539 - Narada Michael Walden: Performing Without Judgment, Joining Mahavishnu Orchestra,  Working with Sir George Martin

Sam Webster is a drummer and percussionist based in his hometown of LA. Floating between a wide variety of disciplines and genres, he has amassed an impressive list of credits both live and in the studio. His mentors include Mike Englander and Jeff Hamilton, and he is active with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, several groups at Disneyland, and many other projects around town. In this episode, Sam talks about: His love for vintage Ludwigs  The value of a gig that allows you to be a full time musician  Being inspired by LA’s variety and humbling himself to people on the scene who did what he wanted to do Going to the right teacher for the right reason and knowing what kind of lesson you’re signing up for  ⁠⁠Here's our Patreon⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Here's our Youtube⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Here's our Homepage

⁠Narada Michael Walden ⁠is an EMMY and multi-GRAMMY winner who has produced hits for artists as diverse as Aretha Franklin, Steve Winwood, Ray Charles, Wynonna Judd, Whitney Houston, George Michael, Mariah Carey, Barbara Streisand, Lionel Ritchie, Lisa Fischer, Stevie Wonder, Tom Jones, Jeff Beck, The Temptations, and many others.  His music flows freely from pop, rock and soul, to the rarified realms of jazz, fusion and world music. With Jeff Beck, Narada wrote and played drums on the seminal album “Wired” that earned them both their first Gold Album.  His drumming credits also include his work with Mahavishnu Orchestra (1974-76), Journey, Allan Holdsworth and many others. In this episode, Narada talks about:     Joining Mahavishnu Orchestra     Performing without judgment     Drumming on Allan Holdsworth’s album Velvet Darkness     Embracing new technology     Working with Sir George Martin       His producing style and being prepared ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Here's our Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Here's our Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Here's our Homepage

Narada Michael Walden is an EMMY and multi-GRAMMY winner who has produced hits for artists as diverse as Aretha Franklin, Steve Winwood, Ray Charles, Wynonna Judd, Whitney Houston, George Michael, Mariah Carey, Barbara Streisand, Lionel Ritchie, Lisa Fischer, Stevie Wonder, Tom Jones, Jeff Beck, The Temptations, and many others.  His music flows freely from pop, rock and soul, to the rarified realms of jazz, fusion and world music. With Jeff Beck, Narada wrote and played drums on the seminal album “Wired” that earned them both their first Gold Album.  His drumming credits also include his work with Mahavishnu Orchestra (1974-76), Journey, Allan Holdsworth and many others. In this episode, Narada talks about:     Joining Mahavishnu Orchestra     Performing without judgment     Drumming on Allan Holdsworth’s album Velvet Darkness     Embracing new technology     Working with Sir George Martin       His producing style and being prepared ⁠⁠⁠⁠Here's our Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Here's our Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Here's our Homepage

Dave Elitch has been teaching privately for over 20 years and has developed a reputation as the technique/body mechanic specialist for drum set. He has helped many of the world's best players as well as top educators "get out of their own way" by being as efficient as possible in regards to conservation of motion and energy.The more we’re able to remove our bodies from the equation and let the instrument do the work, the more we can relax. The more relaxed you are, the better your time, tone and feel will be. Let's not forget that we're hitting wood, bronze, and mylar with sometimes a huge amount of velocity, so this conceptual/physical approach will also have a massive effect on stamina as well as shortening muscle recovery periods when performing live or in the studio. As a player, Dave Has Worked With: Weezer, The Mars Volta, Miley Cyrus, Justin Timberlake, M83, The 1975, Killer Be Killed, Antemasque, Juliette Lewis, Big Sir, Crash Kings, Daughters Of Mara, and others. In this episode, Dave talks about: Dave’s previous programs His new course: “Your Mind’s Ear” Finding your voice, your identity The different components of Dave’s new program Q&A from our audience Finding inspiration from non-music sources The best way to warm up before a gig The importance of nutrition Proper foot technique ⁠⁠⁠Here's our Patreon⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Here's our Youtube⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Here's our Homepage

Eric Somers-Urrea. Eric is a Chicago based drummer but also gets around to Nashville and LA, founding member of the band Marina City, and also plays with other touring acts including La Armada and Makeout. He was born and raised in the Chicago area and studied at the University of Illinois. In this episode, Eric talks about: The evolution of his band Marina City Getting a classical degree and exploring world genres at University of Illinois Being a “75% member” of La Armada The influence of Mike Portnoy and Josh Freese Starting to narrow the focus of his wheelhouse Working on a better mindset when improvising solos ⁠⁠Here's our Patreon⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Here's our Youtube⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Here's our Homepage

Rob Walbourne grew up in North London and started playing drums at the age of 10 before working professionally at the age of 15. After his move to the U.S., he lived briefly in New York City before eventually settling down in Simsbury, CT where he found work at the Noble and Cooley drum company. He’s had the opportunity to have played with such luminaries as Shane MacGowan, Jason Isbell, St Etienne, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Johnny Marr, Justin Townes Earle, Richard Thompson the North Mississippi Allstars and the Pretenders. In this episode, Rob talks about:     Drumming with Johnny Marr     From the UK to the US     Balancing family and touring     Taking a break from the hustle to rediscover the love of drumming     Working at Noble and Cooley     Touring with The Pretenders     New Live Pretenders Album ⁠Here's our Patreon⁠ ⁠Here's our Youtube⁠ ⁠Here's our Homepage

Jeff Kerestes is a multi-instrumentalist, producer, and educator who spent most of his career in New York doing touring and session work and a handful of Broadway shows. During Covid, he left New York and stepped away from music entirely. He and his family eventually settled in Portland Oregon, where he rediscovered his love of music through the drums and the community there. He is a freelance drummer, bassist, producer, and founder of The Ukulele Project, a music education organization that works with public schools all over the Pacific Northwest. In this episode, Jeff talks about: The year before Covid being his busiest to date Being out of balance long before he realized it  Confronting who he is apart from being a musician  Living in an RV for over a year before deciding to live in Portland  Reconnecting with music through the drums Starting The Ukulele Project Likening therapy to taking lessons Finding the right place to live, not just work Here's our Patreon Here's our Youtube Here's our Homepage

Tom Hambridge is a Four-time Grammy™- winning producer, songwriter, & drummer for his production work on three of blues legend Buddy Guy’s most critically acclaimed albums: ‘Living Proof’ (2011) , “Born to Play Guitar’ (2016), ‘The Blues is Alive and Well’ (2018), and for his work on Christone “Kingfish” Ingram’s Album ‘662’ (2022). Tom has also produced 9 other Grammy nominated albums. He has won numerous Blues Music Awards and W.C. Handy Awards, eight Boston Music Awards and several ASCAP Country Music Awards. He’s the recipient of the prestigious KBA (Keeping the Blues Alive) Award in Memphis and has been inducted into the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame. The list of artist collaborators includes: Gary Clark Jr., Eric Clapton, Van Morrison, B.B. King, Gregg Allman, Keith Richards, Jeff Beck, Kid Rock, Billy Gibbons, Johnny Winter, George Thorogood and Susan Tedeschi, among many others. In this episode, Tom talks about: His formative years in Boston and why he left Figuring out Nashville Creating the perfect drum part on the spot Learning from the masters like Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry and Buddy Guy The power of listening Drumming and producing Buddy Guy ⁠Here's our Patreon⁠ ⁠Here's our Youtube⁠ ⁠Here's our Homepage

Andrew Gilmore Barr is a drummer, composer, and producer based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada who is best known for his work with Mumford & Sons, The Barr Brothers, Feist, and The Slip. Barr is a founding member of the experimental rock band The Slip and indie folk group The Barr Brothers along with his brother Brad Barr. In this episode, Andrew talks about: How he now views touring as down time, away from regular home/family life and making decisions about touring family decisions Adjusting to the larger scale of the Mumford & Sons touring apparatus and the shows’ sing along feel  The difference between volume and energy When more people heard less music Finding the things you can “do you” in Getting over envy or shyness so you can cheerlead your fellow drummers  Lifelong musical partnership and multiple projects with his brother Brad Learning to be musically and creatively linear, not adhering to any patterns Here's our Patreon Here's our Youtube Here's our Homepage

Jared Shavelson was raised in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, just outside of Philadelphia. His drumming journey stated early in life and got his first drumset at age seven. While playing in all of the local orchestras, marching bands, jazz bands, and theaters in southern New Jersey, he was taking weekly private lessons. During this time he was also starting to play out with his own bands, getting him heavily involved with the Philadelphia punk/hardcore scene. Leaving that area in 1999, he went to New York to attend college at SUNY Purchase studying jazz performance with greats like Ritchie Morales and Kim Plainfield. Jared completed 2 years at the Music Conservatory and left after his second year to start touring internationally with the Boston hardcore band The Hope Conspiracy. Soon after, he also began playing with the pop punk band None More Black, along with the political punk band Paint It Black. After living in New York City, Brooklyn, and Philadelphia, he now resides in Los Angeles where he started playing with more eclectic acts like Digital Daggers, Pure Love, The Rentals, The Aquabats, Meg Myers, Seal, Dark Waves, Cyn, Ways Away, Boysetsfire, Joyce Manor, The Bronx, Mariachi El Bronx, Chuck Ragan, Chase Atlantic, Ceremony, and many more. In this episode, Jared talks about: Where social media falls short Biking and drumming The impact of Jared’s teachers early in life Parallels between jazz and punk/hardcore Punk, hardcore and the DIY scene The unique challenges of a band like Mariachi El Bronx Drumming for Seal ⁠Here's our Patreon⁠ ⁠Here's our Youtube⁠ ⁠Here's our Homepage