345 - Tommy Harden: Nashville Studio Great, Drumming for Legendary Country Band Alabama, Playing for the Song

Drummer Danny Young is my first interview of 2016. After an amazing 11 months on the road with the national tour of ‘Queen’s ‘We Will Rock You‘, Danny recently relocated back to Nashville where he has jumped into a variety of session work, and has also started working with a number of new and established artists in and out of town. Prior to ‘We Will Rock You’, Danny was the drummer and drum book composer on the new Broadway bound show, ‘The Nutty Professor’; working with Jerry Lewis, Rupert Holmes and the late, great Marvin Hamlish. He also toured on Green Day’s ‘American Idiot‘, Mel Brooks ‘Young Frankenstein the Musical’, with the 80’s hair band Nelson, country artist Katie Armiger, The Platters, Derryl Perry, has made back-line appearances on NBC’s SMASH!, was the debut drummer of ‘Chicago’ and ‘Hairspray on the worlds largest cruise ships Oasis and Allure of the Seas and has many drum students. Danny has also made one time appearances with Shania Twain, Liza Minnelli, Ann Hampton Callaway, Lorna Luft, The Drifters, The Four Tops, Maureen McGovern, Andrea Clearfield and many more… In addition to touring, Danny has also started a seminar with fellow drummer and friend, Danny Taylor, called ‘Beyond the Gig‘. The program focuses on the business, networking and promotion side of the music industry. By touching on topics that go beyond just “playing”, it offers students the knowledge and direction they need to be one step ahead of the game. In this interview, Danny talks about: Auditioning for Queen musical in front of Roger Taylor and Brian May Playing Green Day musical while band members were on stage Writing the drum book for Broadway show The Nutty Professor Learning the music from the recordings Not relying on charts alone Being a music supervisor on cruise ships Teaching others how to market themselves with “Beyond The Gig” Applying large musical skill set to create work beyond drumming Click here for pictures this interview was conducted January 2nd, 2016

6 Tammi 20161h 12min

Chuck Tilley has worked with many artists over the years including the great Felix Cavaliere from The Young Rascals, Richard Marx, Lee Greenwood and most recently the country super group Alabama as of five years ago. Chuck’s own band Six Wire, competed in a reality show called the next great American band back in 2007. The talent and the work ethic of the band was quickly recognized as an asset that the producers felt like they could use for future shows and projects. Some of these shows include “Nashville Star”, “Can You Duet”, “Next Superstar” as well as many live award shows. This is one of the many examples of Chuck’s experience as the drummer for a “house band”. Chuck also has a reoccurring role as the drummer for the character Rayna Jaymes played by actress Connie Britton in the hit TV series “Nashville”. Along with touring, Chuck rounds out his busy schedule by staying active in the Nashville recording scene. In this podcast, Chuck Tilley talks about: playing drums on live award shows working in house bands interpreting artists’ needs juggling many gigs Chuck uses: Pearl drums Zildjian cymbals Evans drum heads Click here for pics This interview was conducted November 30th, 2015

16 Joulu 20151h 35min

Tavis McNabb is perhaps best known as a longtime member of the band Better Than Ezra, although he has performed session and touring work with many acts during his career. Prior to joining Better Than Ezra in January 1996, McNabb toured with acts such as Vigilantes of Love, Beggars, and seminal Oregon-based punk rock band The Wipers. In mid-2007, Travis became the full-time touring and recording drummer with Grammy-award winning Country/Bluegrass act Sugarland. After  Sugarland decided to go on hiatus in 2012, Travis continued to stay busy touring and recording with many artists including Kristian Bush, Big and Rich, Gavin DeGraw most recently up and coming country artist Frankie Ballard. Travis also runs his own home studio called Wood Hill Recording where he puts his years of recording and engineering experience to use. Travis is very comfortable in the studio and you can hear him on Jennifer Nettles‘ most recent single, “Sugar” that was produced by Dann Huff. In this podcast, Travis talks about: Watching Jim Keltner in the studio and learning Leaving a good impression Balancing and mixing yourself Bring your vibe to the session Tracking with producer Dann Huff Taking every gig seriously This interview was conducted November 24th, 2015 Click here for pictures

9 Joulu 201555min

Travis McNabb is perhaps best known as a longtime member of the band Better Than Ezra, although he has performed session and touring work with many acts during his career. Prior to joining Better Than Ezra in January 1996, McNabb toured with acts such as Vigilantes of Love, Beggars, and seminal Oregon-based punk rock band The Wipers. In mid-2007, Travis became the full-time touring and recording drummer with Grammy-award winning Country/Bluegrass act Sugarland. After  Sugarland decided to go on hiatus in 2012, Travis continued to stay busy touring and recording with many artists including Kristian Bush, Big and Rich, Gavin DeGraw most recently up and coming country artist Frankie Ballard. Travis also runs his own home studio called Wood Hill Recording where he puts his years of recording and engineering experience to use. Travis is very comfortable in the studio and you can hear him on Jennifer Nettles‘ most recent single, “Sugar” that was produced by Dann Huff. In this podcast, Travis talks about: Long unique audition for Ezra Being replaced in the studio and learning from it Watching and learning from Kenny Aronoff in the studio Bring your vibe to the session The influence of New Orleans on his playing Being prepared Balancing and mixing yourself This interview was conducted November 24th, 2015 Click here for pictures

2 Joulu 20151h 9min

Pat McDonald is best known as the drummer the legendary Charlie Daniels and has been touring and recording with Charlie for over 16 years. With around a 105 dates a year and many Grand Ole Opry dates, Pat stays very busy with Charlie. When Pat moved to Nashville in 1997, he was at the forefront of a budding community of rock/fusion drummers that were showcasing their style and ability to “fuse” multiple styles in country music. Pat’s reputation as a monster drummer that brought this dynamic to the country world served him well in opening up many doors for him during his time in Nashville. Pat has worked with many artists including Tanya Tucker, Victor Wooten, Leon Russell, Reese Wynans, Jimmy Hall, Kip Winger, Jim Horn and many others. After attending Georgia Southern College, Pat attended Boston’s Berkley College of Music and while there studied with the legendary Gary Chaffee. Pat will be one of the performers at the Nashville Drummer’s Jam 7 at the Exit In in Nashville December 14th, 2015. This NDJ7 will be a tribute to Alex Van Halen. Click here for pictures This interview was recorded November 12th, 2015

25 Marras 20151h 22min

Tucker Wilson is a true native of Nashville. Not only was he born and raised in the music city, both of his grandfathers were regular performers on the Grand Ole Opry and at 3 days old Tucker made his first visit to the Opry. With Ricky Skaggs as an uncle and relatives in legendary country vocal group, The Whites, Tucker was surrounded by music from the beginning. At 1 1/2 years old, his interest in drums was so evident that a year later, his parents bought him his first kit and he’s never looked back. In spite of his family ties to the music business, Tucker seeks success in the music business honestly and on his own. Just out of high school, Tucker found his first touring gig with a struggling Christian/Country band that lead to work with a renowned gospel singer Guy Penrod. These early experiences provided a wealth of experiences that gave Tucker the professional skills that has carried him on to the next phase of his young professional life. Most recently, Tucker has been the touring drummer with Mercury Artist, Canaan Smith. What was supposed to be a five song set to audition with, Tucker was accidentally given a full hour of music to learn for the audition with Canaan. This turned into an opportunity that Tucker took full advantage of to prove his abilities as a solid player and worthy tour mate. Tucker will be one of the performers at The Nashville Drummer’s Jam 7 at the Exit In in Nashville December 14th, 2015. This NDJ7 will be a tribute to Alex Van Halen. Tucker’s NDJ7 video interview Click here for pictures This interview was conducted November 3rd 2015

18 Marras 20151h 9min

Even though Mark Poiesz is still considered the “new guy” in the Nashville music scene, it hasn’t kept him from gaining significant ground in the business. In the first 12 months of moving to Nashville, Mark went from working with Chuck Wicks to Lindsey Ell and is currently the touring drummer for country singer Tyler Farr. When Mark made the move to Nashville in 2013 he quickly won the trust of a handful of people that became instrumental in Mark’s current success. This includes drummers Tom Hurst and Rich Redmond, guitarist Chris Nix and Jason Aldean’s band leader/bass player, Tully Kennedy. Before his move, Mark attended The University of Miami and in his final year he performed with the Grammy nominated Concert Jazz Band. After college, Mark’s time in south Florida was spent as a busy session and touring musician working with rockers Ghost of Gloria and touring with pop icon Jon Secada. The philosophy behind Mark’s high energy performance is tapping into the emotional pulse of the artist and personifying the emotion of the music and tying it together with the other musicians on stage. Mark will be participating in the Nashville Drummer’s Jam 7 December 14th in Nashville at the Exit In. This NDJ will be a tribute to Alex Van Halen. Click here for pictures This interview was conducted October 29th, 2015

12 Marras 20151h 8min

Sean Fuller is best known as the drummer for the country pop duo Florida Georgia Line. This gig with FGL has been a great fit for the group and Sean as well. Sean is encouraged to express his style with FGL through his high energy playing as well as his massive Tommy Aldridge style kits. This complementary arrangement between artist and drummer helps to fulfill Sean’s desire to be much more than just a “sideman”. Originally from Evansville Indiana, Sean made the move to Nashville in 1997 in search of greater musical opportunities. Even though he had almost zero contacts in town, Sean learned how to use networking skills to establish himself within the music community. The time that he put into pounding the pavement and creating a vibe eventually lead to impressive and long lasting road gigs with Luke Bryan and Justin Moore. Most recently, Sean has started conducting drum clinics and it has become one of the ways Sean continues to find new ways of self expression. You can also, catch Sean December 14th at the Exit In in Nashville as one of the many great drummers playing in the Nashville Drummer’s Jam 7. This NDJ7 is a tribute to Alex Van Halen. Click here for pictures social media – instagram: @sfuller1234 twitter: seanfullerrocks facebook.com/seanfullerrocks www.bethebeastbrand.com This interview was conducted October 28th, 2015

5 Marras 20151h 6min