Big Fat Five: A Podcast Financially Supported by Big Fat Snare Drum Ben Hilzinger

This week’s guest is Porter Bliquez, a young American drum prodigy from San Francisco. Despite his age, Porter has already recorded and performed with award-winning producers and musicians associated with Kevin Gates, Olivia Rodrigo, Haan, Andy Prado Jr., and more.
While still attending USC, Porter manages to carve out time to make a significant impact in both the LA and online drum communities. At my ripe old age of 37, it's refreshing to connect with the younger generation of drummers and see what’s happening in their world. Porter is destined for the biggest stages globally, so I'm thrilled if this is the episode that introduces you to him. Please enjoy the records that helped shape Porter into the exceptional drummer he is today. Cheers!
Eric Harland - Zildjian Performance Video HERE

PORTER'S BIG FAT FIVE:
Album - Homey
Artist - Chon
Release Year - 2017
Key Track(s) - Sleepy Tea / Water slide
Drummer - Brian Evans
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Album - Black Focus
Artist - Yussef Kammal
Release Year - 2016
Key Track(s) - Strings of Light / Wingtai Drums / Joint 17
Drummer - Yussef Dayes
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Album - Chon
Artist - Chon
Release Year - 2019
Key Track(s) - Peace / Pitch Dark
Drummer - Brian Evans
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Album - Two Star & The Dream Police
Artist - Mk.gee
Release Year - 2024
Key Track(s) - Rylee & I / Dream Police / DNM / How Many Miles
Drummer - Micheal Gordon
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Album - Misadventures
Artist - Peirce the Veil
Release Year - 2016
Key Track(s) - Song For Isabel / Texas is Forever / Phantom Power / Ludicrous Speed
Drummer - Mike Fuentes

For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out www.bigfatsnaredrum.com and follow us on Instagram. 

This week's guest is Wiktoria Bialic. Wiktoria has been nominated for four Grammy awards for her recordings on Allison Russell's album, "The Returner." She has also recorded drums for Grammy-winning musicians like Ondre J. Pavic, Alex Marley, Maati Baani, Ralph Kaminski, SARSA, and various other artists and producers from Britain, India, Scotland, Poland, America, and Puerto Rico.
Wiktoria collaborated with Zildjian Artist Ash Soan on the single "Dark Dark Days" by Black Dog All Starsand often fills in for other well-known drummers in Poland. She won the Hit Like A Girl contest in 2021 and has performed at prestigious drum festivals such as PASIC, Bag Show, The UK Drum Show, and Silesia Drum Festival.
You can find her Instagram HERE and listen to a Spotify playlist featuring many of her recordings HERE. Wiktoria offers a great perspective on excelling as a studio musician, so get ready to improve your drumming skills. I hope you enjoy the recordings that shaped Wiktoria Bialic into the musician she is today.

WIKTORIA'S BIG FAT FIVE:
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Album - Exodus
Artist - Bob Marley
Release Year - 1977
Key Track(s) 0 Three Little Birds / One Love / Whole Record :)
Drummer - Carlton Barrett
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Album - The Returner
Artist - Allison Russell
Release Year - 2023
Key Track(s) - Stay Right Here / Springtime
Drummer - Wiktoria Bialic
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Album VoodoO
Artist - D'Angelo
Release Year - 2000
Key Track(s)
The Root
Drummer - Questlove
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Album - Feats Don't Fail Me Now
Artist - Little Feat
Release Year - 1974
Key Track(s) - Skin It Back
Drummer - Richie Hayward
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Album - 7
Artist - Seal
Release Year - 2015
Key Track(s) - Redzone Killer
Drummer - Ash Soan
 
For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out www.bigfatsnaredrum.com and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok.

This week’s guest is Brandon Combs. Brandon is a drummer, programmer, and producer hailing from Lansing, Michigan. Brandon obtained his Bachelor of Music degree in Popular Music Studies from the University of Southern California in 2015 and is currently based in Nashville, Tennessee. He’s worked with so many amazing artists, including Grammy Award-winning artist Leon Bridges, Joy Oladakun, John Legend, Raphael Saadiq, Moses Sumney, Tori Kelly, Greyson Chance, Chris Bullock of Snarky Puppy, and many more. He’s got a lot of energy and his choices center around very hirable theme. I hope you enjoy the records that helped shaped Brandon Combs into the artist he is today. Cheers!

BRANDON'S BIG FAT FIVE 
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Album - Perpetual motion
Artist - Dave Weckl Band
Release Year - 2002
Key Track(s) - Child's play
Drummer - Dave Weckl
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Album - Heavier Things
Artist - John Mayer
Release Year - 2003
Key Track(s) - New Deep / Something's Missing,
Drummer - Steve Jordan
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Album - Somethin' Bout Love
Artist - Brian Culbertson
Release Year - 1999
Key Track(s) - Do you Really Love Me?
Drummer - Chris Miskel
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Album - Mixtape - Volume One
Key Track(s) - Movin / Nine
Drummer - Ben Jones
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Album - Opal / Brunei
Artist - Vinyl Williams
Release Year - 2018 / 2016
Key Track(s) - Lansing / Feedback Delicates

For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out www.bigfatsnaredrum.com and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok.

This week’s guest is Myles Sargent. Myles is a drummer, musical director and playback engineer based in Brighton, UK. Throughout his career, he's collaborated with an array of artists and bands, including The Japanese House, Justin Jesso, Calum Scott, Thomas Headon, Gabriels, Cavetown, Mae Stephens, Gang of Youths and MANY more. He’s quickly become one of my favorite online-converted-to-real-life buddies and I was excited to force him to answer my questions for an hour. I hope you enjoy the 5 records that helped shaped Myles Sargent into the player he is today. Cheers!
MYLE'S BIG FAT FIVE 
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Album - American Idiot
Artist - Green Day
Release Year - 2004
Key Track(s) - Holiday / American Idiot
Drummer - Tre Cool
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Album - Rumours
Artist - Fleetwood Mac
Release Year - 1977
Key Track(s) - You Make Loving Fun / The Chain
Drummer - Mick Fleetwood
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Album - Nm Brass 2015 - 1. Division
Artist - Oslofiord Brass
Release Year - 2015
Key Track(s) - St. Magnus (5:45 it gets cooking)
Composer - Peter Maxwell Davies
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Album - Little Voice
Artist - Sara Bareilles
Release Year - 2007
Key Track(s) - Vegas
Drummer - Matt Chamberlain
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Album - Rickie Lee Jones
Artist - Rickie Lee Jones
Release Year - 1979
Key Track(s) - Chuck E's in Love (and that fill at 1:55)
Drummer - Steve Gadd
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Any Honorable Mentions?
Album - Face Value
Artist - Phil Collins
Release Year - 1981
Key Track(s) - In the Air Tonight 
Drummer - Phil Collins
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Album - Regatta De Blanc
Artist - The Police
Release Year - 1979
Key Track(s) -  Walking on the Moon
Drummer - Stewart Copeland

This week's guest is Steve Durham. Steve is a Drummer, Musical Director and Producer from London, UK. He began playing drums at 8 years old and was out on the road by the time he was 14. Since then he's worked with Louis Tomlinson (One Direction), Dermot Kennedy, Wolf Alice, Foals, Holly Humberstone, Aurora, Declan Mckenna, Marina and the Diamonds and more. I hope you enjoy the 5 records plus a few honorable mentions that helped shape Steve Durham into the drummer he is today. Cheers!

STEVE'S BIG FAT FIVE
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Album - VHS! Invisible Touch Tour
Artist - Genesis
Release Year - 1987
Key Track(s) - Drum Duet / Los Endos
Drummer - Phil Collins & Chester Thompson
WATCH HERE
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Album - Who’s Next
Artist - The Who
Release Year - 1971
Key Track(s) - Won’t Get Fooled Again
Drummer - Keith Moon
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Album - Colour Of Spring
Artist - Talk Talk
Release Year - 1986
Key Track(s) - Give It Up
Drummer - Lee Harris
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Album - The Bends
Artist - Radiohead
Release Year - 1995
Key Track(s) - High and Dry
Drummer - Phil Selway
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Album - Puzzle
Artist - Biffy Clyro
Release Year - 2007
Key Track(s) - Saturday Superhouse
Drummer - Ben Johnston
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HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Artist - Led Zeppelin
Key Tracks(s) - Good Times Bad Times / Whole Lotta Love
Drummer - John Bonham
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Album - The Trees Are Dead & Dried Out, Wait for Something Wild
Artist - Sikth
Key Track - Skies of the Millennium Night
Release Year - 2003
Drummer - Dan ‘The Lord’ Foord 
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Performance - Live at Woodstock '69
Artist - Santana
Key Track - Soul Sacrifice
Drummer - Michael Shrieve (age 20)
WATCH HERE
 
For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out www.bigfatsnaredrum.com and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok.

This week's guest is Gunnar Olsen. Gunnar's been on the show a lot recently with "save it for the pod" segments. But I noticed his Big Fat Five episode is almost 4 years old, which is a shame. Recently, I went to the Hollywood Bowl with my friends Mike Robinson and Neal Daniels, both show alumni, to see Gunnar play with Puscifer on the Sessanta tour, celebrating Maynard James Keenan's 60th birthday. It was mind-blowing. Gunnar is an incredible drummer, one of the best out there. At this show, Josh Freese was playing with A Perfect Circle, but now that Josh is busy with Foo Fighters gigs, Gunnar is playing with both Puscifer and A Perfect Circle for the rest of the tour. It's unbelievable and well-deserved. Puscifer is a perfect fit for Gunnar. Apart from this tour, Gunnar has also recorded or toured with Big Data, Bruce Springsteen, Miley Cyrus, HOKO, Mother Feather, Fischerspooner, Goo Goo Dolls, and many others. He's possibly my favorite drummer, and I admire him a lot. He's a close friend, and I always try to catch his shows when we're in the same town. Although this conversation is from 4 years ago, I wanted to bring it back up because the information is still relevant. It's fascinating to hear Gunnar talk about Tim Alexander of Primus, who has been a big influence on him, and now see them hanging out on tour together, seeming like best buds. Anyway, Gunnar, I'm really proud of you, and I admire your career more than you know, even though I tell you all the time. I hope you enjoy the records that helped shape Gunnar Olsen into the drummer he is today. Cheers!

GUNNAR'S BIG FAT FIVE
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Album - ...And Justice For All
Artist - Metallica
Release Year - 1988
Key Track(s) - Harvester of Sorrow
Drummer - Lars Urich
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Album - Reggatta De Blanc
Artist - The Police
Release Year - 1979
Key Track(s) - The Bed's Too Big Without You
Drummer - Stewart Copeland
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Album - Songs for the Deaf
Artist - Queens of the Stone Age
Release Year - 2002
Key Track(s) - Song for the Dead
Drummer - Dave Grohl
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Album - Dust
Artist - Ben Monder
Release Year - 2006
Key Track(s) - Dust
Drummer - Jim Black
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Album - Largo
Artist - Brad Mehldau
Release Year - 2002
Key Track(s) - When It Rains
Drummer - Matt Chamberlain

For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out www.bigfatsnaredrum.com and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok.