NEW EPISODE - The Drum Panel: Check your Self 1 before you wreck your Self 2

What is uppppp,

Ben here.

On this week’s episode of Drummers on Drumming, we’re back with another round of The Drum Panel.

Listen to the full episode → HERE

This time, I’m joined by my co-host Eric Urrea, an independent drummer from Chicago who plays with Marina City and La Armada, and Steve Durham, who is new to The Drum Panel but returning from Big Fat Five.

Steve has worked with artists like Louis Tomlinson, Mumford & Sons, Foals, Wolf Alice, Aurora and a bunch of others, but what made him perfect for this episode had less to do with credits and more to do with a conversation we had recently about the voice in your head when you play.

You know the one.

The little critic sitting behind you going, That’s the fill you’re choosing? Really?

So we started there.

The episode turned into a bigger conversation about creativity, pressure, self-judgment, and what happens when your brain gets in the way of your body. Steve talked about lessons with Dave Elitch, writing down the voice in your head, and how letting go of that tension changed the way he played. I talked about feeling safest as a hired gun, where the job is less about inventing something brilliant and more about executing the part with everything you’ve got.

We also got into the stuff drummers love to obsess over:

Inside this episode:

• Why creativity can feel hardest when someone says, “Just play whatever you feel”

• The difference between trying to play well and actually playing

• How tension shows up in your hands, shoulders, sound, and time

• Why the click can be a guide instead of a prison

• Whether being in a band is still worth it once money, time, and life enter the room

Listen to the full episode → HERE or wherever you get your podcasts.

PS

What does your inner voice sound like?

“an absolute gem—The depth here is next-level...“
- Butch Vig

“[This book] brings us back to carefully gathered, intimate insight and a deeper sense of connection that feels like sitting at a round table sharing stories with drumming colleagues. Well done, Ben!”
- Jojo Mayer

“A beautiful tribute to the drumming community...”
- Jared Falk