Craviotto Drums and the Gospel of Johnny Craviotto

07/06/16 • 53 min

"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

Craviotto one-ply, solid shell drum sets provide a sound and feel that is instantly recognizable. Each drum is handmade from premium quality, hand-selected wood boards. We begin at the source to ensure your instrument is free from imperfections. From there, each drum takes several weeks to make - start to finish. The result is an instrument that speaks for itself and inspires others. Each Craviotto one-ply, solid shell drum wears over one thousand fingerprints from the pickiest, most exacting talented drum craftsmen in the business. You bet and proud of it. From Maple, to Ash, to Walnut to Mahogany, let the fine craftsmen at Craviotto construct the instrument you've been seeking.

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

Enjoy!

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

People and Artists Mentioned

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, inspiri...

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

Enjoy!

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

People and Artists Mentioned

JAKE NICOLLE

@JakeNicolle

Previous Episode

Story of Progression & Musical Identity as Drummers w/ Nate Robinson of Lecrae

"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

Nate Robinson is not just Lecrae's drummer, but he's also an amazing teacher and entrepreneur. Nate has played with a variety of Grammy-winning and Billboarding-topping artists including: Wayman Tisdale, Kelis, Tank, Angie Stone, Lecrae, Jermaine Dupri, Sarah Morrow, and Tyler Perry among others. His style is flavorful and unique. He never plays to hog the audience’s gaze, but rather to form the greater whole of the musical experience through unity and balance. “Heard Not Seen.”

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

Play for the Music
Not Talk Too Much
Develop your Weaknesses
Expose your own musical Identity
Create a successful music business
Develop a strategy for a successful career

Enjoy!

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

Next Episode

Pocket, what does it mean? Josh Teitelbaum answers.

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