Damon talks to Nick Angelis about starting drums at age 5, playing in drum corps, learning from the masters of rudimental drumming, Blast! going to Umass Amherst, Brass Theater, getting a masters degree, teaching at the University of Cincinnati and more! Marcos joins to talk about various gig alerts, new songs out, social soundbytes, product reviews, and iconic recording and music news.
Damon and Marcos interview Chris Robley of CD Baby and he answers questions from listeners about understanding streaming, royalties, monetization, sync licensing and so much more! They dig into some of the new ways the business of music is being conducted in this new era. There's also festival alerts, educational spotlight, and iconic recording and music news!
Damon and Marcos talk with Taku Hirano while he's on tour with Fleetwood Mac. They talk about his upbringing in California and start with classical percussion, then going to Berklee, and expanding his horizon with learning percussion from Cuba/the Caribbean, the Middle East, Japan and more. He's one of the most in demand percussionists on the scene today, and he talks about what goes into making that happen as well as other fun tidbits. There's also some gear talk, music news, festival alerts and other segments.
Damon and Marcos talk to Jessie Caraballo about growing up in New England then moving to Florida. They talk about starting on drums, moving to timbales and then combining the two and so much more! There's also an iconic recording, festival alerts and educational spotlight and music news!
Damon and Marcos talk to Carter about his new book, the Four Hands Drumming website, why he quit drumming and the comeback. There's some gear talk and much more! There's some new albums out, festival alerts, an iconic recording and RIP to Jerry Gonzalez, along with music news.
Damon chops it up with Nate and they talk about Indiana to North Texas. His brother Nick, and the move to NYC. They talk about winning Grammys, the album Snarky Puppy just finished recording as well as the upcoming Ghost Note tour (and new album). Nate drops a lot of wisdom on various topics. Marcos joins to talk about an iconic recording, product reviews, gig alerts, a couple of educational spotlights, music news and more!
Damon interviews Josh Dion and talks about his upbringing as well as how he started playing drums and then learning that he could sing as well. They talk about how Paris Monster was formed and the details on how that band works and more. Marcos joins Damon to talk about an iconic recording, educational spotlight, social soundbyte, music news and much more!
Damon sits down with Thom Hannum, Colin McNutt & Ian Hale at Umass Amherst. They talk about what goes into creating a great program, and keeping it consistent from year to year as well as other fun tidbits (Some selected info was redacted to protect the innocent). Marcos joins Damon to talk product reviews, an iconic recording, gig alerts, music news and other segments.
Damon interviews Doug and talks about his beginnings, what he's up to now and the adventures in between. He talks about playing on Broadway, inventing the one handed triangle for LP, beating cancer and more! Marcos joins Damon to talk about upcoming gig alerts, product reviews, an iconic recording, music news and more!
It's Damon's Birthday and he loses his voice. Marcos interviews Walfredo Sr. and is taken on a history of historic events in his musical life. There's also some music news, gig alerts, & a recap of recent events that Damon joins Marcos for.
Damon interviews Jon Epcar and talks about drumming on Broadway, as well as touring bands. Moving from L.A. to NYC and more. There's also an iconic recording, social soundbyte, music news and more!
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.