The Deconstructed Drummer Podcast The Deconstructed Drummer Podcast

Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to another episode of the Deconstructed Drummer. I’m Jeff Doukakis, and thanks for checking it out.

This is a conversation with Lozz Benson.

Lozz is a fantastic drummer, singer and songwriter who has a pretty incredible list of artists she’s worked with, including John Butler Trio, Urthboy, Missy Higgins, Tonight Alive, as well as recording with Paul Kelly, Sandy Evans, All our exes live in Texas and many more.

You can also check out her own projects - Benson and the Outlaws, Ginger Jones and that redhead.

I’d followed Lozz for a little while now, but what really made me sit up and take notice was when I saw a blog appear - called “Touring: A Lifestyle”, which is about wellbeing both on and off the road. The conversation about mental health is one that has been steadily opening up more and more, and something that I’ve talked about a lot on this podcasts, and Lozz has been really upfront and open on the blog about her own journey, and also has interviewed some amazing musicians about how they’ve managed to work long term with touring. Lozz was kind enough to sit down and have a chat about all things music, touring, mental health, creativity, songwriting and a bunch of other stuff as well too. She’s also got a lot of really great practical information as well.

It was a pleasure chatting with Lozz, and I think you’ll dig it.

Please enjoy my conversation with Lozz Benson.

Lozz Benson (Benson & The Outlaws, Ginger Jones, Touring: A Lifestyle Blog)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lozzbenson
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lozzbenson/
Website: http://lozzbenson.com/
Blog: https://touringalifestyle.wixsite.com/touringalifestyle/blog-1

Any questions, feedback or comments just get in touch!
Facebook - www.facebook.com/thedeconstructeddrummer/
Instagram - www.instagram.com/thedeconstructeddrummer/

Welcome to episode 23!

This is a conversation with Robin stone. Robin’s an extreme metal drummer who plays with Norse, Somnium Nox, Convulsing and a whole bunch of other bands. He also specialises in remote session work as well.

I had so much fun with this interview. Robin is hilarious, and so passionate about what he does. I’m not a metal drummer, and I’ve definitely fallen into the trap of dismissing extreme styles of music because I didn't understand them, but in the last few years as I’ve gotten more exposure to heavier music I’ve definitely come to respect and admire the dedication and work that it takes to be able to play blast beats at extreme tempos. Talk about reps. These guys have put in hundreds of Hours of work to get there, and it was great to get some context on the genre and to dig into why someone would be willing to dedicate that amount of time to playing really, really fast.

So we cover a lot of ground. We talk about growing up in a super religious community, what it was like hearing extreme metal for the first time, how important listening is when working on blast beats, remote sessions, tension vs pain, DXP bass drum pedals and a whole bunch of other stuff.

So here it is, I think you’ll dig it.

Robin Stone (Norse, Somnium Nox, Convulsing & many more)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/forge.wintre
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robin_stone_drums/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/slipbik/

Robin proudly endorses:
Sonor Drums
Axis Pedals
Rech Cymbals
Ibbotson “Fishsticks” sticks

Any questions, feedback or comments just get in touch!
Facebook - www.facebook.com/thedeconstructeddrummer/
Instagram - www.instagram.com/thedeconstructeddrummer/

Welcome to Episode 22!

This is a conversation I had with Stan Bicknell.

Stan’s got a pretty rich pedigree as a player, and has previously played with Kimbra, Miami Horror, Ekka Vandal and The New Caledonia as well as setting up and running a drum shed community called Drummers Summit Melbourne with Stevie Cat Jr.

It’s been really interesting to see Stan grow over the last few years since he made the decision to stop touring, and to see his instagram profile explode from his foot technique videos. What I really loved was that Stan was under no illusions of grandeur, and was a big advocate for simply doing the work on the instrument. He also didn’t seem to play by any of the social media “rules” that seem to have been imposed. Posting schedules, cheesy questions to promote engagement, paying for post promotion or anything like that. In fact right at the height of his “fame" he proceeded to delete all his old material and limit his profile to a small number of posts. All things that anyone would be advised not to do in that situation. Not to mention all of the famous posts were filmed with an iPhone on a milk crate resting against a water bottle at the Rumble Coffee warehouse...

Stan’s the first guest that I’ve had on that has already been on a bunch of podcasts, so I was really conscious of not wanting to go over the same things that he’s already talked about. So if you’re wanting info about how he started playing drums, foot technique, his drumeo appearance and his decision to stop touring there’s a bunch of other podcasts that have covered this, and I’d recommend in particular his appearances on the Drum Gab (now Drumeo Gab) and the NZ drummer podcast.
What I really wanted to dig into is how Stan thinks about life. He’s a fascinating guy that has a real thread of deliberateness running through everything that he does, and has worked his ass off to be able to have a life that is full of things that he has chosen to do, not things that have been dictated by others.

We talk about a bunch of stuff as per usual. Mental Health, Routines, Creative fulfilment, Comparison, the idea of just showing up, disconnecting money and creativity, making difficult decisions and handling burnout.
So just for some context I’d just come off a pretty heavy 2 year gig when we recorded this interview, and while my playing was probably in the best shape it had ever been, my desire to actually play the drums was the lowest that it had ever been. It’s something that almost everyone has or will deal with at some time, but yet it’s not something that seems to be discussed in great detail. So we dig into that as well and reassessing the role that drums play in life as well.

So here it is. Please enjoy my conversation with Stan Bicknell.

Stan Bicknell
Instagram: www.instagram.com/stanbicknell
Youtube: www.youtube.com/user/stanbicknell

Rumble Coffee
Instagram: www.instagram.com/rumblecoffee/
Website: https://www.rumblecoffee.com.au/

Stan proudly endorses:
Yamaha Drums
Zildjian Cymbals & Sticks
Remo Drumheads
Mee Audio IEM’s & Headphones
Rooster Thrones
Allbirds Shoes

Recommended podcast appearances:
Drumeo Gab episode 99
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stan-bicknell-round-two/id1189424485?i=1000422906856
Drumeo Gab Episode 29
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-29-stan-bicknell/id1189424485?i=1000389266555

NZ Drummer Podcast
http://andrewrooney.net/ep-25-stan-bicknell/

Stan’s Drumeo Live lesson:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IfVRa2xxwE

Any questions, feedback or comments just get in touch!
Facebook - www.facebook.com/thedeconstructeddrummer/
Instagram - www.instagram.com/thedeconstructeddrummer/

Welcome to Episode 21!

This is a conversation with SeanIsaac Tng.
Sean is a young Sydney based drummer who I first encountered at a drum shed in the hills district of Sydney a few years ago. He would have been 16 or 17 at that time I’m pretty sure, and already was playing stuff that I couldn’t even comprehend.

So he’d been on my radar since then, and late last year let me know that he was starting an online drumming company called “Ready2drum”, and asked if I’d be interested in being involved as a part of the tutors network.

Starting any online business is an ambitious move, and to put something together that is well designed, well thought out and looks professional is huge. Especially to do so when there’s huge players in the online scene like Mike Johnston and Drumeo, so I was really interested in having a chat with Sean about this.
I didn’t want this to be a “product pitch” or anything like that, as not only do I think that would seem out of place on the podcast, but I’m also not really interested in something that feels forced like that. I wanted this to be a conversation where you got some background on Sean, and then discuss the reality of putting together an online business, what he thought was missing from existing platforms, and the trials and tribulations that come with that. Add to that the fact that Sean is only 22 years old. Yep...

I was really impressed with how much thought and insight he’s got at such a young age, and really enjoyed getting to sit down with him. We talk about church drumming, how that translates to “regular” gigging, the logistics and challenges of launching an online drumming site, parental expectations, perfectionism, presenting your first drum clinics and a whole lot of other stuff.

So here it is. Please enjoy my conversation with SeanIsaac Tng.

SeanIsaac Tng (Ready2Drum, Jai Waetford)
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Ready2Drum
Instagram: www.instagram.com/seanisaac_tng & www.instagram.com/ready2drum
Website: https://ready2drum.com/

SeanIsaac proudly endorses:
DW Drums
Evans Drumheads
Promark Drumsticks
64Audio

Any questions, feedback or comments just get in touch!
Facebook - www.facebook.com/thedeconstructeddrummer/
Instagram - www.instagram.com/thedeconstructeddrummer/

Welcome to Episode 20!

This is a super exciting episode for me. Jim has been a big part of my playing, teaching and life in general for the last 14 years. He’s been the go to guy in Sydney and Australia for hand technique, and for me is the personification of the eternal student.

Jim has studied with some of the heaviest teachers in the world, including 20+ years with Joe Morello, Graham Morgan, Murray Spivack and more recently Bill Bachman. He’s also been huge in really pushing me and all of his students to pass on the knowledge that they’re gotten from him. That you haven’t truly internalised a concept until you can teach it. Not to mention he’s a badass player and a lovely guy.

It was such a pleasure to get to sit down with Jim and talk to him about his life, drums, meditation, teaching, self compassion and a lot more. Please enjoy!

Jim Piesse
(Freelance Player/Educator/Clinician)
Website: http://www.jimpiesse.com/

Jim proudly endorses:
DW Drums
Sabian Cymbals
Evans Drumheads
Promark Drumsticks
QuietTone Practice Pads

Drum Channel
https://drumchannel.com/
Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) including Musician’s Australia (Musician's Union) https://www.meaa.org/meaa-musicians/
The Sam Harris “Waking Up” Meditation app
https://wakingup.com/
Bill Bachman’s Drumworkout.com
http://www.drumworkout.com

Any questions, feedback or comments just get in touch!
Facebook - www.facebook.com/thedeconstructeddrummer/
Instagram - www.instagram.com/thedeconstructeddrummer/

Welcome to Episode 19!

This is a conversation with Ben Ellingworth. Aria Award winning drummer for Illy, drummer for Warflags and a fantastic session player. He’s worked with acts ranging from Pop Will Eat Itself to Peking duck and Clairy Brown, and is the ex drummer for both MM9 and Switchkicker.

I first met Ben when he was working at Billy Hydes Drumcraft in Surry Hills, and I can distinctly remember seeing him play for the first time at the Annandale with Switchkicker. I walked away speechless after that gig. Ben had such an amazing sound and presence, and was one of the first guys I saw using a hybrid setup to it’s full potential. So damn good! It’s been such a pleasure to watch Ben go from strength to strength, including winning an Aria award for his work with Illy!

We cover a lot in this conversation: Moving to Melbourne, what it means to “network”, growing up on the Central Coast, his tattoo and the philosophy behind that. (p=p-i). Plus we even talk a little bit about drums. It was such a blast to get to chat with Ben, please enjoy!

Ben Ellingworth

Illy (Aria Award Winner), Warflags, Pop Will Eat Itself, ex MM9 + Switchkicker.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/benj_elling/

Ben proudly endorses:
Yamaha Drums & Electronics
Paiste Cymbals
Remo Drumheads
Los Cabos Drumsticks

Ben’s #Drumlife video on Dan Kirby’s DK drums youtube channel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVI_QZg-6jQ&t=44s

The book mentioned with the "P = P - I" formula is The Inner Game of Music.

Any questions, feedback or comments just get in touch!
Facebook - www.facebook.com/thedeconstructeddrummer/
Instagram - www.instagram.com/thedeconstructeddrummer/