Carter McLean is one remarkable guy. Forget the fact that Carter is an exceptional drummer for one second to consider how he has been able to juggle professionally photography, competitive Rock climbing, and Skiing during different phases of his life's journey. Today Carter plays drums full-time, working with an array of exceptional artists while also holding down drums for NYC's Lion King on Broadway. Carter McLean shares not only how he started, but the philosophy behind developing skills and being led by your inspiration. Our team at 180 is impressed by not only Carter's resume, but his down-to-earth attitude and desire to help others learn while following what fuels him at whatever stage of life he's at.

In this Episode Caleb Crosby, drummer & member of Tyler Bryant & the Shakedown gives us the scoop on his experience touring Europe opening for ACDC, being a member of a full-time rock and roll band, meeting Tyler Bryant, and why he and the Shakedown avoid using a click/metronome for their live performances. It's an action-packed episode with some amazing stories, including how the rhythm section of the Shakedown got called to play for Chris Cornell (Soundgarden, Audioslave) in-front of one of the biggest crowds of their career.

Randy Cooke is a Canadian born-LA based session drummer who’s backed up Ringo Starr, Mick Jagger, Kelly Clarkson, Smashmouth, Hilary Duff, and more. In this episode, Randy Cooke is sharing on the non-monetary details he considers before taking a gig, how important it is to navigate different personalities as a session drummer and how he handles nervousness. "I always want people to know that it’s not a financially motivating decision." - Randy Cooke

Mike Dawson is managing editor for Modern Drummer, the world’s most widely read magazine for drummers, and he serves as book editor for Modern Drummer Publications, with most recent releases including FUNdamentals of Drumming for Kids by modern country great Rich Redmond and co-author Michael Aubrecht, Stick Technique by rudimental drumming specialist Bill Bachman, and Exercises in African-American Funk by University of Miami professor Steve Rucker and top touring drummer Jonathan Joseph (Jeff Beck, Joss Stone, Richard Bona). In the pages of MD, Dawson has authored dozens of artist features, educational columns, event reports, and product reviews.

An active performer, teacher, and session drummer in the New York City area, Dawson has a bachelor’s degree in music education from West Virginia University and a master’s degree in music from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He’s Senior Lecturer in music journalism at the University of the Arts. Mike also produces drum tracks for artists all around the world out of his home studio in New Jersey.

Sarah Hagan is the director of Artist Relations worldwide with Zildjian. This means Sarah is in touch with many of your favorite drummers. It also means she has years of experience under her belt. Working with people around the world, understanding commonalities between drummers and, almost without fail, wearing a black shirt and blue jeans every day of the week are skills Sarah has adopted. Just kidding on the last point... but in all serious-ness Sarah has an amazing ability to develop, build and maintain relationships on the daily with more people than most talk to within an entire month. Get ready for a podcast that is going to provide you some serious insight on what it means to be a drummer in this day and age.

Mike Sleath is one of Canada’s most in-demand drummers. After getting turned down for music college three years in a row Mike shares the path he took, landing him his current gig with Shawn Mendes. We’re going talk about the most important parts of his job on AND off the kit and some of his most important lessons he’s learned along the way.

Why Listen? Learn:

• The importance on onomatopoeia in drumming
• Why it’s extremely important to understand how to run backing tracks
• One of Mike’s biggest lessons he’s learned from being on stage
• What to do if music college doesn’t let you in three years in a row
• How to transform your drum sounds on the fly
• Working with a Musical Director on stage

MikeSleathDrums.com  /  Instagram  /  Twitter  /  YouTube

In this episode of we have Kris Mazzarisi of @BigFatSnareDrum and Trey Smith, Front of House extraordinaire for Matt Kearney & Sara Bareilles, discussing how to create an amazing live drum sound. From tuning, mic positioning, mic selection, EQ'ing and Gate-ing, Kris and Trey cover it all. This unique and valuable insight is difficult to find anywhere else. Lastly, this entire episode was recorded at the White House... Yes, the white house. Enjoy!

Ever wondered how you can use tools like YouTube and Instagram to spread the word about your drumming and create a career? Josh Manuel did at a young age and began exploring every area of the net in search for different ways to share his talent. Eventually landing a touring gig with Issues, Josh shares his experiences and insights into the world of Social Media as it was when he got his start, and as it is today. 

Ever wondered what it takes to make a living playing drums? Have you had your first audition for a band? Are you thinking about studying to get a college level education within the music industry? Wondering if playing music without an education was the right decision? Today with Tim Buell, we're answering your questions. We're focusing on the heart of the matter, discussing his experiences doing all of the above. Tim shares phenomenal insight into his studies and current strategy. He shares tips and tricks on how drummers can expand their playing. As well as how drummers can use all their senses to improve their skills. Hold on tight, this is a good one.

Preconceptions, ego and fear are a few topics who's prevalence should lead to greater self inspection. As drummers it's important we realize not only how to improve, but how to refrain from creating self-made pitfalls. Preconceptions are the perspectives that form in our mind while ego is the response to our preconceptions with a focus on me. Lastly, fear is that driver that motivates preconceptions and ego to protect oneself, often at the expense of others... and almost always at the expense of ones self in due time.

Preconceptions, Egos and Fear

What we're saying in this post is, self-awareness in life isn't always as important as self-forgetfulness. Creating models that matter while adding value to those around you, is what matters most.

This podcast features Wayne Blanchard, and let me tell you, he is one incredibly wise man. Not only is Wayne a studied drummer in his own right, but Wayne also has worked with everyone from Neil Peart to Dave Weckl. In his time working for Sabian, Wayne helped the company rebrand aspects of it's business and change it's approach to marketing. This podcast is one of my personal favorite's. Wayne's insights are not only brilliant, but also are that of his experiences and the environment that assisted in his wonderfully creative approach to thinking.

Growing up in Germany, England and Scotland, now living on the east coast of Canada, Wayne Blanchard lives a life that embodies personality, creativity and humility. Playing in clubs by age 13, Wayne grew up drumming and playing bass, drawing inspiration from Beat-Club and listening to Radio Luxembourg. It wasn't until hearing Cream and Hendrix that Wayne found himself transmogrified as a musician. The influence of Average White Band and Jeff Beck also made an impact as Wayne transitioned from a life in Post War Germany, to one in England and Scotland.

Why Listen?

Wayne shares why:

• Phil Collins and Mike Portnoy are the ultimate endorsers
• Distinction matters (don't be neapolitan ice cream!)
• Everyone liking you is a distraction from what matters
• Innovation is important

Quotes

• Most people prefer to be informed enough to make up their own mind.
• Accept that you're not right all the time. The one time you're wrong can wreck everything.
• Just because people like things doesn't mean it's good for you.
• Brand is like a magnet.
• It's what you are, not what you do.
• Don't sell, create value.

Connect

Wayne@waynebmarketing.com

Value, how do you add it? Are you wondering how you can add value to the massive wall of content being uploaded to Instagram every day? Confused about where to begin, how to make a name for yourself or whether you have value to add in the first place? 

Often times we overestimate what we can achieve in the short term, get discouraged and give up, before our idea is ever realized. The problem is we've underestimated what we can achieve in the long term. If we could keep our ideas going for days, weeks, months, or most importantly, for years, believing it would one day pan out - we would likely achieve far more than we ever thought possible. Enter, Tristan Kelley.

With well over 50,000 followers and 1,000 posts, Tristan Kelley has successfully posted an Instagram "new beat a day" for the last several years. 700 days to be exact. Are you kidding me? Years, folks! Talk about consistency and dedication to the vision. Drummers have begun to find the value in his creativity, and it didn't happen over night. His beats have gotten better, his video and audio has improved and his numbers continue to spike as drummers flock to check out his latest beat, every single day. He's even scored the attention of some of the heaviest companies on the scene as of lately.

Here's his instagram account: @TristanKelley

I highly recommend you follow him!

Creating a career drumming isn't easy. Creating a versatile drumming career is wiser, yet harder still. Creating a life that is driving with clarity, using your highest level of capability, and is executed with confidence is astronomically harder to achieve... Unless you put in the work, then something strange happens. Things begin to fall into place.

• Decades of experience as a drummer, author, speaker, coffee consumer, and full time human being
• First experience behind a drumset at 5 years old
• Experience starting with cello and moving to drums at 9 years old
• Moment watching The Beatles and Ringo Starr on Ed Sullivan
• Battle against Cancer
• Favorite books
• Moment of realization having played drums in front of over a billion people (1,000,000,000 - incase you don't realize how big that number is)
• Experience writing his book "3 Steps to Top Performance - Conquering Life's Stage Freight"
• Experience doing clinics since 1991
• Failed audition for Bad English taught him more in a moment than many successes in his career. "It was the best worst day of my life."

Nashville. Why do drummers move there? How about Los Angeles and New York City? Nashville is our topic today and in this podcast interview with Joshua Sales, we're diving into a number of different subjects about how working drummers can get paid to do what they love, play the dang drums. We start off discussing Josh's experience growing up in Indianapolis, Indiana and how a sudden move to London, England, had him leaving his dreams of becoming a professional MLB pitcher behind. This is when the drums took the spotlight. Front and centre, baby.

Why Listen to this Podcast? You will learn:

• Whether or not you should move to Nashville for a drumming career
• The most important skills to start gigging in a new city
• The most important qualities to possess as a drummer
• Books, drummers and quotes to jot down
• What it is other musicians are look

Ever wondered how you can create a career drumming and begin to make money with multiple streams of income? Jumping into this podcast is immediately going to reveal a number of different ways you can begin to establish a career as a drummer and earn some cash while you play... so your bank account isn't empty while you're out drumming! It might just surprise you how many different ways you can make money playing the drums, and while developing a career as a drummer is a challenging, it's not an unrealistic goal. We are excited to hear how this podcast helps you on your journey to becoming the best drummer you can be and creating a career that sustains you for the years ahead!

Why listen to this episode? You will learn about Chris':

• Todays music industry
• Experience in Cover Bands
• Experience teaching drums
• Move to Los Angeles to Pursue a Career
• Tips on Getting gigs
• Tips on preparing for gigs and auditions
• Different ways to make money playing drums
• How to view drumming as a business

• Subscribe to 180 Drums Podcast

DISCLAIMER: Harry spoke with the Jewish Defense League before writing on, and covering, this story. This post is not in support of any racist or anti-semitic behaviour, actions or visuals. This article is written to take a further look at the early 1900's history, prior to World War II, as well as some of the definitive moments in drum collection history.

This blog post is going to be not only extremely interesting, but also quite controversial and historical in nature. This podcast and blog is highlighting William S. Hart, a famous movie star of the early 1900's who made a purchase from Ludwig & Ludwig for his son, that today is highly valued and, even more so, misunderstood. Harry J. Cangany, a drum historian of sorts, and avid writer for many news mediums, including Modern Drummer, Drum! Magazine, Not So Modern Drummer and many more, joined us to discuss and shed light on this controversial piece of drum history.

Harry also spends time highlighting the recent sale of a $2 million Ringo Starr drumhead used upon his early arrival to the United States, both appearing on the Ed Sullivan show (with none other than The Beatles) and used on his personal Ludwig drumset. Harry also discusses sitting down with his hometown Billionaire who made the purchase of the drumhead, and continued on to purchase Ringo Starr's first personal Ludwig drumset in the United States. This is an exciting podcast full of surprises and fascinating bits of history that are sure to leave you learning something new. Without further adieu... Harry J. Cangany on the 180 Drums Podcast...

Subscribe to 180 Drums Podcast

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Written by Jake Nicolle

"I want to take drum lessons!" – Harry J. Cangany, moments after seeing The Beatles and Ringo Starr for the first time on the Ed Sullivan show in 1964, February 19th. He recalls it like it was yesterday. 

Why listen to this episode? You will learn about Harry's:

• 20 year hunt for the most controversial drum ever
• Experience, seeing, documenting and touching Ringo's first drumset
• Life changing experience with The Beatles
• The early rise of the drum set and how Ringo Starr made that impact
• 150 Drum Sets and 50 Snare Drum large collection

We've heard about pocket so many times but what does pocket mean, and do you have it? We thought we would delve a little further to understand who is widely recognized as having a deep pocket to better help you create one. Written by Josh Teitelbaum & Jake Nicolle. Pocket.

 To me, pocket implies the point at which a song feels just right.

 When you hear the pocket, it sounds perfectly comfortable and groovy.

When you play in the pocket, you are serving the song and making it feel good.

 The musical importance of pocket cannot be overstated enough; it is paramount in any style.  Furthermore, pocket allows the musicians around you to feel supported and grounded in a solid sense of time.

 Often times, it is the rhythm section’s responsibility to establish the pocket, for which a groove or song can be built around.  As drummers, we have huge influence as to how a song feels, and how it moves from beginning to end.

 Below are some of my favorite drummers who have an uncanny ability to play what’s right for the song, form the pocket, and create a solid musical foundation for the rest of the band to sit on top of.  The effect that these players have had on my, and so many other drummers’ musicality is unmatched.  My list of influences is by no means limited to this list, but these are some of the guys who have had the most significant impact on my playing and feel.

Steve Jordan

Steve Gadd

James Gadson

Bernard Purdie

Aaron Sterling

Zigaboo

Clyde Stubblefield / John “Jabo” Starks

John Bonham

Benny Benjamin, Uriel Jones, “Pistol” Allen

Stevie Wonder

Levon Helm

David Garibaldi

Brian Blade

Al Jackson Jr.

All discussed...

"The drums speak for themselves." – Nathaniel Mela. Playing a major role in helping bringing Craviotto drums to the marketplace. He's also surrounded by Craviotto drums daily, making him one of the luckiest guys we can think of. Nathaniel gives us the lowdown on his experience working with Craviotto and the backstory of Johnny Craviotto. He shares how Johnny growing up using drums from the 20-40's had an impact on Johnny's inspiration to pursue a particular style of drum crafting after seeing a shift from major manufacturers to ply drum shells in the 80's.

About Craviotto Drums

Why listen to this episode? You will learn How:

• Craviotto was birthed
• Johnny Craviotto's inspiration to begin building custom drums first came from and how Neil Peart was an early artist
• Ringo Starr playing drums on the Ed Sullivan show impacted the culture of drumming as a whole and especially for companies like Zildjian Cymbals and Ludwig drums.
• Jake Nicolle messed up on a Craviotto Snare trade that led to the formation of 180drums.com with Steve Augustine (I didn't mess up that bad on the trade)!
• Johnny built such an impressive roster of artists who all buy the drums and don't receive giveaways
• Johnny used to tour with Buffy St. Marie, Neil Young and many others
• the early 20s, 30s and 40s drums had an impact on the Craviotto sound
• To cope with letting go of a drum you regret parting ways with

• Subscribe to 180 Drums Podcast
• Listen to it on iTunes.
• Stream by clicking here.******

 Quotes

"Just another Fish." - Johnny Craviotto

"It spread like wildfire amongst the right people."

"All these guys have approached him and I think that stems from the fact that Johnny is really doing something unique."

"The drums speak for themselves."

Connect with Craviotto:

CraviottoDrums.com | Facebook | YouTube | Twitter | Instagram

• Johnny Craviotto
• Emily Smith
• Zildjian
• Ludwig Drums
• Ringo Starr
• Huey Lewis and the News
• Solid Drum Company
• Jim Keltner
• DW Drums
• Don Lombardi
• Ronnie Vannucci
• Jason McGerr
• Bernie Dresel
• Brian Blade
• Chris McHugh
• Chad Cromwell
• Chris Tyrell

JAKE NICOLLE

@JakeNicolle

Co-founder of @180Drums and @SundaySeat. A lover of all things drums. I have toured and recorded with various artists, constantly refining my craft. I spend my time working on 180Drums.com, Sunday Seat and various other projects, inspiring and raising up other drummers and young entrepreneurs when time permits. A good book and cup of coffee is always near by.

Click HERE to see Jake’s Lessons

MARK SCHROOR

@MarkSchroor

All around bad to the bone. Mark tapes not only the intro and outro of the podcast but he's also a killer drummer in his own right. When Mark isn't out touring with Manafest or other artists he can be found in his studio recording satellite drum tracks for artists all over the world and mixing the latest 180 Drums Podcast episode. He's the real deal.

Other Articles you might enjoy…

"It's vital to understand that music is a business, not just art. You're an entity inside of a larger industry. Think beyond music." – Nate Robinson

Why listen to this episode? You will learn how to:

• Subscribe to 180 Drums Podcast
• Listen to it on iTunes.
• Stream by clicking here.******

Nate's #180Seat

ZION Cymbals

AJP Custom Drums

Hardware

• DW 9000 series pedals and hardware
• DW 5000 series pedals

Remo Drumheads

Notes

He began banging on stuff at 2 years old

His experience on 180 Drums

Earnest Walker was Nate's mentor, who allowed Nate to drum tech his gigs. This was Nate's early education and further exposure to the drums.

Nate wasn't schooled at all.

He got started in church, but didn't like gospel music

Grew up in Houston w/ Chris Daddy Dave

Prayer Each Morning - "This is the day the Lord has made;
We will rejoice and be glad in it." - Psalm 118:24

Most productive at night. Last thing of the day - shutting down computer, gone straight to bed around 3AM.

Nate's Father is an electrical engineer

His mother is a nurse

Blockbuster music selection

Mo' Better Blues

Violin and Recorder were Nate's schooled instruments

Quotes

- Nate's dad, "Always focus on your weaknesses... It's the exact opposite of what you want to do, but that's where you need to spend your time."

"All I ever see, all I ever hear are my weaknesses... and because of that, I always have something to work on."

"Being an amazing musician requires the artist to create some infrastructure in order to have a career. You have to create something."

"Create something comfortable and authentic to who I am, and define myself as a player."

"It had the potential to be awful."

"Vital to understand that music is a business, not just an art. You're an entity inside of a larger industry."

"Think beyond music and just the drums."

"95% business 5% music."

"Play the music. Don't play at the music, play with the music."

"Music is your business product."

"Continue to practice and work even when things look good.

Connect with Nate:

TheBeatBreaker.com | Facebook | YouTube | Twitter | Instagram 

People and Artists Mentioned

• Lecrae
• Chris Daddy Dave
• Earnest Walker
• RUSH
• Neil Peart 
• Jeff Tain Watts
• Terence Blanchard
• Brian Blade
• Gary James
• John Coltrane
• Wayman Tisdale
• Jermaine Dupri
• Angie Stone

JAKE NICOLLE

@JakeNicolle

Co-founder of @180Drums and @SundaySeat. A lover of all things drums. I have toured and recorded with various artists, constantly refining my craft. I spend my time working on 180Drums.com, Sunday Seat and various other projects, inspiring and raising up other drummers and young entrepreneurs when time permits. A good book and cup of coffee is always near by.

Click HERE to see Jake’s Lessons

MARK SCHROOR

@MarkSchroor

All around bad to the bone. Mark tapes not only the intro and outro of the podcast but he's also a killer drummer in his own right. When Mark isn't out touring with Manafest or other artists he can be found in his studio recording satellite drum tracks for artists all over the world and mixing the latest 180 Drums Podcast episode. He's the real deal.

Other Articles you might enjoy…

Subscribe to 180 Drums Podcast

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Written by Jake Nicolle

"A lot of people can fall by the wayside... and give up. But, if they just stayed the course, they would realize nothing is built overnight." – Adrian Bent

• Subscribe to 180 Drums Podcast
• Listen to it on iTunes.
• Stream by clicking here.******

Adrian's #180Seat

Quotes

"People really don't understand drums…. You've gotta make it more relatable."

"Even when it comes to soloing you need to make reoccurring themes for people to understand."

"Stay the course."

"No one sees the groundwork."

"No one saw the hours I practiced in church by myself, they just assume I came out of nowhere."

"Everything will come that is supposed to come your way."

playing "Relatable Fills."

"We need to simplify to make it relatable."

Connect with Adrian:

Adrianbent.com | Facebook | YouTube | Twitter | Instagram

People and Artists Mentioned

• Drake
• John Jr Robinson
• Ndugu Chancelor
• Jeremy Haynes
• Jay Z
• Josh Tietlebaum
• Zildjian
• Dave Weckl
• Vinnie Colaiuta
• Steve Gadd

"Cymbals are one of the best way for drummers to customize their sound. Picking cymbals out is a really special experience and it helps you create your sound... That's a really big deal for people who work here and are players at Zildjian."

Tony hosts the most eclectic vocabulary to describe cymbals. "Lush, shimmering, flavours, shades, Distortion boost, White noise, raw aggression."

Tony is responsible for Cymbals, Stick, Accessories and Gear at Zildjian

His role as Product Manager has an artist relation focus, brand awareness, and marketing co-relationship.

Tony creates his lists every day and eats his morning cereal from his desk.

" A funnel, not a tunnel. Funnel your ideas down into prioritization. This has the biggest potential... This is what people are absolutely screaming for."

Methods to the madness: Evernote, Google Docs

Cymbals trends: bigger Diameter and darker crashes, hi hats, rides. Fewer cymbals.

"There's so many directions we can go and there's never a shortage of ideas."

New Products

20" A Custom Projection Crash is the latest A Custom line addition

Extended ranges in K and K Custom family

Diversity in Ride Cymbal A Custom categories

New A Avedis Cymbal line - Vintage take on 50/60's A series. Taking the consumer through Zildjians footprint from the 50's - 90's. How Zildjian has managed to stay with popular music through the genres. A Series has followed that path.

"We make our cymbals as versatile as possible."

Schooling

Western Illinois University

Played in ensembles, rock bands, marching - DCI Drum Core

Worked for Tycoon Percussion and Corporate offices of Guitar Center in Southern California before Zildjian.

"This industry is pretty small... [if] you develop a good reputation for yourself, it can carry you along."

New S Family mid tier price point Cymbal line, B12 Alloy - Tony helped bring this product to market.

Favorite moments with Zildjian - Listening to the prototype, as a team, before it becomes the final product. Meeting drummers at events around the country, providing a background to drummers on what goes into the making of each cymbal or new product release. 

Zildjian K line/series - A catch all for great ideas.

Special dry, k custom dark, hybrid...

K custom dark have really done quite well.

K Dark, K Custom Dark, Constantinople, Kerope

K Custom - overhammering with a lot of tone

K Dark - More of a fundamental pitch

Zildjian A line/series

Dave Grohl and the A Custom EFX - Distortion boost, White noise, raw aggression

People and bands Mentioned

Tool

Jason Bittner

Shadows Fall

Snarky puppy

Pucifer - James keening?

Mutemath

Deftones

Hands like houses?

Larnell Lewis

Taylor Hawkins

Dave Grohl

Foo fighters

Emily Smith - Link to her podcast on a special highlighted level

Breaking Through the Noise

What would have defined a superstar drummer 15 years ago would have been a headlining gig. Now to be successful; market yourself online and utilize social media and youtube. Those guys are the new hero's [of the drumming spotlight].

Not only are you able to look at those guys videos every day but you're able to get lessons with them.

If you do it well... you can really make a name for yourself... In a different way... We want that to continue.

Nothing truly good comes easy... Work hard and keep at it.

180drums.com/TonyL

 - SHOW NOTES - 

“Out of everything I've done musically... such an easy idea is getting me traction.” – Tristan Kelley

• Tristan's drum collection
• How Tristan grew his Instagram account
• More about your own creative process
• How to Re-evaluate your own playing
• How Tristan picked up the drums
• How to quickly create new ideas
• Tristan's daily routine
• Why slow is fast

 - SHOW NOTES - 

“You can only regret what you don't do.” – Lindsay Artkop (2015 Hit Like a Girl Contest Winner - Berklee School of Music Graduate)

• How Lindsay got started playing drums at a young age
• The influence of various mentors on her life
• The value of studying at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts
• How to build a focused and disciplined practice routine
• How Lindsay utilized the mentors in her life
• Lindsay's experience winning the 2015 Hit Like a Girl Contest
• How often Lindsay releases content
• Various projects Lindsay is working on

Enjoy!

Hey 180 Family! My name is EMAN. I am a musician in LA who makes a living playing drums and occasionally singing (more on that later). When Jake first approached me about writing for 180, I wasn't sure how to go about it mostly because I never write. However, during a series of flights, the right topic popped into my head. I am fascinated with the saying, “You Never Know”. So what do I mean by that? Hopefully in the next couple of stories I can draw a timeline of two completely unforeseen events that happened in my life, leading to my current place in my career.

... More available here