

Drummers on Drumming
Ben Hilzinger
A podcast for drummers who think too much. Ben Hilzinger talks to the greats about creativity, identity, staying sane, and finding purpose behind the kit. Powered by Big Fat Snare Drum. For more inforamtion, check out www.bigfatsnaredrum.com and follow us on Instagram.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 21, 2020 • 1h 12min
Big Fat Five: Steve Goold's (Matt Kearney, Ben Rector, Sara Bareilles) Top 5 Drumming Moments That Shaped His Playing Style
This week’s guest is Steve Goold…a.k.a the “Steve” of Steve’s Donut. Steve tells the story of working with Kris (BFSD owner) and how the donut came to be before breaking down the top 5 drumming moments that shaped his playing. Steve has recorded and/or toured with countless big hitters such as Sara Bareilles, Matt Kearney, Owl City, Ben Rector, Cory Wong and many more. His respect for the "song" and crafting the perfect drum part is very evident in the choices he made for this episode. I gained a lot and I hope you will too.---Get Your Copy of the Drummers on Drumming Book Today!🎯 Click here to order now!Drummers on Drumming (the book) takes you inside the stories, records, and moments that shaped some of the world’s greatest drummers. Built on the Big Fat Five format of digging into top influences, it’s packed with candid interviews and personal insights. Whether you’re just starting out or have been playing for years, this book is here to inspire you to sharpen your skills and find your own voice behind the kit.For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out www.bigfatsnaredrum.com and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 14, 2020 • 46min
Big Fat Five: Raghav Mehrotra's (Broadway's School of Rock) Top 5 Drumming Moments That Shaped His Playing Style
The guest this week is Raghav Mehrotra. This young man started playing drums when he was three and by 5 years old (IMO) was already better than most lifelong players. He starred in Broadway's "School of Rock" while still physically going to school full-time. He just an insane player and I know he's gonna be on some killer records in the future. He's also an old soul. You think you're talking to a veteran of the craft, but honestly with how much he's already accomplished...he kinda is. Raghav breaks down the top 8 moments that made him the drummer he is today.---Get Your Copy of the Drummers on Drumming Book Today!🎯 Click here to order now!Drummers on Drumming (the book) takes you inside the stories, records, and moments that shaped some of the world’s greatest drummers. Built on the Big Fat Five format of digging into top influences, it’s packed with candid interviews and personal insights. Whether you’re just starting out or have been playing for years, this book is here to inspire you to sharpen your skills and find your own voice behind the kit.For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out www.bigfatsnaredrum.com and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 23, 2020 • 53min
Big Fat Five: Randy Cooke's (Ringo Starr, Mick Jagger, Alanis Morissette, Dave Stewart, Kelly Clarkson) 5 Drumming Moments That Shaped His Style
This week’s guest is Randy Cooke. I certainly fluff him up at the beginning of our interview, but Rand just has everything you’d want in a drummer playing behind you. He is SO song focused and, as he states, “…It’s not about playing more things; it’s about playing the right thing”. His resume includes playing for Ringo Starr, Mick Jagger, Alanis Morissette, Dave Stewart, Kelly Clarkson…and believe me…many many more. Keeping with the theme of this season, Randy breaks down the top drumming moments that shaped his style. Cheeeeers.---Get Your Copy of the Drummers on Drumming Book Today!🎯 Click here to order now!Drummers on Drumming (the book) takes you inside the stories, records, and moments that shaped some of the world’s greatest drummers. Built on the Big Fat Five format of digging into top influences, it’s packed with candid interviews and personal insights. Whether you’re just starting out or have been playing for years, this book is here to inspire you to sharpen your skills and find your own voice behind the kit.For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out www.bigfatsnaredrum.com and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 16, 2020 • 42min
Big Fat Five: Mike Dawson's Top 5 Drumming Moments That Shaped His Style
Today’s guest is Mike Dawson, managing editor of Modern Drummer Magazine and co-host of the Modern Drummer Podcast w/ Mike and Mike (the other Mike being Mike Johnston). They have exactly 250 archived episodes so go check that out…after you binge all of our episodes. Mike is an insanely artful player who exemplifies the idea of building creativity out of giving yourself limitations. He posts a lot of his weirdisms on his Instagram at @mikedawsondrums. You can also check out his website here. This episode is a reminder of how little I know when it comes to great drumming and it only reinforced my decision to continue with this format. Mike breaks down the drumming moments that shaped his playing. Cheers!---Get Your Copy of the Drummers on Drumming Book Today!🎯 Click here to order now!Drummers on Drumming (the book) takes you inside the stories, records, and moments that shaped some of the world’s greatest drummers. Built on the Big Fat Five format of digging into top influences, it’s packed with candid interviews and personal insights. Whether you’re just starting out or have been playing for years, this book is here to inspire you to sharpen your skills and find your own voice behind the kit.For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out www.bigfatsnaredrum.com and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 9, 2020 • 58min
Big Fat Five: Ben Barter's (Lorde) Top Drumming Moments That Formed His Drumming Style
This week’s guest is Ben Barter…an Auckland-born, Los Angeles-based drummer/producer/storyteller and ex-dishwasher to the STARS. Ben has one of my favorite pockets and tastes in 'groove' so I was SUPER pumped to get him on the show. He’s played every major festival you can think of and has done all the talk shows. He’s the nicest bloke in the world and I know you’ll be smiling the whole time you listen to this one. Cheers!---Get Your Copy of the Drummers on Drumming Book Today!🎯 Click here to order now!Drummers on Drumming (the book) takes you inside the stories, records, and moments that shaped some of the world’s greatest drummers. Built on the Big Fat Five format of digging into top influences, it’s packed with candid interviews and personal insights. Whether you’re just starting out or have been playing for years, this book is here to inspire you to sharpen your skills and find your own voice behind the kit.For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out www.bigfatsnaredrum.com and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 26, 2020 • 1h 1min
Big Fat Five: Bryan De Leon's (Albert Hammond Jr, The Drums, The Shaking Hands) Top 5 Drumming Moments That Shaped His Style
Today’s guest is Bryan De Leon and we break down the top 5 drumming moments that shaped his playing styles. Bryan’s powerful, rigid, and syncopated drum parts are infectious, to say the least, and it's the reason he drums for power-hitters like Albert Hammond Jr of The Strokes, The Drums (a band...a very good band), The Shaking Hands and many more. I’m currently on a road trip right now, so I’m recording from an Airbnb…a tiny closet inside my Airbnb actually, but this episode finally introduced me to New Order and it’s basically all I’ve been listening to. So, thank you, Bryan. Also, I need to mention...I almost edited out my initial question of how asking Bryan how his pandemic is going. It's a lazy question, and I hated it the second it came out, but it ended up pulling a great response from Bryan and touched on points I really wanted to keep it…so I kept it in. I just want you to know that I know and alright....shutting up...cheers!---Get Your Copy of the Drummers on Drumming Book Today!🎯 Click here to order now!Drummers on Drumming (the book) takes you inside the stories, records, and moments that shaped some of the world’s greatest drummers. Built on the Big Fat Five format of digging into top influences, it’s packed with candid interviews and personal insights. Whether you’re just starting out or have been playing for years, this book is here to inspire you to sharpen your skills and find your own voice behind the kit.For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out www.bigfatsnaredrum.com and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 19, 2020 • 1h 1min
Big Fat Five: Brody Simpson's Top 5 Drumming Moments That Shaped His Style
Today’s guest is Brody Simpson and we talk about the top 5 drumming moments that played a huge part in the development of his sound. Brody’s feel and sense of pocket within a pocket are unmatched in my opinion and I don’t think I’m comfortable making it public how much time I’ve spent looping Brody’s videos. Needless to say, if you don’t know him, I’m so excited that you stumbled across this episode. His perspectives on groove and creating parts is a masterclass in many ways. Please enjoy.---Get Your Copy of the Drummers on Drumming Book Today!🎯 Click here to order now!Drummers on Drumming (the book) takes you inside the stories, records, and moments that shaped some of the world’s greatest drummers. Built on the Big Fat Five format of digging into top influences, it’s packed with candid interviews and personal insights. Whether you’re just starting out or have been playing for years, this book is here to inspire you to sharpen your skills and find your own voice behind the kit.For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out www.bigfatsnaredrum.com and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 5, 2020 • 50min
Kris Mazzarisi and Ben Hilzinger (me!) Share The Top 5 Drumming Moments That Shaped Our Style
Hello hello...today's show features the Big Fat Man himself, Kris Mazzarisi and myself, Ben Hilzinger, discussing the top 5 specific moments in either a recording or a performance that helped form us into the drummers we are today. We are all sponges for inspiration until the day we die, but some sponge-worthy moments are more remarkable than others. All of the little flourishes in our playing combine to give us a unique voice, but many of these derive from something we've heard or seen outside of our beautiful little creative minds. This is the first installment of a series we're dubbing "The Big Fat 5" where I talk with my favorite players about the 5 instances that changed and/or formed their playing.---Get Your Copy of the Drummers on Drumming Book Today!🎯 Click here to order now!Drummers on Drumming (the book) takes you inside the stories, records, and moments that shaped some of the world’s greatest drummers. Built on the Big Fat Five format of digging into top influences, it’s packed with candid interviews and personal insights. Whether you’re just starting out or have been playing for years, this book is here to inspire you to sharpen your skills and find your own voice behind the kit.For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out www.bigfatsnaredrum.com and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices


