Ten Feet From Tom Petty – Dave Greene (Drummer/Backline Technician) Ep. 39

About this episode

Dave Greene shares his experiences as a drum tech for Tom Petty and insights into the music industry.

Our next guest toured the world for two decades as the drum tech for Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, witnessing rock history up close. Dave Greene’s leap into the music world began when he discovered the Zappa Institute of Technology, a trade school created by Frank Zappa to train up technicians for the world of stage-tech. Dave quit his corporate job, attended the school, and soon found himself working with blues artist Keb’ Mo’. Dave opens up about his transformative experiences working with Tom Petty, sitting directly behind Steve Ferrone on every stage and tuning drums for every Heartbreakers album since 2000. Dave drops gems about the music industry, his work with other legends like Lisa Marie Presley, and shares advice about humility, perseverance, and the unique osmosis of being in the aura of great performers. We talk about the insane logistics of touring for such a large group, having zero margin for error, the politics of tour buses, and how Dave ended up getting invited to play percussion with Joe Walsh! He shares his memories of watching one of The Heartbreakers final performances from the audience's perspective, calling them "one of the best rock and roll bands left…

People in this episode

Host: Steven Leavitt

Guest: Dave Greene

Topics covered

• music industry
• touring logistics
• creativity
• adaptability
• rock history

Keywords

• drum tech
• Tom Petty
• music industry
• touring
• creativity
• Frank Zappa
• Keb’ Mo’

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Zappa Institute of Technology, The Heartbreakers

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