Vic Firth Drumset VIDEO Podcast

Arriving in New York City via Boston 10 years ago, Switzerland native "Swiss Chris" set many goals for himself as a drummer, musical director, real time producer and educator. He is currently touring and recording as the musical director and drummer for 3-time Grammy winner and multi-platinum artist JOHN LEGEND. Watch our exclusive interview with Swiss Chris in this week's drumset podcast!

Craig MacIntyre grew up in the Boston area, the second-child of Scottish immigrants. After high school, Craig decided to forgo college to pursue a career in music. Today, he is a much sought-after live and session drummer and is currently on tour with international singing sensation, Josh Groban. In this video interview, Craig talks about how he got the gig with Josh as well as the importance of networking for today's working drummer.

The Wackerman story continues! Growing up a part of a very musical family, some of John's earliest influences were his dad, Chuck and older brother, Chad. One of John's latest projects, "Drum Duets, Volume 1" brings to life a vision that John has had since childhood. This unique work brings drumming to the forefront with drumset compositions and arrangements that feature John and a host of today's most notable drummers!

Chad Wackerman has amassed a remarkable body of work during his professional career, including long-time associations with both Frank Zappa and Allan Holdsworth. We had a chance to chat with Chad about his gig with Allan. Watch the video interview and playing footage in this week's drumset podcast!

From his popular clinic at the Percussive Arts Society International Clinic in 2005, Tommy draws upon his DCI experience in the Bayonne Bridgemen to discuss the common pitfalls that many marching percussionists have when approaching the drumset. Tommy also applies his concepts to several of the tunes from his book, "Groove Essentials: The PlayAlong."

Held each year in Frankfurt, Germany, and featuring an amazing showcase of music products and performers from all over the world, Musikmesse 2007 boasted a record number of exhibitors from 48 countries, and nearly 80,000 visitors. In this week's drumset podcast, we're excited to bring you this video of Claus Hessler's 2007 MusikMesse performance.

Vic Firth artist Alex Gonzalez, nicknamed "El Animal" is the driving force behind Mexico's multi-platinum band MANA. Check out Alex, live and in concert, in this weeks drumset podcast.

Gavin Harrison is a member of the British progressive rock band Porcupine Tree. In addition, he has authored two instructional drum books entitled Rhythmic Illusions and Rhythmic Perspectives, and produced his own instructional DVDs, Rhythmic Visions and Rhythmic Horizons. Check out this drum solo, excerpted from Gavin's DVD, Rhythmic Horizons.

Watch this video clip from Wolfgang Haffner's live DVD, "Shapes, Live in Concert."

Music has been a part of Tony Royster's life from the very beginning. Over the years, Tony has made the amazing musical journey from sleeping in his father's guitar case and sitting in with the band at the age of three, to taking the stage and performing for audiences at PASIC, Modern Drummer Festival, Montreal Drumfest and many more! Don't miss our interview with Tony to hear more about his early days as well as some of his current projects.

Steve Jordan has recommendations for younger players who want to be successful and achieve longevity in the music business.

Steve talks about how he got his start as a producer and an engineer as well as some of his Musical Director gigs including the Kennedy Center Awards and Superbowl XL!

In the second installment of our four part interview series with Steve Jordan, Steve discusses some early moments in his career including subbing and session playing, auditioning for the Saturday Night Live band, and playing with Steve Gadd!

The first in a four part interview series with Steve Jordan, one of the world's most in-demand session drummers, having performed with such artists as The Rolling Stones, James Taylor, Bob Dylan, BB King, Stevie Nicks, Sheryl Crow and many more. In this first installment, Steve talks about getting his start in the music business.

The Steve Smith Tala Wands were conceived when Steve began playing with drummers from India and needed a way to blend with their sounds - becoming sensitive to lower volume levels. The result was a unique implement, featuring a foam center surrounded by wooden dowels for great balance and rebound. Check out this week's podcast for a video of Steve performing with the Tala Wands at The Drum Pad's 20th anniversary.