503 - Ben Hilzinger: Playing With Cannons and Eve 6, His New Book and New Podcast, Harnessing His ADHD For Good

Andy Sanesi is a New York native who has spent the last decade in L.A. His time in New York was highlighted by playing with saxophonist John Zorn but the quality of life in L.A. and the opportunity to do better than just scrape by drew him west. He got busy soon after moving, thanks to a few friends in L.A.’s latin, jazz, fusion and rock scenes, and eventually landed the gig with Missing Persons, a drum chair originally occupied by Terry Bozzio. In this podcast, Andy talks about: Growing up with the jazz influence of his dad and the pop/rock influence of his older sisters How a John Zorn tribute show in college led to actually playing with Zorn Not being the best at any one thing, but really good at many things How working his way onto the LA scene hinged on just a few key contacts Playing in Missing Persons, and making that drum chair his own The difference between being told what to play and told how to play The tools and techniques he uses to alter the sound of his cymbals His long-standing weekly steady with the Julian Coryell Trio at Trip in Santa Monica His (and Zack’s) favorite cocktail  Andy Sanesi endorses DW drums, Aquarian drumheads, Sabian cymbals, Vic Firth drumsticks, and Humes & Berg cases. This episode is sponsored by Sonor drums

16 Feb 201759min

When not out touring with country duo Trick Pony, Wil Easterwood spends his time as a freelance drummer and vocalist for live performances and studio sessions in Nashville, Tennessee. He also has several years of experience as an audio engineer live/studio. Originally from Cedartown, GA, Wil moved to Nashville in 2008 and quickly began working steadily as a drummer on lower Broadway. The exposure and experience on lower Broadway lead to many performance opportunities for Wil including his work with Trick Pony. At the age of 29, his musicality and approach to the instrument has a maturity that has been well-recognized by his peers of all ages and experience.  Before moving to Nashville, Wil played with Georgia based groups in both indie rock and country genres. While in Georgia, Wil worked for several Atlanta market FM and smaller “hometown” AM radio stations as an On-Air Personality. And, from 2005 to 2007, Wil served as the house engineer and assistant technical director for his hometown one thousand seat auditorium/theater. Repairing, cleaning, tuning and general maintenence of drums has always been something Wil has had a love and talent for. Under the name, “Circus Bear Drum Services”, Wil is now offering this service to the drumming community. In this episode, Wil talks about: Singing while playing drums Expecting the best from yourself How the Trick Pony gig happened In-Ears vs a wedge Playing lower Broadway gigs in Nashville Early small town musical influences Wil’s engineering experience Circus Bear Drum Services and its back story Diversifying your workload This episode is sponsored by Sonor Drums

8 Feb 20171h 33min

Gary Hobbs resides just outside Portland, OR, literally steps from the house he grew up in. His father and grandfather were both semi-pro drummers, but the drum bug didn’t bite Gary until his senior year in high school. He attended a Stan Kenton Jazz Camp where he studied with legendary jazz drummer and educator John Von Ohlen, who convinced him to pursue drumming professionally. After a stint in the army, Gary was invited to join the Kenton Band and toured with them almost non-stop for two and a half years. Since then, his hometown has been his home base from which he has commanded a successful career as a drummer and educator. In addition to playing all over the Pacific Northwest, Gary teaches at The University of Oregon. He has traveled the world as a sideman with jazz greats such as Randy Brecker, Anita O’Day, and Eddie Harris, and in his own right as an educator and clinician. In this podcast, Gary talks about: The influence of his mentor, John Von Ohlen Having to turn down the first call he got from Stan Kenton Networking and hanging – difference between being a presence and being a nuisance The Kenton touring experience – two and a half years on a bus – and how there is no substitute for that kind of experience How he keeps his students from developing short-sighted, condescending, or egotistical notions about being a pro musician How live jazz can and should diversify away from jazz clubs What “hippopotamus music” is Gary Hobbs endorses Yamaha Drums and Sabian Crescent Cymbals This episode is sponsored by Sonor Drums

1 Feb 20171h 8min

We are excited to share a special edition of our 100th episode by bringing you a fun round table discussion among a group of Nashville drummers, AKA “The Cocksmiths”. This round table should have some familiar names as many have been guests on this podcast. It includes: Kevin Murphy, Ben Sesar, Billy Freeman, Tucker Wilson, Kyle Wilkerson, Keio Stroud, Wil Easterwood, Rob Mitchell and Jeff Brown. Missing from the discussion were Russ Whitman & Zack Stewart. Covering a wide range of ages and music career experiences, this group of friends has evolved into a “support group” of drummers that utilizes its collective experiences as well as sick sense of humor to create a safe space for the members to hang, have fun and be there for each other. In this podcast, the group talks about: Playing Cards Against Humanity for drummers The “origin story” of this group and why it exists The intentional safe space they’ve created for each other to show support as well as give each other total shit A group of honest friends, not a “networking” group Favorite Spinal Tap line / scenario Favorite Buddy Rich line ever What would you do if you didn’t play drums What we need more of / What we need less of Taking honest advice from your buddies This episode is sponsored Sonor drums

25 Jan 20171h 36min

London-based drummer and bandleader Pete Cater has built on the traditions of Buddy Rich, Joe Morello, and many others to carve a niche for himself as the U.K.’s keeper of the big band flame. The son of a semi-pro drummer in Birmingham, Pete was gigging with his dad’s colleagues by the time he was in his early teens. Throughout his 20s, he had plenty of work locally in Birmingham and on resorts and cruise ships, but after awhile he felt the need to see what he could do in London. He moved there at age 30 In this podcast, Pete talks about: His “apprenticeship” – sitting in with and eventually working with the bands his dad played in How moving to London at the relatively late age of 30 was actually an asset, in that he went there with a lot of seasoning and experience that younger drummers there didn’t have The integral role that arts funding from the British government played in getting his band going Concepts of big band drumming, and how they translate to other styles Playing with authority to gain the band’s trust The ways in which Buddy Rich is misunderstood, and which lesser-known and sometimes maligned Buddy album is one of his favorites. What he considers the best book about Buddy How to emulate your idols in a way that fits your body and your playing Pete Cater endorses Premier Drums, Zildjian Cymbals, Evans Drumheads, and Vater Drumsticks This episode is sponsored by Sonor Drums

17 Jan 20171h 17min

Hubert Payne was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. Although, he was heavily influenced by his father who was a professional drummer, he was encouraged to focus on sports and higher education. During high school Hubert excelled at football and won two State Championships. His athletic skill landed him with a scholarship to play college football. While at Maryville College in Tennessee, he was voted captain by his teammates, and received All Conference honors. Throughout his youth and into college, Hubert had always retained his love and interest in drumming. But it wasn’t until 2006 that he began working as a professional musician in Nashville. From 2006-2009, he was a member of the Tyrone Smith Revue Funk Band, and decided in ’09 to move to Los Angeles to hone his craft at the LA Music Academy. In January of 2010, Hubert was tragically attacked by a stranger at a Nashville concert venue. He was stabbed multiple times in the hand and leg. Hubert underwent surgery on a severed hand tendon, and required a year of rehabilitation. Even after sustaining a permanent handicap in his left hand from the attack, Hubert applied the discipline he learned during his athletic career to his musical goals. Since then, Hubert Payne has landed positions with many nationally-touring country artists including: Love & Theft, Jana Kramer, David Nail, Casey James, Josh Gracin, Danielle Peck, Joel Crouse, and currently (since January 2015) resides as the drummer for Little Big Town. Hubert added a couple impressive recording credits in 2016 including Little Big Town and Pharrell Williams. When he is not on tour with LBT, Hubert travels all over the country telling his story. His motivational speeches surround his message of how to “Prepare for the Performance Moment”, which is the routine that Hubert has perfected. In this podcast, Hubert talks about: Being a person of color, touring through middle America with a country act and the challenges and opportunities it presents His gig with Little Big Town Recording with Pharrell Williams Creating a recording environment to practice and learn how to perform in the studio Building a simple recording rig that works The influence of his pro drumming father Studying at the LA Music Acadamy Getting stabbed in the hand and leg at a night club “Stepping out on faith” and opening himself up to new opportunities Hubert endorses: Sakae Drums, Vicfirth sticks, Zildjian cymbals, Cymbolt Percussion Dynamics This episode is sponsored by Sonor Drums

11 Jan 20171h 18min

A Native of Garland Texas, Billy Freeman grew up around local Opry houses and by the age of 12 took over the job as house drummer for the Garland Opry and performed every Saturday night till the age of 18. In addition to the Opry gig, Billy stayed involved in every music activity he could throughout high school. Beyond high school, his passion for drumming continued.  (From the on-line publication – Nashville Three-Sixty) – By age 20, he was a proven player attracting attention. He did session work and played some gigs with LeAnn’s (Rimes) band members and spent a decade in the Dallas music scene networking and freelancing a burgeoning career. At one time, he was juggling playing with ten different artists. He met a lot of players during his years playing the club circuit and focused on building real relationships from his associations. Billy wasn’t content to be a casual bystander in the Dallas music scene. His intent was to be as present and vital as a pulse in his community, creating a body of work to further and sustain his musical growth. This experience put Billy on the fast track to becoming an extremely competent player and in 2012 beat out over 5000 other drummers to make the Guitar Center Drum-Off grand finals. This led to his touring gig for a year with country legend, Neal McCoy. In 2013 he moved to Nashville after successfully auditioning for singer Dustin Lynch and has been touring with him ever since. In this podcast, Billy talks about: Learning from others while on tour Discovering the drums at a very early age Understanding subtlety in musical drummers at an early age The Dallas music scene Responsibilities of a musical director What lead to the Dustin Lynch gig Preparing for a future off the road Facing your doubts and fears Maintaining your chops while on the road His responsibilities with Dustin’s gig Billy endorses: Ludwig drums, Zildjian cymbals, Vic Firth sticks, Kelly Shu mic mounts and 1964 in-ears This episode is sponsored by Sonor drums

4 Jan 20171h 26min

Herman Matthews has been an L.A. fixture for almost three decades and his resume includes names such as Tom Jones, Kirk Whalum, Tower of Power, and Hugh Laurie. Between the big gigs, his “have drums, will travel” attitude has always kept him working with other acts, either on smaller tours or playing locally in L.A. He is currently the touring drummer for Timothy B. Schmidt of The Eagles. Herman grew up in Houston, TX, and began playing drums in his uncle’s blues organ trio at age 11. He moved to L.A. in 1987, when he was offered the drum chair in saxophonist Kirk Whalum’s band. In this podcast, Herman talks about: The challenge of diversifying your playing in a market full of specialists, and avoiding being seen as a one-trick pony The experience of getting fired, along with the rest of the band, from the Tom Jones gig His approach to navigating songs and the group dynamic when taking over for another drummer Trends in drumming, and incorporating only the ones that fit his character Why he prefers bigger drums and cymbals, and finding the drum sounds that compliment your particular tendencies as a player His favorite bassists to play with Knowing how to negotiate to stay busy Herman Matthews endorses DW Drums, Sabian Cymbals, Remo Drumheads and Innovative Percussion This episode is sponsored by Sonor Drums.

28 Dec 20161h