That’s all, folks.

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The time has come for me to part ways with the Drumeo Gab podcast. It has been a blast making this show but my time has come to move onto other things. 

I also share a prank call that I made to Drumeo where Jack Thomas answered the call.

Check out my new podcast: Shootin’ The Shit With Seamus

(Editor’s note: It’s been an absolute pleasure to work with Seamus over the past few years. With his grassroots vibe, investigative prowess, total honesty, and ability to make every guest feel at ease, we hope you’ve enjoyed the incredible conversations he’s had with artists and industry icons over the course of this podcast.

If you haven’t listened to every episode, now’s the time to go through the archives!)

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“I wake up every day and have many ideas for what sounds I would like to try.”

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Wiktoria Bialic is a great live and studio drummer from Poland. She has been working hard towards making a career in music and was even told that it wouldn’t work out because she lives in Poland. I think it is fair to say that she has busted that myth.

In this episode:

You will hear about…

• Location and how it plays a role in how we approach the music industry
• Experimentation with sound
• Wiktoria’s financial situation
• Whether or not Wiktoria’s parents have been hesitant for her to become a musician
• Why passion leads people to a higher chance of success with whatever they do

Why you should listen:

Wiktoria is a drummer that I have been following for some time now. I have seen her sound, ability to play, and success come through in a big way in the last year or so. To listen to a young person talk in such a mature way about their goals and where they want to be in life is really satisfying. This episode may just lift up your spirits a bit.

Check out my new podcast: Shootin’ The Shit With Seamus

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“The one environment that I cannot lie in is music. Music tells the truth all the time. Either you can play or you can’t.”

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This is our second episode with the great Billy Cobham, and we are talking about the nature of creativity.

In this episode:

You will hear about…

• Billy shares his thoughts on where creativity comes from.
• Does creativity ever tire for Billy?
• With advancements in technology are we better off nowadays or was there more of a hotbed of creativity in the past?
• The importance of taking notes to capture creativity that would be fleeting if not captured somehow.

Why you should listen:

Creativity is a deep subject and it is one that I enjoy exploring with my guests. In particular, to hear testimony of an incredible musician stating that his creativity never ceases to exist is inspiring to hear. I wondered if there ever comes a point where you run out of ideas.

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“It’s been told to me that our minds are like teflon when it comes to positive and velcro when it comes to the negative.”

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We are back with Larnell Lewis! Our first episode dealt with Larnell ranking some facets of drumming in order of their importance and I think we all learned a lot from that one. Today though, we are dealing with something very different.

What happens when life gets in the way of your drumming? It happens to all of us. Even the pros. Larnell has had his fair share of interruptions and having to deal with balancing his professional career and the rest of his life. He shares some invaluable wisdom that struck a chord with me – not just when I interviewed him, but also today as I write this.

For those drummers out there who feel guilty for not feeling like they are spending enough time behind the kit, this one’s for you.

In this episode:

You will hear about…

• Reaching your greatness and the balancing act that comes along with that
• The importance of your brand
• How interruptions in life happen and how we can keep the flame lit for our passion of drumming
• Some final thoughts regarding today’s episode

Why you should listen:

When I connect with listeners they often say that they feel like they don’t play enough drums or that they feel as though that they should be better than they are. It seems to me that their lifestyle has other plans in store for them. Family, work, events, other interests, emergencies, health, stress, and so forth. This episode will help you.

I share a lot of my own personal thoughts too because like most of you, I am not a pro drummer. I love the drums but I honestly never felt like they were going to be my all. I just never could justify that. But there is always a big ol’ gushy spot in my heart for them and that will never die. I think y’all might connect with what I had to say as well.

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“I have to play stuff that I truly love.”

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When I interviewed Todd Sucherman for the top five unique snare drums (and five honorable mentions) we also discussed endorsements. 

I feel that endorsements will always have a gravitational pull for most of us. If someone gets offered one, what do you think the likelihood of someone accepting it be? My guess is that it would probably be quite high, even if they don’t really need it to further their career (or if it meant that they would need to take out a line of credit to buy the product).

So, what are endorsements for? 

Well, Todd and I share our views on them.

In this episode:

You will hear about…

• What it means when drummers switch companies a lot
• Why you should play the instruments you love
• Some common misconceptions on endorsements
• How Todd got hooked up with Sabian

Why you should listen:

I have spoken to many artists. I have observed many posts regarding endorsements. I have spoken about endorsements and my thoughts on them but I have always been slightly cautious about what I say….until now. I mean no disrespect but I had to share my thoughts about them.

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“That’s old history. Great history. Like I said every now and then I’ll think back on it.  Especially when someone asks about it.”

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Dennis Chambers is involved with Billy Cobham’s “Guide To Stress-Free Drumming” masterclass, so for that ongoing event I was invited to speak with the legend himself. Due to a house fire situation, all of Dennis’ recording gear was offsite which meant that we would need to do this over Zoom. Or did it…?

I decided that maybe it would be a vibe to just record a phone call. You know, an old-fashioned phone call! It was amazing. I was sitting out on my hammock on a beautiful sunny day talking to one of my all-time favorite musicians. It turns out that Dennis is funny, charming, and down-to-earth. That made this all the more incredible. Sometimes they say “never meet your heroes”. This was certainly an exception.

You will hear about many things in this messy and natural conversation. No notes. No prep. Just a phone call that I will never forget. I hope that you experience this episode like you were listening in on us like a fly on the wall. This episode is as casual as this podcast will ever get.

In this episode:

You will hear about…

• Honestly, there is too much going on here to even begin listing off everything within this conversation. Just as a general overview though, we talked about his dog, his incredible collection of historically important instruments, the house fire, his health scare, playing in a band, and much more.

Why you should listen:

This is Dennis Chambers talking on the phone with me in a funny and memorable conversation. Need I say more?

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“I was lazy until I found something I liked to do.”

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I’ve been friends with Jefferson since I started doing this podcast thing. He’s a quirky woodworker out of Santa Cruz, California (I can almost see his eyebrows raise when I refer to him as being quirky). What I mean by that is that he doesn’t give a shit. I mean, he definitely gives a shit about the whole people and drums thing, but at the end of the day he really just does his own thing. That is probably why we connected like we did.

I play Sugar drums and they are simply spectacular instruments. There is a sense of occasion every time I play them but the time is never spoiled with unrealistic expectations of yourself. Good drums can sometimes feel like they expect a lot from me and it has gotten to my head before. With crappy drums I feel like it is more of a surprise when someone sounds good on them. So, nice drums, I feel, set up a scenario of expectations. The worst case scenario with Sugar drums is that you just look like a player who has fine taste. But this is all totally subjective and my personal experience. 

Of course, it goes without saying that I recommend that you look into these drums if you like the idea of owning furniture grade drums that sound magnificent and have incredible tonal range. This episode is more about highlighting personal and emotional connections to the company and how it is affecting people. 

In this episode:

You will hear about…

• Some details about Jefferson’s recent move
• How the name of the company affects what Jefferson does with the drums he builds
• The thought process behind Jefferson’s high quality standards and where the neurosis comes from
• Noah and his role at Sugar Percussion
• The charitable work that Jefferson commits himself to
• What 2020 was like for Jefferson
• The ‘FedEx thing’

Why you should listen:

It is great to hear about what matters to Jefferson and how that works itself into the company values. It isn’t just about the drums. It goes deeper than that.

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“It took me two years to convince my parents that I needed a drum set.”

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Greek metal maestro and drummer for Nile, George Kollias, is on another level when it comes to extreme metal drumming. He has authored the trilogy The Odyssey of Double Bass Drumming and has also released two DVDs, Intense Metal Drumming 1 and 2. 

In this episode you will hear a lot about George’s thoughts about comparisons, creating independent learners, Nile, Derek Roddy, whether blast beats can groove, and much more.

In this episode:

You will hear about…

• If having an abundance of convenient knowledge hurts or helps drummers
• George’s observations on students discovering their potential
• What George thinks about comparing ourselves to others
• What George’s practice routine currently looks like
• Which is better: hobby or professional career
• Derek Roddy and Nile
• If blast beats can groove
• How George goes about creating independent learners
• George’s teacher Yannis Stavropoulos
• How Big Band jazz similar to metal
• How exhausted George is after a Nile show
• George’s love for drumming and where that comes from
• Invictus and what George would have done differently

Why you should listen:

George is one of the greatest metal drummers in the world. If you are really into what George does then you will be really into this episode.

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“It’s all about the why. If you figure out the why, then you figure out the purpose.”

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Juan Mendoza is a classically trained musician who is one of the smoothest, most knowledgeable, and musical drummers around. Hailing from New Jersey, Juan has developed his own home studio where he films his lessons, teaches his students, and records for artists. The results that he manages to achieve are second to none.

In addition to being a fantastic performer, Juan is also an incredible teacher. He has filmed courses at Drumeo where he got into, what I feel, is his specialty: rudiment applications. I highly recommend checking them out.

I wanted to have Juan on to talk about how he interprets his students and how they can become better students. This also means how can teachers become better teachers – because they work hand in hand. 

In this episode:

You will hear about…

• What it’s like to teach the next generation
• How recordings help with education
• How Instagram clips might be hurting our abilities
• Some tips on how to become better at improvising and creating

Why you should listen:

Juan shares his opinion on why our youth may not be seeing results, how Instagram is foiling our ability to play through entire tracks, and so much more. They are hard truths. They should be heard. This will also be a helpful episode for educators and how we can better connect with our students.

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“What is the impression that we make when we say what we say with regard to speed, ya know?”

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This is part two of my conversation with Dream Theater’s drummer Mike Mangini. If you missed part one, click here!

In this episode:

You will hear about…

• Rhetoric and the importance of knowing the true meaning of words
• How we define music that has feel
• Mike’s thoughts concerning speed and musicality
• A dream Mike had
• Virgil Donati
• Thoughts on gratitude

Why you should listen:

It’s important to hear Mike’s thoughts regarding the words we use and their true meaning. We hear folks talking about how speed isn’t musical and certain genres having feel while others don’t. These topics interest many people and Mike makes a lot of sense with what he has to say. Plus, you’ll hear about a dream Mike had that enabled him to achieve a goal.

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“It exists for you because it exists.”

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You are probably familiar with Mike Mangini, drummer for Dream Theater. He’s known for his speed, independence, crazy drum setup, odd time and subdivisions, and much more. There is no doubt that he is one of the greatest drummers alive today. Whether you like his style of play or not, he is remarkable.

He is also a great teacher. He developed the renowned “Grid” system for improvisation and turned this system into a DVD pack several years ago. 

This is the first of two parts where I sat down with Mike and had a very lengthy conversation with him.

In this episode:

You will hear about…

• How Mike felt about the original interview I had with him and why we decided to do it again
• Why we practice
• The importance of writing things down
• How to manage our thoughts
• How can practice change a person for the better
• Creating discipline
• Mike and his history with hockey
• Why it is good for people to have their hobbies and passions
• Perception
• How our personal history can be a negative bias towards forging new paths in our lives

Why you should listen:

Mike is a very interesting person to speak with. He is deep, well read, and very scientific with his approach to things. We touch on some very compelling ideas over the course of this discussion that we can translate and apply towards many different areas of our lives.

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“It was so good to just be alive and walk down the street in the rain. I’ll never forget it.”

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Jason Mills is a pro drummer and, most notably, was a leading member of STOMP. His career ground to a halt when he needed brain surgery for a tumor, and it left him with debilitating side effects.

If you missed last week’s episode, click here to hear Part One of Jason’s story.

In Part Two, you’ll hear what life was like for Jason after his surgery. What is his beat-making video series “Yummy Sounds” about? How did an outlet for musical creativity allow him to weather a terrible storm? 

In this episode:

You will hear about…

• Jason and fellow STOMP cast member John talk about the project “Yummy Sounds” and what it means to them.
• Three stories told by Jason that were very meaningful to him post surgery.

Why you should listen:

This whole experience of making ‘Drums As Life Preserver’ was so organic and fun. Jason and I are both stoked that Jason’s story is now out there. He told me that his buddies were telling him to put his story into a book or something. 

A lot of love went into it. I just hope that you enjoy the story and the power behind what drums and art did for a human being out there. I could see this one inspiring a lot of people for many different reasons.

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“I’m just glad to be alive.”

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Jason Mills wrote me an email late last year to talk to me about how my interview with Jack Thomas deeply resonated with him. He then proceeded to tell me about his story. Before this email I had never been introduced to Jason, but the depth of his story immediately inspired me. I wrote him back to say many things, but among them was an invitation to host him and tell his story.

Drums as life preserver. A fitting title, considering drums happened to be one of a few aspects of his life that kept him sane during a major rehabilitation. I won’t spoil anything, but please listen closely to this and reflect upon it with your own experiences as a musician.

Have the drums ever saved you from tremendously difficult times? Are they a dependable companion? If you answered yes, this will likely resonate deeply with you.

In this episode:

• Today’s episode goes back over twenty years when Jason began having crazy neurological symptoms during his career in STOMP until he was finally properly diagnosed and received a major surgery.

Why you should listen:

This episode has many lessons in it. Our lives can change immediately and this episode highlights this fact of life.

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“I’m not gonna get a scholarship, but I’m gonna go in there and I’m gonna try!”

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Taylor Gordon, AKA The Pocket Queen, is a drummer and producer originally from New Orleans who has been through some big ups and some big downs. We are mostly all aware that in order to succeed, you must also fail. Taylor embodies this statement very well. 

You will hear about her story from the time that she was accepted with a Presidential scholarship to Berklee, her mishap with a harddrive, her spontaneous encounter with someone important in a fast food restaurant, and how she took it upon herself to begin creating her own music. You can listen to it all right here.

This is a nice reminder that we will all experience ebbs and flows within our lives and they become more drastic in either direction when we take more risks. 

In this episode:

You will hear about…

• How Taylor got into Berklee
• How her mom said no to Berklee, but also wanted Taylor to push back and challenge her
• How Taylor’s family’s success influenced her own
• A publishing deal that she got
• The upsets along the way and what she did about them
• Why Taylor decided to begin making her own music

Why you should listen:

A lot can be learned from a good story. Taylor’s outlines what can go right but also what can go wrong. I think there are many people who truly fear taking matters into their own hands and being true individuals, whether the fear is born from our sets of beliefs within ourselves, from unknown territory, or from what will happen to us along the way.

It can be intimidating to branch out from what feels safe, but many people still likely want to feel the rewards of taking action and pursuing dreams. This episode can provide some reassurance that living our lives the way we want to is more than worth it.

Follow Taylor:

Click here for links to Taylor’s social media profiles and other sites.

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“It has to start with the why.”

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Benny Greb recently released his book Effective Practicing For Musicians: The Ultimate Guide For How To Become Better At Your Instrument, and we’ve talked about some of its core concepts in several podcast episodes. So far we have discussed how to practice more effectively, and in part two we talked about the importance of recording yourself. Today we focus on why we are making an effort to improve, practicing gratitude and always doing your best with what you have in the moment.

So, how did I make out with the EPM system? It’s a bit of a surprising conclusion that I didn’t see coming whatsoever. 

I consider this book an essential resource for drummers who are committed to becoming the drummer they wish to be. You can get it right here.

In this episode:

You will hear about…

• Your why
• The right way to compare yourself
• Practicing gratitude
• My conclusion to the three-month EPM cycle
• Staying on course
• Doing the best you can with what you have right now
• Why practice should be exciting

Why you should listen:

This episode rounds out the series, so if you have been listening since part one you will likely want to know how it ends. It was a bittersweet ending, but it highlights how priorities can change within a person. 

Music featured in today’s show:
Benny Greb – “Grebfruit”: 0:06
Moving Parts – “Soulfood”: 1:51
Moving Parts – “Spacecake”: 17:33
Benny Greb – “Polka”: 36:49
Moving Parts – “Kalimba”: 49:31

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“I was a good person but I was just miserable. I hid it well but I was not happy.”

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Steven Wolf (known artistically as WOLF) is a bi-coastal drummer, programmer, remixer, producer, and songwriter who has worked with artists such as Beyonce, Alicia Keys, David Bowie, Katy Perry, Pink and many more.

With all of his efforts made towards his musical career, it hasn’t come without some difficulty regarding physical and mental health. But are they connected? Wolf says absolutely. He shares his personal experiences and thoughts regarding body and mind health in today’s episode.

In this episode:

You will hear about…

• Wolf’s history with mental health issues
• Physical activity, BDNF, and endorphins
• Completing small tasks to get you moving when you feel down
• How distractions can keep you from improving your mental health
• The problems associated with the labels we place on ourselves
• Stored trauma in our bodies
• A little message from me to you about why we shouldn’t ignore our troubles

Why you should listen:

I’ve had my own battles with mental health. Feeling better about who we are, investing in our relationships, and being mindful of how we interact with ourselves and our environment has helped a lot. I believe that the quality of our mental health is a contributing factor to how we express ourselves creatively as well.

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“I felt like I didn’t have any time to finish my project, which was kind of hard.”

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Jost Nickel returns to Drumeo Gab to talk about his new record, The Check In. 

Click here to listen to The Check In or get a signed copy on CD or vinyl.

In this episode:

You will hear about…

• How the project to record an album started for Jost
• If the pandemic played a role in the album’s completion
• Managing expectations
• Exploring different types of microphones with Victor Guidera
• Jost’s involvement with creating the album
• If he wrote this music to satisfy drummers or a general audience
• If there was a new sense of vulnerability when creating this album
• What surprised him the most about the process

Why you should listen:

If you’ve ever considered writing and recording your own album, or you’ve done so in the past, you’ll connect with today’s episode. Jost also contributes some great thoughts on making things to satisfy your own creativity and quality standards first.

Another major theme in this episode is adaptability. If you ever struggle to see value and purpose in your own endeavors, you can reflect on your own projects with the insights Jost provides here.

Music featured in today’s show:

Jost Nickel – “I Understand”: 0:00
Jost Nickel – “Bloon”: 13:04
Jost Nickel – “Silk”: 20:25
Jost Nickel – “The Check In”: 39:01
Jost Nickel – “Cookies”: 44:37

Feature Photo: Gerhard Kuehne

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“Just lay it down. And if that happens, you work until you get sick of playing.”

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‘Billy Cobham’ is a name that echoes throughout the history of drumming. Known for his power, finesse, dynamics, speed, musicality, metric modulation and just about every attribute that drummers admire, it’s impossible not to recognize the impact Billy had on music.

Whether it was his work on several Miles Davis records including Bitches Brew, Mahavishnu Orchestra’s early recordings, or several Stanley Clarke records, Billy always brought a certain energy and sound that could be identified rather quickly. While he worked on many important early fusion recordings and beyond, he also led bands that produced important works – in particular the 1973 record Spectrum.

Billy has also been quite involved with drum education. In fact, he was performing in clinics back in the early 80s. He has also hosted drum retreats and masterclasses. Currently, he’s hosting a masterclass series titled “Billy Cobham’s Guide To Stress Free Drumming,” which consists of ten classes, each of which is three hours in length. He is joined by co-host Dom Famularo each month, and there are two classes each where special guests Dennis Chambers, Will Calhoun, and Gary Husband offer their expertise.

Click here to sign up for “Billy Cobham’s Guide To Stress Free Drumming“

In this episode:

You will hear about…

• Knowing what you’re playing to maximize your sound
• How to deploy rudiments musically
• The problems with dominant musicians and how to deal with them
• If musical choices are like opinions
• Making the band comfortable and creating great feeling music
• Billy’s out of body experiences with Horace Silver and Mahavishnu Orchestra
• If artistic compromises create a long-lasting negative impact on musicians

Why you should listen:

Billy and I really dove head first into a dialogue about how musicians can better serve a band. This isn’t about how we become better drummers through exercises and practice. This is about taking what you know and utilizing it tastefully to create great music. Forget the thrills of speed and complex patterns. While they have their place, once we have a firm grasp on their musical qualities, just laying it down and making our bandmates comfortable is critical if we want to become great musicians.

Music featured in today’s show:
George Duke and Billy Cobham Band – “Hip Pockets”: 1:40
Billy Cobham – “Red Baron”: 8:40 & 9:52
Billy Cobham – “Life & Times”: 18:15
Billy Cobham – “Stratus” (Intro): 18:42
Billy Cobham’s Glass Managerie – “AC DC” 24:27
Billy Cobham – “Stratus”: 29:54
Billy Cobham – “Le Lis”: 43:15

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“That’s the fun thing about practicing. That it actually does something. It actually changes you!”

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Benny Greb recently released his book Effective Practicing For Musicians: The Ultimate Guide For How To Become Better At Your Instrument. In part one of our three part series, we discussed how to become more effective during your practice. Today, we are focusing mostly on the benefits of recording yourself. 

This also marks two months of work within my three month EPM (Effective Practicing for Musicians) cycle. So you will hear my journaling and thoughts about the process so far.

I consider this book an essential resource for drummers who are committed to becoming the drummer they wish to become. You can get it right here.

In this episode:

You will hear about…

• The different types of recordings and how to use them
• What you show on social media vs. what is really going on
• Defining the word discipline
• Going deeper with what you know

Why you should listen:

If you heard the first episode and thought that it was a worthwhile listen, then you will consider this to be a continuation from where we left off a month ago. Recording yourself is crucial to understanding how we really sound and what progress has been made within our development. 

Music featured in today’s show:
Moving Parts LIVE – “September”: 0:00
Greb/Husband – “Deep Breath”: 30:50
Benny Greb – “No.5” (looped): 46:57
Benny Greb – “No.6”: 47:29
Moving Parts LIVE – “3/5Tel” (Intro): 48:28

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“If there’s no groove, what do ya got?”

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Larnell Lewis is among the elite modern drummers of the last decade. Whether you found him through his many notable Snarky Puppy performances, his solo work, or his several appearances on Drumeo (including the viral video where Larnell hears Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” for the first time), you know that Larnell has got the goods.

I thought it would be fun to revisit my list of essential drumming skills and have Larnell rank them from most important to least important. As a bonus, Larnell also offers a helpful tip to improve upon each skill set.

I thought it would be fun to revisit my list of essential drumming skills and have Larnell rank them from most important to least important. As a bonus, Larnell also offers a helpful tip to improve upon each skill set. 

In this episode:

You will hear about…

• The ‘Big 7’ and Larnell’s rankings:
  1. Speed
  2. Independence/Coordination
  3. Time Keeping/Groove
  4. Personality
  5. Sound
  6. Repertoire
  7. Technique
• A tip from Larnell to improve upon each skill in the Big 7
• Confidence tips from Larnell

Why should you listen?

This list is by and large what drummers, and all musicians for that matter, need to develop in order to become competent on their respective instrument. But what needs to be addressed first? Which of these things doesn’t need to be entertained until other skills have been sorted out?

Clarity brings focus. Focus brings direction. Direction served with diligent practice brings results. This is the purpose of today’s episode. To help you see results in your drumming and beyond.

Music featured in today’s episode:

Larnell Lewis – “The Forgotten Ones” (RTM)
Larnell Lewis – “Change Your Mind” (RTM)
Larnell Lewis – “In The Moment” (RTM)

Find Larnell Lewis on Spotify

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