Early Access - ZackGrooves, and Challenges Me

While Zack Graybeal, aka ZackGrooves, isn’t necessarily an avatar for the average drummer - he seems to have exceptional drum skills, comedy and filmmaking skills, hustle, and timing - he is a great example of what’s possible for an independent drummer in 2023.

The fact that noone’s asking him to teach seminar classes at the nation’s music schools leaves me puzzled.

But all-the-more opportunity for people like me to feature him on our outlets.

Zack was playing gigs right up until 2020, not thinking much about YouTube or social media. Then what happened…happened…and Zack picked up a camera, channeled his sense of humor and love of prank shows and the Nelk Brothers, and started making content.

If you’re paying attention, you know the rest. He wasted no time becoming the most meteoric drum YouTuber besides Drumeo. And he didn’t stop there. Zack secured sponsor deals from Meinl and Dixon Drums, did clinic tours of Europe and Asia, and headlined the Meinl Drum Festival and UK Drum Show.

And he didn’t stop there. He started a band. Everything Yes. And started touring the world, opening for acts like Sungazer.

Obviously, getting the chance to speak to Zack was an opportunity to get his perspective on all this success. But we also talked favorite jazz drummers, his writing process for Everything Yes, and my own struggles learning one of their songs.

And if you haven’t caught my weekly youtube video, about that very challenge, check it out below.

Enjoy!

Early Access - Joel Turcotte + tom sweeps

Increasingly, I want to use the podcast to introduce you to players you may not have heard of, but who deserve wider recognition.

Whatever the drum analogy is for jiujistu’s fabled Danaher Death Squad - a crew of upstarts who came seeming out of nowhere and started dominating in competition - Joel is part of that “crew” or “cadre”, many of whom I want to feature on the podcast soon.

What happens in 2023 if you have world-class/guitar-center-drumoff-winning ability, but you haven’t “hit big” yet. Every drummer had to come from somewhere. Before he was headlining stadiums with Steely Dan, Keith Carlock was a local favorite at the 55 Bar. Before he was on every gen-z jazz drummer’s influence list, Ari Hoenig was quietly turning heads with players like Kenny Werner and Jean-Michel Pilc.

And Joel isn’t just a chopper.

Like many guests, he’s reinventing the idiom, little by little. Committing to a musical direction rather than trying to do what “everyone else” is doing.

Joel’s also proven his character in the world of social media, where clout-chasing, pile-ons, and “the next thing” are magnetic, by doing what he wants in public, and sticking up for other drummers in public when few others will.

Those are among the reasons I want to introduce you to one of my favorite young drummers. Some of you will doubtless have heard of Joel, but if you haven’t, I urge you to check him out by searching his name on the Google machine.

And if you haven’t caught my weekly youtube video, about my 5 favorite tom sweeps, you can watch that below.

And here’s the free download that goes with that lesson.

Enjoy!

Uncut Drum Solo + West Coast Clinics

For those of you not either in the Seattle area or Western Montana, I hope you enjoy this drum solo in exchange for bothering you ;)

For those who are, here’s the clinic info:

west coast Drum shop

The clinic will take place at 6pm on Saturday, November 4th

Link for tickets

University of montana

The clinic will take place at 2pm on Tuesday, November 7th.

University of Montana Music Building (32 Campus Dr

Missoula, MT) Room 1 (in the basement)

The event is free and open to the public.

Early Access - John Riley

The last lengthy conversation I had with John Riley before this interview was probably when I was still a college student. That’s why it was super rewarding to catch up with one of drum teaching’s deepest thinkers, and pick his brain about a great many things I’ve experienced and thought about in the intervening years.

John and I begin by discussing nature-vs-nurture, when I ask him about a passage in his first book. That kicks off a thread about John’s own musical journey, whether he ever thought twice about drumming, and what really happened during what I’ve come to think of his “magical summer”, between his freshman and sophomore years at UNT, after which he won a seat in the prestigious One O’Clock Lab Band, and a teaching position at the end of the year.

John also holds forth on the importance of curiosity to guide practice, and why at a certain level of experience, it can be good to practice abstractions even if they don’t directly affect your day-to-day playing.

Finally we speak about how students have changed in the 20 years since I was his student (I feel ancient writing that), and how his approach to teaching has changed. (Of course I can’t avoid bringing up Whiplash.)

Like many of my guests, John was extremely generous with his time, and didn’t hold back on his thoughts. I’m sure you’ll enjoy this conversation.

And if you haven’t caught my weekly youtube video, about a “drum battle” with the talented Dom Palombi, you can watch that below.

Enjoy!