently performs at clinics […] The post 283 – Remembering John Blackwell: An in-depth interview from 2015 appeared first on Drummer's Resource: Conversations with the world's greatest drummers and music industry pros. .

Osaka Japan born, Fresno, CA raised Taku Hirano is highly regarded as one of the greatest percussionists in the world. Judging by his resume and the demand for his talents, there is plenty of evidence to back us those sentiments. He has toured the world with Fleetwood Mac, Whitney Houston, John Mayer, Bette Midler, Stevie […] The post 282 – Taku Hirano: Hard work pays off appeared first on Drummer's Resource: Conversations with the world's greatest drummers and music industry pros. .

There’s no shortage of practice techniques floating around on the internet, but this is without a doubt the most effective one I’ve ever used without sitting behind a kit. “Your present circumstances don’t determine where you can go; they merely determine where you start.” Nido Qubein (Tweet this) [CLICK THE PLAY BUTTON ABOVE TO LISTEN] Drummer’s […] The post 281 – The one practice technique you haven’t tried yet appeared first on Drummer's Resource: Conversations with the world's greatest drummers and music industry pros. .

Over the years I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know James Wormworth and the story of how he landed the Conan O’Brien gig is nothing short of awesome. What most people don’t know is that he has been playing in this band for 23 years, but only a fraction of that has been televised. […] The post 280 – The journey to late night TV: Conan O’Brien’s James Wormworth and Mike Merritt appeared first on Drummer's Resource: Conversations with the world's greatest drummers and music industry pros. .

There is no shortage of self promotion on social media but the question remains: Does it work? Answer: It depends. Here are a few tips and things to keep in mind before you tag every drum company with an Instagram account. [CLICK THE PLAY BUTTON ABOVE TO LISTEN] “Without promotion, something terrible happens…nothing!” – (Tweet […] The post 279 – How to promote yourself online without being spammy appeared first on Drummer's Resource: Conversations with the world's greatest drummers and music industry pros. .

Gorden Campbell is no stranger to switching things up. With a simple glance at his list of employers, you’ll see the wide range of work he’s been hired to do. From George Duke to Jessica Simpson, Campbell’s gigs have required him to be able make changes at a moments notice, switch and learn new styles, and […] The post 278 – Gorden Campbell – Reinventing a storied career appeared first on Drummer's Resource: Conversations with the world's greatest drummers and music industry pros. .

It’s no secret that we all want the easiest and fastest way out. But, learning an instrument, building a career in music or anything else worth having takes time. The way you approach your journey will have an impact on whether or not you enjoy it or fizzle out from frustration, self-doubt and anger. Here’s […] The post 277 – Patience and practice appeared first on Drummer's Resource: Conversations with the world's greatest drummers and music industry pros. .

Scott Amendola is a risk taker. He risks falling on his face musically and takes chances that tend to pay off more times than not. The New Jersey Native and longtime San Francisco resident invited me into his studio and help me get a better understanding of his winding career of 30 piece big bands to […] The post 276 – Scott Amendola: Creating a massive career in multiple genres appeared first on Drummer's Resource: Conversations with the world's greatest drummers and music industry pros. .

Ben Loshin has made a remarkable career for himself in music, but it wasn’t always that way for him. A few short years ago playing music full-time time seemed miles away for Loshin, a then engineer at a company in Denver, CO. With nothing short of immense hard work, determination and a dream, Ben Loshin made […] The post 275 – [Listener Spotlight] How to transition from your day job to playing drums full time with Ben Loshin appeared first on Drummer's Resource: Conversations with the world's greatest drummers and music industry pros. .

New York native Brian Dunne has been touring the world for the past seven years with music icons, Hall and Oates. He gained the position through his work with Daryl Hall’s “Live from Daryl’s House” – a weekly webshow where Daryl and his house band (Dunne included) perform with other well know musicians, like Joe Walsh, […] The post 274 – Brian Dunne [Hall and Oates/Live From Daryl’s House]: Deep in the groove appeared first on Drummer's Resource: Conversations with the world's greatest drummers and music industry pros. .

This audio is from Ricky Lawson’s clinic at the famed Musicians Institute in Hollywood, California courtesy of Musicians Institute. Lawson started playing drums at the age of sixteen. He would borrow his uncle’s drum set and carry it to his house across town via the Detroit bus system. In high school, Lawson played in his […] The post 273 – [Special Edition] Ricky Lawson clinic at Musicians Institute in Hollywood, CA appeared first on Drummer's Resource: Conversations with the world's greatest drummers and music industry pros. .