Episodes

  • Big Fat Five: David Garibaldi (Tower of Power) Shares His Top 5 Influential Records

    Big Fat Five: David Garibaldi (Tower of Power) Shares His Top 5 Influential Records
    May 7 2025
    Welcome back to Drummers on Drumming…a podcast powered by Big Fat Snare Drum. I’m back with another installed of Big Fat Five — a segment of the podcast where we dive into the five records that shaped the way great drummers approach their craft. My name is Ben Hilzinger and today’s guest is someone whose playing and educational work has impacted me personally in a big way. David Garibaldi is not only the legendary drummer of Tower of Power, but his book Future Sounds has been one of my go-to practice tools ever since my good friend Sarab Singh first turned me onto it. In this conversation, David shares the five records that shaped his unmistakable sound and approach to rhythm. I’m so honored to have him on — let’s get into it. I hope you enjoy my chat with David Garibaldi. Cheers! --- Get Your Copy of the Drummers on Drumming Book Today! 🎯 ⁠⁠Click here to order now!⁠⁠ Drummers on Drumming (the book) takes you inside the stories, records, and moments that shaped some of the world’s greatest drummers. Built on the Big Fat Five format of digging into top influences, it’s packed with candid interviews and personal insights. Whether you’re just starting out or have been playing for years, this book is here to inspire you to sharpen your skills and find your own voice behind the kit. DAVID'S BIG FAT FIVE: Artist - Count Basie Album - Breakfast Dance and Barbeque Release Year - 1959 Drummer - Sonny Payne - Artist - Sly & The Family Stone Album - Whole New Thing Release Year - 1967 Key Track(s) "Underdog," "If This Room Could Talk" Drummer - Greg Errico - Artist - Aretha Franklin Album - Aretha Live @ The Fillmore West Release Year - 1971 Drummer - Bernard Purdie - Artist - The Meters Album - Look-Ka Py Py Release Year - 1969 Key Track(s) "Looka-Py-Py," "Rigor Mortis" Drummer - Joseph "Zigaboo" Modeliste - Artist - James Brown Single - "I Got The Feelin'" Release Year - 1968 Drummer - Clyde Stubblefield - HONORABLE MENTIONS: Artist - Maceo & All The King's Men Album - Doing Their Own Thing Release Year - 1970 Drummer - Melvin Parker Maceo Parker Album - Made By Maceo Release Year - 2003 Drummer - Jamal Thomas Artist - Ray Barretto Album - Que Viva La Musica Release Year - 1972 Key Track - Alafia Cumaye Timbales - Orestes Vilato Artist - Herbie Hancock Album - Maiden Voyage Key Track - Maiden Voyage Release Year - 1965 Drummer - Tony Williams Artist - Miles Davis Album - Four and More Release Year - 1966 (Recorded in 1964) Drummer - Tony Williams Elvin Jones...all his recordings...(especially McCoy Tyner's album Inception) ...and MANY more... For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out ⁠⁠www.bigfatsnaredrum.com⁠⁠ and follow us on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠.
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    41 mins
  • Big Fat Five: Jacopo Volpe (Post Malone, Salmo, Damiano David) Shares His Top 5 Influential Records

    Big Fat Five: Jacopo Volpe (Post Malone, Salmo, Damiano David) Shares His Top 5 Influential Records
    Apr 30 2025
    We’re back with another installment of the Big Fat Five—where I invite on a drummer that inspires me to break down the five records that shaped their voice behind the kit. My name is Ben Hilzinger and today’s guest is Jacopo Volpe. Born and raised in Italy, Jaco has played with Vanilla Sky, Post Malone, Damiano David, The Bloody Beetroots, Salmo, Portugal. The Man, and a bunch more. He’s got power, chops, groove, and the kind of confidence that only comes from playing on the biggest stages in the world. I’ll let Jaco tell you more about his journey, but for now, let’s dive into the five records that helped shape who he is behind the kit. Cheers. --- Get Your Copy of the Drummers on Drumming Book Today! 🎯 ⁠Click here to order now!⁠ Drummers on Drumming (the book) takes you inside the stories, records, and moments that shaped some of the world’s greatest drummers. Built on the Big Fat Five format of digging into top influences, it’s packed with candid interviews and personal insights. Whether you’re just starting out or have been playing for years, this book is here to inspire you to sharpen your skills and find your own voice behind the kit. JACO'S BIG FAT FIVE: Artist - Elton John Album - Night and Day Concert - Live at Wembley Release Year - 1984 Key Track(s) - "Crocodile Rock;" "I’m Still Standing" Drummer - Nigel Olsson - Artist - Toto Album - Toto Live in Paris Release Year - 1990 Key Track(s) - "Rosanna." "Hold The Line" Drummer - Jeff Porcaro - Artist - Stevie Ray Vaughan Album - Live from Austin, Texas Release Year - 1995/1997 Key Track(s) - "Texas Flood," "Cold Shot" Drummer - Chris Layton - Artist - Blink-182 Album - The Mark Tom and Travis show Release Year - 2000 Key Track(s) - "Dumpweed," "Don’t Leave Me," "Mutt" Drummer - Travis Barker - Artist - Foo Fighters Album - Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace Release Year - 2007 Key Track - "The Pretender" Drummer - Taylor Hawkins For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out ⁠www.bigfatsnaredrum.com⁠ and follow us on ⁠Instagram⁠.
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    25 mins
  • The Drum Panel: From Garibaldi to Game Show

    The Drum Panel: From Garibaldi to Game Show
    Apr 23 2025
    Welcome back to The Drum Panel—a roundtable-style discussion on all things drums. This week, I’m joined—as almost always—by my co-host Eric Urrea, and today’s special guest is Jeremy Taggart: longtime drummer for Our Lady Peace and co-host of the Taggart and Torrens podcast, where he blends his love of music, comedy, and all things Canadian. At the end of the day, we’re just good buddies—and those are the kinds of people I like to have on The Drum Panel. This episode kicks off in the middle of a little rant I was having about a recent encounter with David Garibaldi… which, if you stick around long enough, you just might hear for yourself. Let’s hop in. Cheers. In this episode, we discuss: Jeremy’s dream piece of music memorabilia The records he wishes he could’ve been a fly on the wall for Making peace with not keeping every skill sharp—and choosing what to let slide to serve your personal sound Singing while drumming A round of Word Association And of course…Trivia! --- Get Your Copy of the Drummers on Drumming Book Today! 🎯 Click here to order now! Drummers on Drumming (the book) takes you inside the stories, records, and moments that shaped some of the world’s greatest drummers. Built on the Big Fat Five format of digging into top influences, it’s packed with candid interviews and personal insights. Whether you’re just starting out or have been playing for years, this book is here to inspire you to sharpen your skills and find your own voice behind the kit. For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out www.bigfatsnaredrum.com and follow us on Instagram.
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    53 mins
  • Big Fat Five: Sam Cohen (Glitter Party) Shares His Top 5 Influential Records

    Big Fat Five: Sam Cohen (Glitter Party) Shares His Top 5 Influential Records
    Apr 16 2025
    What is up!? We’re back with another installment of Big Fat Five, where I invite on drummers who’ve inspired me to break down the five records that helped shape their unique voice behind the kit. This week’s guest is Sam Cohen—a Canadian drummer who, much like Marco Kleebauer a few weeks back, popped up on my Explore Page and instantly caught my ear. Sam also makes music under the name Glitter Party—a solo pop project he writes, records, and mixes entirely in his home studio up in Toronto. It’s raw, nostalgic, catchy, and perfectly saturated—DIY in the best sense of the word. He does a great job of setting up his backstory and artistic approach right at the top of our chat, so I’ll shut up—for now. Hope you enjoy the five records that shaped Sam Cohen into the musician he is today. Cheers! Check out all of Sam's links HERE SAM'S BIG FAT FIVE: Artist - Amy Whinehouse Album - Back to Black Release Year - 2006 Key Track - "He Can Only Hold Her" Drummer - Homer Steinweiss - Artist - James Brown Album - Star Time Release Year - 1991 Key Track - "I Got The Feelin'" Drummer - Clyde Stubblefield, Jabo starks, Melvin Parker - Artist - Al Green Album - Lets Stay Together Release Year - 1972 Key Track - "Lets Stay Together" Drummer - Al Jackson Jr - Artist - The Band Album - Music from Big Pink Release Year - 1968 Key Track - "The Weight" Drummer - Levon Helm - Artist - John Coltrane Album - Giants Steps (mono) Release Year - 1960 Key Track - "Countdown" Drummer - Art Taylor --- Get Your Copy of the my book Drummers on Drumming Today! 🎯 Click here to order now! Drummers on Drumming (the book) takes you inside the stories, records, and moments that shaped some of the world’s greatest drummers. Built on the Big Fat Five format of digging into top influences, it’s packed with candid interviews and personal insights. Whether you’re just starting out or have been playing for years, this book is here to inspire you to sharpen your skills and find your own voice behind the kit. For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out www.bigfatsnaredrum.com and follow us on Instagram.
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    42 mins
  • The 5 Pillars of Drumming

    The 5 Pillars of Drumming
    Apr 9 2025
    What is up?! Welcome back to Drummers on Drumming — a podcast powered by Big Fat Snare Drum. My name is Ben Hilzinger, and today’s episode is a little different. A few months ago, I was sent a book by drummer and educator Mark Feldman — founder of Bang! The Drum School. The book is called Drumming Decoded: The Secret Code to Quickly Go From Newbie to Confident Drummer. It’s a relatively quick read at around 180 pages, but it’s surprisingly comprehensive. Now, I usually try to steer clear of too much “insider baseball” on this podcast because I want everyone to feel part of the conversation. That said, I also realized I haven’t really addressed beginner drummers directly in a lot of my content. So I brought Mark on not only to promote his book (which I do recommend — link’s in the show notes), but also to have a conversation about building a solid foundation from day one. And while this book and convo are definitely geared toward novice drummers, there are a ton of takeaways that can help any drummer — no matter where you're at in your journey. So, whether you’re just picking up sticks for the first time or you're revisiting the fundamentals, I hope you dig this episode. Even if you think you’ve heard it all before... you might just grow a little more. Here’s to the beginners — keep going. You got this! Check out Bang! The Drum School HERE Snag your copy of Drumming Decoded HERE --- ALSO...Get Your Copy of the my book Drummers on Drumming Today! 🎯 Click here to order now! Drummers on Drumming (the book) takes you inside the stories, records, and moments that shaped some of the world’s greatest drummers. Built on the Big Fat Five format of digging into top influences, it’s packed with candid interviews and personal insights. Whether you’re just starting out or have been playing for years, this book is here to inspire you to sharpen your skills and find your own voice behind the kit. For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out www.bigfatsnaredrum.com and follow us on Instagram.
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    51 mins
  • The Drum Panel: What IS Rock?, Social Anxiety & "Networking" as a Drummer

    The Drum Panel: What IS Rock?, Social Anxiety & "Networking" as a Drummer
    Apr 2 2025
    Episode 13 of The Drum Panel Welcome to The Drum Panel—a show where a rotating group of professional drummers engages in roundtable discussions pertaining to all things DRUM. For today's panel, we have my co-host Eric Urrea and special returning guest, Mike Robinson. Today we discuss: What the hell does it mean to be "rock"? Dealing with social anxiety and imposter syndrome while trying to network for your career. Why the word "networking" is gross --- Get Your Copy of the Drummers on Drumming Book Today! 🎯 Click here to order now! Drummers on Drumming (the book) takes you inside the stories, records, and moments that shaped some of the world’s greatest drummers. Built on the Big Fat Five format of digging into top influences, it’s packed with candid interviews and personal insights. Whether you’re just starting out or have been playing for years, this book is here to inspire you to sharpen your skills and find your own voice behind the kit. For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out www.bigfatsnaredrum.com and follow us on Instagram.
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    52 mins
  • Big Fat Five: Marco Kleebauer (Drummer/Producer) Shares His Top 5 Influential Records

    Big Fat Five: Marco Kleebauer (Drummer/Producer) Shares His Top 5 Influential Records
    Mar 26 2025
    This is another installment of Big Fat Five, a segment where I ask some of my favorite drummers to break down five records that had a major impact on their approach to music. This week, I’m joined by Marco Kleebauer—an Austrian drummer and producer who very recently popped up on my Instagram Explore page… and instantly peaked my interest. His drumming is minimalist yet experimental, and his analog-leaning recording approach is exactly the direction I want to explore with my own sound. This is just another reason I love doing this podcast—I get to discover someone new, connect with them, and then bring them to your attention, too! Go check out his website HERE where you can purchase his original music, grab some drum break packs, and explore playlists featuring artists he’s either collaborated with or who’ve used his drum breaks in their own music. And some exciting news… Marco is releasing a book called Notes on Drum Recording by the end of this year. It’s all about how to record drums in a small, less-than-ideal room—which, let’s be honest, is the reality for most of us (myself included). So be sure to follow him on Instagram—not only for a bunch of reasons you’ll soon discover, but also to stay updated on the book’s release. Marco dives into his backstory right at the top of our chat, so I’ll get out of the way. But I implore you to listen to the entire episode—he sprinkles some very tasty nuggets throughout. Alright, here are the five records that helped shape Marco Kleebauer into the highly sought-after producer and drummer he is today. Cheers! Check out his website HERE Follow him on Instagram HERE MARCO'S BIG FAT FIVE: Artist - The Beatles Album - Revolver Release Year - 1966 Key Track - "Tomorrow Never Knows" Drummer - Ringo Starr - Artist - Led Zeppelin Album - Led Zeppelin 1 Release Year - 1969 Key Track - "Good Times Bad Times" Drummer - John Bonham - Artist - Jimi Hendrix Album - Are You Experienced Release Year - 1967 Key Track - "Fire" Drummer - Mitch Mitchell - Artist - Silver Apples Album - Silver Apples Release Year - 1968 Key Track - "Program" Drummer - Danny Taylor - Artist - Flaming Lips Album - The Soft Bulletin Release Year - 1999 Key Track - "Race for the Prize" Drummer - Steven Drozd --- Get Your Copy of the Drummers on Drumming Book Today! 🎯 Click here to order now! Drummers on Drumming (the book) takes you inside the stories, records, and moments that shaped some of the world’s greatest drummers. Built on the Big Fat Five format of digging into top influences, it’s packed with candid interviews and personal insights. Whether you’re just starting out or have been playing for years, this book is here to inspire you to sharpen your skills and find your own voice behind the kit. For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out www.bigfatsnaredrum.com and follow us on Instagram.
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    56 mins
  • Big Fat Five: Dee Simone (Doechii, Alison Wonderland, Madame Gandhi) Shares Her top 5 Influential Records

    Big Fat Five: Dee Simone (Doechii, Alison Wonderland, Madame Gandhi) Shares Her top 5 Influential Records
    Mar 19 2025
    This is another installment of Big Fat Five, a segment where I ask some of my favorite drummers to break down five records that had a major impact on their approach to music. Today, I’m joined by Dee Simone, a Bay Area-raised dummer currently based in Los Angeles. She’s funky, powerful, dynamic, and incredibly versatile behind the kit. I have to give credit where it’s due—this interview wouldn’t have happened without Bill Burr. I was listening to his podcast when he gave a glowing review of Doechii’s recent Tiny Desk Concert for NPR, specifically shouting out Dee’s playing. For those who don’t know, Bill is a fantastic drummer himself, so that endorsement sent me down a rabbit hole of Dee's performances. Obviously, I have zero regrets. Dee has shared the stage with an impressive list of artists, including Doechii, Alison Wonderland, and Madame Ghandi to name a few. She’s done a lot, yet she remains humble and hungry, and this was a really fun conversation. Read Dee's Shoutout LA Feature HERE DEE'S BIG FAT FIVE: Artist - John P. Kee Album - The New Life Community Choir feat. John P. Kee Not Guilty - The Experience Release Year - 2000 Key Track - “Rain On Us,” "Right Here,” “I Do Worship” Drummer - Calvin Rodgers - Artist - The Roots Album - Things Fall Apart Release Year - 1999 Key Track - “The Next Movement,” “Act Too (The Love Of My Life,” “You Got Me” Drummer - Questlove - Artist - Kim Burrell Album - Live In Concert Release Year - 2001 Key Track - “I’ll Keep Holding On,” “Holy Ghost,” “Anything” Drummer - Calvin Rodgers & Robert “Sput” Searight - Artist - Beyoncé Album - HOMECOMING: THE LIVE ALBUM Release Year - 2019 Key Track(s) - “Life Ev’ry Voice and Sing,” “Sorry,” “Bow Down,” “You Don’t Love Me (No, No, No)” Drummer - Venzella Joy Williams - Artist - Thundercat Album - Apocalypse Release Year - 2013 Key Track - “Lotus and the Jondy,” “Heartbreaks + Setbacks,” “Without You” Drummer - Thomas Pridgen --- Get Your Copy of the Drummers on Drumming Book Today! 🎯 Click here to order now! Drummers on Drumming (the book) takes you inside the stories, records, and moments that shaped some of the world’s greatest drummers. Built on the Big Fat Five format of digging into top influences, it’s packed with candid interviews and personal insights. Whether you’re just starting out or have been playing for years, this book is here to inspire you to sharpen your skills and find your own voice behind the kit. For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out www.bigfatsnaredrum.com and follow us on Instagram.
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    46 mins
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