508 - Robert Blair: Being Your Authentic Self, Subbing with Wang Chung & Martina McBride, Learning from Nashville’s Legends

Brian Stephens is a drummer, audio engineer, producer, and studio owner who has spent most of his career in Atlanta. He has had most of the jobs a person can have in the music business and recently added “product developer” to the list. He’s always looking for gaps in the market and in the musical conversations being had, and thinking of ways to constructively fill them. What began as a project to design a pair of good-sounding but affordable in-ear monitors for himself turned into his new business, Session Ace. Boasting two types of hybrid driver IEM’s and a variety of other tools and accessories for working musicians, Brian launched the Session Ace brand in early 2018. In this podcast, Brian Talks about: Quality over quantity in social media interactions How being hired by someone is a continuation of previous interactions you’ve had “The currency of trust” – making your social media presence reflect your musical values, judgement, and trustworthiness Keeping your taste more elevated than your status Developing his own line of in-ear monitors and the other products under the Session Ace brand Creating intersections in your drumming community What networking really is Brian endorses Paiste cymbals, Promark drumsticks, Planet Waves cables, and Waves plug-ins. This episode is sponsored by Crush Drums

14 Maalis 20181h 59min

Terence Clark is a Memphis based drummer, producer and overall creative. Known for his impeccable and soulful performances, his professionalism and discipline of craft, Terence has traveled the world building relationships with and through music. As Terence finds inspiration in his travels and engaging other cultures, he always lends inspiration with his unique brand of performance, solid groove and musical knowledge and excellence. It’s always been more than “just about the music”, to Terence; it’s about creating the very best and discovering a community of artists with which to learn from and create with along the way. Terence began to dream about making music at the age of two. His father, Marc Clark, an organist and pianist and grandfather Loyce F. Clark, a guitarist and legendary quartet vocalist, became his early mentors along with music producers, Kevin Paige and Niko Lyras. Terence developed the gritty elements of his style while playing with local bands on Beale Street. Those experiences stirred up his love for the city’s music legacy and heartbeat of all musical forms. His professional career has spanned from touring nationally and internationally as well as recording with an eclectic array of artists of many genres. He currently tours with the legendary, Robert Cray Band. A musical education and real-life experiences have refined his talents. Terence is also a Producer and Co-Founder of The Undertone Collective, a production company that enables artists by providing a vast range of media and production services. He’s passionate about furthering the legendary music that Memphis has always heralded, while creating a support and resource system for new and experiences artists. Terence is currently mentored by David Porter, Tommy Sims, James Waddell, and Steve Jordan. His musical inspiration stems from the likes of Steve Jordan, Al Jackson Jr., Howard Grimes, Steve Gadd, Tony Williams, Dennis Chambers, William Kennedy, Dan Needham, Dave Weckl, Marvin McQuitty, and Austin Bradley. Working with Terence means working with an artist whose creativity and versatility are only matched by his personal warmth and dedication to the project. His passion is not only for the art, but for the artist. In this episode, Terence talks about: Working with and creating music with Robert Cray Playing with conviction Playing for the purpose of the artist Connecting with other players and the audience Creating “sounds” like a foley artist Having Steve Jordan as a mentor Networking sincerely Being selective about the work that you take How he discovers music The evolution of the drum set Loving and being thankful for the “right now” Terence endorses: Istanbul Agop CymbalsVic FirthMono CreatorsRoberts Drum CoShy Baffles This episode is sponsored by Crush Drums

8 Maalis 20181h 47min

Johnny Rabb became a household name in the drumming community as a product developer and clinician. For years, he worked the clinic and convention circuit to great success, but he missed actually being in a band and playing shows. In 2012, a chance meeting at NAMM with Collective Soul‘s Will Turpin led to Johnny becoming the band’s new drummer, and he still tours and records with them today. In this podcast, Johnny talks about: Being a hired gun vs. being “the new guy” in a band vs. being a full-fledged member How commitment to a group and prioritization of it result in job security Diversifying income streams, musical and otherwise Why he lives in Indianapolis How excitement can sometimes blind you to potential red flags Maintaining perspective and gratitude Johnny Rabb endorses ProLogix, Remo heads, Meinl Cymbals and Percussion, Cympad, Audix Microphones, and of course, Johnny Rabb drumsticks. This episode is sponsored by Crush Drums.

28 Helmi 20181h 21min

South Louisiana native Doug Belote grew up in Cajun country, immersed in the sounds of jazz, rock, funk, R&B, Cajun, zydeco, Dixieland, gospel, Latin and New Orleans second line rhythms. He began playing the drums at age 12 and worked in clubs and at recording sessions while still in high school. After just a semester at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, he sold everything he owned including his drums and hit the road for The Drummers Collective in New York City, where he studied with Ricky Sebastian and Kim Plainfield and broadened his musical palette. In his early 20s, Belote began touring Europe, Japan and the Caribbean with a variety of New Orleans-based jazz, blues and funk artists. He has recorded on more than 100 albums and his resume includes work with Mike Gordon, Jeff Coffin, George Porter Jr., Willie Nelson, Sonny Landreth, Henry Butler, Delfeayo Marsalis, Anders Osborne, Cyril Neville, Ivan Neville, Clarence Gatemouth Brown, Allen Toussaint, Fred Wesley, Steve Masakowski, Charlie Hunter, John Oats Shane Theriot, Derek Trucks, Susen Tedeschi as well as a 2010 performance with Eric Clapton at the Crossroads festival. Doug currently lives in New Orleans and tours with 12-time Grammy winner Jerry Douglas. In this episode, Doug talks about: Recording in New Orleans for T.V. shows and commercials Working with Jerry Douglas and the funny story of his “audition” for Jerry His understanding of recording in Nashville His documentary: Street Beat – Drumming Below Sea Level Studying with Kim Plainfield at Drummers Collective Playing with Sonny Landreth and Eric Clapton on the 2010 Crossroads concert Living in flood prone New Orleans Doug endorses: Yamaha drums,Zildjian cymbals, Shure in-ear monitors and Pro-Mark drumsticks We’d like to recognize and thank listener James Osborne and his support of this podcast through Patreon. See and hear more about James at: jamesosborne.com.au This episode is sponsored by Crush Drums

21 Helmi 20181h 47min

Lemuel Hayes is the drummer for B52s founding member Cindy Wilson’s solo project. Originally from Gainesville, GA, he didn’t set his sights on a music career until age 22, after a few years as a mechanical engineering major at Georgia Tech. After playing and teaching around Gainesville, Atlanta, and Athens for a couple years, he decided to move to Nashville. But he then began to think LA would be a better fit and made plans to relocate. Weeks before he was supposed to move, a broken arm not only kept him in Nashville but put him on the sidelines of music for months. While working at Guitar Center and rehabbing his arm, Cindy Wilson’s project got going and he also caught on with some artists under Jack White’s Third Man Records. In this podcast, Lemuel talks about: Hosting a jazz radio show in college What made him quit engineering school to focus on music Flying out to LA to spend a day with Josh Freese What first brought him to Nashville, and the freak accident that kept him there The physical and psychological challenges of rehabbing his arm Working at Guitar Center to stay afloat The random gig in Athens, GA that connected him with Cindy Wilson Teching for Sterling Campbell How Cindy’s band is a band, not a solo artist with hired guns This episode is sponsored by Crush Drums.

14 Helmi 20181h 46min

In this episode, Nick Ruffini, host and creator of The Drummers Resource sit down with Zack Albetta and Matt Crouse, the hosts of Working Drummer to catch up from last year’s episode. The idea behind this round table came from the fact that all three of us were going through major life changes that effected our music careers in one way or another. We decided to check back in close to a year later and discuss some of the many things that have transpired over that time. In this episode Nick, Zack, and Matt talk about: * Catching up from last year’s roundtable * Opportunities in the music business outside of performing * The “Gig Triangle” – the money, the music, the hang * Allowing other things outside music to be a part of your identity * How and what we practice * Handling failures * Time management and finding ways to be productive throughout each day * Ageism in the music business * Upcoming guests for Drummers Resource and WDP * This weeks episode is sponsored by Crush Drums

8 Helmi 20181h 47min

Rodd Bland was born and raised in Memphis, the son of Bobby “Blue” Bland and the godson of B.B. King. He began playing drums at age 3, and learning at the feet of legendary drummers like Tony Coleman, and Jabo Starks. The time soon came for Rodd to move into the drum chair for his dad’s band, and he remained for much of his career, until Bobby Bland’s death in 2013. Since then, Rodd has remained active with Memphis-based artists such as Rev. Shawn Amos, Brimstone Jones, and Otis Clay. In this podcast, Rodd talks about: Starting on percussion in his dad’s band as a high school student The variety of sub-genres that culminated in his dad’s music and in the Memphis sound Howard Grimes, Tony Coleman, and other Memphis drummers that have influenced him His (and my) favorite Bobby Bland song Jabo’s advice about cultivating your own sound How to take different types of cues from singers and figure out what they need without asking The history of Beale St. Having to reintroduce himself to the Memphis scene as more than Bobby Bland’s son/drummer His love of 90’s rock and grunge, and his relationships with Chad Smith and Matt Cameron This episode is sponsored by Crush Drums.

31 Tammi 20181h 33min

Elton Charles is a Guyanese drummer/engineer based in Nashville. Originally from New Jersey, he started playing drums at the early age of five. Elton worked on learning the instrument over the years and, combined with a natural tenacity for playing, was accepted to study at Berklee college of music. After moving to Nashville in 2012, Elton’s experience has been a blur of touring, recording, and building his musical relationships within the music community. When not supporting up and coming artists and writers in music city, Elton is building upon studio clientele offering his talents as a drummer and producer. Elton is currently on the road with multi-award winning country duo Thompson Square. In this episode, Elton talks about: The challenges of running a home studio Studying at Berklee and creating a learning experience for himself Great drum sounds coming from the player Working with a click when performing live Translating programed drum parts to acoustic when performing live Snare tuning and playing style A better understanding of drum sounds from recording experiences Attracting new business in creative ways Elton endorses: Anchor Drums, Evans Drumheads, Promark Sticks, Puresound, Drumtacs, Paiste Cymbals, Porter and Davies, Sensaphonics in-ear monitors and Smokin Ace Cymbal Shields This episode is sponsored by Crush Drums

24 Tammi 20181h 31min