Damon and Marcos talk to Paulo about the new educational lesson site, Conga Chops (dot com) and what the site offers and how you can use it to become a better player. Then Damon talks to Ryan Gruss, founder of the Loop Loft, about the new acquisition of his company by Native Instruments, as well as what is to come. There's also an educational spotlight, an iconic recording, product reviews and music news!
Damon interviews Jim Ancona, band director at the University of Delaware. Percussion arranger for groups like Star of Indiana (1993), Crossmen (1998), Blast!, Carolina Crown and so many more. They talk about his upbringing and tutelage, tips for writing and being a well rounded percussionist. Marcos joins to talk about and educational spotlight (new conga chops lessons), product reviews, an iconic recording picked by Charlie Hunter, music news and more!
Damon gets to interview Ian Hale who is not only a great percussionist, but also a phenomenal educator with programs like the Calgary Stampede, Spirit of America, Carolina Crown, The Boston Crusaders and so many more groups. Marcos joins to talk about a product review, an iconic recording, music news and more!
Damon and Marcos get to sit down with Gerald Myles and talk a lot about education. From setting up your own teaching studio, to tips and suggestions to have a full studio, teach when you want and choose the gigs that you want to play. This interview is jam packed with info. Also, there are product reviews, an educational spotlight, music news and more!
Damon sits down in Brooklyn with Dani Markham and talks about the Louisville Leopards, TuneYards and Childish Gambino among other things. Damon and Marcos also talk music news, an educational spotlight, an iconic recording, #newbeattuesday and more!
Damon talks with Negah Santos about her upbringing in Sao Paulo, move to NYC, how she got the gig on the Stephen Colbert show and more. Damon and Marcos have Jeremy Bosch hang out with them and pick the iconic recording. There's also educational spotlights, festival alerts , shoutout to Sir Ringo Starr on for his 78th bday, and music news!
Damon and Marcos talk with Pablo "Chino" Nuñez about his upbringing, studying with and performing alongside the greats of Afro-Latin music as well as some of the struggles he worked through before joining the Spanish Harlem Orchestra. In addition to the interview, there are some cool product reviews, listener letters, an educational spotlight and music news!
Damon and Marcos catch up with Jamey while he's on the road with Paul Simon. They talk about that particular gig, and how he got it as well as attending and then teaching at Berklee and then making the switch to Oberlin. They talk about some spirituality as well as the group Jamey leads. There's a product review, an iconic recording, and RIP segment to Vinnie Paul music news and more.
Damon gets to spend some time with Aaron Draper and Devin Webster in their hotel before headlining the Governor's Ball in NYC. They talk tips that you may not think about to succeed in the music business that don't necessarily have to do with playing. Important information is shared and other fun tidbits are talked about. Marcos and Damon also talk about an iconic recording, some product reviews, educational spotlight and music news.
Damon and Marcos travel to Brooklyn to interview Keita Ogawa. They talk about him playing with Snarky Puppy and Banda Magda as well as the coordination of all the percussionists involved with those groups They also talk about playing with the 7 string guitar prodigy Charlie Hunter, as well as what it was like to travel from Japan to Boston to study music. They also talk about his collection of gear and how he continues to accumulate more instruments and ideas to develop his sound. There's also an educational spotlight, iconic recording, music news and some other banter.
Damon and Marcos talk to percussionist and capoeirista Kahlil Cummings. Born and raised in L.A, but having traveled the world, Kahlil started getting stamps in his passport in middle school. They talk about his upbringing, being mentored by Mamady Keita, and even working with the likes of Pharrell and Kendrick Lamar. There's also an iconic recording, product review, educational spotlight and music news.
On this holiday weekend, Damon and Marcos open up the mailbag again and answer a bunch of questions that have been written in to the podcast. They also try to set you up for your career with a book list, gig tips, summer festivals (and how to track them down) as well as an iconic recording, product review, educational spotlight and music news!
Damon and Marcos interview Henry Cole. Grammy award winning drummer, who has been a sideman to the greats of jazz as well as a band leader of his own projects. He has taught at Manhattan School of music, The New School and given tons of masterclasses and clinics. They talk of his upbringing in Puerto Rico, move to NYC and much more. There's an iconic recording, RIP segment, product reviews, educational spotlight, music news and more!
Damon and Marcos talk with Bill Bachman and talk about his upbringing, history through drum corps, and how he excelled at his craft. They also talk about how he filled the void with the need for products and educational books among other things. There's an educational spotlight, product reviews, music news, mail time and gig alerts.
Damon and Marcos sit down with Camilo Molina, Marcos Lopez, Gabo Lugo & Javier Raez. They talk about the future of percussion, the power of artistry, camaraderie vs competition and so much more. There's also product reviews, and and RIP to Roy Burns and John "Jabo" Starks. Having fun late night in the Boogie Down Bronx with the homies!
Damon and Marcos travel to the Bronx to interview Papo Pepin. He can be described as "Your favorite conga player's conga player". There isn't enough space to list all the salsa and Afro-Cuban musicians that Papo has played with. Also, a product review, educational spotlight and music news.
Damon and Marcos talk to "Gabo" about his upbringing in Puerto Rico studying with Paoli Mejias (among others). They talk about how being around a recording studio with his mom influenced his knowledge of and passion for electronics, as well as, incorporating those sounds into his percussion playing. The episode gets into some deep topics and also includes an iconic recording, product review, music news and more!
Damon and Marcos interview Jeff Queen and talk to him about his international upbringing, the many drum corps he performed in as well as the hall of fame instructors he's learned from. They talk about how he helped create the Emmy and Tony winning show Blast! and what it was like performing on Broadway during 9/11. Jeff talks about his work/life balance and more! There's also an educational spotlight and music news.
Damon and Marcos interview percussionist Anthony Almonte. They talk about his upbringing in the Bronx, how Dave Valentin encouraged him to sing as well as play percussion as well as his possible baseball career among other adventures, like touring with Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul. There's also gig alerts, an educational spotlight, a social soundbyte, music news and a product review.
Damon and Marcos interview Dr. Andy Bliss who is not only a percussionist and conductor, but also head of percussion faculty at the University of Tennessee. He talks about what Neif Norf is as well as some of the ways he educates his students. They talk about the balance between a career as a percussionist and having a family. They get into some tech talk about apps and tools to help your career and the additional segments are an iconic recording, product review and music news.
Damon and Marcos interview Nate Morton and talk about how he got the gig as the house drummer for "The Voice", what is required for that gig and other adventures he has had. He also talks about balancing his family life with a busy career. There's also an iconic recording, product review and music news.
Damon and Marcos interview Mel Brown and talk about his book, "From Zero to Sideman (in Five Steps)" and how you can effectively get the gig and keep the gig. He explores the business side of music as well as how he navigated his career. There's also an iconic recording and music news.
Damon interviews Chris Lamb, the principal percussionist for the NY Philharmonic as well as the head of the percussion department of the Manhattan School of Music. They talk about his many adventures in his upbringing and career thus far. Damon and Marcos also talk about gig alerts, an educational spotlight, new product review, music news and a birthday shoutout to Roy Haynes!
Damon and Marcos interview Eric Velez and talk about his many adventures he has had as well as his upbringing and where he is today touring with Marc Anthony. There is also talk about the Oscars, an Iconic recording, music news and more!
Damon interviews Justin Thomas in Los Angeles and they talk about his upbringing in the Baltimore area, transition to Chicago before moving to L.A. There's also the conversation about breaking genre barriers and so much more. Damon and Marcos also talk about iconic recordings, an educational spotlight, gig alerts and music news.