Famous for his work with the Pat Metheny Group, Paul Wertico is a seven-time Grammy Award winning drummer. Paul's discography includes a veritable who's who of music, and he has won the reader's poll in both "Modern Drummer" and "Drum" magazines. In addition to his work with his own Paul Wertico Trio, Paul is an Assistant Professor of Jazz Studies at Roosevelt University Chicago College of Performing Arts. He has been featured in the new movie, "Masters of Resonance," and is a frequent guest on panels and at special music events. In this interview, Paul talks about his path to drums, his career, and his philosophy of drums. Paul also talks about his exciting new book, "Turn the Beat Around: A Drummer's Guide to Playing Backbeats on 1 and 3" (Alfred Music 2017), as well as his successful battle with prostate cancer.
Memphis based drummer and drum educator Tom Lonardo has a wonderful approach to drums - play fearlessly and realize the drums are a place of peace. The son of a bass player and music store owner, much of Tom's life has been devoted to music. Learn about his path to the drums, his own drum education and his thoughts on approaching the drums. Deep stuff here, I promise!
When I started the podcast back in October of 2018, I had a list of people I really wanted to talk with. One of those at the top of the list was this episode’s guest, Stanton Moore. Whether you know him as the drummer for Galactic, or with other bands and projects covering a wide range of styles, as a drum educator and founder of the Stanton Moore Drum Academy, as a clinician, or for his signature Crescent cymbals by Sabian or his own Stanton Moore snare drum, he is a drummer’s drummer.
Stanton's excellence and passion in all things drums – and all things life in general, I’m sure – make Stanton the perfect musician for the new and returning drummer to listen to and explore. In this interview, we talk about a wide variety of subjects, from high school drum programs to equipment to some wonderful tips on timing, the jazz ride pattern and, for the first time anywhere, as far as I know, anyways, a definition and demonstration of “playing in the cracks.”
Special note: Now that I've been back at drums for a couple of years, I decided to record the signature outro jazz ride pattern that has become our theme song. So that's me you hear on the kit at the very end of the episode. Let me know what you think - unless you don't like it. After all, as Stanton advises in this episode, we've got to be kind to ourselves.
Ulysses Owens Jr. has firmly established his place in drums, from his work as a jazz drummer, educator, and author of his upcoming Hal Leonard publication on brushes. Lauded in publications like Jazz Times, All About Jazz, and The New York Times, Ulysses reputation is well deserved and firmly secured.
Keeping a busy schedule of touring, workshops, recording, producing and teaching, the Grammy award winning Owens, well known for his work with the Christian McBride Trio, remains gracious and humble, always looking to help his fellow artists, giving back the lessons he’s learned. Case in point – Owens is artistic director for Don’t Miss a Beat, Inc., a youth-empowerment non profit founded by his family in his hometown of Jacksonville, Florida.
We caught up with Ulysses on the same day he was flying to a gig in the UK. He happily shared with us his thoughts on drum education, his new Hal Leonard book on brushes, his upcoming book on the music business, and thoughts on the importance of becoming a good listener and taking the time to get back to the basics.
Artist, writer, musician, drummer and filmmaker, Cindy Goldberg is getting great reception for her new feature length documentary, "Beat Keepers: Women with Rhythm." Exploring the challenges and prospects women face in the drum community. Cindy was kind enough to talk with us about her film, her path to drums, and her own empowering ideas for new and returning drummers.
Toronto based drummer, Sarah Thawer, has been bringing Indian rhythms, infused with her incredible talent and energy, to numerous stage and recording projects. Her love of the instrument is seen in every video and performance she graces, proving once again that those with the greatest passion for the instrument make the greatest drummers.
Sarah studied jazz and world music at York University, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude. She received the Oscar Peterson Scholarship, the highest award given by York. For all her academic achievement, Sarah, like so many of the drummer’s we’ve talked with this first season, started playing at a very young age and never touched a drum book--technique or otherwise--until college, developing a very natural style inspired by the Indian music her father performed and listened to.
He's been the drummer for the best of the blues, from Albert Collins to Albert King to the "King of the Blues" himself, B.B. King. Tony TC Coleman, this episode's guest, talks about how he came to appreciate the blues and how aspiring drummers need to approach playing it. A self-confessed natural, Tony has mastered the "less is more" style, placing groove above all and making it pay off in a wonderful career that continues to keep him one of the busiest blues drummers around. A living legend we can all learn from in an amazing "no holds barred" interview!
Tony Bartone has been playing drums most of his life. His early training in rudiments definitely paid off as he grew to become a working professional with some pretty high profile gigs, including a year on the set of Everyday with Joan Lunden. Today, Tony teaches a wide variety of students in his home state of New Jersey; he’s also an accomplished piano player and vocalist who gigs weekly. We met up on the phone early one Saturday morning before his student’s began arriving for lessons to talk about his path to drums, his professional experience, and his advice to new and returning drummers.
David Anderson is another drummer who came to us through our interview with legendary drum educator, Ed Soph. A student of Lee Rucker at the University of Central Oklahoma, David would also drive three hours to Denton, TX to study privately with Soph.
Between Rucker and Soph, along with inspiration from his brother -- the late William Salter, a professional drummer twenty years his senior -- David made it out to LA where he is still flourishing as a working drummer and drum educator.
David has toured and recorded with some incredible musicians, including Eddie Harris, Dionne Warwick, The Rippingtons, Tom Scott, Hubert Laws, Chaka Khan, and Larry Carlton, to name just a few.
For listeners serious about drumming, David is a wonderful inspiration. He had a dream from a very young age, knew what he wanted to do, and, despite his doubts, stuck with it. And that’s what being a pro takes, regardless of what you’re doing. It’s hours and hours of practice, chasing down lessons three hours away with the best teacher you can get, knowing that the practice and learning never ends, and ultimately, having a belief that you can do it. And all of that takes courage, because devoting to something you really want takes courage.
For those of us who have less ambituous dreams, like being able to play locally without embarrassing ourselves too, too much, well, that takes courage, too. And time. And practice. And a belief in yourself.
For all his success, David strikes me as an incredibly humble, grateful person; he was kind enough to share stories of his history, work, and approach to drums.
Originally from Connecticut, drummer/drum educator Craig Pilo graduated from the University of North Texas in 1995 and began life as a working musician in LA a year later. One of his earliest gigs was with trumpeter Maynard Ferguson! He’s also worked with Pat Boone, Edgar Winter and was on tour for several years with rock and roll Hall of Fame’s Frankie Valli. Craig continues to work with the group Little Fish, as well as Player, which became famous for the song "Baby, Come Back." He also keeps a busy schedule recording and teaching, including a faculty position with the California School of Music.
Having studied with Alan Dawson, Ed Soph, Dave Weckl and Jeff Hamilton, to name just a few, Craig’s professional work and lifelong teaching and learning makes for a wonderful interview for Contraption’s new and returning drummers.
We depart a bit in this episode to feature a filmmaker instead of a drummer. Jeremy Bout, a prolific filmmaker, speaker and overall inspiring individual, is the founder of Edge Factor, whose mission is to “inspire and equip communities through the power of storytelling.” The story Jeremy talks with us about here is his incredible film, Masters of Resonance, which features the story of John Good of DW drums and the journey of a centuries old log from river to rock stage.
The film is actually way more nuanced than that, but it’s something you have to experience. For it’s not only about the building a a great DW kit for famed drummer Neil Peart, but also an inspiring story of following one’s passion, whether that be drumming, drum making, or any other thing you call your own.
I first learned about Masters of Resonance while doing the first interview for Contraption, which was with drummer Paul Wertico. I had actually interviewed Paul the day after he returned from LA as a panel member for a screening of Masters of Ressonance, in which he appears.
Jeremy was happy to share his story and the story of the film, which I encourage you to see.
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