564 - Ryan Connors: MD'ing for Hozier, Finding Self-Acceptance as a Drummer, Loving the Rehearsal Process

564 - Ryan Connors: MD'ing for Hozier, Finding Self-Acceptance as a Drummer, Loving the Rehearsal Process

From Working Drummer by Working Drummer

April 23, 2026 · 1h 12m

About this episode

Ryan Connors discusses his experiences as a music director and drummer, emphasizing self-acceptance and the importance of the rehearsal process.

Ryan Connors is a multi-instrumentalist, MD, songwriter, and producer based in Nashville. He is currently keyboardist, MD, and backup drummer for Hozier, and has also worked with many other artists and bands including Yola, Melinda Doolittle, and Dynamo. He also writes and produces his own original music. In this episode, Ryan talks about: How smaller college programs give you more opportunities to play The virtues of multiple disciplines vs. specialization Being able to “speak drum” as an MD and producer The benefit of closing some doors Getting to play with Gadd “Finding where it feels good and not leaving there” Loving the discovery and connection that happens in rehearsal Leading by example as an MD in any given situation Here's our Patreon Here's our Youtube Here's our Homepage Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People in this episode

Guest: Ryan Connors

Topics covered

  • music direction
  • self-acceptance
  • rehearsal process
  • multi-instrumentalism
  • collaboration
  • opportunities in music education

Keywords

  • Ryan Connors
  • Hozier
  • music director
  • self-acceptance
  • rehearsal
  • multi-instrumentalist
  • Nashville
  • collaboration
  • music education

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Hozier, Yola, Dynamo

Places: Nashville

More episodes of Working Drummer

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Working Drummer podcast page.