114 – Angela Lese: Drumming for The Dead Deads, Cultivating a Strong Fan Base, From “Regular Job” to Touring Musician

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 Dec 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 Dec 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 Nov 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 Nov 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 Nov 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 Nov 20151h 6min

Dr Preston Wakefield is a well known chiropractor in Nashville and is known throughout the music community as the go to guy for sound advice as well as quick and noticeable results when musicians are suffering from injuries associated with being professional player. Although most of his patients are athletes, around 20% of Preston’s patients are musicians. Preston uses “Active Release Techniques” to help guitar players, bass players and drummers overcome repetitive stress injuries often associated with these instruments. It’s not uncommon for Dr Wakefield to pull out a pair of sticks and a practice pad and observe your technique in order to help diagnose your issues. Preston stresses the benefits of proper posture, stretching and warming up. Spend time with Dr Preston Wakefield and you’ll have a rudimentary understanding of things like “peripheral nerve entrapment”, “carpal tunnel” and “tendonitis”. He will teach you how recognize these issues and treat yourself so you can keep working. Click here for pictures of the stretches that were discussed in this podcast This interview was conducted October 24th 2015

29 Okt 201542min

William Ellis is an in-demand drummer based in Nashville, TN and for almost six years, has been the drummer for the country duo Montgomery Gentry. His extreme versatility within a myriad of styles has served him well whether touring or recording. Artists like Travis Tritt, Martina McBride, Hunter Hayes, and many others have relied on his drumming expertise and versatility. William was also involved with two band projects: Blue Merle and EMP Project. In doing so, he was able to compose, co-produce, perform in the studio, and tour extensively opening for such artists and festivals as Counting Crows, Train, Dave Matthews Band, Bonnaroo, and Lollapalooza, etc. William has become a regular part of the Nashville Drummer Jam and you can see him perform at the Nashville Drummer Jam 7 December 14th, 2015 at the Exit In in Nashville. Click here for pictures This interview was conducted September 23rd, 2015

22 Okt 20151h 20min