
433 - Mike Dillon: His "Punkadelick" Trio, Rooting the Avant Garde in the Traditional, Making Creativity More Intentional
Mike Dillon's decades-long career as a vibraphonist, percussionist, and drummer has included work with Ani DiFranco, Les Claypool, Stanton Moore, Rikki Lee Jones, and many others. He has also led bands in his own right, the latest of which is Punkadelick, with Brian Haas on keys and Nikki Glaspie on drums. Their new record is called Inflorescence. When not on the road, Mike splits his time between New Orleans and Kansas City. In this episode, Mike talks about: His new trio, Punkadelick with Brian Haas on kers and Nikki Glaspie on drums Finding his place at North Texas as a percussionist rather than a drumset player Committing to mastering the blues and jazz harmony in the improvisatory context The influence of Johnny Vidacovich as an improvisor How the scenes of Kansas City and New Orleans have shaped him How his wife, visual artist Peregrine Honig, has influenced his art and creative process
24 Aug 20231h 16min

432 - Jon "Ginger" Hamilton: Drumming for Sam Smith, Preparing for the Gig You Want, Touring in the 21st Century
Originally from South East London and currently residing in Nashville, TN, Jonathan 'Ginger' Hamilton developed his love for music growing up in church. By age fourteen was holding it down for the UK's leading worship leaders and groups. A few years later, he made his Pop music debut and has gone on to work with artists like, Jessie J, Olly Murs, Lianne La Havas, N Dubz, JLS and Westlife. Since 2017, he has been the touring drummer for Sam Smith. *** Use code: JGHDRUMS15 for 10% off at hyperice.com In this episode, Jon talks about: Managing drumming and repetitive stress injuries Acclimating to Nashville, TN from London Influence of Caribbean and African music in gospel music in the UK Bringing positivity to every situation and gig Preparing for the gig you want Drumming for Sam Smith The touring rig for the 21st century Mentorship His clothing line, Drum and Drummer
17 Aug 20231h 7min

431 - Tina Raymond: Her New Record, Running a College Jazz Program, Setting Boundaries
Tina Raymond is an accomplished drummer, composer, bandleader, and educator based in Los Angeles, CA. A unique voice in the contemporary improvised music scene, Raymond blends traditional jazz vocabulary with African polyrhythm and classical percussion technique. She is the Director of Jazz Studies at Cal State Northridge, and her new trio album Divinations will be released October 6th. In this episode, Tina talks about: Creating a jazz program where students don’t feel like they’re in competition with each other Putting boundaries around her professional life, whether it’s as an educator or a performer How she tries to help her students become well rounded people, not just good jazz musicians Her new record “Divinations” and its tarot theme Building drum solos around accompaniment Making her record “drums forward” both in performance and mix
10 Aug 20231h 11min

430 - Chris DiGirolamo: Two of the Show Media, Diverse Opportunities in the Industry, Responsibilities of a Publicist
Chris DiGirolamo has been the owner and operator of Two of the Show Media since 2006. Chris started studying drums at the age of five and still performs to this day. From his time at Berklee College of Music, to his tenure at the well known Systems Two Recording Studio in Brooklyn, NY, to engineering at the legendary Record Plant Recording Studio in California, music has always been number one. When Chris started Two for the Show Media, a private music publicity firm in Queens, NY, the mission was to provide hard work, honesty, trust, and guidance to the independent musicians of today. With two Grammy wins and over thirty nominations, Chris has fulfilled his goal times ten. A fraction of the clients he has worked with include: Dafnis Prieto, Jamie Wollam, Cindy Blackman Santana, Simon Phillips, George Coleman Junior, JR Robinson, Bobby Sinabria, Steve Gadd and Manu Katche. In this episode, Chris talks about: The benefits of technology with PR Responsibilities of a publicist Artist development Carlos Santana and the thank you letter Marketing instruments like A&F Drums Meeting Bill Kreutzmann from The Grateful Dead as a kid Diverse opportunities in the music industry
3 Aug 20231h 20min

429 - Lucy Ritter: Touring with "Jagged Little Pill," Moving to LA, Followers vs. Relationships on IG
Lucy Ritter grew up in New Jersey with a good dose of NYC. She attended music school at Indiana University where Steve Houghton encouraged her to focus on drumset rather than classical percussion or music education. She left school to join the first national tour of the musical An Officer and a Gentleman, and followed that up with the first national tour of Jagged Little Pill. She recently decided to leave that tour and move to LA full time. In this episode, Lucy talks about Following through to make IG connections IRL Learning how to record audio and video for college during COVID How Steve Houghton encouraged her to focus on drumset rather than classical percussion and music education How different types of music come with different lifestyles/subcultures All the different ways professionalism has to be present in how you present yourself. Seeking out female mentors
27 Jul 20231h 17min

428 - Jody Stephens: Drumming for Big Star, Those Pretty Wrongs, Ardent Studios and it's Rich History
Jody Stephens is a drummer based in Memphis, Tennessee, who has played in Big Star and is the last surviving original member. Along with his over three decades working at the historical Ardent Studios in Memphis, he continues to record and tour with groups like Golden Smog (with members of the Jayhawks and Wilco) and Those Pretty Wrongs with Luther Russell. In this episode, Jody talks about: Meeting his hero, Ringo Ardent Studios in Memphis and it’s rich history The importance of building relationships in the industry What he learned during the recording of the first Big Star record His work with Golden Smog Playing music for fun not money His duo Those Pretty Wrongs
20 Jul 20231h 6min

427 - Petar Janjic: Hitting His Stride in Nashville with Cory Wong, Uncle Bronco, and More
Petar Janjic is best known for playing with Cory Wong these days, but stays busy playing live and recording with many other Nashville artists. Petar's journey in music began with a solid educational foundation in his hometown of Kraljevo, Serbia . He pursued his passion by moving to the United States and earning both a Bachelor's and Masters degrees from McNally Smith College of Music in St. Paul. He moved to Nashville in 2019. With his expertise and versatile skills, Petar Janjic continues to captivate audiences worldwide with his dynamic drumming and unwavering dedication to his craft. His contributions to the music industry and collaborations with esteemed artists have solidified his reputation as a true force to be reckoned with in the realm of percussion. In this episode, Petar talks about: How the old guard of Nashville studio drumming has influenced his approach How the Cory Wong gig has fun/goofy aspects, but also takes preparation and quality control very seriously The Minneapolis approach to time and groove that he and Cory both come from Releasing an online drum course with Cory, and his "overtone control" cymbal dampeners Playing with Victor Wooten Uncle Bronco, his trio project with organist Ty Bailie and guitarist Adam McPhail
13 Jul 20231h 13min

426 - Dr. Charlie Kautz and Dr. Shayan Ghaffari: The Fine Tune Clinic, Parallels Between Athletes and Musicians, Using Education to Solve Physical Issues
At the Fine Tune Clinic, Dr. Charlie Kautz and Dr. Shayan Ghaffari are a licensed Chiropractors providing state-of-the-art techniques that directly treat specific muscles to relieve pain symptoms and improve range of motion. After years of observing and working with musicians, they provide a unique combination of advanced myofascial and Chiropractic techniques to address underlying causes of repetitive stress injurys. In this episode, Dr. Charlie Kautz & Dr. Shayan Ghaffari talk about: Parallels between athletes and musicians Matt’s personal work with Dr. Shayan Dr. Charlie meeting John Densmore, drummer for the Doors Active Release Technique (ART) Problems with “drummers posture” Using education to solve physical issues Things that we do that sabotages our health and mobility How supplements optimize recovery
6 Jul 20231h 23min