Drummers on Drumming

Welcome back to Drummers on Drumming, a podcast powered by Big Fat Snare Drum. Terry Keating of the Bonzolium YouTube channel joins the show for a deep, hilarious, and wildly passionate dive into the world of John Bonham. This is a re-airing of an older episode that originally centered around five less obvious Bonzo tracks. And yes, we do get there. But with Terry, the joy is in the detours. This conversation moves through Bonham’s feel, the mystery of his gear, Led Zeppelin’s live chemistry, the obsession around Ludwig drums and Paiste cymbals, the difference between human time and perfect time, and why Bonzo still feels almost impossible to fully explain. Terry is one of my favorite sources for anything Bonham-related. He brings the kind of energy that makes you want to go back and listen to Led Zeppelin with fresh ears. In this episode, we talk about: • Why The Song Remains the Same was Terry’s gateway into Bonham• Bonham’s swing, feel, and natural sense of time• Why Zeppelin likely never needed a modern click-track mindset• The difference between human time and quantized perfection• Why Bonham felt like the conductor of Led Zeppelin• The strange magic behind Bonham’s snare sound• Why drummers are still obsessed with his exact gear• Ludwig, Paiste, 26-inch bass drums, and the mystery of the 15-inch depth• Terry’s friend George Fludas and the art of playing Bonham correctly• The “Bonham engine” and why his physical approach still feels unique• Five deeper Bonzo tracks, including:• “I’m Gonna Crawl”• “In the Light”• “Darlene”• “No Quarter” live• “Dazed and Confused” live This one is loose, nerdy, funny, and full of the kind of Bonzo talk only true Zeppelin heads can provide. Check out Terry’s work on the Bonzolium YouTube channel. --- Get Your Copy of the Drummers on Drumming Book Today 🎯 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Click here to order now!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Drummers on Drumming (the book) takes you inside the stories, records, and moments that shaped some of the world’s greatest drummers. Built on the Big Fat Five format of digging into top influences, it’s packed with candid interviews and personal insights. Whether you’re just starting out or have been playing for years, this book is here to inspire you to sharpen your skills and find your own voice behind the kit. For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.bigfatsnaredrum.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is up? Welcome back to Drummers on Drumming, powered by Big Fat Snare Drum. I decided to move this episode toward the top of the feed and revisit it. Last weekend, Tim Very, the drummer for Manchester Orchestra, passed away. While we weren’t super close, we stayed in touch over the years. He was kind enough to be part of my first book, and he also came on the podcast to do a Big Fat Five. That’s what you’re going to hear today. Going back and listening to this conversation was a real gift. Tim was such a creative drummer. Powerful, playful, and always deeply respectful of the song. He knew exactly where to sit in a part. You can hear how thoughtful he was, not just as a musician, but as a person. Quick heads up about the audio. He was calling in from the back of his tour bus over Zoom. The Wi-Fi was rough. There’s some generator noise. The first half isn’t perfect, but what he says is worth it. About halfway through, the connection dropped completely. And just to show you the kind of guy he was, he re-recorded his final three picks as voice notes and sent them to me so the episode could still come out on time. That’s Tim. I first saw him live at The Fillmore in Philadelphia in 2018. I didn’t buy a ticket. I was playing upstairs at The Foundry with my band. To get to our dressing room, we had to walk along a path overlooking the main room. Manchester Orchestra was sold out below us. It’s either motivation or humiliation, depending on how your tour’s going. But I remember watching him and thinking, this guy really understands how to serve a song. So with that said, this is Tim Very’s Big Fat Five. The five records that helped shape his playing. I hope you enjoy it. And I hope it inspires you the way it inspired me revisiting it. TIM'S BIG FAT FIVE: - Artist - Foo Fighters Album - The Colour and the Shape Release Year - 1997 Key Track - "Hey, Johnny Park!" Drummer - Dave Grohl / William Goldsmith - Artist - AC/DC Album - Highway to Hell Release Year - 1979 Key Track - "Highway to Hell" Drummer - Phil Rudd - Artist - Wilco Album - A Ghost is Born Release Year - 2004 Key Track - "At Least That's What You Said" Drummer - Glenn Kotche - Artist - The Refused Album - The Shape of Punk To Come Release Year - 1998 Key Track - "The Deadly Rhythm" Drummer - David Sandström - Artist - Colour Revolt Album - Plunder, Beg, and Curse Release Year - 2008 Key Track - "Ageless Everytime" Drummer - Len Clark --- Get Your Copy of the Drummers on Drumming Book Today! 🎯 ⁠Click here to order now!⁠ Drummers on Drumming (the book) takes you inside the stories, records, and moments that shaped some of the world’s greatest drummers. Built on the Big Fat Five format of digging into top influences, it’s packed with candid interviews and personal insights. Whether you’re just starting out or have been playing for years, this book is here to inspire you to sharpen your skills and find your own voice behind the kit. For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out ⁠www.bigfatsnaredrum.com⁠ and follow us on ⁠Instagram⁠, ⁠Facebook⁠, Twitter, and TikTok. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to Big Fat Five, a segment of Drummers on Drumming, powered by Big Fat Snare Drum. This episode is a first for the show. For the first time ever, Big Fat Five has two hosts. I explain it more at the top of the episode, but today Eric Urrea is joining me as a co-host. Eric’s someone I trust musically and personally, and having him in the room added a different kind of energy and flow that I really loved. It felt natural, and honestly, it raised the bar. Our guest today is Patch Mahoney. Patch and I share the same lockout facility, and I walk past his room all the time. I’ve wanted to have him on the show for a while, not just because he’s a great drummer, but because he’s genuinely one of the nicest dudes around. Patch plays with Hilary Duff, Bebe Rexha, and many more and has built a career rooted in taste, feel, and adaptability. We sat down and talked through the records that helped shape him into the drummer he is today, and along the way we got into things like practice habits, recording yourself, restraint, gospel influence, drum tones, and how a drummer’s voice actually develops over time. And with that, here’s Patch Mahoney’s Big Fat Five. PATCH'S BIG FAT FIVE: - Artist – Tower Of Power Album – Tower Of Power Release Year – 1973 Key Track – “What Is Hip?” Drummer – David Garibaldi - Artist – Steely Dan Album – Aja Release Year – 1977 Key Track – “Aja” Drummer – Steve Gadd - Artist – Phoenix Album – Bankrupt! Release Year – 2013 Key Track – “Entertainment” Drummer – Thomas Hedlund - Artist – Young The Giant Album – Home Of The Strange Release Year – 2016 Key Track – “Titus Was Born” Drummer – Francois Comtois - Artist – Transformation Worship Album – Overflow: The Album (Live) Release Year – 2024 Key Track – “Impossible? (Nothing At All) – Live” Drummer – Tony Taylor - Honorable Mentions: Glory Sound Prep – Jon Bellion Random Access Memories – Daft Punk The Captain and Me – The Doobie Brothers --- Get Your Copy of the Drummers on Drumming Book Today 🎯 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Click here to order now!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Drummers on Drumming (the book) takes you inside the stories, records, and moments that shaped some of the world’s greatest drummers. Built on the Big Fat Five format of digging into top influences, it’s packed with candid interviews and personal insights. Whether you’re just starting out or have been playing for years, this book is here to inspire you to sharpen your skills and find your own voice behind the kit. For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.bigfatsnaredrum.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to Drummers on Drumming ... a podcast powered by Big Fat Snare Drum This week’s Drum Panel has me joined by Mark Stepro and Kris Mazzarisi for a wide-ranging conversation about what happens when gigs fall through, routines get shaken, and you’re forced to rethink how you want to work and live as a drummer. In this episode, we talk about: How to respond when a major gig disappears Why direct, personal outreach still beats mass posts Aging, touring, and shifting priorities Social media’s role vs real relationships Practicing vs working, and why confusing them stalls growth Tracking progress without over-measuring Onstage anxiety, depersonalization, and mental spirals Balancing family, business, touring, and sanity Letting go of shame around how your brain works Building a career that isn’t dependent on constant touring --- Get Your Copy of the Drummers on Drumming Book Today 🎯 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Click here to order now!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Drummers on Drumming (the book) takes you inside the stories, records, and moments that shaped some of the world’s greatest drummers. Built on the Big Fat Five format of digging into top influences, it’s packed with candid interviews and personal insights. Whether you’re just starting out or have been playing for years, this book is here to inspire you to sharpen your skills and find your own voice behind the kit. For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.bigfatsnaredrum.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to Drummers on Drumming, powered by Big Fat Snare Drum. Happy New Year. This week’s Drum Panel features me, Ben Hilzinger, alongside George Martinez (aka @skinnygeorge) and Eric Urrea from Marina City. In this episode, we talk about: Burnout as a signal, not a failure, and how to tell when you actually need to step back The success trap of linking worth to being busy, and how scarcity thinking keeps you stuck Dependability, kindness, and the invisible parts of your reputation that shape your career Grace under pressure, and what tech failures and bad shows reveal about who you are on stage Confidence without arrogance, and how to take your craft seriously without taking yourself too seriously --- Get Your Copy of the Drummers on Drumming Book Today! 🎯 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Click here to order now!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Drummers on Drumming (the book) takes you inside the stories, records, and moments that shaped some of the world’s greatest drummers. Built on the Big Fat Five format of digging into top influences, it’s packed with candid interviews and personal insights. Whether you’re just starting out or have been playing for years, this book is here to inspire you to sharpen your skills and find your own voice behind the kit. For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.bigfatsnaredrum.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices