Episodes
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Join us as we explore the fascinating world of shakers, one of the most versatile and underrated percussive instruments! In this episode, we dive into the origins of shakers, their unique classifications, and a variety of playing techniques. Whether you’re a percussion enthusiast or a curious music lover, you’ll gain insights into how these simple instruments add rhythm and texture to music around the globe.
Our special guest, William Johnson, brings his extensive expertise and passion for percussion to the conversation. With over 25 years of experience as a performer, composer, and educator, William has recorded on more than two dozen albums, collaborated with award-winning artists, and produced music featured on networks like TLC, Univision, and Discovery. A former Air Force member with a Master’s in Ethnomusicology, William draws inspiration from his Latin heritage and global travels to create and teach diverse musical styles.
Discover the art and rhythm of shakers in this engaging discussion!
Check out more about William here:
Website: www.williamjohnsonmusic.com
Social Media: @williamjohnsonmusic
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@WilliamJohnsonmusic -
Brandon Green from drummechanics.com joins us on the show to give us a 101 course on all things drum ergonomics and how to play the drums without any pain! We go every piece of the drum set and discuss how to set them up individually for the best results in both comfort and ease for your body, and also to get the best and most efficient performance. Brandon is an expert on ergonomics on the drum set, and also in his daily business where he works with athletes, performers, and everyday people in pain.
You can check out Brandon's brand new course on his website: https://www.drummechanics.com/
and find him on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@brandondrummechanics -
Missing episodes?
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Baldman Percussion hit the drum scene in 2018 and took the industry by storm with the Junk Hat! In 6 short years, they have become 2x NAMM best in show winners, created products that are beloved by drummers such as Travis Barker, Matt Chamberlain and Thomas Pridgen, and had a great time doing it.
Mike Mckee and Danny Young are professional drummers who have a perfect balance of business skills to make this brand work. Mike has the business savvy and Danny is the design mastermind behind these unique products. The story of Baldman is a great story that is very fun to hear and inspiring for all drummers, business owners, and people who want to mix the two.
Check out www.baldmanpercussion.com and find them on all social platforms at @baldmanpercussion -
Thanks to everyone for listening, watching, and supporting the show over the years! Drum History has been an absolute pleasure every step of the way and I am excited to keep learning about the history of the drums!
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Nicko McBrain is the power behind Iron Maiden and one of the most iconic drummers of all time. Shane Kinney joins me back on the show to share his immense knowledge of Nicko's drums, cymbals, hardware, heads, and accessories. In part 2, we cover his switch to from Sonor to Premier drums, Vic Firth, DW Pedals, and so much more. Nicko had a brief and wonderful return to Sonor drums in the 2010's, but it was not meant to be - he was drawn to the incredible British Drum Co. because of the amazing sound of the drums and his love for everything English!
Check out Part 1 here: https://youtu.be/mC-nl5vPZFc
Shane is the owner of Drum Center of Portsmouth, the world’s largest drum store, and has worked directly with Nicko to put together this definitive deep dive into all things Nicko McBrain! Check out DCP here: https://drumcenternh.com/ and their YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@drumcenternh
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https://riverside.fm/?via=bart-vanderzee -
Nicko McBrain is the power behind Iron Maiden and one of the most iconic drummers of all time. Shane Kinney joins me on the show to share his immense knowledge of Nicko's drums, cymbals, hardware, heads, and accessories. We cover his first six Sonor drum sets all the way up to the messy end of the relationship, which left Nicko so angry that he immediately ended his decade-long partnership with Sonor! Part 2 will pick up with his switch to Premier drums in the next episode.
Shane is the owner of Drum Center of Portsmouth, the world’s largest drum store, and has worked directly with Nicko to put together this definitive deep dive into all things Nicko McBrain! Check out DCP here: https://drumcenternh.com/ and their YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@drumcenternh
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Cav's and I chatted before the King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard concert on 08/25/24 in Newport Ky. We discuss his inspirations, his current set up (C&C and Dream Cymbals), King Gizzard, and his solo projects. Cav's is one of my favorite drummers so this was an absolute honor to speak with him and see the show up from the side of the stage.
Here is a drum cam video I shot of King Gizz and Cav's performing "Motor Spirit": https://youtu.be/yBsJJOVSDoY
and here is a great FULL gear run down with Cav's from Modern Drummer (Different kit, similar set up): https://youtu.be/tMxYSfiqNjk?si=Wtrbwr31p6hGknNU
Thanks to Dream Cymbals for sponsoring this episode. Shop for cymbals at www.dreamcymbals.com
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**I record interviews with Riverside.FM - I highly recommend it. use code DRUM to save 15%***
https://riverside.fm/?via=bart-vanderzee -
Donn Bennett is one of the foremost dealers of rare and celebrity drum sets in the world! He shares with us how he got into this unique profession, some of his most biggest success stories, and many lessons that he has learned along the way over his 30+ year career. Donn has also built a reputation for himself as being the go-to dealer for the biggest bands in the world who want to liquidate warehouses full of collections. He shares an amazing story about how Aerosmith called him to clear out a HUGE warehouse full of equipment, and how he had to trust his gut and take on the biggest collection he had every purchased. After he did that, even more doors opened and he still continues to grow to this day.
Check out Donn's website here at: www.donnbennett.com and find him on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@DonnsDrumVaultOfficial
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**I record interviews with Riverside.FM - I highly recommend it. use code DRUM to save 15%***
https://riverside.fm/?via=bart-vanderzee -
The St. Anger Snare is finally figured out! Chris Russio joins me back on the podcast to do a super deep dive into all of the studio drum sets, cymbals, heads, sticks, accessories, percussion and everything else used by Lars Ulrich from 2001 to Today! We talk about all of the infamous St. Anger Snare drum and everything that went wrong with that album. Then we get into the recording of Death Magnetic, Hardwired to Self Destruct, and 72 Seasons. This closes out our Lars Deep dive and gives you the FULL story of all of Lars Ulrich's drums over the years.
Check out the other Lars episodes I have done with Chris here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlQBSJirUiJZFzm3fL0dUBDPFlQm0iyxV
**GET THE LIVE.LAUGH.LARS STICKER HERE -- https://square.link/u/qiuDRmZT -
In this solo episode, I take a deep dive into the 1000 year old automaton drummers that were created by 12th century Islamic inventor, Al-Jazari. These VERY early robots are amazing marvels of engineering and predominantly feature drummers who play kettle drums and cymbals to alert people in Mesopotamia (now Turkey) of the time of day with extremely elaborate clocks. These drummers are direct predecessors to modern day cars and machinery, as Al-Jazari is credited with the creation of turning rotary motion into linear motion with crank and connecting rods, which is essential for making pumps and engines possible. Basically, drummers are at the core of the history of everything :)
Here are the links:
History channel video - https://youtu.be/fxjh_yodeBo?si=uK82GB1mWRxzQGKL
Al-Jazari Book (free pdf) - https://archive.org/details/cover_20200113_2057/ -
Chris Russio joins me back on the podcast to do a super deep dive into all of the studio drum sets, cymbals, heads, sticks, accessories, percussion and everything else used by Lars Ulrich from 1982 to 2001! We talk about all of the earliest known recordings of Metallica on his Camco drum set, through all the Tamas, the famous Sabian HiHats, and the iconic Black Album Gretsch drums, up to Load/Reload/Garage Inc. Part 2 will cover St. Anger through to today!
GET THE LIVE.LAUGH.LARS STICKER HERE -- https://square.link/u/qiuDRmZT
Check out the other Lars episodes I have done with Chris here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlQBSJirUiJZFzm3fL0dUBDPFlQm0iyxV
Thanks for watching!
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Jeff Kirsch teaches us the real reason why the biggest drum brands in the world sound different from each other, and in some cases, why they sound exactly the same. We discuss brands such as Ludwig, Gretsch, Leedy, Tama, Camco, DW, just to name a few. We talk about the different shell constructions, ply counts, use of re-rings, rise of Japanese builders and the fall and resurrection of the great American brands and a whole lot more!
Jeff is a master drum builder and a staple of the custom drum builder scene in the USA. He always brings a great perspective to all aspects of the drum industry so I really appreciate hearing his insight on this topic. Check out his site at www.kirschdrums.com and find him on Instagram at @kirschdrumsportland
Here is Jeff's first episode on the podcast about bearing edges - https://www.drumhistorypodcast.com/post/ep-117-a-look-at-bearing-edges-with-jeff-kirsch
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Tim "Herb" Alexander joins me on the show to discuss his iconic drum sets that were used in classic Primus music videos such as Jerry Was A Race Car Driver, My Name is Mud, John The Fisherman, Wynona Big Brown Beaver, DMV and much more! I am a longtime Primus fan and I learned a TON from this conversation. Tim is a 3x grammy nominee and multi-platinum recording artist who has not only helped shape the world of modern rock and roll with Primus, but also has shared the stage with Puscifer and A Perfect Circle.
Tim also tells us all about his new "Stick Academy" project which is bringing the knowledge and skills of Herb to the masses through his website, https://www.stickacademy.com/ and the stick academy app!
Herb is one of my favorite drummers of all time and this is truly a bucket list interview for me. I am very honored to have him on the show and I hope you guys like it! Be sure to check it out on my YouTube channel to see the clips we are talking about! https://www.youtube.com/@DrumHistoryPodcast -
Alex Van Halen is auctioning off hundreds of unbelievable items that have never been seen by public eyes, plus some of his most iconic drum sets that he played with Van Halen! Kurt Ekstrom joins me back on the podcast to look through this incredible auction and dissect tons of these rare items. Kurt covered all of AVH's career on the podcast last year and this dovetails perfectly with that episode and answers many questions that Kurt and I had with that original series!
Here is a link to the auction: https://www.backstageauctions.com/catalog/alex-van-halen-highlights/ac/0/2245/
Here is Kurts original Alex Van Halen gear series:
Part 1: https://youtu.be/0CCHRGwTN6A?si=Oedp43LrlCbkHdi_
Part 2: https://youtu.be/HIrn5i0kIzU?si=za29yI3Noytu_02c
Enjoy this episode! -
Danny Seraphine is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted, world-famous original drummer of Chicago. Tate Berkey has been researching Danny's gear for the last year and has compiled an exhaustive look at all things Danny Seraphine. We cover his earliest drum kits, his time with Slingerland drums, his Zildjian endorsements, and then his switch to Yamaha and DW. Danny is a consummate gearhead and loved to experiment with different sizes, configurations, especially the use of concert toms.
We cover Danny Seraphine's entire career in this episode, and Tate doesn't leave any stone unturned! Enjoy a few playlists that Tate made to hear Danny's playing.
Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2ZV8AhRHfv8rsYzKCeQmtb?si=bf9893672de14d8f
YouTube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxBHN1SJB2Ic3Lf1yhUoZHDslXgEnY7Jf
and here is Tate's YouTube channel, please subscribe and support him! https://www.youtube.com/@tate_berkey
Thanks and enjoy the episode!
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Rob Hart takes us through audio clips of his former mentor and teacher Robbie Gonzalez which gives us first hand knowledge and ideas of this great mind of drumming. Robbie Gonzalez was a Berklee professor, prolific recording artist, and performed with greats like Al Di Meola. This episode features many great recordings of Robbie performing live and also working in the lesson room with Rob Hart. This is a continuation of the "mentors series" that Rob has been doing here on Drum History Podcast. The other episodes include clips with Mike Clark, Steve Smith, Tony Williams and more to come.
Here are Rob's other episodes:
Steve Smith Lessons: https://youtu.be/x1VhErqph_Y
Mike Clark Lessons: https://youtu.be/ZNcAIuIw0L8
Tony Williams Clinic Breakdown: https://youtu.be/I7t9HfrPlh0
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and be sure to check out Rob Harts Drum Studio on his website: https://www.robhartdrumstudio.com/
Rob Hart's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@robharttrio
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Unravel the captivating journey of recording technology with Jay Petach as your guide, spanning back to the 1800s when pioneers like Thomas Edison introduced groundbreaking inventions like the Phonograph and Edison's Cylinders. Delve into the evolution leading to the revolutionary use of magnetic tape and the advent of computers, propelling us into the era of multi-track recording as we recognize it today.
In this enlightening episode, Jay Petach, a distinguished professor and seasoned audio engineer, offers invaluable insights drawn from his extensive experience. He regales us with anecdotes of the bygone era when drummers were strategically placed in the back of the room for mixing, and recounts the challenges of capturing the full richness of iconic drum kits like Ringo's on rudimentary 2 and 4 track systems.
From the emergence of gates, reverbs, and drum effects to the intricate techniques that have shaped modern recording, Jay's expertise shines through, making this episode a must-watch for both enthusiasts and professionals alike.
Join us as we journey through the annals of recording history, guided by Jay's passion and expertise, in an exploration that promises to both educate and enthrall. Don't miss out on this captivating dive into the art and science of recording!
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Hey everyone! I am launching a temporary bi-weekly show schedule with two new episodes per month. We are currently in the midst of an attic renovation which has bumped me out of my normal Drum History Studio for the next month or two. It has been chaos recently with having a newborn and i've got some new stuff going on with traveling to California for work but this has pushed things a bit over the edge where scheduling has been very tricky.
I think what I am going to do is revert back to my original format from back in 2018 to 2020ish where I released episodes every other week. That will give me a bit of time to get things scheduled and not have to release so many classic "The Vault" episodes.
I plan to do a lot more cool stuff and get back to weekly episodes ASAP. I am also going to be working on a new concept called "10 Minute Biographies" or something along those lines, and spotlight a ton of great drummers with short biographies for YouTube and the podcast.
All that being said, I appreciate everyones support and I am very excited to get a new studio space set up and go full bore with new episodes. So much drum history to still cover!
Thanks everyone! -
Ellis Tollin is a world-class performer who played on hit records, started a very successful music store in Philadelphia called Music City, which hosted countless performances by greats such as Louie Bellson, Max Roach, Art Blakey, and many more. Ellis is known as the father of the Drum Clinic, and he was also a close personal friend of Buddy Rich. This episode shines a light on his rise as a performer at the peak of the Jazz explosion, his need to pivot after arthritis made his drumming career come to an end, his involvement with the Rogers Drum Company and the Dyna-Sonic snare, and his passionate feud with William F. Ludwig.
Anthony Amodeo returns to the show this week to share his extensive research that he has done on Ellis Tollin through his connections with the Tollin Family, rare interview clips, and tracking down stories from people who knew Ellis personally.
Thanks for watching!
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Gerry shares with us a list of drums and cymbals that are often overlooked and under-marketed but sound just as good as the equipment that is 10x the price. "Sleeper Gear," by definition, is drum gear that you might not notice at a music store or never even consider trying when, in reality, it sounds great and can be found at a bargain price.
Gerry Porter runs Hazelshould.com and has had thousands of drums and cymbals pass through his hands. He has put together a list of cymbals, snares, and drum sets that he thinks are great-sounding and high-quality gear that most people completely overlook!
Check out Gerry on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@hazelshoulddrumscymbals8727
Social Media - @Hazelshould
and shop online at www.hazelshould.com
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Thanks to Mono for sponsoring this episode -
Check out the MONO M80 Classic FlyBy Ultra Backpack HERE: https://sweetwater.sjv.io/q4ZGL5
I also have this Mono Messenger bag that is really cool:
https://sweetwater.sjv.io/AW2YQj
Mono Cymbal Bags: https://sweetwater.sjv.io/VmBjKA
Mono Stick Bags: https://sweetwater.sjv.io/ZQBezq
(See more at www.monocreators.com)
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**I record interviews with Riverside.FM - I highly recommend it. Here is my affiliate link: https://riverside.fm/?via=bart-vanderzee - Show more
