Percussion Discussion.

Percussion Discussion Podcast - Episode 164 - Dave Mattacks. Joining me today is the wonderful Dave Mattacks. Dave is a british drummer ( now living in Boston ) with a quite remarkable career under his belt - he is known as the Folk Drummer (much to his occasional chargrin) Having played for Fairport Convention for a long time, however he has a lot more up his sleeve, check this out for a recording and live CV.......... Paul McCartney, Elton John, XTC, George Harrison, Chris Rea, Jethro Tull, The Proclaimers, Joan Armatrading, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Richard Thompson, Steeleye Span and many many more! We had the most wonderful conversation about his career including the moment he went from trying to impress, with flashy, busy drum parts to stripping it back and playing for the song, something that is now synonymous with Dave's name. Huge thanks to our mutual pal Nigel Constable for connecting us up! Many thanks of course for giving up his valuable time to do this! www.davemattacks.com

Joining me today is Harry Judd. Harry has been playing for British band McFly for over 20 years. As well as his drumming career, Harry has found time to win Strictly in 2011, took part in Celebrity Race Across The World with his mum in 2023, Co-Host Binge Podcast with Alex Jones and is also a very keen runner. We had such a great conversation, starting from the very beginnings of his drumming journey, theough to auditioning for McFly. 2025 is a huge year for the band with several fetival appearances including a slot at Download Festival and a co-headline nationwide tour with fellow brits Busted, we of course talk about both of these things at length. Harry, Thanks for giving up your time so generously!

This is a really short clip explaining who it is that plays the beautiful Gene Krupa esque drum intro on the podcast. its none other than Homer Steinweiss! check out his incredible discography. www.homersteinweiss.com

Joining me today is the wonderful Tony Brock. Tony is a British drummer that now lives in the US, he has a remarkable career under his belt having played for and recorded with some of the biggest names in the Business including The Babys, Rod Stewart, Roy Orbison, Eddie Money, Jeff Beck, Bernie Taupin and Jimmy Barnes. In 2024 Tony Joined a star studded band with Aerosmith bass player Tom Hamilton called Close Enemies, the band have so far released 3 singles and are touring the states again this summer. As well as all the playing, Tonyhas his own studio and specialises in engineering and production. Join us for a fascinating conversation about his incredible career so far, including how he handles a rather hectic schedule and some wonderful anecdotes along the way including one or two about John Bonham no less! Thanks to Tony for giving up his time so freely and huge thanks to our pal Adam Parsons for introducing us! www.closeenemiestheband.com

oining me today is Yorrkshireman and drummer with the mighty Asomvel, Ryan Thackwray. If you are on social meda and havent yet heard of Asomvel then it wont be long before you do! For almost 12 months they have dominated my social media feed with hugely entertaining content, including footage from rehearsals, tours, recording, they even make the mundane day to day stuff interesting! Sleepy Harrogate isnt known as a breeding ground for loud and raucous rock n roll, however Asomvel have certainly made a mark on their hometown. Join Ryan and myself as we talk about the band, including the recent huge support tour with Aussie hard rockers Airbourne and how their set was almost as big as the headline acts set, again with the whole wall of Marshall stacks turned on and up! we talk about Ryans early days as a drummer right through to joining the band in 2023! this band are only going one way....... UP! sit back and enjoy our chat. Thanks for the great conversation Ryan. www.asomvel.com

Really thrilled to be joined once again by one of the most in demand drummers in Rock n Roll, Brian Tichy back again for Part 2! We once again delve into Brian's amazing career, we kick off talking about Brian's time at the revered Berklee college of music in 1986 and how a drum clinic by a young (26 years old) Dave Weckl inspired him and still does to this day. Brian's enthusiasm and love for music shines through more than any other person i have ever spoken too, he delights in telling us about how he felt learning his first few simple grooves on the drums and the excitement that this brought him. We also talk about his current gig with the legendary Gene Simmons from Kiss! Kiss were the band that grabbed his attention as a young boy and how it felt when he got the call offering him in the gig. I have loved speaking to Brian for both of these episodes, he speaks total sense and has almost a childlike joy for music, be it making it or listening to it, i dare you to listen to these converstions and not be inspired by them. what a wonderfuly guy. Thanks Brian. 

Joining me today is Brian Dunne. Brian is the current drummer for Hall & Oates, Daryl Hall and has toured the world with them for almost 8 years. Brian is also the drummer on Live from Daryls House where he has recorded shows with Billy Gibbons, Sammy Hagar, Jason Mraz, Rob Thomas, Kenny Loggins, Darius Rucker, Joe Walsh, The Ojays, Cee Lo Green, Ben Folds, Joe Walsh and many more! if you havent seen this then it is a must watch! Brian has also performed / recorded with the likes of Patti Austin, Chuck Loeb, Ariana Grande, Cory Glover, Chaka Khan, Flo Rida, Ashanti, Sharon Jones, En Vogue, Carly Rae Jepson and again many more! He also has his own Production Facility (Back of the Bus Productions) where brian can record drums for anyone requiring live drums for their project. Huge thanks to Brian for great conversation and for giving up his time so freely! please check out Brian's website - www.briandunnedrums.com

Joining me today is Jay Weinberg. Jay is best know as the drummer in Slipknot from from 2014 to 2023 replacing the late great Joey Jordison, he also filled in for his father Max Weinberg for a tour with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band in 2009. Since Jay's departure from Slipknot he now plays for Suicidal Tendencies and Infectious Grooves. Join Jay and myself as we talk about his amazing career so far (he is still only 34 years old) we talk about his early days with his parents musical influences, through to sitting in with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band for the first time as a kid! no oressure eh? Jay tells us how he was taken along to the Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien (Jays dad Max is the drummer on this show and has been for a long time) to see a new upcoming Nu Metal Band called Slipknot play, and how taken he was with them as a youngster, of course we all know this would eventually be his gig! i dont want to give too much away as Jay is a wonderful talker and quite happy to share his story with us, we had a good long chat. Jay, thank you so much for giving up your time so generously, especially on Superbowl Sunday!! its really appreciated. please enjoy this conversation, and do feel free to share it with your friends.

March 8th 2025 is international womens day, so i thought we should celebrate all the wonderful lady drummers and percussionists from around the globe with a fabulous conversation with Emma Taylor. You must have have been living under a rock for the last 5 years if you havent seen Emma on social media, Since Covid she has a huge presence on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. She delivers her short lessons in a wonderfully unique, quirky, funny and most importantly incredible effective way! Join Emma and myself as we chat about her remarkable success on social media in the last 5 years, we talk about the amount of work that goes into all the amazing content that she and her team produces, and how she handles the pressure of recording live content at such shows as the UK drum Show and NAMM. This was such a fun conversation, im a huge fan of all the content that Emma produces and long may it continue - Thanks to Emma and also thanks to our mutual friend Adam Parsons for introducing us!

Joining me today is Spike T Smith. Originally from Holyhead in North Wales, Spike has a formidable CV with some of the biggest names from the Punk/Alternative genre appearing on including Morrissey, The Damned, The New York Dolls, Killing Joke, Sham 69, H.R. (Bad Brains) and many more. Join Spike and myself as we talk about his remarkable career so far, we find out why he moved from his native Holyhead to Peterborough where he know lives with his family. We chat about his early years in North Wales and the suprisingly vibrant punk scene that was happening in the area at the time that ignited his love of this genre of music. Spike tells us about joining Memoriam, a midlands based Death metal band and how it took quite a bit of thinking about before finally commiting to the band as this was a genre he had played very little of before. It was only right to talk about the late great Robin Guy, Robin was a great friend of Spikes and they used to cover eachothers gigs quite frequently. Robin was a great former guest on the podcast, a lovely man and a great drummer, if felt right to pay tribute to Robin with Spike. We had such an enjoyable chat, Spike is such a great and very popular guy, it was a pleasure to have such a great natter with him! Cheers spike. check out his website - www.spiketsmith.com

Joining me today is Chris Maas. Chris was born and bred in Luxembourg, he came over to the UK in 2006 to continue his musical studies and to further his career, he has since played for/collabarated with The Pierces, Maggie Rodgers, Mumford and Sons and of course his current huge gig with Sting that has been touring around the globe for the last 18 months as Sting 3.0! Join Chris and i as we talk about his amazing career so far including his musical education in Luxembourg and how he found his way over to the UK in 2006 finding a college to continue his musical education, taking a year off to work and never acrtually returning. We of course talk about the Sting gig, including the pressure of the remarkable cast of drummers that have gone beore him! Chris shares a wonderful story of how Sting took him to lunch to discuss going out as a Trio, Chris had no idea he was goinig to ask him to be the drummer and was asking eagerly which drummer was going to get the gig! This was a mindblowing experience to chat to Chris and i would like to thank him or giving up his time so generously! im sure you will enjoy every second.

Percussion Discussion Podcast - Episode 154 - Donavan Hepburn. Joining me today is Drummer, Programmer, Musical Director and Tutor Donavan Hepburn. Donavan already has a glittering career under his belt having recorded or toured with the likes of Mis-Teeq, Lemar, Adele, Ms Dynamite and many more his current gigs are with Take That, Gary Barlow and Jeff Lynne's ELO! Huge gigs! Join Donavan and myself as we pick through some of his remarakable career so far, including how the Take That gig came about and what it entails to pull of this huge gig! We of course had to talk about his gig with Jeff Lynne's ELO and how Don worked really hard to replicate the sounds and wonderful drumming of former ELO Drummer Bev Bevan. We also talk about the different approaches to each different gig that are neccesary to be the first call session drummer that Donavan is! We had the most wonderful chat, Don is very easy to get on with and a remarkably humble gentleman - Thank you for giving up your valuable time so freely to talk to me!

Joining me today is Elliott Henshaw. Elliott is one of the most in demand drummers in the UK, he has performed with many household names such as Tony Christie, Leo Sayer, Tony Hadley and over 20 West End Shows. Join myself and Elliott as we pick through his amazing career so far, we of course talk about his early days through to his first big gig playing drums for Andy Prior's amazing big band, at this time Andy was a huge name in the UK eventually landing his own TV Show. We talk extensively about working as a pro reading drummer and having to work with Musical Directors and the many things to watch out for. Elliott shares with us the INCREDIBLE story of how he prepared to do a couple of shows as a dep on a major west end show and how he got to play for none other than Phil Collins on a TV show......No pressure eh? This was a fantastic and fascinating conversation to have, i really hope you enjoy it and i would like to thank Elliott for giving his time up so generously. www.elliotthenshaw.com

Joining me today is Andy Gangadeen. Andy Gangadeen is one of the original and leading Hybrid drummers in the world today, effortlessly fusing together acoustic and electronic drums creating grooves and sounds beyond the wildest dreams of your average drummer! Andy has honed both his immense drumming skills and technical knowledge since late 80's playing for the likes of Lisa Stansfield, Massive Attack, Duran Duran, The Spice Girls, Jeff Beck, The Bays and the huge English Drum & Bass duo Chase and Status. Join Andy and myself as we chat about his incredible career to date, from his early days with racks and racks of samplers and other equipment needed to recreate the electronic sounds that Andy wanted to achieve. We talk about how he goes about recreating the complex drum beats live that Chase & Staus use on their albums. The first time i became aware of Andy and his immense playing was with the house band on Jonathon Ross's Last Resort TV Show on Channel 4 along with band leader Steve Nieve, this was a wonderful band, Andy took over from Pete Thomas (Elvis Costello & The Attractions) he tells us all about this amazing gig backing artists of the highest calibre, James Brown to name just one! It was a real thrill to chat to Andy, I know you and going to enjoy this as much as i did doing it! Cheers Andy

Here we are with the final episode of 2024. Firstly, huge thanks to everybody that has watched, listened, shared, commented or contributed this far, i really appreciate the support. Todays episode focuses on drum education, there are quite a few options to choose from when thinking of either teaching or taking drum exams, my personal favourite and definetely one of the market leaders is Trinity Rock & Pop, i have been teaching this Syllabus for many years now and it is always met with enthusiasm from my students. I am thrilled to welcome Toby Davies - Trinity's National Advisor for Rock & Pop and JJ Wheeler - UK & Ireland Development Manager - Music to the podcast. Trinity are not known for appearing on podcasts so i am very grateful to them for this opportunity. We talk extensively about the Rock & Pop Course, what it entails, why you should do it, what it can do for you., other subjects include online exams versus in person, rudiments, repertoire and many other subjects. If you are a drummer thinking of taking exams, a drum teacher looking to teach a new syllabus or a drummer already teaching this syllabus but looking for some more information then this is the episode for you to listen to. Huge thanks to Toby & JJ for taking the time to do this - its hugely appreciated. if you would like more information on the Trinity Rock & Pop Syllabus please get in touch with JJ via email - Jonathon.Wheeler@trinitycollege.com

Firmly back in the legends lounge for our landmark 150th Episode with none other than Bernard ' Pretty' Purdie. Bernard is without doubt one of the most legendary names in drumming! he has played on over 4000 album and worked with such incredible artists as Steely Dan, Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Miles davies, Hall & Oates, BB King, Cat Stevens, Tom Jones, The Rolling Stones and 100's more! Bernard joins me straight ater receiving his richly deserved lifetime achievment award at the UK Drum Show 2024. We spend an hour talking about some of the many highlights from his illustrious career including the recording of the iconic Aretha Franklin track 'Rock Steady' and so much more! Huge thanks to Anne McCoy and the wonderful gentlemen at Drum.Dog for giving me this wonderful opportunity! More Huge thanks to our sponsor for this episode - Protection Racket www.protectionracket.com www.facebook.com/ProtectionRacketDrumCases www.instagram.com/protectionracket www.tiktok.com/ @ProtectionRacket www.youtube.com/ProtectionRacket

Joining me today is Scott Travis. Since 1989 Scott Travis has been the powerhouse drummer for British heavy metal legends - Judas Priest. Join Scott and myself as we have a brief chat about drums, Judas Priest and the current Invincible Shield Tour. Scott tells us as he is almost at the very end of an extensive US tour in support of the stunning new Priest album The Invincible Shield how the fatigue is setting in and how the band are looking forward to a few months off to recover after giving 110% night after night on a very long and gruelling world tour! We had to talk about Scotts introduction to Judas Priest and Metal fans in general with the now legendary drum intro to Painkiller. Scott tells us how he came up with this now iconic drum part! we also talk about another great drum intro from earlier in is career with Racer X on the song Scarified, an album i bought as a spotty long haired youth purely because it had a cool album cover! thankfully i instantly loved the content of the album too! Huge thanks to Scott for giving up his time so generously especially during a world tour! Massive thanks to my buddy Adam Parsons & Jayne Andrews for arranging this for me - hugely appreciated. www.judaspriest.com

Joining me today is American drummer and producer Joey Waronker. Joey has played for some legendary names througout his career so far including Beck, R.E.M. Roger Waters, the supergroup Atoms For Peace featuring Flea from The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Thom Yorke from Radiohead. Paul McCartney, Norah Jones, Leonard Cohen and many more! Join us as we pick through Joeys' spectacular career so far including a large chunk about Roger Waters and a very long time on the road and how this affects family life with a wife and young son back at home. We talk about his recent performance with Beck and the Boston Pops Orchestra and how dynamics play a huge part in making this a success (in my opinion Joey is one of the most dynamic drummers around today). Joeys' British affiliation doesnt end with Roger Waters though, in late 23' he recorded an album with Liam Gallagher & John Squire that was released inMarch 24' to critical acclaim, he tells us about the experience of recording and touring with these two giants of the UK music scene. Huge thanks to Joey for taking the time to do this during a particularly crazy time! looking forward to part 2!

Beyond thrilled to welcome an incredible musician and a good friend of mine to Percussion Discussion Podcast - Ged Lynch. Ged has a remarkable list of household names on his CV including the likes of Peter Gabriel, Black Grape, Clannad, Tom Jones, Hanson, Electronic, The Icicle Works, Michael Hutchence, Joe Strummer, David Silvian, Dr John, Natalie Imbruglia, Cat Stevens, Suggs, Birdy, Seth Lakeman, Chrissie Hynde......i mean, where do you start? At the beginning of course, in Geds native Blackburn, we talk about his early days of playing in working mens clubs (these were staple gigs in northern towns and cities) playing all manner of gigs including backing strippers...... as a 14 year old! We pick through some of the many career highlights including waiting by the radio on a Sunday evening to find out where Black Grapes debut album had charted (number 3, later number 1!) through to getting the gig with the legendary Peter Gabriel, and some of the many amazing adventures that took him on, including a co headline tour of the US with Sting with none other than Vinnie Colaiuta occupying stings drum chair! Ged gives so many beautiful little nuggets as we go through our conversation, i really hope you enjoy it as much as i did doing it! He is one of the nicest and most gentle souls on this earth and i was very grateful for this oppurtunity to grab a very very rare interview with him! Cheers Ged! www.gedlynch.com

Im Joined by John Macaluso to calebrate the launch of his brand new book with Hudson Music - Linear Rock Drumming - United Sounds Of Seperation https://hudsonmusic.com/product/linear-rock-drumming/?wcacra=3123599 John who has an incredible CV of names that he has played for including ARK, Yngwie Malmsteen, TNT, James Labrie, Symphony X and many more talks through the concepts in his newly released book, explaining how the chapters are acompanied by videos of the examples played by John! i hope you enjoy our conversation and buy the book and develop your linear drumming skills!

Percussion Discussion Episode 146 - Brian Tichy Joining me today is American hard rock drummer Btian Tichy. Brian has a glittering career so far having played for giants of the rock & metal world such as Whitesnake, Ozzy Osbourne, Billy Idol, Foreigner and Sass Jordan. We talk through segments of his career including a large section on Pride & Glory, an incredible band that include Brian, Zakk Wylde and James Lomenzo, we talk about their iconic performance at Castle Donnington in 1994, this is the only time i have seen Brian play live! Brian gives us some amazing insights and advice throughout this interview as well as some incredible stories, including one about Ozzy Osbourne turning a fire hose on him mid gig!! Of course we had to talk about his current gig playing for KISS legend Gene Simmons in his solo band. Brian, thank you so much for giving up your time so generously!

Joining me today is legendary goalkeeper Petr Čech. Petr is arguably one of the finest if not the finest goal keeper in Premier Leaugue history. best know for his remarkable time at Chelsea FC from 2004 -- 2015, as well as stints with Sparta Prague, Arsenal, Rennes and of course his home country Czech Republic. Petr is also a huge fan of playing the drums, although he started a little later in life than some others he has really launched himself into it 100%. Petr explains how he found his way into drums by playing the Guitar Hero Drum Set with team mates, this soon developed into a total obsession with the instrument. He tells us how he never goes anywhere without Practice Pad, Sticks and a copy of Stick Control! Petr has his own YouTube channel with lots of drum cover versions - www.youtube.com/@petrcech4450 Petr, thank you so much for giving up your valuable time to chat to me, its very much appreciated!

Kenny Aronoff - Percussion Discussion - Episode 144 Firmly back in the legends lounge today with the legendary Kenny Aronoff! Kenny has the most incredible career under his belt having recorded and toured with some of the most remarkable bands and artistes on the planet, including - John Fogerty, The Smashing Pumpkins, Jon Bon Jovi, Meatloaf, Willie Nelson, Jerry Lee Lewis, Joe Cocker and so many more. Join Kenny and myself as we talk about so many amazing subjects, including his very recent and very last minute few gigs filling in for Jason Bonham with Sammy Hagar and a star studded band including Joe Satriani on Guitar and former Van Halen bassist Mike Anthony. Kenny explains his process in learning 20 or more songs with literally 24 hours notice, Kenny runs through his learning process how he transcribes it bar by bar giving a hugely detailed part that enables him to reproduce the parts incredibly accurately. With Kennys forthcoming appearance at the UK Drum show at the end of September, of curse we had to talk about it and so much more!Kenny, thank you for making the time to do this, its trulay appreciated! www.kennyaronoff.com

Percussion Discussion Episode 143 - Karl Brazil Joining me today is Karl Brazil.Karl is without doubt one of the leading drummers in the Uk, he has played for a hugely diverse list of bands and singers such as Feeder, Ed Sheeran,  Elton John, Jason Mraz, One Direction, Westlife, James Morrison, Leona Lewis and of course Karl has been with James Blunt from his very early days and has been Robbie Williams drummer and Musical Director for a long time! Join Karl and myself as we talk about his incredibly hectic work schedule that is literally cram packed with tours, one off gigs, recording and trying to fit valuable family time in to the mix! In fact one of the things we talk about is how he manages his insanely busy diary and what happens when dates don't line up! We had to talk about James Blunt and his recent resurgence over the last few years culminating in the hugely entertaining ‘One Brit Wonder” documentary that recently aired on Netflix. Karl features heavily in this fabulous programme and tells us what it is like to have been in the hot seat since the very early days of James Blunt. As if he isn't busy enough, Karl has recently put together the amazing King Herd, definitely at the heavier end of the musical spectrum, he tells us all about the band and what its like to be touring on a much smaller scale. For the last few years Karl has been best known for his role as drummer and musical director for the musical force that is Robbie Williams, with Robbie Karl has played to some of the biggest crowds on earth with incredible stage shows and a world class band, Karl explains what his role entails as MD for this huge show! This was a joy to do, its been quite a while in the making, when you want to speak to the best and the busiest then sometimes you have to wait until the time is right, I'm so glad we got it done, boy was it worth the wait! Karl, thank you so much for making it happen! www.karlbrazil.com

Joining me today is the super talented Graham Hopkins. Graham has played for some remarkable bands and artistes throughout his amazing career so far including 6 years with Northern Irish alternative rockers Therapy? Tom Jones, The Frames, The Swell Season, Glen Hansard, Snow Patrol, Dolores O'Riordan and Rosanne Cash. Join us as we have a good old natter about Graham's career so far and day to day stuff. We talk about his passion for recording in his own studio with vintage audio equipment and equally vintage drums and cymbals! Graham tells us how after years of constant touring how he is more than happy to be spending time at home for a while with the freedom to do as much or as little recording as he likes allowing him to have important family time. We of course had to talk about his time in Therapy? and boy does he give us an amzing insight on what it was like to be in that hugely succesful band at that time!! Graham, thank you so much for giving up your time so generously, what a total pleasure, it almost felt like we were sat in the pub chatting (a virtual one anyway) i really hope you enjoy our conversation as much as i did having it! www.grahamhopkinsdrummer.com

Joining me today is Steve "Smiley" Barnard. Steve is one of the most respected and liked guys in the business, he has an incredibly succesful career so far having toured and recorded with the likes of Robbie Williams, Joe Strummer and The Mescaleros, The Mock Turtles, Holy Holy, Hard Fi, Lily Allen, Billy Bragg, Newton Faulkner as well his regular gigs with Mike Peters and The Alarm and Archive. Join Steve and myself as we have a fascinating chat about his career, not so much focussing on the bands and artists that he has worked with but more the situations that can happen as a very busy working drummer! We also chat about his Sunshine Corner Studios and his love of the whole recording process and some of the more unusual approaches he can sometimes have when recording. This was such fun to do, chatting to Smiley is addictive, hopefully listening to him will have exactly the same effect! i know you will enjoy this! Smiley, you are a legend - Thanks so much!

Joining me today is Pat garvey. Pat is a hugely talented drummer and educator, he has a very impressive CV including Noel Redding (Jimi Hendrix) Lonely Robot, Tim Booth, James and is a member of the instrumental (progressive tinged) Ozric Tentacles. Somehow, alongside his hectic playing schedule Pat has managed to fit in a whole other career as one of the finest educators in the UK. He is the Principal Lecturer at BIMM music institute in Brighton and has made 100 of contributions to drumming magazines from across the globe, including a regular contribution to the sorely missed Rhythm Magazine. Join Pat and myself as we talk about his amazing career so far, you wont be dissapointed! Pat, thank you so much for giving up your time so generously.

Joining me today is Tony TC Coleman. Tony has had a remarkable career so far playing with some of the finest Blues artists on earth including Otis Clay, Bobby Blue Bland, Albert King, Etta James, Buddy and of course 25 years with the late and legendary BB King! Join TC and myself as we pick through his incredible career so far, from his very early start to drumming..... TC tells us he was not a fan of the Blues ironically! We talk about his beautiful playing style and how BB King moulded his playing to suit himself and the band, TC gives us a great insight into life with BB King, never playing less than 300 shows a year!! TC can really put over a story, he tells us about his short lived foray into being a percussionist with BB King after they toured with Santana......its worth listening just for this! TC is a wonderful charachter, humble, knowledgable, vastly experienced and speaks with huge passion about music and drumming. Thank you TC it was a pleasure. www.soulfulldrummer.com

David Ruffy - Percussion Discussion - Episode 138 Joining me today is founding member and drummer of The Ruts (knowun as Ruts DC these days. Join Ruffy and myself as we pick through his amazing career starting with all the bands in Pre Ruts, this explains why they werent your everyday Punk band. We also talk about his work with some of the biggest artists in the 80's and 90's including Prefab Sprout, The Waterboys, Aztec Camera, Karl Wallinger, Kirsty MacColl and Sinead O'connor to name but a few, quite the list im sure you will agree. Ruffy tells us how he is still practicing and studying new styles every day at 72 years old! His enthusiasm for drums and music is as strong as it ever was as he talks about a new Ruts DC acoustic album and Tour this July. What a wonderful chap, Ruffy, thanks so much for giving up your time so generously! please check out the Ruts DC website for the forthcoming tour dates www.rutsdc.com

Firmly back in the Legends Lounge today with Vinny Appice! Vinny has played on some of the most iconic heavy rock albums of the 1980's with Black Sabbath and Dio. Join Vinny and myself as we talk about his incredibe career so far. We talk about his early days at home and how his older brother Carmine was a huge influence on his playing. We of course talk about when he joined Sabbath halfway through a tour to replace Bill Ward on very little rehearsal, well, not with the band anyway as it soundls like the spent most of it in the pub! Vinny tells us some great Black Sabbath stories of course including the late, great Ronnie James Dio! Do not miss this fabuolous episode, we covered so much ground in this episode and its incredibly interesting. Vinny, thanks so much for giving up your time so generously! www.vinnyappice.com

Joining me today is CEO and founder of Drumeo Jared Falk. Im quite certain that everyone watching or listening to this will know what Drumeo is and without doubt will have seen some of the remarkable content that they deliver time and time again, not just remarkable content, but filmed with the finest video and audio you could ever wish to see! Join Jared and myself as we chat all about Drumeo, from its humble beginnings from Jared's basement (this was pre Drumeo) through to the global success story that it is now, employing 150 staff from across the world! We chat about the behind the scenes work that goes into bringing these amazing lessons and features to life, we pick through some of Jared's favourite moments, there is a great story with Todd Sucherman and how he was "Persuaded" to do the first listen segment!! and of course we talked about the recent as yet unreleased Phil Collins interview in Switzerland with Brandon Toews! This was so much fun to do! im a huge admirer of what Drumeo do for our community and it was a real pleasure to chat to Jared - Thanks for giving your time up so generously. www.drumeo.com www.musora.com

This was the end of another wonderful conversation with Simon Phillips that wasnt used in the recent Hayman episode, its way too interesting not to use. Simon tells us where his love of 24" bass drums came from, his first experience of using a boom cymbal stand that was brough back as a gift from New York and he tells us how cymbal stands affect the sound of cymbals! Simon as always has some fascinating insights in the drum world and this little nugget was way too good to waste, short but very sweet!

Joining me today is Lina Anderberg. Lina is currently on tour with Swedish singer and song writer, Zara Larsson. Lina (also from Sweden ) takes us through her career so far from her early days when her love of horses was the main competition to her drumming career! She tells us how she got the bug after just having a go on a kit at school, knowing nothing about the instrument, she just knew it was for her.....this led to her playing drums in a death metal band... (really badly, in Lina's own words!) of course she knuckled down, studied, practiced, never said no to a gig, learnt her craft well and here she is playing for one of the biggest stars in pop! We also talk about her upcoming at the UK Drum Show later this year in Liverpool. Lina, thanks so musch for chatting to me!

Percussion Discussion - Episode 134 - The history of Hayman Drums .Joining me today for this very special episode talking about the history of Hayman Drums is a star studded cast including Drummer and Hayman authority Nigel Constable, Nigel wrote the Hayman Drum Book along with Bob Henrit in 2016 so is the perfect person to guide us through the Hayman History. We are also joined by perhaps one of the most famous Hayman users, Simon Kirke, he famously used the gold ingot Hayman kit with Free in the early 70's. Another former Hayman player is none other than the incredible Simon Phillips, Simon had quite the history with Hayman drums as you will hear during the episode. Last, but by no means least is my good friend and incredible drummer Robb Reiner, Robb has been the powerhouse Canadian Heavy Metal Trio Anvil since 1978, Just about to release there 20th Studio album this summer the band are as active as they ever were, Robb is a fan of a certain Hayman snare drum........ I have to say a huge thank you to all of the guests that made this possible, Nigel, Simon Phillips, Robb Reiner and of course Simon Kirke. everyone gave there time up so generously to contribute and i am very grateful. Thank you gentlemen.

Joining me today is Nic Collins & Trev Lukather Trev Lukather and Nic Collins join me for a chat about their stunning new band The Effect, the band is completed by Steve Maggiora on Keys and the stunning vocals of Emmet Stang! Obvioulsy neither Nic or Trev need no introduction, Nic makes his 4th appearance on the Podcast while Trev has the honour of being the first guitarist to appear! Nic and Trev explain how the band came together and how the bands sound was acheived very organically with the influences of the four members just blending nicely. Obviously both Nic & Trev have incredibly talented and hugely successful fathers, Phil Collins and Steve Lukather respectively, they share with us what its like finding your way in the music business whilst having parents that are household names. Nic and Trev are both hugely talented and incredibly humble and i really enjoyed chatting with them - Gentlemen, thanks for giving up your valuable time to speak to me.

Percussion Discussion - Episode 132 - Mike Heaton. Joining me today is Mike Heaton. Since the 90's Mike has been the drummer for Yorkshire indie rockers Embrace. Join Mike and myself as we chat about many aspects of his amazing career including his beautiful drumming and always serving the song, Mike explains how this wasn't always the case and how he found it tricky to play in such a sparse and simple way after a producer asked for this. Mike is of course the main man behind Code drum heads, Mike tells us why he got into the drum head business and how it felt when Nicko McBrain from the mighty Iron Maiden came on board as an endorser of the heads with his own signature line of drum heads! Mike is great to chat to, the conversation is always easy and free flowing, I really hope you enjoy our conversation, I found it really fascinating! Mike, thank you for giving up your valuable time to chat to me. www.codedrumheads.co.uk

Joining me today is Michel'le Baptiste. Michel'le has played for the likes of Beyonce, Lizzo and Fifth Harmony to name but a few! My first time seeing Michel'le play was at Glastonbury 2023 where she was the drummer with Lizzo's incredible all female band that totally blew my mind! Join myself and Michel'le, as we talk about her incredible journey so far from her beginnings in Houston TX starting out on her drummimg journey at 2 years old, through to studying at the revered Berklee College of Music, she tells us how she took every class available to her to help her gain knowledge of every aspect of the business. We talk about making the daunting move to Los Angeles once Michel'le had graduated with a Bachelors of Music, she tells us about the struggle of being an unknown musician in LA and how she had to do plenty of mundane jobs before getting her first break in the business......... Thanks to Michel'le for finding the time in her busy schedule to chat with me!

Joining me today is Leon Cave. Since 2013 Leon has been the drummer with the mighty Status Quo. Join Leon and myself as we talk about his career so far, from his early days as a young heavy metal fan playing along to Iron Maiden songs through to studying with the renowned manchester based drummer and percussionist (and former guest) Dave Hassel. Leon tells us about his "sliding doors" moment, a turn of events that got him the Francis Rossi gig, and how things could have been very different if hadnt made a certain decision........ im not giving it away here!! We talk about what it takes to pull of the Quo songs especially some of the up tempo shuffles and how Leon does this and makes it look so easy! This was a fabulous conversation, its been a while in the making and im so glad we got it over the line! Leon, thanks so much for giving up your time from your manic schedule! www.statusquo.co.uk Socials@Leoncavenusic

This is a very special episode of Percussion Discussion Podcast - this celebrates 101 years of Premier Percussion, Join myself and a wealth of remarkable drummers and industry professionals as they share their memories and thoughts of the mighty Premier Percussion. Joining me in no particular order are - Joe Franco - Ged Lynch - Andie Laidlaw - Bob Henrit - Steve White - Adam Parsons - Tom Meyers - Luke Bullen - Mike Eliis - Todd Sucherman - Bob Richards - Colin Tennant - Rod Morgenstein - Stuart Graham - Ian Moseley. Huge thanks to everybody involved in the making of this film. The clips were recorded between September and November 2023. Huge thanks to Colin Tennant and all at Premier Percussion for allowing the use of the footage of Ged Lynch playing the Elite drums. Premier factory footage belongs to Adrian Schackmann. www.premier-percussion.com

Percussion Discussion - Episode 129 - Rob BrianJoining me today is English drummer Rob BrianRob has carved out an incredible career for himself so far, having wonderful names on his CV such as Miles Kane, Siouxsie Sioux, Peter Gabriel, Hugh Cornwell, Simple Minds, Clara Ponty, Modern English and many more.Join Rob and myself for a fascinating and free flowing chat about his amazing career, we talk about Robs obvious passion for education, he tells us how important it is to pass on and share information and that how the drumming community thankfully thrives on doing this.Rob and I also talk in-depth about his gig with Siouxsie Sioux, a gig he has held since 2006, and the challenge of playing some of the unique and tricky parts of the original Banshees drummer and former guest on this podcast Budgie.We had to chat about Rob's involvement in the upcoming tour with Gary Astridge in February 2024 - The Legendary Drums and Drumming of a Starr, a tribute to the Genius of Ringo Starr, Gary Astridge (Ringo's curator of all the Beatles era drum kits, historian and friend of Ringo) will be hosting the evening featuring some incredible Ringo facts, storied and a multimedia presentation along with Rob demonstrating some of Ringos grooves and rather unique traits behind a drum kit!Thanks to Rob for a totally fascinating chat - checkout his website www.robertbrian.co.uk

Joining me today is Tom Brechtlein. Tom is a hugely talented American drummer wh has played for the likes of Chick Corea, Robben Ford, Wayne Shorter, Frank Gambale, Don Grusin, Al Di Meola and many more. Join Tom and i as we pick through some of the highlights from his remarkable career so far. These include some remarkable stories about recording and touring with the late lengendary Chick Corea and ridiculously talented bluesman Robben Ford. We also talk about Toms time spent playing for the late great Natalie Cole and how the gig came about. Tom tells us about his busy recording schedule from his home studio and the pros and cons of remote recording. We also learn that Tom is able to produce the most incredible Scottish Accent!! its worth listening just for this! Thanks to Tom for giving up his time to do this. www.tomebrechtlein.com

Alfie Boe - Percussion Discussion - Episode 127 Joining me today is Global Singing Megastar Alfie Boe OBE. Alfie is of course known for being a singer, recording countless hit albums and selling out concert halls acrosss the world.....BUT.... you guessed it, he is also a drummer too and a very passionate one at that. Join Alfie and myself as we explore his passion for drums from where it began as an 8 year old in blackpool playing on cushions on his bed through to his parents suprising him with his first real drum set at the age of 12, Alfie tells us how he ended up in many of the local clubs in his native Blackpool playing along with the resident organists and providing backing for visiting cabaret acts. He also explains how an audition with an Indie band at the age 14 almost changed his career path for good... We chat about what he expects from the drummer in his own band and how he encourages them to really push their boundaries and not to pay too much attention to the charts provided. This was a really fascinating conversation, Alfie is genuinely one of the nicest guys you could wish to meet, and i appreciate him giving up his very precious time to chat to me. Many thanks also to Joel Barford, Joel is a former guest on the Podcast and he asked Alfie on my behalf to do this, thanks Joel! Lastly thanks to Lewis Shaw from LME worldwide for making all of the neccesary arrangements. www.alfie-boe.com

Joining me today is Austrian drummer Philipp Groyssboeck better known as Phil G. Phil has lived in London for the last 20 years and has gained a quite remarakable CV of wonderful artists synonymous with the 1980'S including names such as Go West, Mike and The Mechanics, Roachford, T'pau, Taylor Dayne, Chris DeBurgh, Nik Kershaw, Paul Young and many others. Join Phil and myself as we pick through some of the highlights of his career so far from his childhood in Austria in his parents bakery, through to playing drums with the Austrian military band whilst on National Service, Being Terry Bozzio's Drum tech for 2 weeks to performing with Mike & The Mechanics at the Isle Of White Festival in 2016. Phil also tells about his drums of choice, hand made in Austria, these are called Alto Beat Drums, and if you have ever been lucky enough to hear Phil play, then you will know exactly how good they sound and look! Many thanks to Phil for giving up the time from his insane schedule! it was a lot of fun! www.philippg.com www.alto-beat.com

Joining me today is UK Drummer Luke Bullen. Join Luke and myself as we talk about his amazing career so far, including a six year stint with the legendary Bryan Ferry, Luke tells us about some highlights of this period includinga gig at The Hollywood Bowl with the 10 piece band and a 60 piece orchestra, no pressure then.... We also chat about Luke's current gigs with British Rockers Reef and singer songwriter Rumer and the different challenges that both bring style and equipment wise. The film 3 drummers had to be mentioned, this is a lovely film tells the story amazing story of 3 drummers who lived 3 miles apart from eachother in their native Norfolk all went on to have remarkable careers as drummers playing for some of the best artists and bands in the world, Luke, Steve Barney and Nathan "Tugg" Curran are the aforementioned drummers and it is well worth a watch! Here is the link - http://www.lukebullen.co.uk/3-drummers-film This was a fabulous conversation, Luke, thank you so much for giving your time up so generously! Many thanks to our mutual pal and UK Session drummer Steve Barney for introducing us both!

Joining me today is Neil Golding. Neil is the organiser of the UK Drum Show. Join us a we talk about what goes in to organising arguably one of the biggest drum shows in the world. Neil has a background in music magazine publishing and went to organise the London Drum Show for many years after working on Drummer magazine. We talk about the monumental success that the UK Drums Show has become and how the input of both Mike Johnston and Mike Dolbear who both run their own rooms at the show is invaluable. The recent show featured a remarkable 48 Artists performing over 2 days, Not to mention the countless companies exhibiting. This is a fascinating insight in to the work that goes into organising this family run event! Many thanks to Neil for giving up his valuable time to do this interview, i really enjoyed chatting! The dates for next years show are 28th & 29th September 2024 Tickets go on sale on 5/11/23 www.theukdrumshow.com

Joining me today is Stumpy Monroe. Stumpy is best known for being the powerhouse drummer for Scottish Hard Rockers - The Almighty. Formed in the late 80's they took the 90's by storm creating so many great songs and albums and some incredibly memorable gigs along the way. Join Stumpy and myself as we chat about his career from the very beginning of his drumming journey, he had the ultimate start from the age of 13 playing in pipe band drumming competitions over many years competing against the best in the world on snare drum, Stumpy also competed in the solo snare drum championship and getting runner up at age 15 in the under 21's category! He tells us how his pipe band skills could be applied to the traditional drum kit opening up so many different fills and rhythms around the drums that somebody without that rudimental knowledge would struggle to do so.As you may now The Almighty are reforming for 3 gigs in December 23, Stumpy tells us how much perdonal work he is putting into re learning the songs and finding the energy and stamina to get through the set. Stumpy talks about the legendary performance by The Almighty at Donnington on 22nd of August 1992 where the band opened the show with a short but blistering set winning over the whole enormous Donnington crowd! I cant tell you how much i enjoyed doing this, im a huge fan of Stumps playing and i genuinely regard him as one of the best Rock n Roll drummers in the business.www.thealmightyofficial.com Stumpy - Thanks so much for doing this! Huge thanks to Adam Parsons for connecting us up for this chat. www.adamparsonsentertainment.com

Rod Morgenstein - Percussion Discussion - Episode 122 Firmly back in the legends lounge today with the remarkable Rod Morgenstein. Join Rod and myself as we talk about his remarkable career so far from his early days with Dixie Dregs through to the melodic hard rockers Winger. Rod gives us a fascinating insight to the recording of the Buddy Rich Tribute Album "Burning For Buddy" and the amount of work Rod put into learning a huge Buddy arrangement only for it not to be used! We also talk about Rod's latest project the Wing Thing, a really useful tool for loosening over tightened wing nuts www.morgensteintool.com! we talk about so much great stuff in this conversation, i dont want to spoil it by giving it away! Rod played a huge part of my youth playing drums and it was a total thrill chatting to him! Thanks so much for giving up your time! www.rodmorgenstein.com

Todd Suchermann- Percussion Discussion - Episode 121 Im thrilled to be joined for todays Percussion Discussion by the one and only Todd Sucherman! Todd is best known for playing drums for legendary American rockers Styx since 1995. Join Todd and myself for a thrilling conversation covering many areas of Todds remarkably busy life and career. We talk about the many drums in his stunning room and how he goes about choosing the right job for the right song. We also discuss Todd's approach to putting drums down remotely after getting a track with programmed drums or a guide track. I had to ask Todd about his stunning version of the Foo Fighters Rope on Drumeo after one listen, Todd lets us into a little secret that he didnt want to do it and it took Jared Falk to offer Todd a beautiful (and rare) Jade Green Yamaha Recording Custom snare drum to twist his arm in to doing it!! This was a real pleasure to do, Todd is a wonderful guy and i thank him for giving up the time from his crazy busy schedule to talk to me! huge thanks must go to our mutual pal Peter 'Dougal' Butler for putting us in touch!

Robert Sput Searight - Percussion Discussion - Episode 120 Joining me today is one of the best and funkiest drummers on the planet, Robert Sput Searight. Sput is a multi Grammy award winning and remarkable drummer / keyboard player / composer who has played for the likes of Erykah Badu, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, Snarky Puppy, Ghost - Note and of course now Toto! Join Sput and myself as we talk through some of the elements of his stunning career so far from his beginnings and how church played a huge part of his musical education through to Ghost - Note. Sput also shares with us the really interesting story of how he ended up being endorsed by Meinl Cymbals. Of course we had to talk about his gig with Toto and how it felt to get the call from Steve Lukather asking him to join. There is so much more to this amazing conversation than i have put in this description as i really want you to listen to it!  I am so grateful to Sput for giving up his time so generously. Hope you enjoy it. www.ghost-note-official.com www.totoofficial.com

Joining me today is Chris Jago for the second part of our conversation. Chris originally hails from Toxteth in Liverpool however he has lived in Los Angeles for the last 20 years. Chris has a remarkable story in the world of drumming and music in general, he has played for the likes of the legendary Neil Diamond, Alan Cumming, Boy George, Barclay James Harvest and many more....... but wait there is more, Chris is hugely respected in the musical theatre / Broadway world with a whole other CV in his back pocket including Wicked, Rent (Live on Fox) We Will Rock You, Frozen the musical plus he has written the drum book for Paradise Square and his new musical Shucked. Join Chris and myself as we talk through his incredible career so far from his beginnings in Toxteth through to heading to London to hopefully take his career further and how he found himself in accidentally in a Musical thinking that the audition for a touring band! we talk about all the twists and turns that lead Chris to where he is now, an incredibly busy drummer with many plates to juggle including his own Shabby Road Studio where Chris is constantly recording drum parts for many clients around the world. Todays Episode includes the INCREDIBLE Neil Diamond story, you need to listen to it, im not giving it away! Chris - Thanks so much for giving up your time, cant tell you how much i enjoyed it. www.chrisjago.com

Joining me today is Chris Jago. Chris originally hails from Toxteth in Liverpool however he has lived in Los Angeles for the last 20  years. Chris has a remarkable story in the world of drumming and music in general, he has played for the likes of the legendary Neil Diamond, Alan Cumming, Boy George, Barclay James Harvest and many more....... but wait there is more, Chris is hugely respected in the musical theatre / Broadway world with a whole other CV in his back pocket including Wicked, Rent (Live on Fox) We Will Rock You, Frozen the musical plus he has written the drum book for Paradise Square and his new musical Shucked. Join Chris and myself as we talk through his incredible career so far from his beginnings in Toxteth through to heading to London to hopefully take his career further and how he found himself in accidentally in a Musical thinking that the audition for a touring band! we talk about all the twists and turns that lead Chris to where he is now, an incredibly busy drummer with many plates to juggle including his own Shabby Road Studio where Chris is constantly recording drum parts for many clients around the world. We had such an enjoyable conversation it went on a bit longer than they usually do so i have decided to put this out as 2 parts, Part 2 contains the most incredible story about Chris's run up to actually playing with Neil Diamond.....DONT MISS IT!! Chris - Thanks so much for giving up your time, cant tell you how much i enjoyed it.www.chrisjago.com