Working Drummer

Jason Smay has been in Nashville for a decade and plays with his son, McKinley James. Prior to that, he was based in Rochester, NY and toured with JD McPherson, Los Strait Jackets, and others. He and McKinley are also part of the Nashville group The Tiger Beats with Patrick Sweany and Ted Pecchio.

In this episode, Jason talks about:

Thinking about longevity in terms of exercise and overall health

His roots drumming heroes

Forming a relationship as young drummer with fellow Rochester native Steve Gadd

Using one set of sounds for a whole record

Why he loves producers who were/are also drummers

His disposition toward the growing role of tech in all music

Learning how to pursue the right opportunities for the right reasons

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Christopher Williams was born to be a drummer. Throughout high school, Williams drummed for several rock, jazz, metal, funk and blues groups, as well as the Greenville South Carolina youth orchestra. In 2004 he toured the United States as a member of the Carolina Gold Drum & Bugle corps. Christopher won a gold medal during the annual individual & ensemble competition and retained the title until 2006. Since 2008 he has been based in Nashville, Tennessee where he has built a strong reputation within the music community.

During his school years, Williams was able to study with Paul Riddle of the Marshall Tucker band, Dr. Gary Robinson, Brian Tinkle of the cavaliers drum & bugle corps, Ed Shaughnessy, Jim Chapin, and Elvin Jones.

During April of 2015 it was announced that Christopher would join the legendary heavy metal band Accept. Since then the group has played hundreds of shows in more than fifty countries around the world. Christopher has received global media attention, being featured in magazines and press since joining the band. When possible he performs, records, and tours with other artists & bands in a variety of genres.

Some of the artists/groups he has worked with include: Gene Simmons Ace, Frehley, Accept, Andrew W.K,. Rex Brown, Derek St Holmes, John Corabi, Kaato, Mick Mars, Blackfoot, Lee Greenwood, Kid Rock, Peter Stroud, Her, A Thousand Horses, members of: Parliament Funkadelic, the Rolling Stones, Kiss, Slaughter, Cinderella, David Bowie, Rod Stewart, Alice Cooper, Steppenwolf.

In this episode, Christopher talks about:

The origins of his woodworking skills

Managing life with a newborn son

Drumming for the legendary band Accept

How Christopher plans for recordings

The importance of being able to read & write notation

Inspiring experiences early in life

How he spends his time between tours

The financial realities of touring with a legendary band

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Jason Smay has been in Nashville for a decade and plays with his son, McKinley James. Prior to that, he was based in Rochester, NY and toured with JD McPherson, Los Strait Jackets, and others. He and McKinley are also part of the Nashville group The Tiger Beats with Patrick Sweany and Ted Pecchio.

In this episode, Jason talks about:

Bringing his son McKinley James up on the Rochester scene

Touring with JD McPherson from 2011 to 2020

Moving to Nashville because it was best for McKinley’s career

Entering the Nashville scene without expectations

Committing to what you love long enough for opportunities to come to you, rather than chasing trends or money gigs

How people have the power to make or break your experience, regardless of the music and the money

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Growing up in the church among talented and influential mentors, Kevin Watkins developed into a professional drummer and musician. Opportunities for recording, touring and even singing were readily available. His longest gig was with Country Gospel band, Brush Arbor. Although they were based in SoCal, they spent a lot of time in Nashville, recording and doing TV.

Later in life, Kevin’s drumming took a bit of a back seat to audio engineer and production work. He quickly became passionate about the other side of the glass in part because of his experiences as a player.

Even though live FOH and production opportunities kept him busy, drums always remained in focus. In early 2023, Kevin made it official and launched K-Wat Drum Co.

In this episode, Kevin talks about:

How he started building and restoring drums

What makes a “go to” snare drum

Creating a drum with character

The reasoning behind the names of his snares

The origin story of K-Wat drums

Growing up playing in church

Learning from Dave Williamson, Scott Williamson’s father

His long time affiliation with the Christian band Brush Arbor

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Sarah has been behind the scenes in the drum industry for decades, from her longtime role at Zildjian to her podcast Sarah Hagan Backstage to founding and running the Royal Cymbal company with Paul Francis. Most recently, she stepped into her newest role as director of artist relations for both Gibraltar Hardware and Rogers Drums.

In this episode, Sarah talks about:

Her new gig with Rogers and Gibraltar and some of the flagship products from both companies

How she got into the business side of drums as a college intern

Harnessing her superpower of connecting with people and connecting people with each other

The experience of hosting a podcast

The Royal Cymbals venture, and what she learned from being a hands-on fabricator of cymbals

How cymbal trends may be returning to “cymbal-sounding cymbals”

Her perspective and advice about the social media landscape

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