Drummer's Resource

Blair Sinta has been a staple on the LA music scene for over 20 years. With a resume boasting credits with Alanis Morissette, Annie Lennox, Idina Menzel, Chris Cornell, Stevie Nicks, Glen Ballard, Damien Rice and a long list of others, to say he’s the “real deal” would be an understatement. Blair has also carved […] The post 272 – Blair Sinta: The right man for the job appeared first on Drummer's Resource: Conversations with the world's greatest drummers and music industry pros. .

We’re all guilty of thinking we’re not good enough, our work us sub-par and everyone else around us is better than us. The truth is that most of those fears and insecurities are false and we’ve made them up inside our own brain. Every high performer I’ve ever spoken with has had some sort of insecurity […] The post 271 – Dealing with self doubt and imposter syndrome appeared first on Drummer's Resource: Conversations with the world's greatest drummers and music industry pros. .

Since 2003 Kris Myers has been the drummer for Umphrey’s McGee, who’ve been a staple on the Jam Band Scene for more than 2 decades. Although he fits the band like a glove, this isn’t the career path that Kris originally envisioned for himself. Originally focused on being a studio/local drummer and avoiding the road, Myers […] The post 270 – Kris Myers (Umphrey’s McGee): From Jazz man to jam band appeared first on Drummer's Resource: Conversations with the world's greatest drummers and music industry pros. .

There is no shortage of good gear for drummers and more is introduced every year at the NAMM show. The problem now is that we’re suffering from too much quality equipment and we don’t know where to look for answers. Typically we look to our favorite drummer and buy the gear they’re playing but that’s […] The post 269 – How to pick the gear that’s right for you appeared first on Drummer's Resource: Conversations with the world's greatest drummers and music industry pros. .

Mark Kelso, the Ireland-born Canadian, has felt at home behind the drums since the early age of 4. Since then he’s amassed a career that’s impressive to say the least. Kelso boasts recording credits on over 280 records, commercial jingles and movie soundtracks as well as working with legends, including: Pat Metheny, Michael Brecker, Randy […] The post 268 – Mark Kelso: Developing your musical mind appeared first on Drummer's Resource: Conversations with the world's greatest drummers and music industry pros. .

What can be said about Tris Imboden to summarize his iconic career? The Southern California, self-proclaimed “surfer dude” has shaped the sounds of many of the most prolific artists from the 70’s, 80’s 90’s and today. Fresh out of high school, Tris co-founded the band “Honk” which appeared on the soundtrack for the cult-classic “Five Summer […] The post 267 – Tris Imboden: From Southern California to Chicago appeared first on Drummer's Resource: Conversations with the world's greatest drummers and music industry pros. .

This audio is from Jeff Porcaro’s clinic at the famed Musicians Institute in Hollywood, California courtesy of Musicians Institute. Jeffrey Thomas “Jeff” Porcaro (April 1, 1954 – August 5, 1992) was an American drummer, songwriter, and record producer. In a career that spanned more than 20 years, Porcaro was best known for his work with […] The post 266 – [Special Edition] Jeff Porcaro clinic at Musicians Institute in Hollywood, CA appeared first on Drummer's Resource: Conversations with the world's greatest drummers and music industry pros. .

Rodney Howard has resume that reads like a journeyman’s career in Major League Baseball. Like most journeymen in baseball, Howard moves around from gig to gig, but the difference is that Howard bounces around because he can do it all. He has the unique opportunity to play with a litany of acts due to his […] The post 265 – Rodney Howard: A journeyman of sorts… appeared first on Drummer's Resource: Conversations with the world's greatest drummers and music industry pros. .

There’s no doubt that one of the biggest challenges of being a “nights and weekends” player (someone who has a day job) is trying to balance your time so you’re effective at both your 9-5 and your music career; not to mention family commitments, exercise, relaxation, time with friends, etc.  There are ways to get […] The post 264 – How to balance your music career and your 9-5 appeared first on Drummer's Resource: Conversations with the world's greatest drummers and music industry pros. .

In 2008, Ray Luzier struck gold when he landed the gig with the mega-group, KoRn. From the outside this may have seemed like a lucky break, but make no mistake about it, Ray got this gig for one reason: he deserved it. The risk-taking kid who left home at 18 to pursue music in Los […] The post 263 – Ray Luzier: Alive and kicking with KoRn appeared first on Drummer's Resource: Conversations with the world's greatest drummers and music industry pros. .

Once in a while you get called for a last minute gig, which means you’ll probably have to learn 30 songs in 3 days and or course, you also have a million other things going on. I used to cram everything in my brain, only to forget half the stuff I practiced once I got […] The post 262 – How to learn a song list for a last minute gig appeared first on Drummer's Resource: Conversations with the world's greatest drummers and music industry pros. .

Steve Ferrone has been the drummer for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers since 1994 after replacing their original drummer, Stan Lynch. While most people recognize him as the drummer for the heartbreakers, few people know about his long resume of other acts, including: Average White Band, Bee Gees, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Rick James, Whitney Houston […] The post 261 – Steve Ferrone: Making a name for himself appeared first on Drummer's Resource: Conversations with the world's greatest drummers and music industry pros. .

Labeled the “Buddy Rich or Billy Cobham of funk drumming” by Jazz Times Magazine, Jim Payne has had a long, successful career as a drummer, educator, producer, and collaborator with the best musicians in jazz and funk. From Connecticut to New York to Memphis and California, Jim Payne has done it all. Jim attended Yale […] The post 260 – Jim Payne: The keeper of the funk appeared first on Drummer's Resource: Conversations with the world's greatest drummers and music industry pros. .

Between the days we fall in love with drumming and the day we realize we haven’t played drums in ten years, a lot can happen. Life gets in the way: Kids, job, family, travel, health, etc. While these are parts of life, the good news is that there’s no reason why you can’t get back […] The post 259 – Tips for getting back into drumming appeared first on Drummer's Resource: Conversations with the world's greatest drummers and music industry pros. .

Grant Menefee may not be a household name but you’ve definitely heard or seen his impact on the drumming world. As a graduate from Berklee School of Music and master educator, Grant has shaped the playing of many A-list players, including: Nate Morton (The Voice), Matt Halpern (Periphery), and Jon Theadore (The Mars Volta / Queens […] The post 258 – Grant Menefee: The professional drummer’s instructor appeared first on Drummer's Resource: Conversations with the world's greatest drummers and music industry pros. .

Back by popular demand, I’m featuring another listener on the podcast. This session is with Max Senitt, the Canadian born drummer who’s been playing drums for over 30 years and been playing professionally since he graduated college. We dig into how he’s sustained a professional career for nearly three decades, and the reason why he […] The post 257 – [Listener Spotlight] Max Senitt: Just do it appeared first on Drummer's Resource: Conversations with the world's greatest drummers and music industry pros. .

Billy Drummond grew up in a home filled with sounds from Miles Davis, Art Blakey, Buddy Rich and other Jazz drumming legends. Now Billy is filling the airwaves himself as one of the most prolific Jazz drummers in the world. Throughout his career Billy has played on over 300 records with luminaries too many to […] The post 256 – Billy Drummond: Embracing the past, present and future of music appeared first on Drummer's Resource: Conversations with the world's greatest drummers and music industry pros. .

Throughout our lives we endure many transitions and whether they’re big or small, it can be difficult to adjust. Sometimes these transitions are conscious decisions and sometimes we’re forced to make a change for a number of reason, like, economic, social, personal, etc. This roundtable discussion between me, Zack Albetta and Matthew Crouse takes you into […] The post 255 – Roundtable Discussion: Charting your own course, career transitions and not playing the comparison game appeared first on Drummer's Resource: Conversations with the world's greatest drummers and music industry pros. .

John Ramsay could qualify as a person who has lived many different lives. Having started off as an underachieving student, John Ramsay got serious about his playing and created quite the career for himself in multiple capacities. He started as a student of the legendary Alan Dawson, landed a gig playing with Art Blakey (he later […] The post 254 – John Ramsay talks: Alan Dawson, Art Blakey and approaching music as a lifelong endeavor appeared first on Drummer's Resource: Conversations with the world's greatest drummers and music industry pros. .

I’m doing something different and shifting the focus to the DR community with this new segment: Listener Spotlight. This first spotlight session is with longtime listener Jeremy Schreifels, who’s a full-time player, producer and arranger in Minnesota, all while balancing being a full-time dad, spending many long nights on the road and flying in and […] The post 253 – [Listener Spotlight] Jeremy Schreifels: Whatever it takes appeared first on Drummer's Resource: Conversations with the world's greatest drummers and music industry pros. .