Drummers on Drumming

This week’s guest is Anika Nilles. She doesn’t really need an introduction because there’s not much to say that hasn’t already been said, but she’s a German drummer who took the drumming world by storm in 2013 and has solidified time and time again why she’s one of the best drummers in the world. I’m continuously blown away that I have the opportunity to chat with people that I admire every week and I can honestly say drummers are the best group of people. I love my job....so please enjoy the top 5 influences that shaped the playing style of Anika Nilles.

P.S. I want to get to know you! Please email me at [email protected] or DM me on Instagram @benhilzinger and tell me a little bit about yourself! Cheers!

SUBMIT YOUR LISTENER PICKS HERE

For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out www.bigfatsnaredrum.com and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok

My guest this week is Mr. Jojo Mayer...a mind-blowing player who helped pioneer the drum n bass movement in New York City by “reverse engineering” programmed drum loops and applying them to the drum set. He is also revered for his exceptional technique, which he dissects in the wildly-popular instructional series titled “Secret Weapons For The Modern Drummer Parts 1 & 2”. He is also the leader of his own band, Nerve, which he founded back in 1997. We don’t necessarily stick to the normal format in this one; Jojo is a great storyteller. We start off with a few anecdotes about a cymbal once-owned by Billy Higgins that Jojo picked up by happenstance AND Jojo’s time spent “studying” with Freddy Gruber, but we certainly touch on a lot of Jojo’s opinions / perspectives regarding accepting influences, but knowing when they’re actually a detriment to your personal growth on the instrument. He’s a very philosophical man and he shares quite a few nuggets of slap-you-in-the-face style wisdom. Please go check out all of his projects and, if you’re interested, check out Nerve’s Patreon HERE. I hope you enjoy my talk with Jojo Mayer.

SUBMIT YOUR LISTENER PICKS HERE

For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out www.bigfatsnaredrum.com and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok

This week’s episode is payback for the boys from the podcast Working Drummer forcing me to take time out of MY damn day a few weeks ago to bump up THEIR podcast numbers. Now I’m totally using them.

All kidding aside, I absolutely love Matt and Zack. Their podcast (Working Drummer) highlights real stories of the every day “working drummer” and features guests, sometimes with a less recognizable name, but always with an impressive and distinct body of work. These conversations can help us all feel a little better about our own “path”. Please check it out. In this joint episode, I chatted with the boys about the top 5 influences that shaped their playing style. Aside from being amazing podcast hosts, Zack and Matt are incredibly accomplished drummers and VERY different players than me. I learned a s*$t ton in this episode and I know you will too.

Also...I created a Spotify playlist for all the songs played and/or mentioned in this episode. Just search for 'Big Fat Five Podcast - Working Drummer'

SUBMIT YOUR LISTENER PICKS HERE

For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out www.bigfatsnaredrum.com and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok

This week’s guest is...me! I’ve been getting a lot of questions from new listeners regarding my time in LA and asking for any advice on how to make strides in their drumming career. While I certainly don’t think I’m an authority on that matter, I still welcome these conversations. That being said, I wanted to upload this episode for a good reference as to what I tend to say time and time again. I also acknowledge that my favorite podcasts ARE my favorite podcasts because I feel like I know the host and, while I try to keep these conversations as causal as possible, I don’t really talk about myself and my history too much. Sooo a few months back, I interviewed Ryan Seaman for Big Fat Five, but Ryan has his own show as well on Idobi Radio called ‘Ryan Seaman and Friends’. After our chat for this podcast, I hopped on his show to talk about MY story as a drummer and offer some advice of varying credibility. I hope you enjoy getting to know me a little bit better and we’ll be back to our regularly scheduled programming soon! Also, please email me at [email protected] at any time to offer suggestions for the show e.g. comments, concerns, guest recommendations, congratulations on being such a great host - whatever you want! I’ve had some really kind people reach out as of late and it truly means the world. I don’t take any of it for granted. Anyways, enough about me. Here’s an episode all about me! Cheers.

SUBMIT YOUR LISTENER PICKS HERE

For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out www.bigfatsnaredrum.com and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok.

This week’s guest is my good buddy, E-MAN - drummer and recording extraordinaire. His main project these days is Andy Grammer, but he’s always busy recording out of his home studio near. Over the years, he’s worked with many amazing artists and producers including Gwen Stefani, Cody Simpson, Steve Lukather, Tommy Page, Tyler Johnson, Rabbit and it goes on and on and ON. He’s performed on SNL, David Letterman, The Tonight Show – basically all the shows 😊 But, at the end of the day, I consider him a dear friend and he’s just got a genuinely good and playful soul. I hope you enjoy the five records that shaped E-MAN into the drummer he is today. Cheers!

Check out his loops pack HERE

SUBMIT YOUR LISTENER PICKS HERE

For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out www.bigfatsnaredrum.com and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok.