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

Carter McLean has been a New Yorker for most of his adult life. From his home base in Brooklyn, he commands a multi-pronged career as the drummer for The Lion King on Broadway, playing regularly with 8-string guitarist Charlie Hunter, and running his own educational website, Four Hands Drumming. In this podcast, Carter talks about: His first experiences in NYC – working at Manny’s Music, driving 12 hours for a $100 gig, going to Jeff “Tain” Watts’ jam session. His typical day, which almost always includes one or two Lion King shows Fighting the complacency that comes from a steady paycheck His educational website, Four Hands Drumming, and how the focus is practical musical concepts that everyone can apply Basic gear and techniques drummers can use to improve the quality of their videos His approach to micing drums and how using fewer mics gives the drummer more control and more responsibility to self-mix Playing with Charlie Hunter Carter McLean endorses Dunnett/George H. Way drums, Istanbul Agop Cymbals, Vic Firth sticks, Remo heads, DW Hardware, Tackle Instruments, BigFatSnareDrum, Beyerdynamic mics, and BAE mic pres. This episode is sponsored by Mapex.

12 Apr 201747min

Russ Miller is internationally known as one of the top drummers of today. As a Multi-Platinum recording artist, he has played on multiple Grammy award winning recordings with combined sales of over 26 million copies. His musical versatility has led him to work with an incredible list of over 50 international artists from legends like Ray Charles, The Fifth Dimension, Natalie Cole, Tina Turner & Bobby Caldwell through modern stars, Nelly Furtado, The Psychedelic Furs, Hilary Duff, Steve Perry, Andrea Bocelli, Kavita Krishnamurthy, Daniel Bedingfield and Meredith Brooks. As a star of the Los Angeles studio scene, the Modern Drummer Magazine Readers Poll has repeatedly voted Russ in the top 5 Studio Drummers in the world, including the 2015 Poll, where he was voted the #3 Session drummer. He has performed on more than 300 albums (including many #1 Billboard hits like Nelly Furtado’s “Whoa Nelly” and Hilary Duff’s “Metamorphosis”). Russ has also recorded for many T.V. shows and over 60 international movies (such as #1 box office titles like “Chicken Little”, “Fracture”, “Lakeview Terrace”, “Resident Evil Apocalypse”, “Percy Jackson” and the “Boondock Saints” series of movies, just to name a few). Along with his many sideman recording credits, he has been a staple on T.V. “house bands”. Such as “American Idol”, for all of their “Mentoring Sessions”. Russ also has four critically acclaimed solo albums, Cymbalism, Arrival and the Arrival Live concert DVD/CD and his latest “Chagada3” with the Arrival Trio. In addition, Russ performs educational clinics throughout the world. In October of 2014, Russ was awarded an “Honorary PHD” for “ sustained lifetime accomplishments that have benefited Drumming artistry and the Global Drumming community”, from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, in Shanghai, China. He also has authored two books: The Drum Set Crash Course and Transitions, along with his three videos, “Arrival-Behind The Glass” from Hudson Music, The Drum Set Crash Course and The Drum Set Crash Course Tuning Edition from Alfred Publications. A 7-time Modern Drummer readers poll winner, Russ’ solo projects were also voted the #1 educational books and videos in the world (2001-2004). In this episode, Russ talks about: Russ’s current gigs including Andrea Bocelli, India superstar Kavita Krishnamurthy and his band Arrival Recording on TV and Movie sound tracks Russ’s approach to world music Being a life long student and finding a “coach” The YouTube effect Gig opportunities in technology Creating your own voice Russ Miller’s interest in product development Explaining the Mapex Design Lab series Russ endorses: Mapex Drums, Zildjian, Remo, Vic Firth, Porter & Davies Tactile monitoring, Hercules stands, May E/A Mics, Prologix, SKB cases, Arrel Audio Electronics, Puresound Snares, Korg and Meinl music instruments This episode is sponsored by Mapex Drums

2 Apr 20171h 15min

Yonrico Scott has been a fixture on the Atlanta scene and in Southern music in general for decades. He was born and raised in Detroit, where he began touring and recording as a teenager. His interest in percussion brought him to The University of Kentucky where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in classical music. After college, he moved to Atlanta and quickly felt like he was home. In the late 90’s he joined the band led by guitar prodigy Derek Trucks with whom he recorded several albums and toured extensively for a decade. He was also a member of Southern super group The Royal Southern Brotherhood, co-led by Devon Allman, Mike Zito and Cyril Neville. YonRico has just released Life of a Dreamer, his fifth album as a leader. In this Podcast, Yonrico talks about Recording “Life of a Dreamer” at ZAC Recording Studios in Atlanta with engineer Tony Terrabone Recognizing when a unique drum part is called for vs. something more obvious Playing congas and percussion in funk, R&B, and pop settings as opposed to Salsa, and the subliminal power of a shaker How he was shaped by the musical culture and history of Detroit. Studying percussion at Kentucky State University and the University of Kentucky, and approaching the drumset more like orchestral percussion. His time in The Derek Trucks Band, and what he and Derek learned from each other. Sentiments on his recently departed friend and Allman Brothers drummer, Butch Trucks. Yonrico Scott endorses Pearl Drums, Ziljian Cymbals, Vic Firth Sticks, and LP Percussion. This episode is sponsored by Mapex.

29 Mars 20171h 15min

Rob Mitchell has built an impressive resume list of gigs throughout his decades in Nashville, Tennessee. Currently, Rob continues to hold down the drummers chair with the band, Sixpence None the Richer. Due to their light touring schedule, Rob finds time to work with singers like at James Otto, Chuck Wicks, Wes Cunningham and Chris Carmack from the TV show “Nashville”. Rob stays busy in Nashville’s vibrant studio scene recording everything from demos to independent projects. Originally from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Rob moved to Nashville in the mid 80’s to study music at Belmont University. During his time at the Belmont, Rob received the type of professional experience he needed to maintain steady work as a professional musician. In this episode, Rob talks about: Working with Sixpence None the Richer World travel and playing shows around the world in places like Japan, Buenos Aires, and Jacarta, Indonesia Receiving “real world experience” in college Taking charge from the drum chair when needed The challenges of promoting yourself online Sharing a house with drummer Kevin Murphy! Being prepared for what the music business offers Staying mentally healthy on the road and dealing with “down time” This episode is sponsored by Mapex Drums

22 Mars 20171h 18min

Wayne Salzmann has been at the top of the Austin scene for nearly a decade. Even before graduating from the University of Texas at Austin with a Master’s degree in jazz performance, he was working his way into the many musical circles Austin has to offer. He has since compiled a long list of performance credits including Steve Miller, Kris Kristofferson, Joe Satriani, Mike Stern, Joe Bonamassa, Bobby Mcferrin, Jeff Coffin, and Oz Noy. He also holds down regular gigs with his own trio and with Austin favorites Bob Schneider and Eric Johnson, and is a member of the adjunct jazz faculty at UT Austin. In this episode, Wayne talks about: Why Austin is the self-proclaimed “live music capital of the world,” and why it’s a destination for musicians from all regions and backgrounds The small but mighty jazz program at UT Austin, and how he uses the Austin scene as a training ground for his students. His early musical life in Stevens Point, WI, the town that was the basis for That 70’s Show Creating a live music scene in his small college town where there wasn’t one before Receiving a grant to travel to New York for an independent study project with Bill Stewart, Billy Martin, Joey Barron and Ari Hoenig. His gigs with real-life guitar hero Eric Johnson, singer-songwriter Bob Schneider, and his own groups, The Wayne Salzmann Trio and Groove Society. Wayne Salzmann endorses Zildjian cymbals, Vic Firth sticks, Evans heads, and DW Drums, pedals, and hardware. This episode is sponsored by Mapex drums.

16 Mars 20171h 2min

In this episode Working Drummer hosts Zack Albetta and Matthew Crouse have a unique opportunity to join forces with Nick Ruffini from Drummer’s Resource to have a “host-full” conversation. We take a break from our normal interviews and spend some time to talk about ourselves and some major transitions all three of us are going through. In this podcast, Nick, Zack and Matt talk about: Adapting to major life changes and transitions Changing the Narrative of what its like to be a working musician Finding non-playing gigs in the music business “Shedding the ego related badge of only playing for a living'” Nick Ruffini’s anticipated transition to San Francisco Zack Albetta’s transition to Atlanta after a year Matt’s transition from life as a touring drummer to finding work closer to home in Nashville Being selective about work The pitfalls of comparing ourselves with other people This episode is sponsored by Mapex Drums

8 Mars 20171h 10min

Tony Austin was born and raised in Los Angeles. He is one of two drummers (the other being Ronald Bruner Jr.) who are part of The West Coast Get Down, a collective of LA musicians making their mark on the modern jazz scene. The collective’s flagship is saxophonist Kamasi Washington’s recent release, “The Epic,” a three disc set of compositions involving dozens of musicians and ranging from free jazz to soul to electronica, on which Tony played multiple roles as drummer, engineer and producer. As a kid, Tony was part of the Big Brothers program and was mentored by Roger Linn, a pioneer inventor of electronic musical instruments including the MPC60 drum machine. He credits Roger with nurturing his interest in music and re e maintains that relationship to this day. In this episode, Tony talks about: Growing up in North Hollywood and learning about music, electronics, and recording from Roger Linn The origins and mission of The West Coast Get Down The unique, “co-op” approach to recording Kamasi Washington’s “The Epic” Playing double drums with Ronald Bruner Jr. His friendship, musical partnership, and current duo project with bassist Miles Mosley Carving out creative and profitable projects for yourself, not just being at the mercy of the sideman hustle The experiences he had as a kid under the mentorship or Roger Linn Tour managing and playing with groups that performed on military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan. Tony Austin endorses Tama drums, Zildjian cymbals, Vic Firth drumsticks, and Remo drumheads. This episode is sponsored by Sonor.

1 Mars 20171h 12min

In this episode we have the opportunity to share the unique perspective of a group of talented black musicians who make their living in Nashville, Tennessee. They share stories of resilience and realism in an unpredictable work environment. Our guests include Keio Stroud, Derek Phillips, Jeremy Roberson, Marcus Finnie and Hubert Payne. Their respective artist gigs include Big and Rich, Chase Rice, Hank Williams Jr., Kirk Whalum, Little Big Town as well as other live and studio work that keeps these drummers busy. In this podcast, this round table discusses: Building relationships upon the common ground of music Being the only black person at an arena gig Influencing the culture on and off the kit Learning how to develop thick skin Being mistaken as the band’s security The influence of urban music in country music “Kanye Twitty” “Don’t step on the money” – AKA the melody – Keb Mo Hands = knowledge / Ears = wisdom Driving the band Creating a support system This episode is sponsored by Sonor drums

22 Feb 20171h 37min