Drummer's Weekly Groovecast

If you intend on making a living playing music for live audiences it's a virtual certainty that you'll be spending some time traveling. As we've discussed in prior episodes flexibility and a positive attitude will take you a long way. However if you combine that with common 'road' sense you can make the best out of any bad situation. In this show we pass along first hand information that can help you navigate and prevent potentially embarrassing situations. We discuss travel do's and don'ts for: airports, vans, cars, buses, hotels, and dealing with copious amounts of down time. We finish the show with each of us discussing a great underrated drum track. Don't forget to enter our contest! In conjunction with monkdrums.com we're giving away two prizes during our one year anniversary. Our grand prize winner receives an original 10" Monk Drum. Our second place winner receives a set of Monk Drums bongos. To register simply visit the Drummer's Weekly Groovecast page inside of Itunes. Leave a written review (so tha

This week we draw up a play from the pedagogical handbook. There are drum grooves that are exclusive to many songs. If you don't perform that 'signature groove' authentically then the music is just not right! In this episode we give you a baker's dozen of these aforementioned songs. Get out your notebook and see how many of these you already know. If you're not familiar with this list now's the time to do some drumming anthropology. Part two of your assignment involves interacting with the show. If you feel there are other songs that fit the definitive groove criteria send us an email at: drummersweeklygroovecast @gmail.com and we'll put together a part two of the show. Join us every Monday for a brand new episode. We're available on Itunes, Google Play Podcasts, Stitcher, Podbean, and all of your favorite podcast apps. Subscribe today! Lastly, don't forget to register to win free drums! To commemorate our one year anniversary we are partnering with Monk Drums (www.monkdrums.com) to give away two great priz

Rampant thoughts and misnomers abound when it comes to performing in churches. In this episode our guest, Mike O'Brien, crushes preconceived notions and tells it like it is regarding the musician's role in today's church. Mike is a professional worship leader, producer, guitarist, and worship team coach. He details what is expected from drummers that he hires and likewise tells us what we should ask for and how to ask for it when approached by worship leaders. He also compares and contrasts the secular world of gigging to the church world of serving. There's so much in this one episode that if you've ever wondered what it was like inside the world of church musicianship then you need to hear the straight truth from someone at the highest level of the craft. Finally we are conducting a brand new giveaway! In honor of our one year anniversary we will be drawing two lucky winners on Facebook Live! First prize is a 10" original Monk Drum from the Monk Drum company. Second prize is a set of Monk Drum bongos. Pleas

This week we start the show with our first major beef. The guys address recent articles found in the online newspapers, The Guardian and The Conversation. We talk about the new proliferation of romanticized illiteracy in music education and the possible agendas behind them. We then discuss the importance of drumming ergonomics and the health benefits reaped from them. We give you practical ideas and tips to help improve your load in, set up, tear down, and performance efficiency. We finish up the show with a segment on must have gear. Join us every Monday for a brand new show. We're available on Itunes, Google Play Podcasts, Stitcher, Podbean, and all of your favorite podcast apps. Subscribe today!

Matt Bettis owner/operator of Bettiscymbals.com sits down with us for an exclusive interview. Matt tells us how he traveled throughout his youth which directly influenced his "Nomad" period of cymbal making and ultimately landed him in the remote mountain region of central Idaho. We discuss his love of drumming, his music education, and how that led to modifying and making cymbals. In 2009 Matt became a full time cymbal maker and has not looked back. We talk about his creative process along with the actual crafting process from the first hammer blow all the way to shipping. Join us every Monday for a brand new show. We're available on Itunes, Google Play Podcasts, Stitcher, Podbean, and all your favorite podcast apps. Subscribe today!

The phone rings. It's that contractor that you've been hoping would call. Once again his gig requires good reading skills along with proficiency of many musical styles. Incidentally you need a few instruments (to authentically perform those styles) that you don't have. What happens next? This show is about taking steps to ensure that you'll never have to turn down work. We help you understand why it's important to be stylistically diverse, instrumentally (equipment) diverse, conceptually diverse, and flexible in your musical tastes and personal demeanor. In our final segment the guys both pick an underrated drummer. Join us every Monday for a brand new show. We're available on Itunes, Google Play Podcasts, Stitcher, Podbean, and all of your favorite podcast apps. Subscribe today!

Well, some of these may not be instant but they certainly do work! This week we take another look at very common problems that good old experience trumps every single time. We discuss creative resolutions regarding issues with setting up, tearing down, storing gear, loading gear, fixing snare drum issues, getting better hi hat sounds, and learning tuning techniques that microphones like but may differ from what our ears perceive. We also take a few minutes to talk about the great Steve Ferrone and his recent stop in Atlanta. For our final show segment both guys pick a great, underrated drum track. Join us every Monday for a brand new show. We're available on Itunes, Google Play Podcasts, Stitcher, Podbean, and all your favorite podcast apps. Subscribe today!

The podcast format is tailor made for Sonny Emory. Aside from being a world class musician he's a wonderful story teller. In this episode Sonny holds court with epic tales from the road regarding his past associations with: Cameo, The Crusaders, David Sanborn, Earth, Wind, and Fire along with his current gigs, Bruce Hornsby and Bette Midler. Being a proponent for education he also details his learning experiences along with his own passion for teaching. We also spend a good amount of time talking about recording and his experiences with Nile Rodgers, Chic, B52s, Steely Dan, his new band, Cachet, and more. Join us every Monday for a brand new show. We can be found on Itunes, Google Play Podcasts, Stitcher, and all your favorite podcast apps. Subscribe today!

Oh the dreaded 'rut'. Anyone who says they never fall victim to this is being intellectually dishonest. In fact, the majority of students who I interact with are accomplished players who need help breaking through these plateaus. In this week's podcast we talk about the most common types of creative blocks: technical, creative/musical, and disinterest/boredom. There are many different way to break through and move forward however the universal cure for all types of ruts lies in the concept that you must push yourself out of your comfort zone in order to grow. We discuss a plethora of different techniques that will spark your creativity and interest in order to get you to new levels. At the end of the show we each pick a new piece of must-have gear. Join us every Monday for a brand new episode. We're available on Itunes, Google Play Podcasts, Stitcher, Podbean, and all of your favorite podcast apps. Subscribe today! If you are an Itunes subscriber please take a moment to go by our Itunes podcast home and leav

With the great success of the 'Snare Drum Show" it was only logical that we'd address another great love of drummers, the ride cymbal. We humbly present our favorite rides for your perusal. We each talk about cymbals that work well in low volume situations, jazz groups, high volume situations, rock bands, and we discuss a few specialty rides too. We finish the show with each of us picking a great, underrated drummer. Join us every Monday for a brand new show. We're available on Itunes, Google Play Podcasts, Stitcher, Podbean, and all of your favorite podcast apps. Subscribe today!

Most successful drummers have leadership in their DNA. Becoming music director of a band or ensemble is a natural extension of our position if you are qualified. On top of that it can be a nice bump in your income and make your market value skyrocket. In this show we talk about all of the different duties that can be part of a music director's job. Plus we discuss the pros and cons that come with the badge. We answer some viewer mail and finish off the show with a segment where we both choose a great drum track. Join us every Monday for a brand new show. We're available on Itunes, Google Play Podcasts, Stitcher, Podbean, and all your favorite podcast apps. Subscribe today!

Sitting in is a time honored tradition in our business. I'm quite sure that at its inception the intention of sitting in was one of sharing and community. However it doesn't take long for a few bad apples to spoil the bunch. In this show we discuss some of our horror stories with drummers who've broken the unspoken code of honor. We then talk about tactics that can be used to discourage pushy drummers yet still remain friendly. We also speak about our own personal rules when we've been invited to sit in. In the final segment we each pick a piece of must-have gear. Don't forget to go by Itunes today and leave us a short written review to be entered into our first ever giveaway. The winner will have their choice of a Paiste Twenty Series 10" splash or a Gretsch drums tee shirt. A new show is published every Monday. Subscribe today on Itunes, Google Play Podcasts, Stitcher, Podbean, and all your favorite podcast apps.

In this week's show we start with the Gretsch factory tour postmortem before answering listener questions. We also pay tribute to Chuck Berry and Sib Hashian due to their recent passing. Then we tackle the topic of the week, 'Time' and the perception that all musicians have of it. We discuss dealing with instrumentalists and vocalists who depend on drummers to correct their tempo mistakes while disregarding their own time feel. Other topics include: subbing with other bands and learning their time tendencies on the fly, helping rhythm section cohesiveness with click track and sequence coaching, perfecting count-ins, dealing with out of time scratch tracks during recording sessions, and solo musicians' tendency to play songs significantly faster than original recordings. During the final segment we each pick and underrated drummer. Don't forget to enter our first contest giveaway. Simply go the show's page in Itunes and leave us a short, written review to enter. Join us every Monday for a brand new show. We'r

We were fortunate to receive an invitation to tour the Gretsch Drum factory in Ridgeland, SC. Who are we to decline? After a lengthy tour of the step by step process of drum making we set up shop in operation manager, Paul Cooper's office, and asked him everything we always wanted to know about Gretsch drums. Rumors are debunked! Make sure you go by our Facebook page to get a look at the pictures that were taken during the tour. Also don't forget to enter the first ever Drummer's Weekly Groovecast contest! Simply go by the show's page inside of Itunes and leave us a short, written review. That's it! You'll automatically be entered to win. Prizes and details are outlined in the show. Join us every Monday for a brand new show. We're available on Itunes, Google Play Podcasts, Stitcher, Podbean, and all your favorite podcast apps. Subscribe today!

In every great rhythm section there is an outstanding drummer. However the rhythm section would not be great without an equally good bassist. In this show we welcome two of country's greatest bassists, Joe Reda and Ramon Pooser. We ask this duo pointed questions about what they like to hear emanating from the drum chair. If you've ever been curious to hear what 'the other side' thinks about us then this is your show. Niceties are forgone! Join us every week for a brand new show. Subscribe today! We're available on Itunes, Google Play Podcasts, Stitcher, Podbean, and all of your favorite podcast apps!

Mistakes are inevitable. Some are minor and others are critical. In this episode we discuss career mistakes, large and small, and how to correct or possibly avoid them. Topics covered are: bad musical and personal choices, fear, anxiety, denial, and procrastination through technology, gear obsession, and other devices. In our final segment we each pick a great underrated drum tracks. Also, the boys include a special 'Easter Egg' opinion nugget on the upcoming MLB season. Join us every Monday for a brand new episode. We're available on Itunes, Google Play Podcasts, Stitcher, Podbean, and all your favorite podcast apps. Subscribe today!

Somewhere down the line you'll either have to audition for a gig or audition another musician for a position in your current musical situation. In this episode we'll discuss finding, preparing, and performing at auditions. Other topics we'll cover include personal appearance, staying confident, mock auditioning, and being ready for the unexpected. Finally we'll talk about what to do if you get the gig and if you don't get the gig. In our last segment Phil and Jon each discuss a great, underrated drummer. Join us every Monday for a brand new episode. We're available on Itunes, Google Play Podcasts, Stitcher, and all your favorite podcast apps.

When I first started playing drums there were basically two ways to learn the instrument: seek a teacher or teach yourself. However today there are more options for drumming education than ever before. With modern technology we can find a plethora of videos, mp3s, articles, and even teachers with the stroke of a computer keyboard. In fact it's arguable that we have too much information instantly available which many times leads to obfuscation of the truth! It's very important to research the information that you're receiving and making sure that it's coming from a reliable source. In this special edition of the Drummer's Weekly Groovecast we give you many tips and ideas when it comes to researching and finding the right teacher (in-person teachers and online teachers). We discuss past experiences, what we got from the great teachers, and what we learned from the not so great ones. If you're a serious student or teacher there'll be something in this episode that will pique your interest! Join us every week f

We know you like drum talk. The emails and forums tell no lies. So, here's one for the gear heads! In today's episode we dedicate the entire show to snare drums. For most drummers the snare represents many different things. Not only is it our most played drum but it is many times a reflection of our personality. We discuss our favorite snare drums according to style (rock, jazz, etc) as well as specific sound applications. The discussion also covers topics such as: drum heads, snare wires, die cast vs. spun hoops, strainers, tuning tips, shell composition, and more. Then keeping with the 'gear theme' Phil and Jon both pick a piece of must have equipment. Join us every Monday for a brand new show. We're available on Itunes, Google Play Podcasts, Stitcher, Podbean and all of your favorite podcast apps. Subscribe today!

We start this week with news of the weird. The Todd Sucherman lawsuit is discussed and debated. After too long of an absence we address reader mail. When we get to the primary topic of the day we discuss the always delicate balance of being an artist versus being a businessman. The pros and cons of each mindset are discussed along with tips and ideas for becoming a balanced artist capable of making a living without compromising the artistic vision. Our final segment of the show has both guys picking a great drum track. Join us every Monday for a brand new show. We're available on Itunes, Google Play Podcasts, Stitcher, and all of your favorite podcast apps. Subscribe today!