Big Fat Five: David Garibaldi (Tower of Power) Shares His Top 5 Influential Records
Welcome back to Drummers on Drumming…a podcast powered by Big Fat Snare Drum.
I’m back with another installed of Big Fat Five — a segment of the podcast where we dive into the five records that shaped the way great drummers approach their craft.
My name is Ben Hilzinger and today’s guest is someone whose playing and educational work has impacted me personally in a big way. David Garibaldi is not only the legendary drummer of Tower of Power, but his book Future Sounds has been one of my go-to practice tools ever since my good friend Sarab Singh first turned me onto it. In this conversation, David shares the five records that shaped his unmistakable sound and approach to rhythm. I’m so honored to have him on — let’s get into it. I hope you enjoy my chat with David Garibaldi. Cheers!
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Get Your Copy of the Drummers on Drumming Book Today!
🎯 Click here to order now!
Drummers on Drumming (the book) takes you inside the stories, records, and moments that shaped some of the world’s greatest drummers. Built on the Big Fat Five format of digging into top influences, it’s packed with candid interviews and personal insights. Whether you’re just starting out or have been playing for years, this book is here to inspire you to sharpen your skills and find your own voice behind the kit.
DAVID'S BIG FAT FIVE:
Artist - Count Basie
Album - Breakfast Dance and Barbeque
Release Year - 1959
Drummer - Sonny Payne
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Artist - Sly & The Family Stone
Album - Whole New Thing
Release Year - 1967
Key Track(s) "Underdog," "If This Room Could Talk"
Drummer - Greg Errico
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Artist - Aretha Franklin
Album - Aretha Live @ The Fillmore West
Release Year - 1971
Drummer - Bernard Purdie
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Artist - The Meters
Album - Look-Ka Py Py
Release Year - 1969
Key Track(s) "Looka-Py-Py," "Rigor Mortis"
Drummer - Joseph "Zigaboo" Modeliste
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Artist - James Brown
Single - "I Got The Feelin'"
Release Year - 1968
Drummer - Clyde Stubblefield
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HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Artist - Maceo & All The King's Men
Album - Doing Their Own Thing
Release Year - 1970
Drummer - Melvin Parker
Maceo Parker
Album - Made By Maceo
Release Year - 2003
Drummer - Jamal Thomas
Artist - Ray Barretto
Album - Que Viva La Musica
Release Year - 1972
Key Track - Alafia Cumaye
Timbales - Orestes Vilato
Artist - Herbie Hancock
Album - Maiden Voyage
Key Track - Maiden Voyage
Release Year - 1965
Drummer - Tony Williams
Artist - Miles Davis
Album - Four and More
Release Year - 1966 (Recorded in 1964)
Drummer - Tony Williams
Elvin Jones...all his recordings...(especially McCoy Tyner's album Inception)
...and MANY more...
For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out www.bigfatsnaredrum.com and follow us on Instagram.
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41:13
Big Fat Five: Jacopo Volpe (Post Malone, Salmo, Damiano David) Shares His Top 5 Influential Records
We’re back with another installment of the Big Fat Five—where I invite on a drummer that inspires me to break down the five records that shaped their voice behind the kit.
My name is Ben Hilzinger and today’s guest is Jacopo Volpe. Born and raised in Italy, Jaco has played with Vanilla Sky, Post Malone, Damiano David, The Bloody Beetroots, Salmo, Portugal. The Man, and a bunch more. He’s got power, chops, groove, and the kind of confidence that only comes from playing on the biggest stages in the world.
I’ll let Jaco tell you more about his journey, but for now, let’s dive into the five records that helped shape who he is behind the kit. Cheers.
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Get Your Copy of the Drummers on Drumming Book Today!
🎯 Click here to order now!
Drummers on Drumming (the book) takes you inside the stories, records, and moments that shaped some of the world’s greatest drummers. Built on the Big Fat Five format of digging into top influences, it’s packed with candid interviews and personal insights. Whether you’re just starting out or have been playing for years, this book is here to inspire you to sharpen your skills and find your own voice behind the kit.
JACO'S BIG FAT FIVE:
Artist - Elton John
Album - Night and Day Concert - Live at Wembley
Release Year - 1984
Key Track(s) - "Crocodile Rock;" "I’m Still Standing"
Drummer - Nigel Olsson
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Artist - Toto
Album - Toto Live in Paris
Release Year - 1990
Key Track(s) - "Rosanna." "Hold The Line"
Drummer - Jeff Porcaro
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Artist - Stevie Ray Vaughan
Album - Live from Austin, Texas
Release Year - 1995/1997
Key Track(s) - "Texas Flood," "Cold Shot"
Drummer - Chris Layton
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Artist - Blink-182
Album - The Mark Tom and Travis show
Release Year - 2000
Key Track(s) - "Dumpweed," "Don’t Leave Me," "Mutt"
Drummer - Travis Barker
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Artist - Foo Fighters
Album - Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace
Release Year - 2007
Key Track - "The Pretender"
Drummer - Taylor Hawkins
For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out www.bigfatsnaredrum.com and follow us on Instagram.
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25:28
The Drum Panel: From Garibaldi to Game Show
Welcome back to The Drum Panel—a roundtable-style discussion on all things drums.
This week, I’m joined—as almost always—by my co-host Eric Urrea, and today’s special guest is Jeremy Taggart: longtime drummer for Our Lady Peace and co-host of the Taggart and Torrens podcast, where he blends his love of music, comedy, and all things Canadian. At the end of the day, we’re just good buddies—and those are the kinds of people I like to have on The Drum Panel.
This episode kicks off in the middle of a little rant I was having about a recent encounter with David Garibaldi… which, if you stick around long enough, you just might hear for yourself. Let’s hop in. Cheers.
In this episode, we discuss:
Jeremy’s dream piece of music memorabilia
The records he wishes he could’ve been a fly on the wall for
Making peace with not keeping every skill sharp—and choosing what to let slide to serve your personal sound
Singing while drumming
A round of Word Association
And of course…Trivia!
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Get Your Copy of the Drummers on Drumming Book Today!
🎯 Click here to order now!
Drummers on Drumming (the book) takes you inside the stories, records, and moments that shaped some of the world’s greatest drummers. Built on the Big Fat Five format of digging into top influences, it’s packed with candid interviews and personal insights. Whether you’re just starting out or have been playing for years, this book is here to inspire you to sharpen your skills and find your own voice behind the kit.
For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out www.bigfatsnaredrum.com and follow us on Instagram.
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52:30
Big Fat Five: Sam Cohen (Glitter Party) Shares His Top 5 Influential Records
What is up!? We’re back with another installment of Big Fat Five, where I invite on drummers who’ve inspired me to break down the five records that helped shape their unique voice behind the kit.
This week’s guest is Sam Cohen—a Canadian drummer who, much like Marco Kleebauer a few weeks back, popped up on my Explore Page and instantly caught my ear.
Sam also makes music under the name Glitter Party—a solo pop project he writes, records, and mixes entirely in his home studio up in Toronto. It’s raw, nostalgic, catchy, and perfectly saturated—DIY in the best sense of the word.
He does a great job of setting up his backstory and artistic approach right at the top of our chat, so I’ll shut up—for now.
Hope you enjoy the five records that shaped Sam Cohen into the musician he is today. Cheers!
Check out all of Sam's links HERE
SAM'S BIG FAT FIVE:
Artist - Amy Whinehouse
Album - Back to Black
Release Year - 2006
Key Track - "He Can Only Hold Her"
Drummer - Homer Steinweiss
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Artist - James Brown
Album - Star Time
Release Year - 1991
Key Track - "I Got The Feelin'"
Drummer - Clyde Stubblefield, Jabo starks, Melvin Parker
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Artist - Al Green
Album - Lets Stay Together
Release Year - 1972
Key Track - "Lets Stay Together"
Drummer - Al Jackson Jr
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Artist - The Band
Album - Music from Big Pink
Release Year - 1968
Key Track - "The Weight"
Drummer - Levon Helm
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Artist - John Coltrane
Album - Giants Steps (mono)
Release Year - 1960
Key Track - "Countdown"
Drummer - Art Taylor
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Get Your Copy of the my book Drummers on Drumming Today!
🎯 Click here to order now!
Drummers on Drumming (the book) takes you inside the stories, records, and moments that shaped some of the world’s greatest drummers. Built on the Big Fat Five format of digging into top influences, it’s packed with candid interviews and personal insights. Whether you’re just starting out or have been playing for years, this book is here to inspire you to sharpen your skills and find your own voice behind the kit.
For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out www.bigfatsnaredrum.com and follow us on Instagram.
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41:40
The 5 Pillars of Drumming
What is up?! Welcome back to Drummers on Drumming — a podcast powered by Big Fat Snare Drum. My name is Ben Hilzinger, and today’s episode is a little different.
A few months ago, I was sent a book by drummer and educator Mark Feldman — founder of Bang! The Drum School. The book is called Drumming Decoded: The Secret Code to Quickly Go From Newbie to Confident Drummer. It’s a relatively quick read at around 180 pages, but it’s surprisingly comprehensive.
Now, I usually try to steer clear of too much “insider baseball” on this podcast because I want everyone to feel part of the conversation. That said, I also realized I haven’t really addressed beginner drummers directly in a lot of my content.
So I brought Mark on not only to promote his book (which I do recommend — link’s in the show notes), but also to have a conversation about building a solid foundation from day one. And while this book and convo are definitely geared toward novice drummers, there are a ton of takeaways that can help any drummer — no matter where you're at in your journey.
So, whether you’re just picking up sticks for the first time or you're revisiting the fundamentals, I hope you dig this episode. Even if you think you’ve heard it all before... you might just grow a little more.
Here’s to the beginners — keep going. You got this!
Check out Bang! The Drum School HERE
Snag your copy of Drumming Decoded HERE
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ALSO...Get Your Copy of the my book Drummers on Drumming Today!
🎯 Click here to order now!
Drummers on Drumming (the book) takes you inside the stories, records, and moments that shaped some of the world’s greatest drummers. Built on the Big Fat Five format of digging into top influences, it’s packed with candid interviews and personal insights. Whether you’re just starting out or have been playing for years, this book is here to inspire you to sharpen your skills and find your own voice behind the kit.
For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out www.bigfatsnaredrum.com and follow us on Instagram.
DRUMMERS ON DRUMMING goes beyond technique and gear, diving into the stories, influences, and perspectives that shape the world’s most compelling drummers. Hosted by Ben Hilzinger (Cannons, Eve 6) and powered by Big Fat Snare Drum, this podcast delivers honest conversations, deep insights, and unfiltered takes from the drummers who move music forward.
Each episode explores what makes a drummer’s voice truly their own—whether through Big Fat Five, where guests break down the five albums, moments, or influences that defined their style, or The Drum Panel, a no-holds-barred roundtable on drumming’s most polarizing topics. Expect bold opinions, surprising connections, and an authentic look at the drumming life—on and off the kit.
For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out www.bigfatsnaredrum.com and follow us on Instagram.
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