Drummers on Drumming

I’ve been deep into working on the second book, which has me going back through a bunch of the older conversations. One that really stood out again was with Steve Goold. If you don’t know, Steve is actually the Steve of Steve’s Donut. He’s also played with Sara Bareilles, Owl City, Mat Kearney, and Scary Pockets, to name a few. But more than the resume, I was reminded how insightful he is. There’s this part where he talks about there being no neutral notes—like, every note carries weight, it’s never just filler. That idea has been rattling around in my head ever since I revisited the chat. Steve just put out his first release under his own name, a live recording called Solo Improvisations On Drumset, and you can watch the whole thing on YouTube HERE. STEVE'S BIG FAT FIVE: - Artist – Pearl Jam Album – Vs. Release Year – 1993 Key Track – “Go” Drummer – Dave Abbruzzese - Artist – Owsley Album – Owsley Release Year – 1999 Key Track – “Oh No the Radio” Drummer – Chris McHugh - Artist – Jeff Buckley Album – Grace Release Year – 1994 Key Track – “Mojo Pin” Drummer – Matt Johnson - Artist – Happy Apple Album – Body Popping – Moon Walking – Top Rocking Release Year – 2000 Key Track – “Where Does a Stranger Go on Christmas Eve?” Drummer – Dave King - Artist – Dogs of Peace Album – Speak Release Year – 1996 Key Track – “The Truth” Drummer – John Hammond - 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

This Drum Panel episode picks up where we left off with Brendan Buckley (Shakira, Morrissey, Perry Farrell) and Gunnar Olsen (Puscifer, Mother Feather). If you missed Part 1, you’ll still follow along just fine—but it’s worth a listen. We dive right in with drummer nightmares before moving into bigger conversations about finding your own sound, overcoming roadblocks, and balancing identity as both artist and “brand.” Inside this episode: Drummer nightmares on stage – including Brendan’s Shakira story that started as a trio Bad advice worth ignoring – why “you need to play everything” isn’t always the path Finding your own voice – doubling down on what makes you unique instead of being a jack of all trades Hi-hat obsession – tone, touch, and why small changes shift the whole vibe Roadblocks and breakthroughs – Gunnar’s kick pedal “yips” and Brendan’s double bass practice insights Kit setups and identity – how your drum layout shapes your playing more than you think Brand vs. authenticity – do drummers really need to market themselves, or is being great enough? ——— 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

This Drum Panel brings together Brendan Buckley—drummer for Shakira, Perry Farrell, Morrissey, and more—and one of my closest friends, Gunnar Olsen of Puscifer, Mother Feather, Big Data, and ME to chat about... ...the difference between what works in the practice room and what works in an arena, charting versus memorizing, and how to respect the composition before making it your own. Brendan breaks down the “Shakira machine” and why clarity and projection beat busy parts when you’re playing to the back row. We also cover deep-dive listening versus casting a wide net, Bowie’s Berlin era, and the time Brendan’s electrician turned out to be one of my favorite drummers—and his too. It’s equal parts practical advice, music history, and great road stories from working drummers. Inside this episode Arena truth: kick, snare, crashes beat ghost-note soup The DW stainless kit that keeps coming back on tour Shakira’s camp, subs, and how Brendan plans for “what if” Learning 30 songs fast: charts, anchors, and staying calm Deep-dive listening vs playlists, plus Bowie and Prince talk The Alan Myers story and why “mic-friendly” drums matter ——— 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

Welcome back to The Drum Panel! Featuring: Ben Hilzinger (me!), Joe Lana Jr. (@thecowboydrummer), and Eric Urrea (Marina City) Inside this episode: Why Creators Struggle to Accept Compliments The Trap of Overthinking Content Creation Balancing Comedy, Drumming, and Self-Worth Online When Do You Feel Like a Drummer vs. an Impostor? The Subtle Art of Playing Soft and Why Grip Debates Are Overrated --- 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

Welcome back to Drummers on Drumming, a podcast powered by Big Fat Snare Drum. I’m Ben Hilzinger, and this is another installment of Big Fat Five—where I ask my favorite drummers (and, honestly, just favorite people) to break down the five records that shaped how they approach the instrument. Today’s guest is Cain Daniel. You might’ve caught him on a recent episode of The Drum Panel, but this time he’s here for the Big Fat Five treatment. I first saw Cain play with Jesus Molina, and his creativity, clarity, and confidence behind the kit instantly stood out in the sea of drum videos I scroll through every day. He’s an LA-based drummer, a Berklee College of Music grad, and in recent years he’s played with Chappell Roan, Derek Hough, Engelbert Humperdinck, and plenty more. So let’s get into the five records that helped shape Cain Daniel into the drummer he is today. And while this isn’t a Drum Panel episode, we still take a few fun side quests along the way. CAIN'S BIG FAT FIVE: Artist - Dave Weckl Album - Master Plan Release Year  - 1990 Drummer - Dave Weckl - Artist - Dave Matthews Band Album - Busted Stuff Release Year - 2002 Key Track - "Grey Street" Drummer - Carter Beauford - Artist - Tigran Hamasyan Album - Mockroot Release Year - 2015 Drummer - Arthur Hnatek - Artist Rufus & Chaka Khan Album - Stompin’ at the Savoy Release Year - 1983 Drummer John "JR" Robinson - Artist - Tower of Power Album - Back to Oakland Release Year - 1974 Key Track(s) - "Don’t Change Horses (In the Middle of a Stream)" Drummer - David Garibaldi - HONORABLE MENTIONS: Artist - Avishai Cohen Album - Gently Disturbed Release Year - 2008 Drummer - Mark Guiliana - Artist - Dirty Loops Album - Loopified Release Year - 2014 Drummer - Aron Mellergard --- 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

Ben (me..hi!), Mark Stepro (The Wallflowers) and Eric Urrea (Marina City) talk about the gear that go away... Our favorite BAD recordings How to stay in love with drumming when it’s also your job When to say yes to a gig—and when to walk away Should you charge for prep time? And how much is your time actually worth? Why some “Instagram drummers” aren’t your competition—and that’s fine --- 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

This week’s installment of Big Fat Five features Marcus Finnie…a proud Memphis native now based in Nashville and he’s one of the most respected session drummers and educators around. His credits span genres and include icons such as Donna Summer, Billy Preston, Larry Carlton, Keb Mo, Taj Mahal, Lady A, and many more. He’s also played on multiple grammy winning and grammy nominated records. I recently went down a rabbit hole watching his clinics and he was too insightful and talented NOT have on the show. So here we go. I hope you enjoy the records that helped shape Marcus Finnie into the impactful musician 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

In this PART 2 episode of The Drum Panel, I’m yet again joined by drummers Gunnar Olsen (Puscifer, Big Data) and Eric Urrea (Marina City) for a deep dive into the internal lives of drummers — the anxiety, the self-doubt, the flow states, and the fears we rarely talk about.  Today we discuss: The adrenaline of live shows How we learn songs Reoccurring drummer nightmares The power of simple praise Content creation as practice Drummer swap fantasies The burden drummers carry Looking ahead for The Drum Panel --- 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

In this episode, The Drum Panel returns with ME (Ben Hilzinger), alongside my co-host Eric Urrea (Marina City), Gunnar Olsen (Puscifer, Bruce Springsteen, Mother Feather) for a roundtable discussion on all things drum.  Today we discuss: How Gunnar personalizes drum parts for legacy bands like Eve 6 while still respecting the original recordings The balance between improvisation and replication—what “respecting the instrument” really means Dream gear: Lars Ulrich’s ...And Justice for All Tama kit and Herb Alexander’s wild setup from “My Name Is Mud” Behind the scenes of the Primus / Puscifer / A Perfect Circle tour and being at the center of major drum world headlines Josh Freese’s quiet exit from Foo Fighters mid-tour and what Gunnar learned from watching him handle it with grace and intensity The surreal story of getting the call to play on a Bruce Springsteen record How much creative freedom Gunnar gets with Puscifer and how each tour takes on its own sonic identity Navigating feedback in the studio vs. live gigs—and why the context always matters Gunnar’s candid reflection after a rough wedding gig and how it reignited his desire to practice Blending live drums with electronic stems: what Gunnar calls the “hip-hop show” approach The mysterious phenomenon of “next day clarity” when learning new songs and why the brain needs rest Overcoming overthinking, performance anxiety, and “the yips”—and the importance of showing yourself grace Why not playing for a while might be the best practice you didn’t know you needed 'My Name Is Mud' Video - DRUM PICS --- 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

In this episode, The Drum Panel returns with ME (Ben Hilzinger), alongside my co-host Eric Urrea (Marina City), Cain Daniel (Jesus Molina, Derek Hough) for a roundtable discussion on all things drum.  Today we discuss: How we get out of a creative rut Redefining success — how your goals change as you grow Self-work — therapy, breathwork, and staying sane on the road Live performance as meditation — the balance between awareness and letting go Gear stories that hurt Pushing back on bad adviceIf your younger self saw you now… — the reality vs. the fantasy Insurance tips every musician should know (seriously) --- 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