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:

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

Here's our Patreon

Here's our Youtube

Here's our Homepage
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

⁠⁠⁠Here's our Patreon⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠Here's our Youtube⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠Here's our Homepage
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

Here's our Patreon

Here's our Youtube

Here's our Homepage
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Born in Brooklyn, New York Rick Dior began his professional music career at the age of thirteen, freelancing in and around the metropolitan area in various small ensembles, orchestras and theater productions. He is a graduate of the Manhattan School of Music where he studied with timpanist Fred Hinger and jazz composer Bob Mintzer. He also studied extensively with famed jazz drummer Joe Morello. Rick has performed as a percussionist with a variety of superb artists in many musical genres including James Taylor, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Al Jarreau, Roberta Flack, Martina McBride, BeBe and CeCe Winans, Linda Rondstadt, Glen Campbell, Bobby McFerrin, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Randy Newman, and Marvin Hamlisch. He has added his drum set talents to performances with many great jazz artists including Marvin Stamm, Bill Watrous, Rich Perry, Harold Danko, Clark Terry, Red Rodney, Chris Potter, Lionel Hampton and Russell Malone. Rick also has an extensive orchestral percussion background and has performed as principal percussionist, section percussionist and timpanist with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, Charlotte Ballet and Opera Carolina since 1990. As a first-call theater percussionist and drummer in Charlotte NC, Rick has performed in dozens of Broadway show tours. They include Chorus Line, Jesus Christ Superstar, Wicked, The Producers, Young Frankenstein, Spamalot, Hairspray, South Pacific, West Side Story, 9 to 5, Mary Poppins, Bring It On, Newsies, and Beautiful. His recording credits are extensive and include CD releases, movie soundtracks and commercial radio/television spots. As an engineer and producer Rick has been involved in hundreds of recordings. These include recording projects with artists such as Branford Marsalis, Delfeayo Marsalis, Ellis Marsalis, Ed Thigpen, Harry Connick Jr., Michael Spiro, Joey Calderazzo, Michael Carvin, and Jimmy Cobb.

Rick is also a very active educator and has served as the Professor of Percussion at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte since 2001. He also maintains a busy private and online teaching studio.

In this episode, Rick talks about:

The variety of demands performing with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra

Playing percussion with touring musicals and the skills needed

How important it is to develop fundamental technique at an early age

Studying with and befriending the legendary Joe Morello

Rick’s Youtube channel: it’s beginning and it’s appeal

His custom built drumsticks

⁠⁠⁠Here's our Patreon⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠Here's our Youtube⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠Here's our Homepage
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tim Carman is a Nashville-based drummer, author, and educator known for his deep pocket, soulful touch, and command of blues, soul jazz, and roots music. Originally from the Boston area, Carman built his reputation on the New England music scene as a first-call sideman and session musician. From 2018 to 2024, he toured internationally and recorded with GA-20, a three-time Billboard #1 blues artist on Colemine/Karma Chief Records, helping the band earn repeated Boston Music Awards for Blues Act of the Year.

Now based in Nashville, Carman records and tours with Parlor Greens, an organ trio on Colemine Records, and continues to be an in-demand session drummer and bandleader. His playing draws on vintage electric blues grit, organ-jazz lineage, and a shuffle vocabulary that has made him a go-to voice for artists seeking deep feel and stylistic authenticity. Alongside performing, Carman is an active educator, offering lessons, clinics, and online content that connect technique to real-world musical situations for working drummers and emerging players alike.

Carman is the author of six drum books, including The Shuffle Book Vol. 1 (2026), Philly-ISM (2023), and Haynes-ISM (2022), with the latter two nominated by Modern Drummer for Educational Product of the Year. His other titles include Groove Systems (2021), Shape Beats (2020), and Shape Beats for Kids (2017).

In this episode, Tim talks about

The many changes in his life and career since we last talked in 2022

The creation and unexpected success of Parlor Greens

Colemine Records and other small record labels acting as aesthetic curators for recorded and live music

Bouncing around to a few cities over the last few years before settling on Nashville

Finding jams/hangs/residencies on a given scene, and being able to read the different vibes there

Contributing to a community by creating your own projects/opportunities

The process and goals of writing his book on Shuffles

How generalities are more useful in considering types of shuffles than definitive categories

Here's our Patreon

Here's our Youtube

Here's our Homepage

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices