513 - Bill Ransom: Playing with Beth Hart, the Cleveland Scene, Doing Your Homework

In 2006, J-rod uploaded his first Youtube video, receiving positive feedback that reinforced his belief in using his musical talent to educate and inspire others. Committed to honing his craft, J-rod enrolled in the Atlanta Institute of Music, graduating in 2012, and later joined The 4 Korners band in 2013. With a growing online community of over 700K+ followers, J-rod’s brand transcends his talent, drawing in aspiring and talented musicians with his style, methods, and dedication.Currently serving as the drummer for Janet Jackson, Jeffrey Osborne, and The 4 Korners, J-rod continues to make waves in the music industry through his passion and dedication. Adapting to his first big pop gig coming from the jazz fusion world Being told to go for it “in show mode” for his audition video Adjusting to the smaller box of a pop gig and still finding ways to be himself How this live gig is improving his session playing Learning to navigate the infrastructure of a big tour Ways to have the compensation conversation Here's our Patreon Here's our Youtube Here's our Homepage

8 Mai 1h 3min

Jorge Palacios is an in demand drummer based in San Diego, California. He’s been the drummer for iconic rock star Rick Springfield since 2010. Other artists he’s worked with include Paul Young, Tommy Tutone, Sammy Hagar, The Mustard Seeds and many others. In this episode, Jorge talks about: Embracing different genres Balancing local and touring gigs Making real connections Drumming for Rick Springfield  What he learned working cartage in L.A. Drumming for Sammy Hagar  Bringing the energy ⁠Here's our Patreon⁠ ⁠Here's our Youtube⁠ ⁠Here's our Homepage

1 Mai 1h 29min

Kassandra is working with altadenamusicians.org to get instruments to musicians affected by the LA fires. Go to altadenamusicians.org and download the Instrumental Giving app to help. Kassandra Kocoshis was raised in a musical family and has been playing percussion since she was eleven years old. She received her Bachelors of Music in Percussion Performance from DePaul University and her Masters of Fine Arts from California Institute of the Arts. In 2010, Kassandra relocated to Los Angeles to earn her MFA in World Percussion at California Institute of the Arts under the tutelage of Randy Gloss. Currently she is freelancing in Los Angeles playing with pop, R&B, soul, new music, rock and flamenco groups around the city. She is a current member of California soul band “Beat Mosaic" and the all female salsa band "Las Chikas". She has recorded with artists from an array of different genres including Meghan Trainor, Vahagni, Soul Scratch, Beat Mosaic, and many other artists.   Kassandra is an LP and Amplified Timber artist. Here's our Patreon Here's our Youtube Here's our Homepage

24 Apr 1h 12min

From Cuba, Dafnis Prieto’s revolutionary drumming techniques and compositions have had a powerful impact on the music landscape, nationally and internationally. His various awards and honors include a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship, a GRAMMY Award for Back to the Sunset (2018), two additional GRAMMY nominations, two Latin GRAMMY nominations (including Best New Artist in 2007), and the Jazz Journalists Association’s Up & Coming Musician of the Year in 2006. As a composer, Prieto has created music for dance, film, chamber ensembles, and most notably for his own bands, ranging from duets to big bands. He has received commissions, grants, and fellowships from Chamber Music America, Princeton University, Jazz at Lincoln Center, MoMA, Whitney Museum of American Art, National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures, Jerome Foundation, East Carolina University, Painted Bride Art Center, Meet The Composer, WNYC, New Music USA, Hazard Productions, and Metropole Orkest, among others. Prieto has performed at many national and international music festivals as a bandleader. Since his 1999 arrival in New York, he has also worked in bands led by Michel Camilo, Chucho and Bebo Valdés, Henry Threadgill, Steve Coleman, Eddie Palmieri, Chico and Arturo O’Farrill, Dave Samuels and the Caribbean Jazz Project, Jane Bunnett, D.D. Jackson, Edward Simon, Roy Hargrove, Don Byron, and Andrew Hill, among others. Also a gifted educator, Prieto has conducted numerous master classes, clinics, and workshops around the world. He was on the jazz studies faculty at New York University from 2005 to 2014, and in 2015 joined the faculty of the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music. In 2016, Prieto published the groundbreaking analytical and instructional drum book, A World of Rhythmic Possibilities. In 2020, he published Rhythmic Synchronicity, a book for non-drummers inspired by a course of the same name that Prieto developed at the Frost School of Music. In 2025 he released the book "WHAT ARE THE ODDS" the third book in his catalog, and it shows not only his passion for rhythm and drumming but furthermore his commitment to music education at large. This one takes you to a fascinating journey of rhythms and meters. The book features 519 examples, and each of them comes with an audio track and a video clip. He is the founder of the independent music company Dafnison Music, established in 2008. In this episode Dafnis talks about: Building a career on your own terms Teaching at Frost School of Music at Miami University His new book: “What are the Odds” Asking tough questions about tradition as it relates to Latin music Allowing patterns and phrasing to dictate the time feel Valuing the content you play over the ability to play with a click Here's our PatreonHere's our YoutubeHere's our Homepage

17 Apr 1h 19min

Originally from Garland Texas, Chris Brush moved to Nashville in the fall of 1999 after college to play drums professionally. Over time, session opportunities ignited a passion in Chris as he began to work toward getting off the road full time, and move into the studio scene. Along the way Chris discovered that engineering, mixing, and music production were as exciting to him as drumming. He put the effort into learning about the world of acoustics, microphones, pre-amps, compressors, equalizers, DAWs, mixing, engineering, etc. He began mixing his own projects that turned into mixing and recording other artists — all the while playing drums live, in his home studio, and at studios around Nashville. In 2014 Chris and a partner, opened PlethoraTone studios. After eight years at PlethoraTone, Chris moved into a studio he designed and built. On any given day, Chris is either out and about Nashville playing on sessions or working out of his own place recording, producing, or mixing. In this episode, Chris talks about: Drumming, Mixing and Producing and how these skills feed each other Accepting the role of entrepreneur Building the ultimate home studio How to communicate with an artist effectively Providing flexible pricing options when tracking remotely Discovering what it is you’re passionate about Socials: https://www.patreon.com/c/workingdrummer https://www.instagram.com/workingdrummerpodcast/ https://www.workingdrummer.net

3 Apr 1h 45min

Jamey Haddad's career as a drummer and percussionist has spanned five decades, countless genres, and multiple continents. For over 25 years, he’s had a close relationship with Paul Simon, playing alongside Steve Gadd on multiple records and live projects. He has appeared on over 170 recordings and has played with a wide range of artists from Joe Lovano to Yo Yo Ma, and his career as an educator has found him at Berklee, New England Conservatory, Oberlin Conservatory, and the Cleveland Institute of Music. In this episode, Jamey talks about: Playing with Paul Simon, and Paul’s constant desire to rehearse and adjust how his music is presented Recording the album You’re The One and collaborating with Steve Gadd to create the rhythmic and textural foundations for those songs Committing to representing the traditions he studied in the pop world  How a given style can be treated as both an academic subject or a folkloric tradition “Every generation needs its music.” How to make people you’re playing with know you’re listening to them Socials: https://www.patreon.com/c/workingdrummer https://www.instagram.com/workingdrummerpodcast/ https://www.workingdrummer.net

27 Mar 1h 19min

Newsboys is one of the biggest bands in Christian music history, having sold more than 10 million records across 23 recordings and garnering boundless accolades, including 1 RIAA® Platinum certification and 8 Gold certifications, 30 #1 radio hits, four GRAMMY® nominations, two American Music Award nominations and multiple Dove Awards. With signature songs like “We Believe,” “Born Again” and the unstoppable mega-hit “God’s Not Dead” — which birthed a film franchise of the same name — Newsboys have continued to collect career-defining accolades at full speed ahead. Reinventing and reinvigorating the sounds fans have come to love, Newsboys present their two-part album, Worldwide Revival, featuring 16 songs and a national tour to support. For over three decades, the band, with current members Adam Agee, Duncan Phillips, Jeff Frankenstein, and Jody Davis, have toured extensively throughout the world to present their unparalleled high-energy shows. From their formation in Australia to their current residence in the United States, and everywhere in between, Newsboys share the same unified message about their faith and the God they serve, a position they do not take lightly. In this episode Duncan talks about: The work that goes into maintaining a seasoned band after over 30 years Drumming for the Newsboys Effectively and musically working with tracks The industry in Australia vs the United States Handling fame as a CCM band Making fitness a priority Dealing with personal changes The spinning drum riser Here's our Patreon Here's our Youtube Here's our Homepage

21 Mar 1h 7min