Unknown: Nick coming to you from crash studios in Music City,
USA, Nashville. This is the rich Redmond show featuring special
guest Nashville studio legend
Eddie Bayers
and now rich Redmond.
What is up, everyone? Rich Redmond here. Welcome to the
rich Redmond show. So excited coming to you live from crash
studio in Beautiful Music City, USA, Nashville, Tennessee. Of
course, I'm giant joined by my partner in crime, Jim McCarthy.
Jim McCarthy, voiceovers.com and so excited to have this guest,
my good friend. Eddie bears, how are you? My friend? Great. Have
you brother? Good. Good to see you. Good to see you. It's a
real thrill to have you at my place here, because if people
don't know our history, I moved to Nashville in March of 1997
and you were so instrumental in helping me get started. You were
so kind to me. You were so encouraging. You were what they
would call nowadays, these crazy kids, a mentor. Oh, yeah. And so
I sent you my my cassette demo, rich Redmond drums and
percussion in early 1997 you were like, Yeah, kid, you sound
great. Get to Nashville. And then before I knew it, you were
throwing me showcases and little road gigs and and then same with
Lonnie Wilson, our friend Lonnie Wilson got me connected with
some cool stuff. And even you even wrote me a letter
recommendation like Rich is a great human being, and sounds
really great. If you need any references, please call me Eddie
bears Jr. You know so, so just all these years later, nearly 24
years later, it's awesome to have you 2424 years I think you
were my eight I'm in my late 40s. I think you were my age
when I moved to town 24
years ago. So it
was so with your history. Let me ask you something, yeah, and
somebody you got to get hit, hit up all the time from people
coming into town. You really wanted to help rich out. Yeah,
for some reason, why was that?
You know, you can. It's almost like a innate, intuitive
situation where, when somebody contacts you, and, of course,
then you get a reference of their playing and their ability.
That's where you can pretty well tell with somebody's talent. And
you know that this is worth, you know, supporting, right?
I can get behind this guy. Yeah,
thank you so much. I mean, you, you started, it was like the Big
Bang. It was like it was, it was a slow grow. Go for me. In the
early days, Jim was surprised to hear our last podcast. I said,
you know, I had trouble getting connected. I mean, getting
really connected into it took me three years to get that Pam
Tillis job, right? But in the beginning I was like waiting
tables and substitute teaching and parking cars and doing data
entry and teaching drum lessons and playing down a lower
Broadway and doing free show, doing anything I could. So, you
know, three years what is that? It's about 1000 days before I
got that job with Pam, and someone was setting up my drums,
and they gave me a bottle of water. Here you go. Mr. Ribbon,
you know. And then after the show that someone tore down my
drums. So cool, I know, I know. But um, to catch up, everyone
who might not be familiar, are they sleeping under a rock that
they're not familiar with? Mr. Eddie bears, one of the most
recorded drummers in history. You've played on over 300 gold
and platinum records. 14 times, Academy of Country Music drummer
of the year, three time Nashville drummer, Nashville
Music Awards, drummer of the year, and countless times you
won country drummer of the year in Modern Drummer magazine. So
in back in my, you know, I've read every issue of Modern
Drummer magazine, for folks that aren't drummers out there, this
is the most widely read drum publication in the world, and I
remember seeing you Lonnie Jerry croon Tommy wells, Owen Hale and
Milton sledge on the cover of the magazine at the Opry. And it
was so inspirational. So that's why I said, Oh, I've got to
reach out to these guys and see if they'll give me any nuggets
of wisdom, any advice, and you took it one step further, and
you get me some jobs around town. You know, which was
really, which was great. Now, how many years have you been in
Nashville? I came in
Christmas of 73 Wow. But of course, a keyboard player,
were you? Yeah, yeah, tell us about that. You're from
Maryland, right, right, and you were playing your classically
trained piano player.
Interesting, and yeah. And through that, of course, as the
process goes, you know, and you're in that mode, you. Uh,
and to make it really quick, is that you know your travels
playing in bands, which I did, and I wound up with a band in
New Jersey, and we called ourselves the original cast. And
while we're playing around in Jersey, there was a band that
was one of the top 40 bands discovered by Nancy Wilson in
Las Vegas, called the checkmates Ltd. And they were pretty well
known, you know, but they came in where we were, and at that
time I was sliding off the drums too, you know, like, what? When
our drummer would go out and I'd play, so he could do whatever he
did, and then I'd get back onto b3 they said, that's exactly
what we're looking for, for the CheckMate. So me, three of us
out of that band, left and went with the checkmates and moved to
Las Vegas and became their backup bands. Because they did
the same thing. You know, when their drummer, sweet Louie,
would go out, I'd get on, and when Sonny Charles got off the
organ, then I'd get on. So as that went on and on, Joe Romano,
who was the trumpet player, was also a great orchestrator and
musical director, and he moved to Oakland, California, and he
called me when all this was starting to disperse, and said,
you know, you really always wanted to finish your college,
you know? I said, Well, I just want music, musically. And so I
followed through. I moved in with him at Oakland, and I went
to Laney College, you know, basically just double A, you
know, but through that process, I've got more into that network,
just the same thing as I always advise, like I do with you. So
networking around Oakland, I got into a guy named Tom Fogerty,
who was John fogerty's Brother, right? Who had a little group
that, when everybody was off tour, they would play around,
you know, like Keystone corner, and then go over to San
Francisco and play. And so I became their keyboard player. I
was the piano. And Merle Saunders, who was a great b3
player. Jerry Garcia play guitar. Tom played, you know,
the acoustic and guitars. So through that, then obviously it
became more mainstream of knowing that music. So after
about three years there, I heard from some people in Nashville
who said, We're you need to come here, you know? So I did. And
when I came sore as a keyboard player, I said, Well, I got to
sustain. So I heard about auditions down at printers
alley. So I went down. There was like three other piano players
in front of me, and I'm waiting for them to do their thing. And
then I got up and I played. After I played, this big burly
guy came over. He said, you're my guy, hmm, it was a quartet,
and I want to he said, you're my guy. And he said, What are you
doing? I said, Well, I'm working at an Alba fabrication plant
right now
here in Nashville. Yeah. Day
job, yeah, a job, a job and something, yeah, making album
covers.
Wow. At least you're in the industry,
in a sense. But anyway, I gave him, I told him my name. He
said, I'm Larry London. Wow. I had no idea until, of course, as
we friended and friended and I worked with him. I mean, we were
really close. He was your mentor. Oh, my God, he was so
when you use mentor, and I told him, I said, I would really like
to professionally get into this, you know, he goes, I've got a
little pad up between shows, because we were, like the
quartet in between main artists that would come into printers,
and so we go up, and he would show me a few things. And then
after a while, when it got a little more complex, I said, you
know, Larry, I just want to beat him, you know? I said, I I've
been in an interpretive mode all my life, right? You know? So I
can read and I can do all that, but I just want to feel the
play. Yeah, so after about a year and a half there, there was
a top 40 group downtown that was the most popular one in a club.
So I auditioned for them, and I got that. So I spent probably
maybe more than five years there, but then wanted to pursue
the studio, yeah, scene. And I was going around, and I was
hearing about studios and going and checking out. And then I
heard about one. It was just opening, and it was called audio
media, and it was over off the vision. And I walked in, I said,
Man, I would really love to get inside here and know they said,
well, we can't afford to pay anybody. I said, it doesn't
matter. I just want to learn and be inside and I'll play. Yeah.
Well, simultaneously, somebody who became my partner for 30
years, Paul whirly, who's a known
producer, you guys owned the money pit, right? Was this?
Well, we well, that was subsequent, because this studio.
We were in was a production studio. So we never did
mainstream. We were doing National Geographic albums
attributing somebody like we would do an album that
of John Phillips, also
Susan marches, John Phillips, salsa.
That sounds let me tell you why I say that, because that's like
a parody, yeah, when I would say, you want to hear John
Philip salsa,
anyway,
so, but we would do that and all kinds of different things, from
Walt Disney, doing a lot of the Mickey Mouse disco things like
that.
So you were in, you went and just cold called. You stopped by
the studio. Said, This is what I do. This is what I'd like to do.
Can you use me? Yeah, it's like the Phil Ramone story of he
started sweeping the studio floor and cleaning the bathroom.
Yeah, and you work your way up. Do you tell I got on the radio?
How do you do you see that happening with today's youth? Or
no, no, I
don't, and I'll tell you why. It's because, let's face it,
right in your room here we could cut a full blown album. Yeah,
yeah. So that pretty much is the way of the world. Most of the
facilities, as we know. You know, we knew sound shop went
away. We knew that condos now, yeah, yeah. But you know, the
only thing that I say, I mean, I know, I see all the squawk and
everything, what a shame. Historic Bubba, you know, Ray
Stevens a you know, 17 grand gone.
They leveled it. I saw it well.
But you know what, as a businessman? Because the one
thing I know, even though we're doing what we're do, you've
learned this is business music. Yeah, it's not music business.
So with that being said, as you have your places and your
properties and stuff you get in, let's just hypothetically say
somebody came up to you, and you had a iconic studio that
depended off the phone to ring so you knew what the way of the
world was at that point of how many times are you frequented to
be doing sessions, you know, and making your nut and knowing what
it would take as Somebody comes in and says, I'll give you $3
million and I'll take it, yeah. I mean, you're going, Wait a
minute, I can secure me, my kids, my family. I think,
I think Ray sold that for 20 million.
I because it's a prime spot right there on the corner, yeah.
I mean, wow,
it's just the way. I mean, it's happening with all the creative
arts these days. That that the barrier to entry is getting
lower, you know, like you're talking about, you can do it
right here, in a studio, in a house. Make a great sounding
album. The only thing you miss out on is, is there a difference
in how these albums are sounding now? Oh, now that everybody's
not in the same room, tell you what I was feeding off.
I was just talking about that last night again, you know we
were reflecting on the records today. Yeah. So we know that the
little wizards that are coming out, the Pro Tools wizards,
demeaning them. But when they get in and they do all of their
plugins and everything like that. The sounds aren't, I mean,
they're ones and zeros, right? So they're just a wall. There's
like that. You don't go inside. There is no dynamic. You know,
it's what it is. It might go louder and softer and have some
kind of verb on it, but it's not like because somebody told me,
they said, Man, I listened to, and I was trying to think of the
recording they listened to. It was once something I did, and
they were commenting because it was done back in the 90s. And of
course, you know, they were just listening said, My God, it was
so big, and you could hear everything. And while you put
the phones on, you were listening to landscape, you
know, you heard something through there, through there,
and Corey layers, yeah, it's molecular, yeah. And I said
molecules magnetized or different than ones and zeros
delegated to a frequency.
That's really, really interesting. Because, I mean,
you know, when I moved here and, you know, 97 everyone was still
tracking in the same room at the same time. And I will say that
about Nashville more than the other coasts. We are still doing
that. We're still doing it. It is somehow being affected, like
I just did a session, you know, yesterday, where so many tracks
were on the grid, and I knew that I didn't necessarily know
what drum machine fills they were going to keep so to play it
safe, I played incredibly simple. You know, I didn't do
any fills, and so you're just using the colors on the kit.
Like I'm going to play a tight hi hat here. I'm going to go to
a loose hi hat here. I'm going to go to a variety, making
choices, but knowing I probably need to figure out how to stay.
Out of the way to play it safe and make it easy for their
editing. And so like the musical choices we're making now are
different than when we were playing that big country and and
1997 eight guys on the floor at the same time, I will say, Thank
God. Thank God to Michael Knox and Jason l Dean and Pete
Coleman and all the folks over at treasure Isle, all the Aldean
records all at the same time. That's right on the floor at the
same that's
why they sound the way they do this. Yeah,
they are. They're incredibly sounding. And they creep keep
the legacy, you know, from where I started, back when, all those
records and everything that I did and and you know, then my
year so far, I've been able to enjoy because Jim Ed Norman did
a record on Dylan Scott. We were a sound Emporium. We did that.
Kyle inning produced a three day album on skip, Ewing everybody
on the floor, same thing, yeah,
let me ask you, this guy's professional drummers and
players in the industry. You go back to an album like Van Halen,
1984 right? Love it. I put that when I was in radio, I was
trying to actually do something with it and beat, mix it with
other songs and put it along with metronome. He is all over
the flip and map. As far as tempo,
it just feels amazing, right? But you don't feel so you don't
feel that, Oh, you don't want a band, and they're all doing it
together. I listen to
hear, hear some songs, yeah, that just have legacy to them,
you know, they're gonna be around
for another 100 years. It's gonna be cool. Time will tell to
see, you know, the lifespan of a bro, a bro country record, like,
how long it's gonna be around? Like, are we still gonna be
spinning it in
10 years? Right? The same thing, you know, I mean, there's
artists that we know just like Jason now is one of our
treasures you look but over decades, and that will continue.
And I guess hypothetically, you wonder about anybody in the new
that comes on and they're doing what they do, will they be there
in 25 years?
It's almost like the mid 90s right now, for country, mid 90s
rock, yeah, was kind of like they were trying anything. You
know, it was before the active rock genre was really defined. I
was getting into radio at that particular moment. Yeah, they
were transitioning from grunge and Nirvana, and the Seattle
thing kind of was fizzling at that point. 9495 96 was
happening because I was in a cover band at the time, playing
drums. Jim also plays drums, yeah. And we were playing, you
know, Smashing Pumpkins. I don't think the Foo Fighters was out
by then, but ever Rage Against the Machine, ever clear. And it
was just really wonky music. I mean, they were literally just
throwing stuff against the wall to see if it sticks,
you know, but they're still playing a lot of it, yeah,
you go back. There's a lot of nostalgia. For me, when I listen
to it, they call that classic rock. Now, is it classic rock?
Yeah, it's like, it's like, the young girls call it old timey
music, like, why are you listening to this old timey
music when we could be listening to Drake, his journey, old
times oldies class,
I'll tell you what the reality of that is. Just go on and check
foreigner journey, hmm, even Van Halen check their tour schedule.
Busy. Yeah, yeah, really. And some of them don't even have,
like, one original member. Some of them have one original
member, and they just get great side guys, and they hang the
banner in the back, and it's a notable brand. And you the
people in 90% of the people in the audience, 99% of the people
audience, just want to hear dirty white boy in double vision
and cold as ice. They don't care who's playing it. Yeah, you
know, but it, but there is some god, there's, there's wings to
that music, and you're responsible for when Alan
Jackson says, we've gone country, yeah, you know that was
like, what, 9293 94 before that? Yeah, it was like, maybe, like
91 or something, yeah,
probably because straight was 84
now straight, I'm so sorry, straight has had, what, 60
number ones, and you've played on almost
all of them, probably 90%
actually more than that. So you can't, so folks, listen, you
can't put your you can't get in your car and turn on satellite
XM or terrestrial radio and drive down the road to the
Walgreens to do anything without hearing Eddie bears on the
radio, right? That's pretty that's got to be does it still
fun to hear yourself in a supermarket elevator there on
the radio? Kind of over it? Does it? Does it? Does it bring back
a memory of that session on that day?
Absolutely anything like that that I hear and I'm going, oh my
god, yeah, that was so and so. You know, now,
have you thought about writing a memoir? I have,
but I just wouldn't know any of those fundamental beginnings of
how you do that.
So you need a co author. Yes, we gotta get you a co author. But,
I mean, we're just talking about the 90s. I mean, look at this
track record, Jim. Check this out. You being a drummer, you
can appreciate this. Tanya Tucker, John Denver, Ricky
Skaggs, George Strait, almost all the stuff. Garth Brooks,
Glen Campbell, Kenny Chesney, Vince Gill so it goes on and on
and on. And talk about reinventing yourself, self,
continuing to work, staying relevant. You're the house
drummer at the Opry, right? Yes as well. And then our friend
Mark subs for you. Mark Beckett, yes. Now, when I see Mark
Beckett play, I say to myself, that guy was heavily influenced
by Eddie bears. I told him when he was 13. I mean, we're talking
about, he's a lefty, yep, the same setup, like your brand. I
hear it not that he's not a unique and well,
you know her dad, the infamous Barry Beckett, yeah, famous
records that, yeah, producer that we did, Barry would always
bring home the tracks and everything that we recorded, a
great education, yes. So he would get those to Mark, and
Mark would just play along, yeah, play along with those. And
that's what he did. So he's actually now or once while he
go, man, do you remember this? And it'd be like, because
obviously Barry was diverse, so we did a heavy metal artist,
Dora Pesh from Germany. So it was like, double kicks, you
know, and Dan huff and everything.
And I think a lot of people would be surprised to hear you
play that style.
Oh, yeah, yeah, I know exactly. I mean, I've got when you put
the records on and they just sound for not, was it like a
speed metal kind of thing?
Yeah, it was like, there was a few cuts like that, yeah, oh
yeah. And the kick kicks, yeah.
Are you still playing with the players? That's your side
project.
Well, you know what? John Hobbs, our keyboard player. I started
that band in 2001 because there was a friend I had from CMT at
CBS cable named Martin Clayton who since retired, and he had
cornered me, we had met each other, and I can't remember how
we ever did it. It might have been a nearest thing. But
anyway, we got to talking about ideas and everything and
creating shows. So the first thing we did was a Christmas
special which Glen Campbell. And basically our format was going
to be, yeah, we'll go on and record the record. We'll film,
you know, Glenn singing the songs with Yes, or maybe not
yes, and then sell, which we did, after that was done. He
said, you know, what about like a music based thing? And I said,
Well, I wouldn't want it to be like a American music shop
thing, you know, with the musicians. I said, What about if
we did a musician, artist record. So with that said, Yeah,
great. Put a band together. So I put together Brent Mason, Paul
Franklin, Michael Rhodes and John Hobbs. And the premise of
that record was, we got we brought in Vince Gill, Peter
Frampton, Travis, tritt, Sean Colvin. So that was a diverse,
yeah, but what happened after that show and DVD and everything
was done, it stuck. So we just became brothers in arms with
that. And we played around for like, 11 years. And then John
since retired, and it was obviously somebody would say,
even in a band sense, you know, what are you going to get
somebody to take us place? I said, No, this is it. The
players are it, right? And so we just let that rest. And
everybody's kind of like in their own world and what they
do. But of course, we're still connected, yeah, sure, very, but
very heavily. In fact, in October, will really be it?
I, you know, I used to come see you guys play at third and
Lindsley all the time. If there's any Nashvillians that
listening, you guys know the original third and Lindsley was
this small room. And that's right. And then Ron knocked the
wall down and expanded, and little, small room was magic. It
really was. The man is in the corner. Oh man, get the pinball
machines in the back by the dressing room. And, you know,
it's pretty good bar food. And, you know, you know, Ron, the
owner, is a he's a fan of music. You know, there's always great
acts in there, regional acts, national, local acts. Yeah, he
supports them. You know, people always ask me all the time, I'm
coming to Nashville, where should I go? I say, okay, third
in Lindsley, 12th in Porter, Douglas corner, the Sutler, the
basement, lower Broadway. And they say, No, what's your
favorite spot on lower Broadway? Rich? I say, Well, you got to go
to World Famous tootsies because, yeah, you just have to.
And I like Robert's western world because it's like the real
old school Don Kelly band, and the old country guys played, and
they're wearing the nudie suits, and they're wearing the shirts,
and you can go in there and you get your crinkle fries and your
core is original. In the bottle fried bologna sandwich, let's
buy a pair
of boots. That's where we are. We are so health oriented. You
know, really go after the health
food fried bologna tofu. It's a
tofu. Welcome to the south. So So you it was. It's very well
known, for those of you who are listening at one point. Like,
and probably still this way, it was, like a handful of people,
like a fraternity of two or three guys that you always heard
on the same stuff that was a scent, like, when in the
voiceover business, which is where I live, most of the time,
talking about the A team in Nashville that Eddie was right,
right? Where did we referred with true before for that, like,
you know, the movie trailer, guys who voiced all the movie
trailers, you know, in the world, those guys, Don
LaFontaine, yeah, it was like four or five people doing all
the, all the work. And you know, what was your kind of view on
that for somebody coming in? Because I remember hearing an
interview with Don LaFontaine. They said, Well, someone asked
him, I said he was, he was very tongue in cheek, funny guy.
Yeah. They said, You know, there was only four or five of you,
from what I understand. He goes, Yes, as it should be, yeah. He
says, Yeah. There's only, like, five of you making all the
money. He's like, yes, as it should be. That's great. I mean,
your attitude, I guess, was a little different. I mean, did
you care and you were a part of that fraternity? Was that
something
that you know, the fraternity really in that and that days
from the 80s to 90s, it was really under production, because
the way it was, which is different today's world. Let's
say Brent Mayor produced an act that we did, we did the demos on
the judge, and then they go through the roof. Well, then the
label Joe Galani or RCA said, We want you to produce this, and we
want you to produce that. So under one producer, I'd have
four major artists that I would be playing on. And the same
thing, when Jimmy Bowen came to town, you know, he tested me
out, he said, you're going to be my guy. And that talk about a
windfall. Now that was the same crew for a good 1011, years. And
what it did not from my efforts, but because he just controlled
this world and produced everybody here, because he ran
the label too. Yeah. So with that. I mean, a good example
would be like, so this is August. I would be booked
through next August every week,
and you were doing two, three sessions a day,
oh, sometimes two sessions a day, yeah, and five days a week.
And then if they had squeeze up, man, it'd be a Saturday, but
again, it was every artist. So because of that, you
have an amazing pension.
Let's hope it survives,
yeah, well, if it can, yeah, you know. And I think it will. I
think it might get cut, but it'll be, it'll survive, yeah,
that, but I think the stats were, and for a lot of us that
were with Bowen for those 10 years, because he controlled the
world, you know, I would have see the top 11 singles for six
and a half months in Billboard, and the top 13 albums in country
in Billboard, yeah, for like, six months, you just look and,
you know, just be amazed. You know, the one thing I never did
was absorb it into like, yeah. You know, I was gonna ask. I
knew what it was, yeah. I mean, you know, if this guy that
you're working for is doing everybody that's on those
charts. Well, obviously
that speaks incredibly to the power of relationships.
Well, and I guess what we're saying as far as the the nucleus
of every one of those camps, I had it with Brent mayor. I had
it with Jimmy Bowen Barry Beckett. When he left Muscle
Shoals came out, and he was seeking out somebody for his
national rhythm section, which I was blessed to be able to be in
that so that was another 10 years of him producing
everything internationally. I mean, we did from Seager and, I
mean, all these different artists like Brendan croaker,
who was with the Nottingham hillbillies and stuff. So it was
really good adverse music. But I guess back to the question,
there wasn't a nuke this, it was just who was ever in those
production camps like
you were in with everybody, which really speaks to like,
wow. People have their faith in your ability to show up and
deliver the job. And I'm sure they knew you. They like you.
They trusted you, and you showed up consistently. So for the
viewers out there and listeners that that aren't in the music
business, a recording session is from 10 to 1:10am to 1pm and
then a short lunch break, and you might have to go to another
recording session across town with another set of drums set
up, and you would record from 2pm to 5pm and this is all kind
of governed by the American Federation of Musicians, which
says that you have to make this amount of money in this amount
of time, and it adds up, and they pay into your pension. And
it was, it was like the golden age of the music. Just totally
where now it is the Wild West. There's so many things happening
off the card, yeah, and off the card, you know? And, and. A you
know, what would your advice? Because I know you, you mentor,
you have you're involved with the Grammys, and you go speak at
Berkeley. And so you have a young kid, his parents are
spending 250 $300,000 for the kid to go to Berkeley and
graduate with a piece of paper. And they go, Wow, now I'm gonna
go into the music business. I gotta pay back these student
loans. How am I going to do this? What advice would you give
to a 22 year old kid graduating from one of the top music
schools, or somebody that's just self trained and they know that
they have to be in New York, LA or Nashville?
Let me. Let me ask something real quick. Are you still paying
off your student loans?
Actually, because of the Peralta college system, I went free.
There you go. If you were a resident around Oakland and San
Francisco, you could get your double A
free. That's incredible. Yeah, you ever miss California when
your time there? Not now, yeah,
not now, not Oakland now. No, no, no. Oh no, no,
no, no, no. I watched it deteriorate, yeah, I mean,
within years after I left, yeah, that was a shame, yeah, but,
but, you know, I and I get those questions a lot, because what I
do is I work with a couple of professors at Berkeley. So every
year they bring down, like 125 students. We have a week that we
program all the hierarchy here that encompass every facet. I
mean, you can have publishing, label, management, legal, and in
musical, songwriting and all that. And, of course, they all
have, you know, the same questions, and as far as when
they get out and what they do. And I think it would be the same
thing. Now, even with your success of where you evolve to
where you are, you'd have to ask yourself the same question. What
would you say? Yeah, you know,
roll up your sleeves. Find the people that are doing what you
want to do. Meet them. Model yourself after that.
Emulate Emily.
The only thing I advice I give them, as I said, I know
sometimes you guys can be separate from each other in
whatever facet, and have your own little core, your only core
group that you do. Yeah. I said, break that down, network with
each other. I said, because that songwriter or that guy who's
going to be in publishing, or anything like that, might give
you a call and say, you know, compassing our public company,
we're going to start a production studio, you know,
would you, you know, this is how a lot of my contacts happen.
Did you understand what you're doing at the time, though, when,
when you were doing it, did you or just, you know, it just
happened.
No, you know, all I did is, after a while with, with the
experience, you put it together, you start saying, Wow, I mean
that he Don Cook, he called and took me into Acuff rose, and
then moved me over to tree and Don Gant, buddy killing and all
that. And then you start going, Oh, I get it, you know. So this
is, and that's, and I guess that there's also when you talk about
lower broad, you know, and people who come down get into
the jams and stuff like that. I said, love those people who come
down and play. Sometimes they're also in the network of the
studios doing the demos, whatever, whatever, they might
never know who's going to be and they might hear you and go, Man,
let me have your
number. I mean, every time you play your instrument or work on
your craft in public, you are advertising your business. Do
you think they understand that, though? I mean, I remind you
you've been told I don't want to put I don't need to play lower,
broad. Well, there's a lot of kids that are moving to town
that are just like, they maybe they save smartly, they save
money, and they don't necessarily need to work a day
job. So they just go out every night and crash parties and meet
people. But they're like, you know, I don't want to go play
for tips. I was like, Hey, I didn't either, but I learned so
much, so quickly
and and again, that one person that you might befriend through
that who goes, Man, let me have your number, and the next thing
you know, you get the call. Sure you know. And that's that's the
beauty of in networking, and that's what I always advise you
got to get in the community.
You know, relationships, absolutely. Oh,
that was your advice to me. You know, we'll see in town. Get
involved with the community. You know, looking forward to having
you here, which is great. And I can't believe that was what's
365 days times 24 that was a long time ago. You know, and
look at my band. The greatest thing that ever happened to me
was meeting those two individuals that introduced me
to a young Jason Aldean that introduced me to their producer,
and we're at five presidencies later, we're still be in the
trenches creating, bringing the music to the people. That was a
real gift. People always ask me, like, how did that? Happened was
in an audition, I was like, really, it was your same path.
It was relationships with people.
And to back that up, it's like when people come in and say, But
what I'd like to do is be able to get in know some audition,
you know, and I would have to tell them, I said, Let me tell
you something. Most core bands of artists, if they have
somebody who's leaving, the other musicians know who they'd
like to they're calling a friend. Yeah, yeah, they'd like
to know who, who, who do you who do you know? And everybody will
have their own little side of let's get him and him and him
and try him out. So it's not going to be like a resume, your
artist auditions. We just know somebody, it's not going to
happen. You know. Which do you think that could possibly happen
is if there's a new artist on the horizon, and maybe their
management might reach out to somebody like me, but like that.
Hey, do you know some people that might want to blah, blah,
blah, any young drummers, any young guitar player, stuff like
that. That might happen. It doesn't happen that much, you
know. But like you were talking about lower broad, yeah, it was
the same thing 18 years ago. I couldn't be working any more
than I was. But then I got a call from John Gardner, who said
he's going out on the road with the Dixie Chicks. He said, Would
you serve it for me at the Opry? He said, I'm going to be gone
six months. I said, Absolutely, I'll be happy to do that, which
I loved. It was legacy and everything there. When I did
that, I enjoyed it. You know, what's interesting is the same
people that told you, is people kind of goes, Man, I don't know,
yeah, I mean, the opry has a stigma there, you know, grand,
oh yeah, it was look, look, frowned upon
if you, if you played it, huh? If you played these, the house
draw, if you were in a house, but people know that you're
doing that. So anyway, when John got back, it turns out they're
going to do a three month European tour, and then at that
time, general manager came and they said, We're not going to
have him back. If you want the gig, it's yours. I said, I do.
I'll take it. I said, but I can't do every week, so I want
to hire somebody to alternate weeks with. So I hired Paul
lime, and he did it for several years, and then he said, I'm
gonna leave. And so then I said, Well, Mark Beckett,
so this was 18 years ago. You've been doing that in addition to
all your other session work. And what is the time commitment?
Tuesdays? And well, now we're Tuesday, Friday, Tuesday,
Wednesday, Friday, Saturday. Wow. And starting September,
we'll go five, five nights, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday,
Friday, Saturday, but just like last night. You know, I do these
young artists. I mean, they're young, but they're incredibly
talented. Maggie rose, a new artist last night, which was
Haley Witter. I mean, that's the whole thing about it, of course,
like you say, not as much bro country in our way. But I mean,
it's intricately done, yeah, you know, with a drum machine that
playing inhuman beats, right, right, right? And it's like,
okay, well, I don't have that loop, but I can replicate as
close as I can, sure, you know, to it what you do, and it's
amazing. Some of the artists who really don't have that
production control appreciate it because of, wow, it felt so
great.
Yeah, and now, what like? What is, what is that typical Night
at the Opera? You might you've got a cast of characters that
are coming through. You got this awesome house band. Of course,
you're reading charts, and someone sends you an mp three or
and then you reference it, so you kind of know it's happening.
And then time to go,
yeah, it's usually within a day, like my, I won't know until
maybe tonight, what music I got to learn for Friday and
Saturday, but it'll be uploaded to an opera band site with the
MP threes there, and then we pretty well delegate. Larry
Paxson, he is our chart. Meister, yeah, there's always
one guy that's the fastest man he but it's so articulate, yeah.
And he charts everything out. You download the mp three boom,
boom, mark it up and go play. Sometimes it's within a 24 hour
period that you learn all the songs. And like on Tuesday and
Wednesdays, it's what they call a non hosted like, maybe
somebody like announcer Bill Cody is the host. Every artist
gets three songs. So if you have four artists, you've got 12
Songs to Learn.
Phil's such a cool guy
too. Man, hardly great.
He is nice guy. You're, oh, you're earning your you know,
and that you're working that craft. I mean, right behind this
very wall here, there's a closet and there's filing cabinets full
of every Nashville Number chart or phrase chart or drum chart I
have performed in the last 20 OH. For a year. Seriously, I've
saved everything why that's good. I don't know. Just like a,
you know, I know for sure. I eventually want to, it keeps you
humble. I want to do like an, like an Aldean songbook, where
it's like, here's the number chart I was given at 10am this
is the marked up number chart with the notes that I made on
it. And then this is the transcription, oh, my God, of
the song, of what I actually played. You've got gold sitting
in there, man. Well, I tried, I tried to have a young student of
mine, like, sign up, like to put it together. And he's, like,
doing a lot of work, old man. And he abandoned the project. So
if there's any listeners out there that want to be involved,
any interns, any intern college students you want to put this
project together, I will give you full credit. It really will
cut you in on the profit authorship, right? That's right,
well, because now, I mean, obviously everyone's schooled.
So Larry knows that if there's something intricately
Incorporated, like synchronized licks and things that you have
to go with. Look at that. He writes it out. He writes all
that out and, and if it's something between that
syncopation, that quarterly has to be played to that, he writes
the number to each one of those notes, so that who's ever
reading it can learn it from that way. And know, oh, this is
where we go, you know.
And see, this is why I'm better off as a voiceover artist and
not a professional drummer, because you're speaking
hieroglyphics.
No, no, you know. Because if you've ever read the TED Reed
syncopation for the Modern Drummer, like page four, but and
there's a lot of, you know, band leaders in town, chart guys that
write charts, and if there's an intricate lick, they just write
lick, right?
But then, you know, because some of the new artists who have a
band leader, yeah, they said, okay, the MP threes up there,
and they sent a chart, and you look at
the chart, go, that's sad. You got to do my own.
Then I wrote, I write my own. So charts are kind of open to
interpretation. They give you subjective
Well, there's different types of charts. Say there's like a
there's like a cruise ship type chart, where it's it's Western
notation with drum set notation. Then we have the Nashville
Number System, which is basically outlines the harmonic
structure of a song, which is what you're going to get on a
recording session in Nashville or at the Grand Ole Opry. And
then there's, you know, classical Western notation,
where it's the notes are all on the staff. We don't really get
that very much in Nashville. They get that in New York and
LA. And then there's a drum chart, or a phrase chart, which
is where I like to live a lot because I can put more drum
information exactly, or there's a hybrid, like on the Aldean
session, we're referencing a we're referencing an mp three of
the demo. We have the number chart, and then any drum
information that I want, I write above the numbers. You could
do that, yeah, which is basically what we do. But people
don't realize because they always claim, oh, so and so.
With whatever group it was, it came up with the number system.
And of course, when I saw that, I went, No, because I knew in
college, there was a known educator, bass player named John
mcagan, and he came up with a numerical system, but it was
done in Roman numerals, and he could spell out the chord, yeah,
with the Roman numerals, yeah.
You know, wasn't it Elvis backing singers that came up
with the Nashville Number System?
It was one of the, let me think the Jordanaires. That sounds
right, so you're right, yes, you're right, exactly. Yeah. I
think one of those guys, maybe his name was Neil, escapes me,
but yeah, he, he may. I mean, he did come up with it where you
just actually using the numbers comparatively to Roman numeral,
sure, you know. But it was still an innovation.
On that thing, we talked about hard truths, right? We talked
about what somebody needs to know coming into town, right?
Yes, when I went to broadcasting school, there was one teacher
that we had that laid down a hard truth that I'll never
forget. And he said, if you're not willing to move in this
business, you might want to consider not getting into it.
And it was one of those things where all of us were singing,
and the dude is laid it on the line. I mean, moving to moving
to other markets, you know? He says, If you want to move up in
this business here, and you're not willing to move, you might
want to find something else to do. And I was like, Holy crap.
You know, I've lived in Connecticut all my life, and I'm
sitting there at 22 you 21 years old at the time, going, Holy
crap, I'm gonna have to move from Connecticut. That's not
such a bad thing. But I never really thought I would have to
do that.
And that's interesting, because one of the things that I always
talk about when somebody says the advice, what advice? I said
White genre out of your mind. Because if you want to make a
living and work in his business, you don't know. I mean,
everything that you so uphold of this is, oh, this. This is the.
Brain music. This is so far greater than blah blah. I said,
then all of a sudden you're cutting yourself out because you
don't know that that jazz fusion group that you were in, or rock
fusion grits, it breaks up, and all of a sudden there's a
country opening and a country band. What are you going to do
if you have to make a living, if you're paying your bills with
that. And I said, overall, let's look at the reality of this. I
said, you don't condescend to humanity, you know, I'm sorry,
but interesting. The person who delivers your mail, paves the
road, roofs your house, just fixes your plumbing, all I'm
sorry they're not privy to your state of art, so the simplicity
of what they want to listen to is either from fun or it's for
somebody, our crafted songwriter, that is putting
words in that you will hear that that are saying what you would
want to say, Yeah, whether it's love, whether it's you know, who
knows what it is,
we need songwriters in The whole culture of Nashville, right?
And the whole thing is, it doesn't need to be genre
Pacific, you know. So I always really want them to understand
that, you know, because you don't know for sure. Let's just
say hypothetically, that you were, oh, no, I just love this
big band. This is what I want to do, everything like that. And
then all of
a sudden, limited, limited.
But you had a very healthy open mind. You understood you would
have to be very
that's good. And you know what you can detect that? It's like I
could detect that even when we were conversing, you know? And
again, it's the same kind of thing. And I'm sure now, my God,
the network that you're doing now, God bless you. Because I
came to one of those. It was a damn thing. Was it about two or
three years ago? Oh, we were over at, uh, the sound check,
oh, yeah, yeah. Oh, the drummers weekends, yeah, drummers
weekend. And I just saw that, and I went, oh, it just is so
incredible, you know, so in a sense, it is like passing on and
giving, you know, and nurturing and,
well, I was nurtured. So it's our it's it's our responsibility
for any successful person to continue mentoring and to
inspire a future. Just share what you've learned helping one
of our guests on our my other podcast pick rich brains, was my
student, Sarah cardille, and she's the real deal, Sarah
cardil, and she's just like a student of the drums, and so
focused, and so wants to do it. So she goes, Can you introduce
me to liberty Devito? Can you introduce me to mark Shulman?
Can you introduce me to Kenny?
Like, of course, that's the one thing I was gonna bring up
before the networking aspect of it. She's actually asking for
warm referrals, which is something and, you know, I do a
lot of business networking, and we're taught on on how ways to
ask for warm, hey, could you give me a warm introduction to
somebody I you know? And, okay, am I going to be able to put my
neck on the line for somebody? Yeah, ask him. Shall Receive,
right? But, I mean, she asks unapologetically, and that's
good, that's fair. It is fantastic.
Yeah, well, I guess my point was, is that still, there's
something innate. And you that person that is wanting to know
you pretty well have an idea, yeah, of who they are. You know,
that's just an innate Bible, because we're so energy
motivated, yes, and you could tell if that person has
it, yeah, yeah. I ran into a guy the other day, an old friend of
mine, actually, and he does a certain blue collar trade. I'm
not gonna mention what kind it is, but he, you know, I said,
look, there, I've got a project for you that could hand off to
you. Are you interested in quoting this? He's like, Well,
what is it? I said, Well, it's this kind of a project.
Nah. Okay,
well, God, God bless him. I mean, you, you recommended me
the guy to get this sign made, and he came and he did it in
record time. And it's like, you know, awesome. It's like, we
need these guys.
But the funny thing, what am I point is, I do plot. I'm not a
plumber. But, I mean, if somebody you like, Hey, I've got
business. I want to give you, I know your capabilities, but I'm
not gonna give it to you all the time. If you're gonna start
turning really, you know? Yeah, you're not even gonna look into
it. Take the work. Take it out. I mean, do you come across that
as well? From, from, you know, you guys come across that from,
from Pete, well, you know, I'm, it's not really my thing, you
know.
Or it's happening more often these days. I mean, it's if,
when I moved here, when I was 27 years old, and somebody offered
me a job playing the drums, no matter what it paid. I did you
did it? No, that's exactly I did it. And no. Job was too small.
And if, literally, I'm playing a restaurant and the and the guy
wants me to learn 60 songs by the next day, I'm going to learn
all 60 songs. I'm going to write them out, because you never know
who's going to be in that band, who's going to walk in the room
and hear us playing, the guy with the yes, the cigar goes,
Hey kid. And that's what I was hoping would happen to me in
Dallas, Texas, yeah, and it never happened. So I knew I had
to go to New York, LA or Nashville, and I got that
audition with Trisha. I got that audit. Audition with Dina
Carter. I got that audition with Barbara Mandrell, and the
writing was on the wall. They're like, kid, you sound great, but
you don't live here hard. You must be present to win. So like,
when you're talking about broadcast, yeah, you realize you
would have to move to a market, but to play an instrument or to
be in the big leagues in the music business, there's only
three cities. There's three cities and and New York is even
questionable, because you, you're going to be playing
Broadway, right, which is right, you know, you're going to play
13 shows a week of cats, and you're going to live in New
Jersey or Connecticut and have to commute in, right? That
doesn't sound like fun to me. And or you're going to be
playing in wedding and Bar Mitzvah bands, yes, and so,
like, I think a lot of people are moving to Nashville because
it is one of the last places where the music business is
thriving and and I know a lot of my friends who have podcasts or
drummers who are creatives, they always want to talk a little bit
about this. And it's something that a lot a lot of people have
talked about in the past, and that is, you had all those years
of major earnings. What do you do as a creative when you start
to make a little bit of money? What do you do with your money?
What do you do? Buy real estate. Do you do stocks? What advice
would you give to a 23 year old kid that starts to make money?
Well, first, don't live beyond your means, right? And try to do
it so that if, if what you're earning at that point is just
maintaining, then that's fine. If things start when falling for
you. Yeah, real estate, there's nothing. They won't make any
more of it. Yeah, I love it, and that's what I did fresh
waterfront property in California. Yeah.
So I'm probably like dining and or doing business at a bunch of
places that Eddie bears owns.
No, no. But one of the first things I did when I came in and
I could afford, I didn't buy a house, I bought a duplex, and I
rented out the other side,
perfect. You were such a you're so far, you were visionary, if
you're thinking that way, yeah, a lot of that is our upbringing.
Yeah, no, because there's not many people that think that way
now,
oh no, no. And unfortunately, I knew some that when, oh, they
hit the big time. Yeah, you know, triple six figures and all
like, that, and all of a sudden they're building $700,000 homes.
Yeah, I said, Well, you know, you don't want to go ahead
unless you know you don't have to go back, you know, make sure
that every move that you make that you can do that, you know.
So or you can justify the payment on it. Have something
that cash flows, the payment.
Well, you can justify it, but make sure that you're you have a
mindset to say, I can make the payment, because right now I
have this job.
And if anything, you see a lot of people, what if I don't?
Yeah, there's a lot of people out there that, you know, the
bottom falls out. Okay, now what? And there's so you know,
people are selling
stuff. I know a couple of our guys, certainly not Mr. Name,
but I know a couple of guys who planned on that they'd been with
major artists for 1718, years, and all of a sudden it's done,
yep. And you would only hope that during that time, did you
put away? Did you save, did you invest, you know, correctly,
yes, so that you can exist after this. Now you're talking about
John Hobbs retiring. Yeah, that's, you know, I think more
about that the older I get. I'm like, a high energy guy. I'm
always going somewhere. I'm going you're the same way. Is
that gonna happen? Are you gonna retire?
No, me, yeah, no. Why? What do you like? I don't play
golf. I did retire and and the only statement but he made, I
retired over 10 years ago from the union, yeah, but the only
thing I have a friend that just said, I'm glad you retired so
you can do all this work, but no, you know what, and people
even talk about longevity, and I'm sure both of you and every
facet can appreciate the one thing about it. Every morning,
when you get up and you realize you know what, you either get to
do a voiceover, you get to do this podcast, you get to go
play. You're going to be out and doing and teach and do
everything like that. I get to get the call. I can go to the
Opry. I can do my session. There is not a given day that I am not
in love with, that never and there's just no way that I could
ever envision myself getting to a point of going I don't want to
do that, you know. And I've seen the adverse of that, where some
people, because work, diminished to a certain point where they
become depressed.
Their identity is gone, yeah, and
they were living in that high time and everything like that.
And it's not even that they can't exist after that, but
they're depressed because they're not doing that anymore,
right?
Yeah. Yeah, you know, and it's tough to get a gig, yeah,
which I, you know, if that time comes, I accept that, you know,
luckily, when I talk about the stigma the Opry, it was funny
people would, oh, man, you don't want to do that. I'm telling
that people are going to start stigmatizing you about being an
Opry drummer and all that. Have you got the equity that's
building up to that? Well, what's funny is, in the past
three or four years, they're the ones that call me, hey man, if
you ever need a sub,
yeah,
maybe you're changing your shifting the perception of the
opry drummer. Well, I mean, I remember when I well,
you know what the artistry, the general management when Pete
Fisher took over, diversified the artistry that came on
subsequent to him was Sally Williams, who's now leaving, but
we got Dan Rogers, but they always brought in social media
stars. So there was such a diverse group. When you look at
the lineups at the Opry and you're going, wow, you know. And
you look at even the opry stars, now we got Kelsey ballerina pro
medicine show, yeah, you know, yeah.
I remember when I used to play several times a month with Pam
Tillis, you know. And I would, you know, I'd have to, you'd get
up and, you know, for there's any musicians out there, the
opry drum chair is so interesting because, literally,
it's like, ladies and gentlemen, tonight's show is brought to you
by Martha white flower, and you've got 30 seconds to get on
the drum set as a hydraulic throne. You can't be precious.
It's like, you just got to get on and then, boom, the you got
your wedge, and it's just nothing but steel guitar, and
you can't hear the vocal, and you're just like, All right, we
got to do this. We saw each other there last year. Yeah? You
just got to do it like I'm high fiving you, yeah, and then I do
my thing, and then you get off, and you got to get on and get
the show. It's the longest running radio show in history.
Oh, yeah, yeah. And, and so, you know, you changed, you know,
recorded history with your body of work, retired, you have
security, you have a legacy. And now you go into your second part
of your life for 18 years in that seat, you're crushing it,
yeah, but changing history again. The funny thing is, is
that there was a time where, because I worked in Vegas for
four years and for CBS Radio, and there was a time that if you
took up a residency in Vegas as an artist. It was basically
where he went to die, right? Okay, and we're doing one this
year. But the funny, but here's the thing, Celine Dion, they
built her an actual or, you know, space the the Coliseum at
Caesars Palace back in, oh, two or so. And she did her show
there. She had a residency, but I think she shifted the
perception of that same way that you're doing because, hey, I can
make my own choices. I don't need to do this. I'm doing this
because I want to do this. So the perception of it is probably
changing.
And I think overall it's like, oh, now rich and Jason Odin are
going to take residency to fit. Well, no, that's been the lay of
the land there for years. You know, like you said, Celine did
it, Marie and Donnie did it. Olivia Newton did it. And she
would take one on and one off with Diane, Marie, she'd do a
month. They would do a month at the Flamingo, you know, and
alternate that. And like with me, the word retirement was just
a word, you know, because I'm not doing anything different
than I've done for over 50 years.
Well, you know our buddy, Russ, Paul, I do sessions with him all
the time. He's retired, yeah, but he's working every day.
Yeah. You know,
whenever I receive something, it's, it's interesting because,
and you know, you mentioned the players are, the five of us are
going into musicians Hall of Fame. That's incredible in
October. Congrats. But, but but the thing about it is, is, when
I was put into the Country Music Hall of Fame Nashville cat
series, what cost my mind? I mean, there and your peers are
in there. It's an hour and a half, you know, and Bill Lloyd's
asking you're pulling things out that you go, Holy macro. Where
did you find that? You know? But as it's going on about
midstream, I start thinking, Hey, can I just say something? I
still, I'm still working. Yeah, yeah, this isn't a gold watch.
It's not a gold watch here.
It's really, it's really funny, like, you know, I have this
studio here, which is, it's nice to be creative and have a
creative space, even if it's just 500 square feet, to just
call your own, throw a Persian rug on the floor and play some
drums. This House that this studio is connected to, I have
three young drummers that are that are in the place and and
when I moved out, I decorated the place with my memorabilia.
So like, all sorts of press clippings and interesting little
things from my life, and I framed them all. They're like,
Rich. This place is like a museum. It's like, it's like a
red machine. Really weird. I was like, yeah, it is kind of weird
now, guys, but it was just a really affordable way to
decorate. But, um, but yeah, we, you know, we're alive. We're
kicking, we're moving, we're. I want to stay relevant. I'm
changing, growing. Different things are happening. You know,
put right. That's your book. I am so excited to give this to
you, and it's like, I'm too young to write a memoir. You
need to write one, because you're the right age to write a
memoir. We're gonna get you a co author, and you're gonna crank
out that book in it. People are gonna love it. But this is just
my take on what I know about the world and drumming and people,
and we talked about relationships, and that's a big
part of the crash philosophy. Totally. Big time.
Huge, wonderful.
So, um, is there any other thing that you want to, just like,
leave out there in the world and just say on this particular day
about the state of the music industry, or where you're going
with your
career? You know what I mean,
I guess, in perspective, because I know there's always a lot of
controversy when it comes to the music today, comparatively to
that, you know, and whenever you talk about, well, country music
isn't country music anymore. And I said, well, guess what, rock
and roll isn't boogie woogie either. Yeah. Yeah. You know,
there's been innovations on all genre that comes through.
But I mean, you know, even back in the day with the train beats,
that was an adaptation of a previous generation as well, of
course,
you know. And when you really think of so called rock and
roll, when they think of some of the people like Bill Haley,
Little Richard, stuff like that. I said, you know, I was doing
music for a play out of Canada, and it was about Hank senior.
And I started learning all the songs and everything. And there
was one song when you think about how long ago, called move
it on over, yep. And you know the song, but, but the the
structure of that song, moving on over, because the big dogs
moving in. I mean, that's rock and roll. Yeah, early rock and
roll,
yeah. I mean, talking about train beats, you like, on the
Johnny Johnny Cash song, like dude, real light with brushes,
or light sticks on the edge of the snare drum. And then Eddie
comes along in the 90s, and he's got rim shots and gated reverb,
and the drums are like right here in the mix. And then the
Shania Twain records come around, and Paul limes got 80.
They choose 80 snare drums to figure out the best snare drums.
And it's like a Def Leppard record. Things grow, change and
evolve, you know. So we just, we just are either going to be left
behind or moving forward.
Well, and the innovations on our our enhancements, you know, I
really started years ago, when I was with Brent mayor, and we did
the Judd records. We did Michael Johnson actually record on
Richard Perry. But Brent and I started putting brains together
about triggering things, sure. So we basically took PCMS, and
when I first became aware of the lindrum, we were able to
innovate in there and fire those samples off with the piezo
triggers. Yeah. So, so the kick drum and the toms on, like a
there's a song that I'm noted for was called, that's that from
Michael Johnson. Then the Judd records, when you hear them,
it's the same thing. And so, in a sense, because when people
say, well, sample, samples, I said, Yeah, but that's like a
verb, you know, yeah, it is because I started using a
Simmons five without the stereotype, you know, just but
yes, and that triggering those was a unenhanced verb per se. So
all those things that I would innovate on and come up with my
own method of doing anything that technically would come out.
And if I heard it and I didn't know it, I would learn it. Yeah,
you know where some people were adverse going. I don't ever want
to get into that.
I remember buying my first drum cat. It was 1000 bucks. I was
like, Oh my God, that time. It was like, that could have been
$10,000 at the time, right? But I guys like, I have a drum cat,
right? And then moving through a Yamaha sampler, sequencer and
and now, like all this gear that we would learn with all the
knobs and everything, it's like the same technology, and like a,
like a Keurig coffee
maker, you know, the drum for the layman that I've never heard
of a drum cat, it was a, it was a service that the rubber pads
had the shape of a cat's head exactly, and ears on it and
stuff. Well, there's the first thing that comes to your mind.
I'm gonna ask a question. We gotta we'll wrap it up, sure.
Just instant response, the favorite song you've ever
played. I was about to say that that's gotta be pretty hard to
first one that comes to mind.
First one that comes to mind is that's that, Michael
Johnson, Michael Johnson, that's that, can people, can people
find that? Oh, they can find it okay.
Because the way the song was structured, it was like a
deceptive you think you know where the feel of the song is,
and by our inspiration at the end of it, when it breaks out, I
was thinking. Phil Collins, so I was doing those sporadic fills,
and then I got in because the feel of the song was right.
That's what I did the whole thing. And then when it got into
the end, I went boom, and it got into that, yeah. So it is a, it
is a, you know, where you creatively are inspired. The
rest of things were, man, I it would be hard to say that's the
first one that comes to mind, but there's so many more, you
know,
1000s. Well, you came on my radar when, when the Trisha had,
everybody knows record, yeah, boom, did the boom, yeah. And
that's a fill I used to this day, shut that, that flam Baba,
and it's and then you are so recognizable on the radio, like
all your little the transitions that do, dumps, cross stick. And
I think it's because you have that musical mind of being a
trained piano player and knowing what to stay out of the way
musical, you know, have a musical mind, and that's
probably more important than being a chop
Meister, like, like the guy from Dream Theater, right?
Well, he plays that music the way he sees way
supposed to be played, yeah? But, well, you know,
interestingly enough, because I had talked to him before, when
my wrist was destroyed and I was put back together. It was like a
Les Paul syndrome, because the orthopedic that did it on the
ongoing he said, If you ever do play again, I'll go, what? Yeah,
excuse me. He said, How are you going to hold your sticks? I
said, overhand. Yeah, I would be. And so he put all this
together that way, because I have a rebuilt scaffold, your
bike, your bionic Yes,
you know, with that, there was some technical aspects that went
away, unfortunately, but meat and potatoes,
you will always have your feel. You always have your heart. You
will always have your soul and your recognizable approach to
things.
Barry Beckett always just said, it's about a groove, yeah, man,
that's
what I tell the kids. Can you choose the right thing to play
quickly and do that for three and a half minutes, and make it
feel good, make the band smile, make the artist smile, make
people dance. That's the goal,
and be able to honor the song. Honor the song, just like you
just said, when you got down, you simplicity went, boom, you
know you obviously, I know what you can do, because we had
talked about this before, when all this was happening,
everything I talked to her, I said, you know, I would love to
get with you, because he's such a technician, that I would love
to have innovations on how I could enhance that. But I was
trying to think, what would I use it for?
Yeah, yeah. And it's funny for a case in point, you know, we're
talking about songs with legacy that let you know have they're
just good songs. Yeah, one of the best ones out there that has
tons of legacy is, don't stop believing by journey. All right?
When a song is played right, right, when a song is played
right, it just my brother instilled in me He's okay. He's
a piano player as well, and he said, do not change up how these
songs are played. I don't care how Neil Pierce would play the
Fill from, you know, Carry on my wayward son. Play it like the
way the guy played, yeah, you know, so in that song, with that
being hammered in me over years and years and years, playing
with my brother, yeah, if I see somebody play, don't stop
believing the wrong way, and their drives me bonkers.
It was put together purposely. It goes right with the guitar
part. All that Dean got
played with the left hand lead, and he's playing everything with
his it's brilliant.
Yeah, that guitar players. One of the greatest stuff I heard.
Yeah, so fun. Sean, so fun to have you here, buddy. What? Uh,
how can people find you? Eddie bears.com, Eddie bears.com,
what's your discography on there? Is your just, is your
recorded discography on that? It is, and my movie credits, I own,
plus, so probably can go to, like, all music.
Calm. That's, that's where my discography from my website
links to,
okay, perfect. That's smart. So that's, that's like 100 pages of
stuff. You know, there's, right now, there's 1080 something.
Albums, yeah, albums, albums, 1081 which, ironically, we talk
about diversity right now. The Center for 2019 was a record I
did with Stevie Nicks.
Nice, yeah, what's,
what's one thing you would love to do that you never had the
opportunity to do or play, style of music or anything, style,
Yeah, boy,
I would have to get with rich and learn it.
So, you know, it's so funny. We, you know, we train our whole
lives to be stylistically diverse and bend genres. And,
you know, people, people that might not know anything about
our history or schooling, they just go, oh yeah, he's that guy
that just gets up there and bashes those al Dean songs out.
You know, that's fine. You know, so much more to what you do.
That's how they that's how they
see. I know, yeah, only from his beginnings. I know. So you know,
when I, if anybody you know, tries to say, Oh yeah, he just
does that,
yeah. Then, yeah, you
try it, and he's got my back guys, back off. I know what it's
like to play that I can't play like him. Well,
one on one, come on over here to the studio here and sit down,
yeah, show you what he can do. And let's see if you can do
that.
11 years ago, when he and I became friends, we used to put a
lot of videos up, and I did a lot of video work for him. And
some of the comments we would get be like, Oh, anybody could
do that. I'm like, Oh, yeah. Well, you try it. Well, you try
cranking out a song in three and a half minutes, and have them be
happy with it and keep getting called back, yeah, and play it
well. But see, that's the dilemma I was mentioned about.
These are the people who create the state of art in our mind,
and they condescend to anything lesser, you know, yeah, instead
of somebody who has that gift that Why longevity is there, is
because, you know what I am with this artist, and this is the
songs he doesn't I honor those songs. Yeah.
Yeah. You know the real,
I think the real skill in a live drummer is to go out there and
say, I'm gonna play hick town for the 10th 1,000th time, like
it's the first time. And that's do. That's really the discipline
that comes from that job. And then a session drummer, you're
it. You're almost like a jazz Museum. You have to quickly
improvise in the moment, come up with something that's perfect.
You're improvising, right? You're you're in, you're CR
you're improvising a part and then being able to execute it
quickly with a click track.
Well, there's, there's more to that, and that is, you'll be
given a basic format. Right through that process, they're
going to go, oh, by the way, now we're not going to do that
instrumental now. Now we're going to go to here, and this is
going to be half and this is going to be going to three
occur, and we're going to start editing this down there. How
quick can you retain that? Yeah, and perform it. Yeah.
The your hick town. I was just thinking about that. That story
back in my cover band days, that was my Enter Sandman. So when we
used to play Enter Sandman, and it's like, my eyes would roll.
But you have, I've, I've watched you in the couple shows that we
saw you, believe is in Charlotte, and it was a band
opening up for you that the drummer. This is like, just
phoning it in, you know, no energy. You could read his face.
The whole band was kind of like that. And it was like, wow, this
is really not fun for me, you know. And then you guys, come
on. You guys, bring the fire. Of course, just just, you're happy
to be there, you know, what you got, you know, and the but the
guys who
proceeded, there's like, Man, oh, people are paying to be
there. You know, it's like, it has an effect on the audience.
$20 an hour for a babysitter and then $180 tickets and $20 beers
and then parking. You better step up to the plate, right?
Yeah, but,
but you but not everybody understands that.
Yeah. You know, what a thrill. This is such a thrill. Thank you
so much for being here, yeah? Man, oh my god, good to meet
you, man, and we definitely have to go out and get that Martini.
Eddie and I, we like our martinis. Man, real nice, real
cold. Ladies and Gentlemen, thanks for watching. This has
been the rich Redmond show. Be sure to like, rate, share and
comment. We'll see you next time this
has been the rich Redmond show, subscribe, rate and follow along
at rich redmond.com, forward slash podcasts you.