Working Drummer

Nate had been a fixture on the Nashville scene for 14 years and recently landed the proverbial big gig. He found himself in Zach Top’s drum chair when Zach was an opening act in thousand cap rooms, and the whole operation was very DIY. Not long after, Zach’s popularity exploded make him an international arena and stadium headliner seemingly overnight, and he took Nate and the rest of his band with him.

In this episode, Nate talks about:

Feeling a buzz around Zach Top from the moment he joined the band

The show that made them realize they were huge

The learning curves that come with the big gig

How his approach to songs happened to match perfectly with Zach’s needs as a frontman

The evolving pay situation 

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Originally from Fort Bragg, California, Zoltan Tobak started playing drums at an early age. After years of performing throughout California as well as attending the Musicians Institute in Los Angeles, he relocated to Nashville in 2014 to pursue music full time.

Since 2016, Zoltan has been the live and studio drummer for Muscadine Bloodline, performing extensively and recording five full-length albums. Beyond touring, he stays active in the Nashville community, playing and recording across a range of projects.

In this episode, Zoltan talks about:

    Managing your social media presence

    His unique name

    His move from Northern California to Nashville TN

    Taking a career growing gig vs taking a gig for money only

    Drumming for Muscadine Bloodline

    The power of space between notes

    Filling in last minute on a major tour

    Matt and Zoltan’s shared love of Family Feud

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Sean McDaniel is currently the drummer for Chess on Broadway.  He also played Smash, Cabaret, Some Like It Hot, Frozen, The Book Of Mormon, Spamalot, Violet, La Cage Aux Folles, and Nine To Five on Broadway.  Off-Broadway he originated Hamilton. Sean can be seen and heard in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tick Tick Boom.  He has played all over the country with American Idol Runner-Up Clay Aiken.  Other performances include Sutton Foster, Barry Manilow, Audra McDonald, Jennifer Hudson, Sting, Dolly Parton, Idina Menzel, Tituss Burgess, Jane Lynch, and the Tony Awards. Sean earned his BM at University of North Texas and his MFA at New York University. He is endorsed by DW, Evans, Vic Firth, and Sabian. 

In this episode, Sean talks about:

Not just playing to serve the song, but playing to serve the drama

The importance of getting some live playing experience you can then bring into a musical theatre show 

The huge variety of playing experience he got at North Texas

The common thread among great Broadway drummers/drumming

Playing for the Tony Awards

Finding ways to love the process, not just the product

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Ben Koller is an Los Angeles based drummer who worked with bands like Converge, Mutoid Man, Killer Be Killed and All Pigs Must Die just to name a few. He is involved in the Heavy Music Collective a community of musicians and royalties professionals that are committed to getting money back to the bands.

In this episode, Ben talks about:

Managing the dichotomy between road life and home life

The Heavy Music Collective - accessing your royalties!!!

His first clinic in Costa Rica

The supportive community within the hardcore scene

Drumming for the legendary band Converge

Drumming for band High On Fire

Recording from home

Surviving a bad car accident

Nate's formal drum set training began during high school with Grant Menefee in Baltimore, Maryland. He continued his education in Boston, Massachusetts as a performance major at the renowned Berklee College of Music, studying with drummers such as Ed Uribe, Ian Froman, John Ramsay and Ron Savage. Upon graduating in 1994, he taught and played locally in Boston until moving to Los Angeles in 1999 where he has since amassed live performance and recording credits that include Natalie Cole, Michael Bolton, Madonna, Miley Cyrus, Pink, Paulina Rubio and Thalia among others. In 2010, he was the house band drummer on Bonnie Hunt's day time talk show, as well as performing with Cher for her string of appearances at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace. Now, you can catch him grooving during prime time on the NBC hit show, THE VOICE.

In this episode, Nate talks about:

His thoughts on both sides of the mentorship relationship

The rhythm of the rehearsal and production schedule on “The Voice”

His perspective on the LA scene

The constant search for balance

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