586 - Jason Smay pt. 2: Pursuing the Right Opportunities for the Right Reasons

Jason Smay has been in Nashville for a decade and plays with his son, McKinley James. Prior to that, he was based in Rochester, NY and toured with JD McPherson, Los Strait Jackets, and others. He and McKinley are also part of the Nashville group The Tiger Beats with Patrick Sweany and Ted Pecchio. In this episode, Jason talks about: Thinking about longevity in terms of exercise and overall health His roots drumming heroes  Forming a relationship as young drummer with fellow Rochester native Steve Gadd Using one set of sounds for a whole record Why he loves producers who were/are also drummers His disposition toward the growing role of tech in all music Learning how to pursue the right opportunities for the right reasons Here's our Patreon Here's our Youtube Here's our Homepage Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Christopher Williams was born to be a drummer. Throughout high school, Williams drummed for several rock, jazz, metal, funk and blues groups, as well as the Greenville South Carolina youth orchestra. In 2004 he toured the United States as a member of the Carolina Gold Drum & Bugle corps. Christopher won a gold medal during the annual individual & ensemble competition and retained the title until 2006. Since 2008 he has been based in Nashville, Tennessee where he has built a strong reputation within the music community. During his school years, Williams was able to study with Paul Riddle of the Marshall Tucker band, Dr. Gary Robinson, Brian Tinkle of the cavaliers drum & bugle corps, Ed Shaughnessy, Jim Chapin, and Elvin Jones. During April of 2015 it was announced that Christopher would join the legendary heavy metal band Accept. Since then the group has played hundreds of shows in more than fifty countries around the world. Christopher has received global media attention, being featured in magazines and press since joining the band. When possible he performs, records, and tours with other artists & bands in a variety of genres. Some of the artists/groups he has worked with include: Gene Simmons Ace, Frehley, Accept, Andrew W.K,. Rex Brown, Derek St Holmes, John Corabi, Kaato, Mick Mars, Blackfoot, Lee Greenwood, Kid Rock, Peter Stroud, Her, A Thousand Horses, members of: Parliament Funkadelic, the Rolling Stones, Kiss, Slaughter, Cinderella, David Bowie, Rod Stewart, Alice Cooper, Steppenwolf. In this episode, Christopher talks about: The origins of his woodworking skills Managing life with a newborn son Drumming for the legendary band Accept How Christopher plans for recordings The importance of being able to read & write notation Inspiring experiences early in life How he spends his time between tours  The financial realities of touring with a legendary band ⁠⁠⁠Here's our Patreon⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Here's our Youtube⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Here's our Homepage Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jason Smay has been in Nashville for a decade and plays with his son, McKinley James. Prior to that, he was based in Rochester, NY and toured with JD McPherson, Los Strait Jackets, and others. He and McKinley are also part of the Nashville group The Tiger Beats with Patrick Sweany and Ted Pecchio. In this episode, Jason talks about: Bringing his son McKinley James up on the Rochester scene Touring with JD McPherson from 2011 to 2020 Moving to Nashville because it was best for McKinley’s career   Entering the Nashville scene without expectations Committing to what you love long enough for opportunities to come to you, rather than chasing trends or money gigs How people have the power to make or break your experience, regardless of the music and the money Here's our Patreon Here's our Youtube Here's our Homepage Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Growing up in the church among talented and influential mentors, Kevin Watkins developed into a professional drummer and musician. Opportunities for recording, touring and even singing were readily available. His longest gig was with Country Gospel band, Brush Arbor. Although they were based in SoCal, they spent a lot of time in Nashville, recording and doing TV.  Later in life, Kevin’s drumming took a bit of a back seat to audio engineer and production work. He quickly became passionate about the other side of the glass in part because of his experiences as a player.  Even though live FOH and production opportunities kept him busy, drums always remained in focus. In early 2023, Kevin made it official and launched K-Wat Drum Co. In this episode, Kevin talks about: How he started building and restoring drums What makes a “go to” snare drum Creating a drum with character The reasoning behind the names of his snares The origin story of K-Wat drums Growing up playing in church Learning from Dave Williamson, Scott Williamson’s father His long time affiliation with the Christian band Brush Arbor ⁠⁠⁠Here's our Patreon⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Here's our Youtube⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Here's our Homepage Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sarah has been behind the scenes in the drum industry for decades, from her longtime role at Zildjian to her podcast Sarah Hagan Backstage to founding and running the Royal Cymbal company with Paul Francis. Most recently, she stepped into her newest role as director of artist relations for both Gibraltar Hardware and Rogers Drums. In this episode, Sarah talks about: Her new gig with Rogers and Gibraltar and some of the flagship products from both companies How she got into the business side of drums as a college intern Harnessing her superpower of connecting with people and connecting people with each other The experience of hosting a podcast The Royal Cymbals venture, and what she learned from being a hands-on fabricator of cymbals How cymbal trends may be returning to “cymbal-sounding cymbals” Her perspective and advice about the social media landscape Here's our Patreon Here's our Youtube Here's our Homepage Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Born in Brooklyn, New York Rick Dior began his professional music career at the age of thirteen, freelancing in and around the metropolitan area in various small ensembles, orchestras and theater productions. He is a graduate of the Manhattan School of Music where he studied with timpanist Fred Hinger and jazz composer Bob Mintzer. He also studied extensively with famed jazz drummer Joe Morello. Rick has performed as a percussionist with a variety of superb artists in many musical genres including James Taylor, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Al Jarreau, Roberta Flack, Martina McBride, BeBe and CeCe Winans, Linda Rondstadt, Glen Campbell, Bobby McFerrin, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Randy Newman, and Marvin Hamlisch. He has added his drum set talents to performances with many great jazz artists including Marvin Stamm, Bill Watrous, Rich Perry, Harold Danko, Clark Terry, Red Rodney, Chris Potter, Lionel Hampton and Russell Malone. Rick also has an extensive orchestral percussion background and has performed as principal percussionist, section percussionist and timpanist with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, Charlotte Ballet and Opera Carolina since 1990. As a first-call theater percussionist and drummer in Charlotte NC, Rick has performed in dozens of Broadway show tours. They include Chorus Line, Jesus Christ Superstar, Wicked, The Producers, Young Frankenstein, Spamalot, Hairspray, South Pacific, West Side Story, 9 to 5, Mary Poppins, Bring It On, Newsies, and Beautiful. His recording credits are extensive and include CD releases, movie soundtracks and commercial radio/television spots. As an engineer and producer Rick has been involved in hundreds of recordings. These include recording projects with artists such as Branford Marsalis, Delfeayo Marsalis, Ellis Marsalis, Ed Thigpen, Harry Connick Jr., Michael Spiro, Joey Calderazzo, Michael Carvin, and Jimmy Cobb. Rick is also a very active educator and has served as the Professor of Percussion at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte since 2001. He also maintains a busy private and online teaching studio. In this episode, Rick talks about: The variety of demands performing with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra Playing percussion with touring musicals and the skills needed How important it is to develop fundamental technique at an early age Studying with and befriending the legendary Joe Morello Rick’s Youtube channel: it’s beginning and it’s appeal His custom built drumsticks ⁠⁠⁠Here's our Patreon⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Here's our Youtube⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Here's our Homepage Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tim Carman is a Nashville-based drummer, author, and educator known for his deep pocket, soulful touch, and command of blues, soul jazz, and roots music. Originally from the Boston area, Carman built his reputation on the New England music scene as a first-call sideman and session musician. From 2018 to 2024, he toured internationally and recorded with GA-20, a three-time Billboard #1 blues artist on Colemine/Karma Chief Records, helping the band earn repeated Boston Music Awards for Blues Act of the Year. Now based in Nashville, Carman records and tours with Parlor Greens, an organ trio on Colemine Records, and continues to be an in-demand session drummer and bandleader. His playing draws on vintage electric blues grit, organ-jazz lineage, and a shuffle vocabulary that has made him a go-to voice for artists seeking deep feel and stylistic authenticity. Alongside performing, Carman is an active educator, offering lessons, clinics, and online content that connect technique to real-world musical situations for working drummers and emerging players alike. Carman is the author of six drum books, including The Shuffle Book Vol. 1 (2026), Philly-ISM (2023), and Haynes-ISM (2022), with the latter two nominated by Modern Drummer for Educational Product of the Year. His other titles include Groove Systems (2021), Shape Beats (2020), and Shape Beats for Kids (2017). In this episode, Tim talks about The many changes in his life and career since we last talked in 2022 The creation and unexpected success of Parlor Greens Colemine Records and other small record labels acting as aesthetic curators for recorded and live music Bouncing around to a few cities over the last few years before settling on Nashville Finding jams/hangs/residencies on a given scene, and being able to read the different vibes there Contributing to a community by creating your own projects/opportunities The process and goals of writing his book on Shuffles How generalities are more useful in considering types of shuffles than definitive categories Here's our Patreon Here's our Youtube Here's our Homepage Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Evan Hutchings was Born and raised in Arkansas, Evan grew up playing drums at his dad’s church in Fort Smith. He was the kid that would sit behind the drummer during church and soak in every detail and nuance. Once church let out, he’d jump up on the kit and play, until the next church service started a few hours later.Evan got his first drum set at the age of 8 and began serenading his whole family and neighborhood with punk rock beats and the sounds of the radio. After touring the country with his band The Exception, Evan decided it was time to move to Nashville, TN and attend Middle Tennessee State under the direction of Lalo Davila and Tom Giampietro. It was in college where Evan honed his craft and wanted to become a studio musician.Years later and having played on multiple #1 songs on the radio, Evan is now an in demand studio drummer. You can hear his drumming with , Kenny Chesney, Reba McEntire, Luke Bryan, Jimmie Allen, Sam Hunt, Ronnie Dunn,Keith Urban, Steven Tyler, Toby Keith, Matt Stell, Maddie and Tae, Tim McGraw, Lauren Alaina, Erin McCarley, Rascal Flatts, Elle Langley and many others. In this episode, Evan talks about: Performing in high pressure live scenarios like live TV The welcoming nature of people in the music industry His consistent hunger for knowledge Learning from other musicians Mindfulness practicing and how that effects your drumming Going for it in the studio and not playing it safe Less takes about skills that are needed for session work Performing at 50% - 70% of your total skill level and leaving some in the tank How to dial in a mix for a session Check out Evan's interview with us from before - #142 Here's our Patreon⁠ ⁠Here's our Youtube⁠ ⁠Here's our Homepage Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sterling Laws is a well-established drummer in LA, having toured and/or recorded with Chappell Roan, Olivia Rodrigo, producer Dan Nigro, Natasha Bedingfield, and many others. He is a graduate of Musicians Institute in LA where he studied with Stewart Jean and Kevin Stevens. In this episode, Sterling talks about: Playing with Natasha Bedingfield and serving as her MD Growing up in rural Washington north of Seattle, and picking up drumming from his mom Discovering a viable musical path other than being in a band and trying to “make it” Studying at Musicians Institute with Stewart Jean and Kevin Stevens Matriculating from school onto into he LA scene and getting his first opportunities from Barry Squire Financial literacy lessons learned early  The support and positivity of today’s LA drumming community Recording for Chappell Roan and Olivia Rodrigo, and how the drum tracking for a huge hit is often relatively DIY Getting comfortable with your drumming being manipulated or even discarded altogether in the record-making process How “getting the safe take” will earn you the right to do a more adventurous one Here's our Patreon Here's our Youtube Here's our Homepage Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeff Brown started his musical journey in Southern California, eventually moving to Nashville, TN when he was 19 years old. He cut his teeth touring and recording with rock bands throughout his 20s, working as a hired gun for both studio sessions and touring artists across many different genres. His resumé includes Reeves Gabrels (David Bowie/The Cure), Paramore, Steve Cropper, Phil Vassar, Thomas Rhett, Casey James (American Idol), Steel Magnolia (Can You Duet), Bucky Covington (American Idol) and many more. His home studio, Shrug Sound Studio is where he records drum tracks remotely and mixes songs for clients all over the world. He also engineers tracks for fellow drummers that don’t have a space to record. Repeat clients Ed Toth (The Doobie Brothers) and Kevin Murphy (Tonic/Jon Pardi), among others, rely on his accessibility, professionalism, and quick turnaround times. His studio is a comfortable and enjoyable place to record music. In this episode, Jeff talks about:     What has changed for him since our first interview in 2015    Taking control of your career     Jeff’s time as a drum tech     Tuning for a variety of scenarios     Finding the magic and energy when tracking by yourself at home     Work flow hacks in the home studio     AI vs a real person tracking     Keeping up with the tech     Taking a break from performing live ⁠⁠⁠Here's our Patreon⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Here's our Youtube⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Here's our Homepage Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices