This week is a sit down in Canada with my guest co-host, Amelie Rainwater, my daughter. After playing drums for 41 years, its nice to pass along some of the knowledge I have accumulated. Amelie is going to help me do just that in this episode by sharing your questions live on the show. We talk about drums, drumming careers and life on the road. She worked hard to compile these questions and I enjoy her perspective, as the daughter of a professional drummer and a musician in her own right. Listen now to pick up some great tidbits and join in with some fun laughs.

Media Coach Kip Kirby is a phenomenal personality. Starting out at Billboard Magazine as a writer and moving on to television as a corespondent for Crook & Chase. Interviewing the biggest names not only in country but in Hollywood, she saw the need for proper media coaching. She filled that niche by developing her own media coaching business. I know you will enjoy listening to her as much as I have enjoyed catching up with her since she was Lonestar's media coach 28 years ago!

Scott Brewer is an instructor at the famous Blackbird Academy, a School for Audio Engineering. A musician himself, he has been teaching at Blackbird for several years and turning out some of the best industry professionals in the world, both live sound and studio engineering. Join Scott and me as we discuss the academy's 6 month program and what makes it so successful.

Drummer and drum maker Paul Dickinson has been playing drums for over 30 years. He decided to turn his passion for drumming into building drum kits. His knowledge and philosophy about why a drum sounds like it does and how to perfect that science has driven him to make some of the finest sounding drums in the world. His Cherry Bomb snare drum has been a favorite for many drummers. Join us as we talk about his career and process for making drums.

Ever wondered why its so hard to record music or why it's hard to put a band together? My co-host and daughter, Amelie, and I answer some fun questions sent in by listeners and fellow students. What’s my favorite drum within the drum kit? Why is it easier to play 6/8 time as opposed to 4/4? Amelie and I have a blast talking about all this stuff including some funny stories about when I played trumpet (or whatever it was) in the school band. Join us and learn lots of crazy stuff.

Venezuelan drummer Isaac Velasquez was born into a very musical family. With his father Ivan, a big time session drummer in Caracas and his grandfather, a big time jazz trumpeter, you can say music was in his blood. Velasquez's story begins in Venezuela, side steps through Miami and has brought him to Nashville. Enjoy the journey in this week's Designated Drummer.

Lee Kelley has been drumming it up for the likes of Hank Williams Jr, Gary Allen, Little Texas (filling in for Del Gray) and many more. His work ethic and philosophy of serving the song and the artist has put him in front of millions of people. I was shocked to learn he has even played with Loverboy! Get know this Nashville Drummer in this week's episode.

Drummer David Northrup is a power house of talent. He has his own music out, does clinics and videos plus working with artists like Rick Derringer, Boz Scaggs, John Waite, John Mellencamp, and lots more. His mix of touring and session work is incredible. Let's do a dive into how he does it all in this week's Designated Drummer.

WSM on-air personality Bill Cody has been a Nashville and Grand Ole Opry legend for close to 3 decades and a country radio DJ for nearly 50 years. His personality and experience goes all the way back to his Kentucky days as a teenager when he was captured by the magic of radio. You can still hear the excitement he has for radio and country music in general as we talk about his amazing career.

Steel guitar player Bruce Bouton is one of the most recorded and respected steel players in Nashville. His fine work on such artists records like Garth Brooks, Ricky Skaggs, Reba McEntire, and Brooks and Dunn is partly responsible for the reintroduction of the steel guitar sound into country records we all love. Bruce was inducted into the Country Music Hall Of Fame as part of Garth Brooks group of studio session players referred to as the G Men. He is a wealth of talent and experience and a super nice humble guy. Get to know Bruce and his career in today's podcast.

Playing drums is one of the most complicated things your body and brain can do. It’s even been scientifically proven! Learning to do something different with all four limbs plus possibly your voice added can be really challenging. In this episode I talk about drumming coordination and developing patterns that stay in your brain like programs on a computer. Even if you’re not a drummer, you can learn to play simple patterns as easy as walking.

Here’s the link to a YouTube reference:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAnNlVPu4NU

I get a lot of questions about things like ‘Being in a band’, 'Playing in the studio’, or ‘What kind of drums are best?’ In this episode I will answer some really interesting ones. My answers will help you if you’re thinking about being a professional musician or just curious about life as a designated drummer.

Saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist Pattie Cossentino has a work ethic that very few can beat. Finding something special within the saxophone at an early age, she started her own jazz group, developed an award winning album (pattiecossentino.com/music) and has been touring with hit song writing, Phil Vassar for the last several years. Hear about her career path and also learn some interesting facts about the history of the saxophone on this week's Designated Drummer episode.

Auditions can be really intimidating. If you’ve ever had to get up and show them your stuff, you know what I mean. It’s something like being under a microscope! With the right attitude and preparation, you can go in there and nail that audition. In this episode, some friends of mine and I talk about what is important in an audition and even a few stories of good and not so good examples. If you’re wanting to be a professional musician, you’ll need to get into the audition game and this episode can help prepare you.

Links to Mentioned podcasts:

Scotty Simpson: 
https://keechrainwater.mykajabi.com/podcasts/designated-drummer/episodes/2147885450

Keio Stroud:
https://keechrainwater.mykajabi.com/podcasts/designated-drummer/episodes/2147710990

Rich Redmond:
https://keechrainwater.mykajabi.com/podcasts/designated-drummer/episodes/2147728291

Scotty Simpson, a bass player originally from Dallas TX, is currently on the road with The Oak Ridge Boys. He kept pushing his career further and further until finally landing in Nashville and playing with some of the biggest country acts of the 90s. Still going strong and no sign of slowing down. Check out Scotty awesome advice on auditioning for gigs.

Eddie Reasoner is a keyboardist, songwriter, composer and most recently former member of the band Three Dog Night. His credits in music for television and film are numerous. His wisdom and knowledge is impressive. After years of touring with his own band and then hooking up with Three Dog Night, he’s taking it easy and enjoying his time fishing and working in his home studio.

Kelly Bamberger, AKA Kelly Bam Bam, is a long time drummer for different bands playing in the famous Broadway street clubs in Nashville Tennessee. Since 1996, she has made her living playing mostly in Broadway clubs and honky-tonks. Join us on this episode as we talk about drummers who inspire us, tempos and our favorite equipment.

Tom Van Schaik was the original drummer for the Dixie Chicks (The Chicks). He has been a session drummer, live drummer and even a teacher of percussion at the Arts Magnet school in Dallas. These days he can be found in Nashville networking and freelancing. Listen to this week's episode and find out all about his journey.

Kimo Forrest is currently the lead guitar player for super group Alabama. When not on tour with Alabama, he is also the drummer for John Michael Montgomery, a writer, producer and one of the singers with his own long running band Cash Creek. Where does he find the time? Let's find out that and more on this amazing and talented guy on today's episode.

Ever wondered what are the best brands of drums to buy? Also why one setup over another? In this episode I talk in depth about drum brands and different types of setups we use on stage, both unplugged type shows and full blown concerts as well as practice kits. Also I give advice about auditioning and your drum kit.

Exile Drummer, Steve Goetzman, has been playing the drums for many decades. Originally from Kentucky and now living in Nashville, he talks about his early beginnings in the music business.

Exile, in 2023, celebrate their 60th year as a working band. An incredible feat in the music business. thei

2022 has been an interesting and fun year! I’ve gotten to talk to some really cool people and covered some engaging topics. In this episode I talk about who I’ve had on the podcast and what I’ve learned. This will be the end of season 2 and I’m looking forward to getting back at it in January for season 3! See you then!

Hobie Hubbard has been the keyboard player and one of the founding members of the country group Sawyer Brown. He started out playing piano and singing in church growing up near Orlando, Florida. He talks about the big move to Nashville, getting Sawyer Brown off the ground and winning Star Search in 1983. Remember Star Search? They’ve never even slowed down since. Learn all about it in this week's episode.

Drummer Seph Allen is a director of strategic communications, working with NASA and other companies. His unique approach of teaching astronauts how to think and solve problems like a musician in a group is brilliant. He has tons of other cool jobs and interesting stories to share with us, including a dream to be a rock drummer in Hollywood. You are gonna love this guy! Check out this week's episode now...

Traveling as a working musician can be super awesome. It can also be a nightmare at times. Through the years I have experienced all of the above. I have discovered that being a traveling musician is just what you make of it.

Ken Love is an audio mastering engineer. He is responsible for the final output and sound quality of a song or album project before it actually goes out to radio or for sale. Ken has been Mastering records since 1985! Just about the time CD’s started to come out. He owns and operates FivePoints Mastering in Nashville. It’s totally fascinating to hear him talk about how mastering records, especially in the good ole vinyl days, and the history of how digital took over and now vinyl is even back again. Ken is at the top of his field for sure. I should mention that he mastered Lonestar’s Lonely Grill record with “Amazed” on it back in 1999 and has just finished mastering our new "10 to 1” album due out for release very soon.

Sound Check: the good, the bad, and the ugly. It can be really fun, or a total nightmare. A good sound check is crucial to any live performance. In this episode, I talk about how a proper sound check is conducted, how things have changed, and even how some really great things have come from sound checks in the past.

Nashville’s Drum Paradise is just that, a paradise! It’s a place to rent drum kits and have them carted and set up to where ever you need. Harry McCarthy started Drum Paradise in Los Angeles in 1989. Relocating to Nashville in ‘94, he continued the Drum Paradise shop and has been servicing the needs of drummers and other session players ever since. We sit down and chat with Harry and his 2 techs AJ and Grayson at the Nashville facility.

In the spirit of Halloween I talk about the Horrors of performing on stage. Stuff happens! I share a few stories of funny and crazy things that have happened to me on stage through the years. I also called upon my good friends Rich Redmond, David Black, Tommy Hardin and Chuck Fields to share a few horror stories of their past gigs. The lesson is: expect the unexpected!

Graham Unsted is the general manager at the School Of Rock in Markham Ontario. He is primarily a guitar player and teacher with added skills to teach just about any instrument. We talk about how the School Of Rock has taught and inspired so many youngsters and adults and brought them out of their shell so to speak. With over 300 schools throughout the world and over 55,000 students, it is an amazing enterprise! I had a great time visiting and talking with Graham.

In this week's episode, I let you guide the subject. I dig into the question bank and talk about what you have been wanting to know.  I answer your questions from Aquarian (heads) to Zildjian (cymbals). A to Z, I try to answer them all.

Click track or no click track? That’s the question and discussion on this episode. There are many varying opinions on the subject. I talk in depth as to why it can be a good, as well as not-so-good thing. Do we need a drummer to be so perfect that it’s almost sterile? Let’s get into the weeds about click tracks and just good drumming!

Bass Player Mike Brignardello, Originally from Memphis, has been a Nashville session bass player for decades. He has played on some of the most iconic country records of all time. His story is very unique with beginnings playing bass for a very young Amy Grant. LA, London, and Nashville. He’s been all over and worked on many albums. He even played on Amazed!

Drummer Greg Morrow joins us on this week's episode of Designated Drummer. Greg came to Nashville from Memphis Tennessee in the mid 1990’s and has been playing sessions and live gigs almost constantly since that time. His list of drumming credits is astonishing. My personal favorite is his drumming on “wide Open Spaces” by The Chicks. Welcome to Designated Drummer!

Drummer Kevin Rapillo has been the drummer for Rodney Atkins since Rodney’s beginnings in the early 2000’s. His power and discipline are keenly felt when listening to him play live. His beginnings were humble but very steady as he learned his craft and proved his worth as a power house drummer. Listen to my conversation with Kevin on this week's episode and you will soon agree he is one of the best drummer's out on the road today.

Saran Thompson is a spoken word artist, performer, and writer in Nashville. His performances center on positive change and hope. His talent has taken him all over the world and he continues to teach and inspire our youth with his example of positivity.

Check out his latest project here!

John Spittle grew up in Southern California as a son of a drummer. Working in his dads drum shop and filling in for him on gigs until he was old enough to strike out on his own was great training ground. He ended up in Nashville and has been playing for Trace Adkins for more than a decade. He talks about his early days in Ventura California and having to drop out of music for his kids then returning in a big way.

Technology has changed the world in so many ways, especially in music. The way we record our music, the way we listen to music, watch music, and even buy tickets to live shows. Back in the day, it was much more difficult to, say, record an album or get a song out to the public for people to hear. Think about it, without social media or the internet music used to be a pretty slow and hard to obtain success path. In this episode, I talk about different ways a person can use inexpensive technology to start, maintain and even succeed in a music career using the phone in your pocket. Pretty crazy but it’s true!

Without a good groove and a good pocket for the music to lay into, there would be no hit records. The art of a good drum groove and for the rhythm section to lay down into the pocket has been the subject of many teachings in pop music. In this episode, I take things one at a time and define what each part of this means. I talk in depth about groove, pocket, and what’s called "deep pocket” and how it tends to effect the overall mood of a song.

Becky Buller is a 10 time IBMA (International Bluegrass Music Association) award winning bluegrass and country music singer, songwriter, musician and artist. Her main instruments are fiddle, banjo, and guitar. She’s been a leader in the genre of Bluegrass music since the mid 2000’s. Her knowledge and passion for bluegrass is exciting and educational to say the least. She records and travels the world with her band of amazing bluegrass musicians and her mascot “Trout”, a stuffed fish-pillow. Her stories are entertaining and her voice is angelic.

Becky Priest is a Nashville singer and keyboard player originally from Texas. She has played with the likes of Tricia Yearwood, Pam Tillis, Neal McCoy, and Lori Morgan just to name a few. She was part of a couple of all-girl bands in the 1990’s and is extremely talented and gifted in music. She’s one of the few people on this planet that has 'Perfect Pitch’. She’s an incredible player and singer and has been my good friend for more than 30 years.

After playing drums professionally on the road for 40 years, I’ve learned a thing or 2, sometimes the hard way. In this podcast episode, I try my best to answer a hand full of questions I’ve gotten from listeners and students. Questions about making up beats and how to play fills and some about playing with Lonestar. I’m always more than happy to pass along any wisdom I’ve gained from all my years of drumming.

Since the mid 1990’s, Piano/keyboard player Jimmy Nichols has shared his amazing talent for not only playing the piano with great skill but being able to take an ordinary song to great heights. He has played on some of the biggest Nashville sessions and Los Angeles as well. After playing piano on a big Faith Hill session back in the early 2000’s, Faith was so taken by his talent and skill, she made Jimmy her musical director and keyboard player for her touring band. His beginnings with his brothers, The Nichols Brothers had started a career that would eventually lead him to Nashville and to be one of the most sought after piano session players as well as producer. Jimmy takes us out at the end of this episode with a personal song he wrote about his dad. You don't want to miss it.

Muscle memory is one of the biggest parts of practicing and getting to be a better drummer. When you see a pro drummer playing, you are witnessing the finest example of muscle memory there ever could be. Without muscle memory, we would have to think about every tiny little part we are playing and not be able to listen to the other musicians we are playing with. In this episode, I talk about how to use these techniques in your practice routines and 5 things you can work on to make your playing much better through the use of muscle memory.

Designed Drummer is back for Season 3 and we are kicking off episode 1 with Robby Wilson and His daughter Shyanne Wilson. They have such an amazing story. Robby, bass player for Lonestar, started out moving to Los Angeles in the Heavy Metal glory days of 1989, then later relocated to Nashville and continued to play bass, produce music and raise his family. His Daughter Shyanne has grown into an amazing songwriter, singer and producer. Her career started back when she was barely 10 years old. I know you will be inspired by them both. So, jump on in and listen to today's episode with Robby and Shyanne.

Shyanne Wilson's Channel

https://www.youtube.com/c/Shyannemusic

This episode is perfect for the young aspiring musician who is questioning their next move toward their musical education. In the Band Cave with Keech is Todd London, a percussion instructor at Belmont College for more than 30 years and Andy Waller a high school drummer in the process of applying to colleges. Sit back and enjoy this great mix of Andy’s young musical perspective and Todd’s mountain of experience and great advice.

In this episode I sit down with Drew Womack, a singer and very successful song writer. For over a year now he has been the lead singer for Lonestar but way before that he was the frontman for Sons Of The Desert, a band in the 90’s. He has seen a lot and been through a lot and still sings as amazingly as he always has. His opera training has served him well, yes I did say Opera. Listen now and find out for yourself all about this amazing talented and a super nice guy.

In this weeks episode, renowned fiddle player Rob Hajacos joins me at the Band Cave. Rob has been sawing the fiddle for just about all the great country records you’ve ever heard from the early 80’s through the 90’s and beyond. His famous “Wack-Tone” has been heard on a ton of 90’s country hits including “Boot Scootin’ Boogie” by Brooks and Dunn. Please join me as we settle in for a lively conversation with probably the most recognizable fiddle master there ever was.

They say, 'Practice makes perfect’, well I can sure agree with that! In this episode I’ve come back around to the subject of Practicing. This is Part 2 of the Practice Practice series. I’m joined by my lovely daughter Amelie, who is co-hosting with me and sharing some of her own musical practice stories. She also will be reading off questions from students and listeners about the subject of practicing an instrument as I do my best to answer them.

If there is anything I’ve learned in all my years of playing drums, it is to be prepared. It can surely be the difference between having a great experience and just having a really bad day. There are so many ways you can prepare yourself for rehearsals, gigs, studio sessions, and traveling. In this episode, I talk about some of my experiences over the years both being prepared and not prepared.