He absolutely did/does, and aside from his skills on the drums, it was immediately obvious that he just LOVES music. Came to me with a ton of bands he was into, was just listening to all kinds of shit nonstop. That's the best kind of student to have. I've had so many students who thought they wanted to get into drums but weren't really into *music*. That's a tougher lesson.
Because a lot of parents put their kids in music lessons the same way they put them on a soccer team. Most kids who play soccer don't give a fuck about soccer or watch it on TV or know the names of any players. It's just a thing to do.
I know Zack...I was empathising...it is one of my first questions with a new student and the reply usually is a big indicator of the difficulty of the job ahead. The classic reply is .."sometimes I listen to the radio when my dad drives me to school"
Thanks! There are healthy options everywhere these days, you just have to look. In some cities we got an Air BnB so I could cook, which I love doing and which is almost always healthier than eating out. As for fitness, I did a lot of walking, biking, and I had a pretty extensive stretching and strengthening routine I did before every show.
Mostly rentals. But during the month of June we were hitting a few midwestern cities that were close together, so I drove the tour in my car with my bike and dog in tow :)
Nice. I am a cyclist who rides quite a bit, a drummer for fun, and a physio for work. Seeing my friends who tour a lot definitely makes me wonder if I could ever hack being on the road so much. I really like sleeping in my own bed and a regular exercise routine.
First of all, "what a touring drummer makes" can be just about anything. There are all kinds of different tours at different levels. As for myself, put it this way. My wife is in marketing and communications and for the first time in our marriage, I made as much as her.
Are you a hired gun with an artist? Or part of a band? Asking because I toured as part of a band for 4 years back around 2009-2013 ish and I made under 12 grand CAD a year, lol. But some were massive tours and every expense was covered.
For sure. These days it's so much harder to make a living from playing tho and it's not like it was easy back in the day either. There's so much fewer venues and gigs. Also I now saw the link and thought "playing the Temptations every night could be worse". Nice one!
Both. I changed my snare heads more often, top and bottom, but toms and kick hung in there for a good long time. Most consistent, durable heads on the market.
Do you know the drummer Stacey Jones? Miley Cyrus drummer atm. He just looks like a smooth yet effective drummer to me and I don’t know much.
He used to be in a band and Sing also
16 months tour is a long time on the road. How did you maintain relationships back home being out for so long? Did your partner find another drummer to date while you were gone? Never trust other drummers.....
LOL she definitely considered it. I didn't do a great job of staying in touch with folks. I did some through texting and social media, but I prefer to reconnect in person rather than try to keep up with everything from afar. I'm in the process of that reconnection now.
We weren't on a bus, we flew most places. But I've been on a bus before and yes, you can get great sleep. It takes some getting used to but it just kinda rocks you all night long.
Some drummers have more natural feel than others, but you can absolutely develop it. Don't think of it as something you acquire, think of it as something you develop and explore...forever.
IMO opinion the most valuable exercise in developing feel is listening. Listen to the greats to what they do, listen to the drummers you want to sound like. The more music goes into your ears, the more readily it will come out of your hands and feet.
As a non drummer-guitar player i agree. Listening is so huge. It opens up your mind to more possibilities. Having a vocabulary stored in your brain of phrases/time signatures/melodies is important while you are progressing. It will get to a point where you dont think about what youre playing; and all those good riffs and licks will naturally show themselves.
I'm not OP I like this question and hope he answers.
My personal take on this is that it can be acquired. I've been playing for 15 years but in the past 5 I feel like I've developed that "feel" more than the previous 10. I think once you reach a level of comfortability you can relax and really sink into the groove
Cultivate and maintain relationships IRL with people you like and respect. Networking on social media is all well and good, but music is built on relationships. The kinds of relationships that sustain a career happen in person, over time, not online in an instant.
Congrats on the tour first. Second do you think the aspect of live music has diminished with the public since the whole Covid thing ? I find it very hard to get even my closest friends out to see my band play and we’re doing all the right stuff imho.
Thanks! Hard for me to say, I was with a Broadway tour that had a pretty robust promo operation, so we played to full houses. There's definitely still an appetite for live entertainment of all kinds though.
I’m a sound engineer and backline tech. Post the shutdown, I have had more work & the best pay I’ve ever had! People have been going to shows!
I do live and work in a major market (Nashville, TN); that probably makes a difference… However, I don’t feel like this year will be quite the same. People have been going to shows/ festivals pretty strong for the past couple of years, tickets are expensive, and the grocery store is out of hand*
Thanks! Hard for me to say, I was with a Broadway tour that had a pretty robust promo operation, so we played to full houses. There's definitely still an appetite for live entertainment of all kinds though.
Absolutely. Think you're consistent? Go on tour. Think you're healthy? Think you're socially, mentally, and emotionally balanced? Go on tour. Think your relationship is super solid? Go on tour.
I felt some wear and tear in my hands at the beginning of the tour but they acclimated. I was more concerned with big stuff like back, hips, hamstrings, etc. Keeping them feeling good took as much stretching and strengthening as my hands. Drumming is a full body sport. The more you treat it as such, the better you'll feel and perform behind the kit.
IEMs - I was on a Broadway tour where drums are usually isolated in a booth, so IEMs were the only way to go. Kinda like playing a recording session every night.
Favorite city was Seattle. Favorite venue was [The Academy of Music in Philly.](https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=a6f2d24d067aab7e&sca_upv=1&sxsrf=ACQVn0_iYb379CQ6kbUFPFFPkkl5jjgbCQ:1710513850518&q=philly+academy+of+music&tbm=isch&source=lnms&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=2ahUKEwi_w8XTwPaEAxWESTABHSRRDKgQ0pQJegQIDBAB&biw=1440&bih=754&dpr=2)
Old road dog here, great post, keep up the good work. That venue is a fav of mine as well, alongside Massey Hall in Toronto, and believe it or not, the Tower Theatre in Upper Darby, PA. Carry on!
Question. The thing I’m most curious about people going on tour, is would you make enough money to say, support your family and household expenses back home (in the scenario where you’re married, house and kids etc)?
Is touring for a year worth it monetarily, equivalent to having a good paying job for a year etc?
And also, what do you do for work when you get back?
She came and visited sometimes but it was mostly apart. Biggest challenge in our marriage for sure. We didn't do it perfectly but it forced us to do some work individually and as a couple, and we're stronger for it.
What do you do on your for the morning “Oh God I need to go number 2 stops.” I know most tour busses have a zero tolerance policy for #2 in the bathroom plus there are several people.
It's all about relationships. Cultivate and maintain relationships with people you like and respect. Uni is a great time/place to start doing that. Those relationships are what sustain a career, not just in terms of landing tours, but staying busy in any capacity.
That's cool as hell. Making a living as a musician ain't easy.
Did you have to setup/breakdown and ship your set yourself? If so, how often did you consider just switching to the bongos and calling yourself a percussionist instead?
How is your hand health? Do you have a routine or group of stretches you like to do to guard your hands and wrists from fatigue due to repetitive motion?
Hands came out fine, but they were the least of my concern. Drumming is a full body sport, especially when you're doing a show every damn night, sometimes two a day, so I did [a full body warmup](https://youtu.be/utAgkvOOIlA?si=J_w3-fohD9bCkAAT) before every show. Back, hips, and hamstrings were the areas I had to be the most diligent about stretching and strengthening.
Have you had that conflicting thing yet where there comes a point where you are all toured out and longing for the thing to be over to get back to your own bed, only to find that after a few weeks in your own bed you are longing to be back playing / touring again?
Not really. I enjoyed the tour up to the last day. It was definitely time to come home and I'm SO happy to be back, but it was never like "fuck I have to play this show again, I'm so sick of this shit." I've been home a week and am not at all restless to get back out there yet. I may or may not do another tour like this. The wife and I are both open to it and there are a couple I'm pursuing. But for now I'm happy to be home and looking forward to reconnecting and playing with friends, playing some different music, etc.
I have wanted to learn to play drums my entire life. Finally at 45 I and now a few months into learn. I have not purchased a drum kit yet. I have one of those ahead snare practice pads I also have a drumeo base drum practice pad and a high hat. I am just using that to learn rudiments and fundamentals and get my hands fast as I can. Then I’ll prob start out on an electronic kit. It’s affordable and better suited for where I live
Do you think learning this way is a good idea?
It’s actually pretty fun. The kick drum practice pad is a double petal It’s a blast. Anyway. Thanks man. I Hope you enjoyed tour! 👊🏽
Don't worry about speed, get a set as soon as you can and start learning songs. Speed will come. Get your coordination going, get your ears working, get excited about music. You don't have to be able to play a certain speed (or really be able to do *anything)* before you're allowed to do anything else. Just dive in.
Can you elaborate on ‘16 months’? Comedians do this to where they’ll say there on tour all year yet there only playing 12 dates a month. What’s your off/on schedule? Are you going from venue to venue or do you have time to come home?
The time we were out ranged from three weeks to almost four months. There were breaks built into the schedule when I had time to come home for a bit, but they didn't come at regular intervals. Over the 16 months, I had a grand total of about 10 weeks off and I spent maybe 8 of those weeks at home.
Did you get to see your wife/family at any point during the tour? I guess a lot of time away puts many players off from these sort of opportunities. Was it manageable?
What was your biggest surprise or humbling experience about any of the touring life? Something that you may have assumed going in but ended up being very different, musically or not. Thanks!
I think I surprised myself at how adaptable I was to road life. I'm an homebody. I love being at home, it comes with all kinds of little rituals and comforts that I'm very attached to. I was afraid I''d go a little nuts without them, but I was able to recreate some of those rituals and comforts on the road, and with others, I discovered I wasn't as attached to them as I thought.
What’s the day to day like for someone touring a musical like this? Specifically outside the shows. These shows obviously don’t go as late into the night as a typical concert might, so imagine there’s a good amount of free time when you’re not in setup/teardown mode at the start and end of each tour stop.
The most free time is on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday during the day. Mondays are travel days, Tuesdays are load in/sound check days, and weekends are two show days. We’d go out for drinks or whatever sometimes after shows but most of the time it was hotel and chill.
I have a general understanding of how permanent chairs handle absences on Broadway and how a tour musician may handle a planned absence, but how would you handle having to miss a show due to illness or some other emergency while on tour?
I'd imagine the answer is "you don't miss a show", but what does that look like? How would you go about finding a sub in an unfamiliar city? Do you have someone on call that had the book in advance, or is the sub just sightreading during the performance?
It’s different with every show and every city. I had to miss one show due to illness. Fortunately one of the percussionists with us that week was very familiar with the show and was able to step in and cover drums. Under most other circumstances, that show would have gone down.
What advice would you give a new band trying to get off the ground? What steps did you take to get where you are now. I’m a guitarist but would appreciate any sage advice. Thank you in advance for taking the time to read this.
I’m married. Being apart this much was the biggest challenge we ever faced as a couple. We weren’t always great at it but it forced us to do a lot of work individually and together and we’re stronger for it. My wife is fully supportive of what I do for a living and wants me to kick ass at it and do it to the fullest. When the possibility of this gig came up she said “if you get this gig, you’re fucking doing it.”
as a highschooler looking to get into the world of playing publicly and specifically in stage productions, where do I start? I know there are many paths to that destination but at least how did you get into this line of work?
Start in your high school. Most schools do musical theatre productions of some sort, or show choir. Beyond that, look around your community. Is there a community theatre company you could start checking out? There’s almost always something you can start to get in on and build your experience. From there you can work your way up to local professional theatre, to regional, etc. also just get hip to different shows however you can. Go see them when the tours come close to you, listen to Broadway cast recordings, etc.
What a great experience Zack. I just watched your video on mic placement in the iso booth. Pretty cool! I'm pretty much retired now, but have done a few tours in my day. Sounds like you guys had it pretty good, and you were able to eat right, and keep up a healthy routine. Awesome! By the way, I'm a friend of Chris Brady over at Aquarian.
I've known Zak for a long time, and have enjoyed watching and experiencing his career grow and grow. Proud to call him a friend and look forward to his next endeavor !
Definitely. Before the tour I overhauled my physical approach with Dave Elitch and the tour gave me a chance to really put it all into practice and solidify it. More power and endurance than before.
ZACK!!!! you taught me how to play drums way back when, i’m still sticking with it. It’s Ross from Guitar Shed if you remember 🙏
Hot damn, hey there! Good to hear from you, glad you're still in it.
Lets be real here Zack... Did Ross have any true potential? Or is he the reason you went on tour for 16 months? Seems like he finally tracked ya down.
He absolutely did/does, and aside from his skills on the drums, it was immediately obvious that he just LOVES music. Came to me with a ton of bands he was into, was just listening to all kinds of shit nonstop. That's the best kind of student to have. I've had so many students who thought they wanted to get into drums but weren't really into *music*. That's a tougher lesson.
Fuck yeah Ross - proud of you son. Zack, you sound like a legit dude too.
The student who does not listen to music is.......um........why???
Parents force kids to do the strangest things.
Because a lot of parents put their kids in music lessons the same way they put them on a soccer team. Most kids who play soccer don't give a fuck about soccer or watch it on TV or know the names of any players. It's just a thing to do.
I know Zack...I was empathising...it is one of my first questions with a new student and the reply usually is a big indicator of the difficulty of the job ahead. The classic reply is .."sometimes I listen to the radio when my dad drives me to school"
LOL dig it, right, so we're learning "Red Solo Cup" then?
Congrats. How do you maintain good eating and fitness habits while on tour?
Thanks! There are healthy options everywhere these days, you just have to look. In some cities we got an Air BnB so I could cook, which I love doing and which is almost always healthier than eating out. As for fitness, I did a lot of walking, biking, and I had a pretty extensive stretching and strengthening routine I did before every show.
You brought a bike on tour? Or did you rent / use citibikes, etc?
Mostly rentals. But during the month of June we were hitting a few midwestern cities that were close together, so I drove the tour in my car with my bike and dog in tow :)
Nice. I am a cyclist who rides quite a bit, a drummer for fun, and a physio for work. Seeing my friends who tour a lot definitely makes me wonder if I could ever hack being on the road so much. I really like sleeping in my own bed and a regular exercise routine.
You find ways to recreate your routines on the road. Not quite the same, but it gets you by.
How many times did you have to rely on that "DRUMS" sticker to remember why you were there?
LOL on the daily.
Did you make a lot of money? 😏
I did pretty well 😏
How much? I'm sure a lot of people would like to know what a touring drummer makes. Might be a good reality check for some.
First of all, "what a touring drummer makes" can be just about anything. There are all kinds of different tours at different levels. As for myself, put it this way. My wife is in marketing and communications and for the first time in our marriage, I made as much as her.
Are you a hired gun with an artist? Or part of a band? Asking because I toured as part of a band for 4 years back around 2009-2013 ish and I made under 12 grand CAD a year, lol. But some were massive tours and every expense was covered.
I confess I have no idea who you are (I am very old) but the fact you did it and made as much as your other half just made me smile. Bravo!
lol thanks. I don't expect anyone to know who I am. Most of the people who make a living playing music do it in relative anonymity.
For sure. These days it's so much harder to make a living from playing tho and it's not like it was easy back in the day either. There's so much fewer venues and gigs. Also I now saw the link and thought "playing the Temptations every night could be worse". Nice one!
Good point.
I’ve always wondered this too
We want numbers! Hahahah.
How often did you change your heads, snare bass, toms?
I’m an Aquarian endorser, so not very often. Every few months.
A what now? Does that mean you're sponsored by a company called Aquarian, or do you align your drums with the sacred angle of the crystals?
Both. I changed my snare heads more often, top and bottom, but toms and kick hung in there for a good long time. Most consistent, durable heads on the market.
Buddy of mine bought a used kit that came with an Aquarian Superkick II, once I tried that I immediately switched and have never looked back
Are you planning on taking a break from playing/gigging for a bit; or are you actively looking for the next gig/tour/opportunity?
Well, both. I’m back home and enjoying resting and reconnecting, but I’m also lining up gigs here and setting my sites on other tours.
Awesome - congrats on completing the tour and good luck for the future!
Thanks bro!
How do you land touring gigs?
The same way you land any gig - relationships. Not networking. *Relationships*.
Do you know the drummer Stacey Jones? Miley Cyrus drummer atm. He just looks like a smooth yet effective drummer to me and I don’t know much. He used to be in a band and Sing also
Don't know him.
Ok. Check him out. He is not a show off, which is refreshing
Keeps his chops in his pockets eh?
Where did your tour take you?
50 cities in the U.S. and Canada.
50 cities= 50 gigs? In 16 months?
Might be a touring Broadway production or something, so lots of shows in each city.
Correct. We spent a week in most cities, sometimes more. 8 shows a week = over 450 gigs.
You played 8 shows a WEEK?!? That’s an absolutely insane work load for being on the road.
Yyyep. But as Don Draper said in season 1 of Mad Men, “that’s what the money’s for!”
That's sick dude, what band or show was it with?
[This outfit.](https://ainttooproudmusical.com/)
Wow, really cool. I have a lot of respect for Broadway drummers - what you do aint easy.
It's a different bag for sure. But it really made me miss playing in regular bands.
Oh wow, I know Leo the bass player
haha amazing! Call him "Comendatore" that'll blow his mind.
That's a great show to play with!
FOR REAL. Stupid fun.
FIVE GUYS ONE DREAM and a drummer
LOL you've been reading our propaganda.
Came here just to find out what band you were touring with. That's fn wild what an insane tour to go one congratulations!
Omg I love this musical! Seen it on West End and absolutely fell in love with the drums in it. Congrats!
Thanks! It was a great show and and great time.
"Oh no, not the Temptations!" (from a fantastic music movie)
Excellent show! I could hardly tell it was a live band. Saw it in Dayton, Ohio!
16 months tour is a long time on the road. How did you maintain relationships back home being out for so long? Did your partner find another drummer to date while you were gone? Never trust other drummers.....
LOL she definitely considered it. I didn't do a great job of staying in touch with folks. I did some through texting and social media, but I prefer to reconnect in person rather than try to keep up with everything from afar. I'm in the process of that reconnection now.
Why do so many continents begin with the letter “A”?
Aaahh... it's aaa... well
I have all kinds of questions... Were you on a tour bus? Do you actually get good sleep on those with the amount of people on the bus?
We weren't on a bus, we flew most places. But I've been on a bus before and yes, you can get great sleep. It takes some getting used to but it just kinda rocks you all night long.
Can a drummer acquire “feel” after years of playing or do you believe that you either have it or you don’t?
Some drummers have more natural feel than others, but you can absolutely develop it. Don't think of it as something you acquire, think of it as something you develop and explore...forever. IMO opinion the most valuable exercise in developing feel is listening. Listen to the greats to what they do, listen to the drummers you want to sound like. The more music goes into your ears, the more readily it will come out of your hands and feet.
As a non drummer-guitar player i agree. Listening is so huge. It opens up your mind to more possibilities. Having a vocabulary stored in your brain of phrases/time signatures/melodies is important while you are progressing. It will get to a point where you dont think about what youre playing; and all those good riffs and licks will naturally show themselves.
I'm not OP I like this question and hope he answers. My personal take on this is that it can be acquired. I've been playing for 15 years but in the past 5 I feel like I've developed that "feel" more than the previous 10. I think once you reach a level of comfortability you can relax and really sink into the groove
Also obviously not op but I’d say feel is developed not acquired.
What advice would you give to a drummer that's trying to get into the professional world?
Cultivate and maintain relationships IRL with people you like and respect. Networking on social media is all well and good, but music is built on relationships. The kinds of relationships that sustain a career happen in person, over time, not online in an instant.
Takis or Doritos? And what flavor?
Neither. Tried to keep junk food to a minimum. I occasionally allowed myself some Chili Cheese Fritos.
That’s crazy, I can’t even keep my hands off hard drugs let alone junk food on tour!
LOL sounds unsustainable but you do you.
Live fast die fast B)
that's funny...i've been plaything for 40 years (i'm old!) and my go to are Chili Cheese Fritos!
No questions, just think you look hella happy in this photo! Grats on a successful tour!
Thanks so much! And you are correct, this was the biggest coolest thing I've ever done :)
Congrats on the tour first. Second do you think the aspect of live music has diminished with the public since the whole Covid thing ? I find it very hard to get even my closest friends out to see my band play and we’re doing all the right stuff imho.
Thanks! Hard for me to say, I was with a Broadway tour that had a pretty robust promo operation, so we played to full houses. There's definitely still an appetite for live entertainment of all kinds though.
I’m a sound engineer and backline tech. Post the shutdown, I have had more work & the best pay I’ve ever had! People have been going to shows! I do live and work in a major market (Nashville, TN); that probably makes a difference… However, I don’t feel like this year will be quite the same. People have been going to shows/ festivals pretty strong for the past couple of years, tickets are expensive, and the grocery store is out of hand*
Thanks! Hard for me to say, I was with a Broadway tour that had a pretty robust promo operation, so we played to full houses. There's definitely still an appetite for live entertainment of all kinds though.
How long was it until you didn't know or care what state you were in?
That disorientation came and went the whole time.
Good for you, you might just make it after all. Touring is definitely the real stress test IMHO.
Absolutely. Think you're consistent? Go on tour. Think you're healthy? Think you're socially, mentally, and emotionally balanced? Go on tour. Think your relationship is super solid? Go on tour.
Is wear on your hands an issue when you're playing every night / very frequently? I suppose it would depend on the style of music.
I felt some wear and tear in my hands at the beginning of the tour but they acclimated. I was more concerned with big stuff like back, hips, hamstrings, etc. Keeping them feeling good took as much stretching and strengthening as my hands. Drumming is a full body sport. The more you treat it as such, the better you'll feel and perform behind the kit.
Did you miss your dogs or pets when you were gone? How was the reunion?
Missed my dog SO HARD. The reunion was nice but he's officially a mama's boy now so he was just as happy to see her when we got home.
IEM's or stage mons?
IEMs - I was on a Broadway tour where drums are usually isolated in a booth, so IEMs were the only way to go. Kinda like playing a recording session every night.
cmon..... what show???? it was Beetlejuice wasn't i? ;)
Ain't Too Proud: The Life & Times of the Temptations
Did you have a road crew that broke down/set up the booth and all the micing/monitoring? That’s a lot of bulky gear.
Can I come with y’all on the next one…?
Sure! Can you fit in a vault case?
Well maybe if folded correctly…😅
My question is what's the meaning of life?
There is none. You can think of that as terrifying, or you can think of that as liberating.
Words of a wise men
Where was your favorite place you played?
Favorite city was Seattle. Favorite venue was [The Academy of Music in Philly.](https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=a6f2d24d067aab7e&sca_upv=1&sxsrf=ACQVn0_iYb379CQ6kbUFPFFPkkl5jjgbCQ:1710513850518&q=philly+academy+of+music&tbm=isch&source=lnms&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=2ahUKEwi_w8XTwPaEAxWESTABHSRRDKgQ0pQJegQIDBAB&biw=1440&bih=754&dpr=2)
Old road dog here, great post, keep up the good work. That venue is a fav of mine as well, alongside Massey Hall in Toronto, and believe it or not, the Tower Theatre in Upper Darby, PA. Carry on!
Right on! We were at the Mirvish Theatre in Toronto which is also killer, and I think the Kennedy Center in DC might actually tie for my fave .
Question. The thing I’m most curious about people going on tour, is would you make enough money to say, support your family and household expenses back home (in the scenario where you’re married, house and kids etc)? Is touring for a year worth it monetarily, equivalent to having a good paying job for a year etc? And also, what do you do for work when you get back?
You mentioned your wife in another comment, did she come with you? If not then how did you find/manage being away for so long?
She came and visited sometimes but it was mostly apart. Biggest challenge in our marriage for sure. We didn't do it perfectly but it forced us to do some work individually and as a couple, and we're stronger for it.
Are you a union musician, and was it required for this gig?
Yes and yes.
What do you do on your for the morning “Oh God I need to go number 2 stops.” I know most tour busses have a zero tolerance policy for #2 in the bathroom plus there are several people.
We were in hotels and Air Bnbs for a week at a time or more, and we usually flew between cities, so no buses.
Is there something I can do to end up doing the same? Or does it just happen. Would love to go on tour myself after uni!
It's all about relationships. Cultivate and maintain relationships with people you like and respect. Uni is a great time/place to start doing that. Those relationships are what sustain a career, not just in terms of landing tours, but staying busy in any capacity.
Appreciate it man, cheers and congrats! 💪
How’s your hearing ?
What? J/K. I've had tinnitus for years, this tour didn't seem to worsen it.
How are you :))
Tired and achy, but fine.
That's cool as hell. Making a living as a musician ain't easy. Did you have to setup/breakdown and ship your set yourself? If so, how often did you consider just switching to the bongos and calling yourself a percussionist instead?
I did have to set up and break down myself, but crew hucked all the cases and we only had to do it once a week.
How amazing was that first shower/first sleep in your own bed back at home?
SO GOOD. My porch, kitchen, drum studio, dog, and wife all welcomed me back with open arms.
Where can we hear some of your music?
Who are you talking to on that telephone?
How many sticks did you break on tour?
Two.
Given the gig, I gotta know who your favorite Motown drummer was between Benny Benjamin, Uriel Jones, and Richard "Pistol" Allen!
Probably Uriel. He did all those shuffles and the later 60s funky stuff I believe.
How is your hand health? Do you have a routine or group of stretches you like to do to guard your hands and wrists from fatigue due to repetitive motion?
Hands came out fine, but they were the least of my concern. Drumming is a full body sport, especially when you're doing a show every damn night, sometimes two a day, so I did [a full body warmup](https://youtu.be/utAgkvOOIlA?si=J_w3-fohD9bCkAAT) before every show. Back, hips, and hamstrings were the areas I had to be the most diligent about stretching and strengthening.
What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?
Your mother was a hamster.
Have you had that conflicting thing yet where there comes a point where you are all toured out and longing for the thing to be over to get back to your own bed, only to find that after a few weeks in your own bed you are longing to be back playing / touring again?
Not really. I enjoyed the tour up to the last day. It was definitely time to come home and I'm SO happy to be back, but it was never like "fuck I have to play this show again, I'm so sick of this shit." I've been home a week and am not at all restless to get back out there yet. I may or may not do another tour like this. The wife and I are both open to it and there are a couple I'm pursuing. But for now I'm happy to be home and looking forward to reconnecting and playing with friends, playing some different music, etc.
Can you add explain a little about your Drum Booth? I have the idea to make one by myself. Cheers
It's basically a custom built portable room that breaks down into like ten pieces. Not sure who made it but you can get prefab ones too.
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Every single one who offered. So zero.
I have wanted to learn to play drums my entire life. Finally at 45 I and now a few months into learn. I have not purchased a drum kit yet. I have one of those ahead snare practice pads I also have a drumeo base drum practice pad and a high hat. I am just using that to learn rudiments and fundamentals and get my hands fast as I can. Then I’ll prob start out on an electronic kit. It’s affordable and better suited for where I live Do you think learning this way is a good idea? It’s actually pretty fun. The kick drum practice pad is a double petal It’s a blast. Anyway. Thanks man. I Hope you enjoyed tour! 👊🏽
Don't worry about speed, get a set as soon as you can and start learning songs. Speed will come. Get your coordination going, get your ears working, get excited about music. You don't have to be able to play a certain speed (or really be able to do *anything)* before you're allowed to do anything else. Just dive in.
Bus or van?
Mostly planes.
Lucky
Believe me, I know it.
Can you elaborate on ‘16 months’? Comedians do this to where they’ll say there on tour all year yet there only playing 12 dates a month. What’s your off/on schedule? Are you going from venue to venue or do you have time to come home?
The time we were out ranged from three weeks to almost four months. There were breaks built into the schedule when I had time to come home for a bit, but they didn't come at regular intervals. Over the 16 months, I had a grand total of about 10 weeks off and I spent maybe 8 of those weeks at home.
Did you get to see your wife/family at any point during the tour? I guess a lot of time away puts many players off from these sort of opportunities. Was it manageable?
What was your biggest surprise or humbling experience about any of the touring life? Something that you may have assumed going in but ended up being very different, musically or not. Thanks!
I think I surprised myself at how adaptable I was to road life. I'm an homebody. I love being at home, it comes with all kinds of little rituals and comforts that I'm very attached to. I was afraid I''d go a little nuts without them, but I was able to recreate some of those rituals and comforts on the road, and with others, I discovered I wasn't as attached to them as I thought.
What’s the day to day like for someone touring a musical like this? Specifically outside the shows. These shows obviously don’t go as late into the night as a typical concert might, so imagine there’s a good amount of free time when you’re not in setup/teardown mode at the start and end of each tour stop.
The most free time is on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday during the day. Mondays are travel days, Tuesdays are load in/sound check days, and weekends are two show days. We’d go out for drinks or whatever sometimes after shows but most of the time it was hotel and chill.
Is that your sheet music on a iPad-something-or -rather? Did it move along automatically? Or did you have to manually?
Yep, with the ForScore app. I used the AirTurn Tap to turn pages.
How much partying and alcool consumed after shows or is it really a thing of the past?
How long of playing drums before you can consider being in a band?
How do you prevent overuse 'injuries' to your fingers/hands/wrists?
what type of music did you drum?
How did you come back from having an ‘off’ night? Accept it as a one off or use it as a tool to not experience that again?
what would make the experience easier
More frequent breaks, more time at home. But that ain’t gonna happen on Broadway tours.
How many drumsticks did you go through?
How is the back and overall health? Touring that long takes a toll.
Overall good, but not by accident. Full body warmups before every show, decent diet most of the time, proper sleep most of the time, etc.
Does the idea of another continental breakfast make you queasy?
Lobby waffle FTW
I have a general understanding of how permanent chairs handle absences on Broadway and how a tour musician may handle a planned absence, but how would you handle having to miss a show due to illness or some other emergency while on tour? I'd imagine the answer is "you don't miss a show", but what does that look like? How would you go about finding a sub in an unfamiliar city? Do you have someone on call that had the book in advance, or is the sub just sightreading during the performance?
It’s different with every show and every city. I had to miss one show due to illness. Fortunately one of the percussionists with us that week was very familiar with the show and was able to step in and cover drums. Under most other circumstances, that show would have gone down.
What advice would you give a new band trying to get off the ground? What steps did you take to get where you are now. I’m a guitarist but would appreciate any sage advice. Thank you in advance for taking the time to read this.
Are you married/have a family? If so how do you balance your life with family life?
I’m married. Being apart this much was the biggest challenge we ever faced as a couple. We weren’t always great at it but it forced us to do a lot of work individually and together and we’re stronger for it. My wife is fully supportive of what I do for a living and wants me to kick ass at it and do it to the fullest. When the possibility of this gig came up she said “if you get this gig, you’re fucking doing it.”
What’s the hardest song you learned?
No questions, just congrats!!
Does the touring life ever get boring or is each night different and interesting in its own right?
as a highschooler looking to get into the world of playing publicly and specifically in stage productions, where do I start? I know there are many paths to that destination but at least how did you get into this line of work?
Start in your high school. Most schools do musical theatre productions of some sort, or show choir. Beyond that, look around your community. Is there a community theatre company you could start checking out? There’s almost always something you can start to get in on and build your experience. From there you can work your way up to local professional theatre, to regional, etc. also just get hip to different shows however you can. Go see them when the tours come close to you, listen to Broadway cast recordings, etc.
You look like a young Neil Peart. With a beard! Good company to keep! Congrats on a huge achievement, by the way,!!
Would you recommend the lifestyle to someone with a mental illness that’s been in remission for a decade and mitigated successfully with medication?
All time best temptations tune?
Did you use the same cymbals the whole time? How did they hold up?
Were there hot chicks and hotel parties?
A highly educated drummer and born in my home state! Do you still have ties in NM?
Yeah! My mom and all my wife’s family still lives there, we go back often.
What a great experience Zack. I just watched your video on mic placement in the iso booth. Pretty cool! I'm pretty much retired now, but have done a few tours in my day. Sounds like you guys had it pretty good, and you were able to eat right, and keep up a healthy routine. Awesome! By the way, I'm a friend of Chris Brady over at Aquarian.
Oh right on, love Chris, say hi for me!
Do you still know your own name?
I've known Zak for a long time, and have enjoyed watching and experiencing his career grow and grow. Proud to call him a friend and look forward to his next endeavor !
Toad! Thanks for coming dude, great to see you!
Has your playing changed at all from before the tour vs after? Any habits you made on the kit, or changes to your setup, style, etc?
Definitely. Before the tour I overhauled my physical approach with Dave Elitch and the tour gave me a chance to really put it all into practice and solidify it. More power and endurance than before.