“If you want to play busy, learn how to play all of the in-between stuff really quietly.”
Brody Simpson is a drummer and recording engineer from Perth, Australia. He is a co-owner of Underground Studios and out of that studio he, in addition to the regular studio services, provides a service that he calls RealDrumsForYou. Brody is very well-known in the drumming community as an exceptionally creative engineer and fantastic drummer, who’s interested particularly in creating sounds that you may believe are samples upon listening. Instead, he has spent years painstakingly creating these sounds through experimenting with equipment and acoustic instruments.
While Brody doesn’t tour and has spent most of his career in a studio, he has had no shortage of keeping busy as a professional engineer and session musician. In this chat, we discuss many talking points directly related to his specialties.
You Will Hear About….
Why Should You Listen?
Brody is highly specialized in recording drums and other instruments. Considering how many people are now getting into home recordings, Brody is a wealth of information. There are many tips and ideas being presented here that will be incredibly useful for drummers that are making their own recordings and don’t have access to a knowledgeable engineer. It won’t answer all of your questions by any means but the bulk of the conversation relates to drummers who are diving into more studio work and/or are making recordings.
Brody’s Socials
Follow ‘Drumeo Gab’
“If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything, it is open to everything. In the beginner's mind, there are many possibilities, but in the expert's mind, there are few.” - Shunryu Suzuki
Do I know a lot about this subject? No. However, I have some tangible thoughts about it and I wanted to explore some ideas that involve this beginner's mind concept.
Check out Drumeo Edge for 7 days!
“I think starting out with those recitals really just burned that love and passion for live performance into me.”
Patch Mahoney is a drummer from Arizona who began making content for Instagram nearly five years ago. Due to his efforts he has gained a career in music. He comes from a musical family and his Dad even worked for Remo for a while providing Patch with his first drum set when he was a little kid.
Patch didn’t begin taking drumming seriously until he was late in his teens. He picked up sticks here and there but he wasn’t considering the drums as his calling or something to take more seriously than a hobby. Patch was actually studying to become a doctor and one day he stumbled across a Ludwig Black Oyster Pearl Kit online and he was struck with a sudden change of heart. The rest is history.
You Will Hear About….
Why Should You Listen?
Patch and I are buddies within the community and this was long overdue. He hit me up to hang out virtually and I recommended that we record it. So, this is basically us having a chat. Of course, for the sake of the interview I prepared some stuff and so we get some deep background on Patch and his story. But the “fake it until you make it” part, social media management, and perfectionism is relevant. It is the first time where I bring up some of these ideas I had and it was great that we did because it got me thinking more about it since the interview.
Patch’s Socials
Follow ‘Drumeo Gab’
Musicians often say, "the music tells me what to play", and I agree with that one hundred percent. But what if music told us what to practice? I have often heard how confusing it is out there with the many lessons online. There is just so much to potentially learn! But if our music tastes dictated to us what we need to improve upon in order to play the music we love, maybe it would cut down the confusion. That is what today's episode is all about.
Check out my Spotify playlist "seamus is all mixed up" for some inspiration.
“Allow yourself to understand that your emotions are completely valid and sometimes you do need help for understanding and adapting to these emotions.”
Jack Thomas is a survivor. Quite literally. About five years ago, when Jack was seventeen years old, he was involved in a serious workplace accident that nearly cost him his life and in the end, it did cost him an arm. As a result, Jack thought for a moment that he would never play drums, bass, or guitar again.
It has not been an easy transition as you can imagine. Re-learning how to play instruments with the use of only one arm has been both rewarding but also frustrating too for Jack. But with mental strength and support from his friends and family Jack has managed to achieve something most people would consider an impossibility. Jack’s story is remarkable, tragic, and not one without a struggle.
He had recently been featured on Drumeo and amongst other content, Jack performed “Duality” by Slipknot. The video has surpassed 1,000,000 views with an incredible degree of positive feedback. It has resulted in capturing the interest of several media outlets and exposure to a large audience. He has also earned a position at Drumeo, which he had started about a month ago (at the time of the interview). Overall, Jack has worked hard to get to where he is today and did so under very difficult circumstances. We can all learn something from Jack.
You Will Hear About….
Why Should You Listen?
This episode is heavy and will make you feel a lot of different things. His story is one that we can all learn from and it puts things into perspective. If Jack can do what he does, what is our excuse? I cannot begin to imagine what life must be like for an amputee and to watch his drumming is so inspiring. This is a good one.
Duality by Slipknot - Drum Cover by Jack Thomas
Jack’s Socials
Follow ‘Drumeo Gab’
Today's VIP is all about execution. You've prepared. You've mustered up the courage and taken the risk. Now it is time to complete the task at hand. In my experience hosting numerous in-person and virtual interviews, I have felt and experienced what it is like to be in these situations that are scary. In this episode, I talk about some tips that helped me get through those experiences.
“It was a religious experience seeing Russell (Batiste) for the first time.”
Stanton Moore is proudly carrying the flag of New Orleans tradition in the world of music and drumming so it can be passed down to the next generation. The founding member of Galactic and his Stanton Moore Trio, Stanton brings that New Orleans sauce into full force oozing with panache and funky attitude behind the kit. He is an absolute treasure to music. Besides his own projects, Stanton’s list of appearances as a sideman is too long to list. Just look it up though and be astounded by it.
Besides his love for performance and music, he is also an enthusiastic teacher. He has recently launched his brand new Stanton Moore Drum Academy and has been using his studio to stream masterclasses and film lessons/courses to educate his students, with an emphasis on groove. He is also highly involved with famed nightclub Tipitina’s which has a very special place in Stanton’s heart. Overall, Stanton is bringing the New Orleans sound to the next generation and I think it is important that we understand a bit more about where he comes from and his expression within music.
You Will Hear About….
Why Should You Listen?
This episode is something you want to hear. The way New Orleans is described during Stanton’s early years as a musician and the religious experience he had hearing Russell Batiste and what it all means to him is heartwarming and awesome listening. The playing examples throughout are a massive treat and educational. The advice from Stanton to help us become groovier drummers is amazing. This episode just rocks!
Stanton’s Socials
Follow ‘Drumeo Gab’
Today's episode piggybacks onto the "Always Prepare" episode.
Taking risks, building confidence, and challenging yourself is an interesting venture. Will I fail or will I succeed? In this episode, I share my personal experiences with this stuff in hopes that you will reflect on your own choices and whether you ever felt ready to take risks. I have had many scary moments concerning this topic but I have always seen growth from it.
“I decided just to be myself.”
Domino Santantonio has been playing drums for quite a while and doing so professionally touring for Roxane Bruneau and being called for studio sessions. She recently, however, became noticed by millions of people due to TikTok. One day she made a 15-second drum cover of Shakira’s “Hips Don’t Lie” and in a few hours, it received millions of views.
It was Roxane who recommended to her that she become involved with TikTok but Domino felt that it would just be another platform to browse through cat and dog videos, which we laughed about. But then the pandemic happened and she realized that it might be a good time to start making some videos and I suppose she was right! Opportunities are opening up for her due to her massive and rather immediate exposure.
You Will Hear About….
Why Should You Listen?
So, the first half-hour is mostly to do with social media boundaries and addiction, her TikTok account growing at a rapid pace, and her background with music. The second half of this interview is where things get really interesting. I wanted to get some information about her demographic and that led to some thoughts we have about female drummers being objectified.
For Domino, this was a big concern at one point. She considered how much make-up to wear, what clothing to wear in her videos, and whether or not people would listen to her drumming more than simply watching her. Like many women playing drums, she takes it very seriously and loves it so much. So, she works hard at it, and as a result, she is an incredibly solid player. However, we did talk about something that is definitely true and does not help female drummers. Women who use their sexuality to gain views online. It is not talked about much but it definitely led to a very interesting and transparent conversation.
Domino’s Socials
Follow ‘Drumeo Gab’