Working Drummer

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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Matt King is an in demand Nashville session drummer who’s performed on records for a number of country, pop, and rock artists, including several Grammy, CMA, ACM, and Dove Award winners and nominees. Some of these include artists like Brothers Osborne, Maren Morris, Janelle Arthur, Brad Hill, Jamie Floyd and countless others. Matt grew up in Hendersonville North Carolina, and attended the University of South Carolina before he moved to Nashville in the fall of 2002.

In this episode, Matt talks about:

    His pocket and time feel and it’s possible origins

    Creating space between the notes & simplifying your parts

    Developing a healthy and musical relationship with the click

    The song is king

    Recording with Brothers Osborne in the early days

    In a sea of talent, knowing you have something to offer

    Matt’s drum maintenance service

    Tuning techniques for a Nashville session

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Dean is the drummer for the Chicago-based bands Worry Club and Capital Soiree. He’s a lifelong resident of the Chicago area, very much a part and a product of the Chicago scene, and has done and continues to do a lot of what it has to offer in addition to his two steady bands.

In this episode, Dean talks about:

Starting out in the ‘burbs of Chicago and the surrounding area

Initially pursuing a history degree with an eye toward being a professor 

Working his way onto the Chicago scene as the scene emerged from the pandemic

Getting his gig with Worry Club through using a hashtag on IG 

How he approaches live versions of songs that are recorded with programmed drums

Understanding and appreciating “how a song works

What sets Chicago apart 

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