The Trap Set with Joe Wong

Stan's Lynch's swinging, powerful groove and chiming backing vocals propelled Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers ascent from bar band to one of the greatest bands in the history of rock. Stan tells Joe about growing up in Ohio and Florida; being raised by two mental health professionals; how drumming felt like a superpower; lessons learned playing in the house band at a strip club; how The Heartbreakers felt "closer than family"; and how Don Henley helped him gain a foothold in the world of production. Stan's latest band, The Speaker Wars, released an eponymous album last week.

Dave Elitch returns for a bonus episode to discuss his new course, Staying Out of Your Own Way. At its best, learning to play an instrument can be the catalyst for self exploration. Joe and Dave share a curiosity about the nature of learning, and Dave--who has taught many of the best working drummers--talks about the impetus to create his new course. We'll be back with full-length episodes next week.

King Coffey tells Joe about: growing up in a single-parent, Christian household; his 40+ year tenure with Butthole Surfers; his interest in Buddhism; and caring for his husband, who suffered from dementia.

For over thirty years, Jim White has been the drummer of choice for many of the most compelling songwriters working. Now, with assitance from producer Guy Picciotto, he's created his first solo album, All Hits: Memories.

The Trap Set is back, and so is Marnie Stern. Marnie burst onto the NYC rock scene in 2007--seemingly out of nowhere--with a unique blend of virtuosic guitar; surreal, beautifully yearning lyrcs; and a "sheets of sound" vocal delivery. Joe met Marnie in 2012 and toured with her behind Stern's 2013 album, The Chronicles of Marnia. It was on this tour that Joe conceived of the idea for The Trap Set. Shortly after the tour, Stern took a break from releasing original music and took a gig as the guitarist for the 8G Band--the house band for Late Night with Seth Meyers--a position she held for over eight years. Now back with a fantastic new album, The Comeback Kid, Marnie joins her old pal, Joe, to catch up!

Patricia Brennan is an improvisatory mallet percussionist who as been hailed as one of the instrument's new leaders. As a sidewoman, she's worked with artists such as Mary Halvorson, Matt Mitchell, and John Hollenbeck. Her solo debut, Maquishti, released by Valley of Search Records was included on the New York Times 10 best Jazz albums of 2021. This conversation was recorded by phone last year during lockdown.

Over the last two decades, Nate Smith has emerged as one of his generation's most innovative drummers. His unique style marries a deep, earthy sense of time with cerebral adventurousness. Nate has backed artists such as Pat Metheny, Dave Holland, and Brittany Howard; and in recent years he has come into his own as a composer and bandleader. This episode was recorded during the summer of 2021, just before The Trap Set went on hiatus. Nate's story is more relevant than ever.

Mimi Parker--best known as drummer, vocalist, and co-founder of the band Low--passed away on November 5th after a battle with cancer. Here is Joe's conversation with Mimi, originally released in June, 2017.

We return from hiatus with Academy Award-winning filmmaker, author, and entrepreneur Questlove, in what Questlove calls, "the best, most open interview I've ever given in my life." Joe and Questlove discuss mental health, race, religion, vulnerability, self love, the hip hop ethos ("Hustle, survive. Hustle, survive."), J Dilla, and more!

On Saturday, April 30th, Gabe Serbian died one day shy of his 45th birthday. Here's Joe's 2016 conversation with Gabe. If you're in a postion to help, please consider donating to Gabe's family here: https://gofund.me/f39cf17d https://gofund.me/f39cf17dhttps://gofund.me/f39cf17d

Today's guest is Hugo Burnham, drummer of Gang of Four. Formed in Leeds in 1976, Gang of Four was one of the most explosive and influential bands to emerge in the wake of the punk rock movement. Next month, Matador Records will release an exhaustive box set chronicling the band's incredible output from 1977-1981. During the age of social distancing, we're recording remotely and releasing extra episodes.

We're back from hiatus! Alan Braufman was a vital member of the New York Loft Jazz scene of the 1970s. His 1975 opus, Valley of Search, was re-issued in 2018, and his latest album, The Fire Still Burns, was released to rave reviews in 2020.

Chris Frantz discusses Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club, and his new memoir, Remain In Love. Also, make sure to check out Joe's new album, Nite Creatures, streaming everywhere now!