"That Great Gretsch Sound" has been around since 1883, join me as I talk with John Sheridan about the full history of this iconic company!

It all started with a Cockatoo named Snowball on YouTube dancing to the Backstreet Boys... That is what got Dr. Ed Large interested in studying the rhythmic abilities of animals including birds, primates, and even a sea lion! This episode dives deep into the history of how Rhythm works in both humans and animals and what he has discovered over the course of his research.

Angela Sells takes us through the history of female percussionists dating from thousands of years ago up to modern times. She has a PhD, is a writer for Tom Tom Magazine, a professor of Womens Studies and also plays in a Seatle based rock band! Female drummers have had to work very hard throughout time to be able to do what they love. Give this a listen and then go check out some of the great female drummers we talk about!

Bill Ludwig runs us through the fascinating history of Ludwig Drums! Grandson of the Ludwig founder, William F. Ludwig, his family has had a long and winding history with the Ludwig drum company - founding it in 1909 with a subsequent sale of the company in the early 80's. They have gone through many ups and downs in that time, from losing the rights to the family name, to Ringo changing the world on The Ed Sullivan Show. Ludwig has always been an integral part of drumming since the drum set has existed. Bill, aka B3, is "starting over" with his new drum company, WFLIII Drums! They are a beautiful homage to a classic style of drums with all the modern touches we have today.

We explore the entire life of the legendary Gene Krupa! I speak with Brooks Tegler about Genes beginnings in the early 1920's through his false conviction in 1943, all the way up to his death in 1973. In addition to being being such a revolutionary musician, Gene was a true gentleman and had a very rich and interesting life. Gene is responsible for many innovations in drumming that took the drum set from the "trap drums" of the early 1900's to what we now consider the modern drum set. Brooks Tegler is an expert on the subject of Krupa and his equipment and I'm honored that he took the time to share his knowledge with me!

Rob Cook, founder of the Chicago Drum Show and Author of "The Leedy Way", gives us the complete history of the Leedy Drum Company. The amazing story begins with U.G. Leedy producing snare stands in his apartment in Indianapolis and evolves into becoming the largest manufacturer of drums in the world.

Do you know what the Speed King Squeak is? Think …

Did you know "The Ludwig Boys" used to go through the dumpsters at Slingerland to try and figure out what they were working on? Jim has a deep family history that revolves around Slingerland drums dating back to when Slingerland was a guitar company. His great uncles and father were long time employees of the company running the woodshop, and Jim worked there in his high school years during the night shifts.

"Stencil drums" were Japanese copies of major drum manufacturers like Slingerland and Rogers that were created in the 50's to the 80's. They feature some of the most unique finishes that you can find and have become a unique category of affordable collectors drums.

For a moment in time, it was ILLEGAL to use more …

What was it like to be a Trap Drummer in the sile…