Send us a Text Message. My guest is Los Angeles session and touring drummer, Jody Cortez. In this episode Jody talks about moving from Miami to Los Angeles at age 10. Meeting Jeff Porcaro and the Porcaro family, how Jeff got him his first major tour with Boz Scaggs at age 21, working with Christopher Cross including the songs "Uncharted Hearts" and "Wishing Well," touring with Crosby, Stills & Nash, and much more! Jody is also the author of a series of children's books, available through...

Send us a Text Message. My guest is my old friend and legendary drummer, the great Adam Nussbaum! We played the Michael Brecker track "Suspone." Adam talks about his early influences like Mitch Mitchell, who led him to Elvin Jones, his relationship with Mel Lewis, going on the road with John Scofield, the importance of listening, his brush technique and much more! So come along for the ride, and please subscribe! Adam is also the co-host of the podcast Drummer Nation - check it out!...

Send us a Text Message. My guest is author Robyn Flans and in this episode we discuss her book, "Moments In Time: Jeff Porcaro Stories" available through Hudson Music. This episode aired "live" on April 29, 2024, which was also Joe Porcaro's 94th Heavenly birthday. So come along for the ride and please subscribe!  Check out E186: Jeff Porcaro's 70th Birthday with Robyn Flans & Gary Katz! https://youtu.be/BC8ZeWzkPN4?si=cvPokPuZYqvHXetv To order "Moments In Time: Jeff Porcaro Stories":...

Send us a Text Message. My guest is Nashville session and touring drummer, Keio Strode. Keio discusses moving to Nashville from Athens, GA and breaking into the scene. The importance of having a positive attitude, working hard, being prepared and being dependable. His friendship with first call Nashville session drummer Eddie Bayers, working with Rodney Crowell, Big and Rich and Keb' Mo' whom we played two tracks from. Come along for the ride and please subscribe!  Live From My Drum Room...

Send us a Text Message. In Part 2 of Remembering Freddie Gruber, the stories and laughs continue as we reminisce about our friend and legendary drum guru, Freddie Gruber. I'm joined by Jim Keltner, Steve Smith, Dave Weckl, Adam Nussbaum, Bruce Becker, David Bronson, Jay Dittamo, Don Lombardi, Rob Wallis and Colin Schofield. We share some hilarious and poignant stories of Freddie. So come along for the ride and please subscribe!  Be sure to check out Remembering Freddie Gruber Part 1...

Send us a Text Message. I'm joined by an incredible group of legendary drummers and friends, as we remember drum guru to the stars, the one and only, Freddie Gruber. Jim Keltner, Vinnie Colaiuta, Steve Smith, Dave Weckl, Adam Nussbaum, Bruce Becker, Mark Schulman, David Bronson, Jay Dittamo, Don Lombardi, Rob Wallis and Colin Schofield. We share some wonderful and often hilarious stories of Freddie. So come along for the ride and please subscribe! Stay tuned for Part 2 coming soon!  Live...

Send us a Text Message. My guest is Chad Gracey - drummer and founding member of "LIVE." Chad and I discuss his stellar drumming on the band's hugely successful record "Throwing Copper" released 30 years ago this month. We do a deep dive into the recording process, songwriting, and Chad's approach to creating tasteful and supportive drum parts. We discussed his drumming on "All Over You," "Selling The Drama" and "Lightning Crashes." We also talked about Chad's podcast, "The Gracious Two"...

Hey everyone! I'm celebrating four years of "Live From My Drum Room" with my official Live From My Drum Room With John DeChristopher! t-shirt! Made of 60% cotton/40% polyester for a soft and comfortable fit!  Available in XS-XXL. $25 including shipping in the contiguous USA. For orders outside the US, I would need to calculate shipping.  Pay with Venmo and remember to include your size AND your mailing address. Venmo address: @John-DeChristopher-2. For questions, email me at:...

A special episode in honor of Jeff Porcaro's 70th birthday! I'm joined by Robyn Flans, author of "Moments In Time: Jeff Porcaro Stories" available through Hudson Music, and legendary Steely Dan producer, Gary Katz! Gary shared some wonderful stories about Jeff, including the first time he met Jeff and David Paich when they were brought in to record "Night By Night" for Steely Dan's "Pretzel Logic" album. We also played a few of Jeff's many incredible recordings, and much more! So come along...

My guest is Zack Alford! Zack and I do a deep dive into his long and stellar career, including The B-52s, Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie, Billy Joel, Gwen Stefani, The Psychedelic Furs and more! Lots of great stories and we play one of Billy Joel's tracks Zack played on, "All About Soul" So come along for the ride and please subscribe!  Live From My Drum Room With John DeChristopher! is a series of conversations with legendary drummers and Music Industry icons, hosted by drummer and music...

As I approach the 4th anniversary of Live From My Drum Room and close in on 200 episodes, I've put together a "Best Of" show with clips from episodes going back as far as 2020. My guests include Stan Lynch, Gary Mallaber, Micky Curry, Steve Gadd, Vinnie Colaiuta, Rick Marotta, Andy Newmark, Jim Keltner, Joe Vitale, Simon Kirke, Kenney Jones, Dave Mattacks, Charley Drayton, Pete Thomas, Shawn Pelton, Anton Fig, Aaron Comess, Cathy Rich, Steve Smith, Danny Seraphine, Denny Tedesco, Shane...

My guest is drummer, producer and a founding member of "The Hooters," David Uosikkinen! David and I discuss how he became interested in music, The Beatles on Ed Sullivan and becoming a drummer. Playing in bands as a teenager and ultimately forming "The Hooters" in 1980, recording their first major label release "Nervous Night" and its subsequent success, performing at Live AID in their hometown of Philadelphia 1985, the influence of MTV and much more! We also talk about David's project, "In...

My guest is drummer, producer and composer, Denny Fongheiser! Denny talks about moving from his home in the San Francisco Bay area to Los Angeles at age 20 and breaking into the LA session scene in the 1980s. We talk about Denny's exquisite drumming on Tracy Chapman's 1988 debut record, her smash hit, "Fast Car" and his appearance with Tracy Chapman and Luke Combs on the 2024 Grammy Awards and much more! So come along for the ride and thanks for watching! Please subscribe!  Denny's website:...

My guest is Joel Selvin, author of "Drums & Demons: The Tragic Journey Of Jim Gordon" available Feb 27th on Diversion Books. Joel and I do a deep-dive into the incredible and prolific career of legendary drummer, Jim Gordon, as well as the tragic circumstances of his mental illness. So come along for the ride and please subscribe!  The songs played during the show are: Layla and Bell Bottom Blues (Derek & The Dominos), What Is Life (George Harrison), The Rockford Files TV show theme...

Legendary drummer Andy Newmark and I do deep-dive into three of his iconic recordings: Carly Simon's "Anticipation," Gary Wright's "Love Is Alive," and John Lennon's "Nobody Told Me." So come along for the ride and please subscribe!  Contact Andy - e-mail: [email protected] telephone: +44 1227 750 139 (United Kingdom) "Live From My Drum Room" is hosted by drummer and music industry veteran, John DeChristopher, and is a series of intimate "conversations" with legendary drummers and...

I'm joined by friends and legendary drummers Jim Keltner, Andy Newmark, Joe Vitale, Stan Lynch and Kenny Aronoff, to celebrate and discuss that historic evening when The Beatles made their first US appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, February 9, 1964. An estimated 73 million people tuned in that night that changed popular music, pop culture and America. Beatlemania, The Beatle Boom and the influence it had on kids wanting to play music and join a band. So come along for the ride and please...

Hal Blaine's recording credits are simply staggering. Hal would have turned 95 on Feb 5th, 2024 - he passed away on March 11, 2019 at age 90. I'm joined by Jim Keltner, Don Randi, Denny Tedesco, Clem Burke, Dennis Diken and Don Lombardi, to celebrate Hal Blaine's 95th Birthday and share memories and stories of our dear friend.  Hal Blaine wiki page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hal_Blaine Come along for the ride and please subscribe!  "Live From My Drum Room" is hosted by drummer and music...

In this episode of TrackTalk, Rick Marotta and I do a deep dive into his driving shuffle in Boz Scaggs' "Breakdown Dead Ahead." So come along for the ride and please subscribe to my YouTube channel!  "Live From My Drum Room" is hosted by drummer and music industry veteran, John DeChristopher, and is a series of intimate "conversations" with legendary drummers and music industry friends, drawing from John's five decades in the music industry. Ranked "Best Drum Podcast," it's a peek behind the...

In this episode of TrackTalk, Myron Grombacher discusses his playing on Pat Benatar's "All Fired Up" Shadows Of The Night" and "Invincible." Come along for the ride and please subscribe!  Watch the entire episode: https://youtu.be/It7sQRms6b8?si=DdH15xLsgYxDwFMy "Live From My Drum Room" is hosted by drummer and music industry veteran, John DeChristopher, and is a series of intimate "conversations" with legendary drummers and music industry friends, drawing from John's five decades in the...

This episode of TrackTalk is an excerpt from Live From My Drum Room With Tris Imboden. In this episode, we do a deep-dive into two of Kenny Loggins' biggest hits that Tris recorded: "Footloose" and "I'm Alright." Tris shares insights on each song, including him singing the bridge on the "live" version of "I'm Alright" which is included, along with "Footloose." So come along for the ride and please subscribe to my channel!  Watch the entire episode of Live From My Drum Room With Tris Imboden!...

In this episode, we do a deep dive into Hudson Music's retrospective on Steve Gadd, "Gadd: A Life In Time." My guests are the legendary Steve Gadd himself, along with Rob Wallis and Joe Bergamini of Hudson Music. Rob and Joe share insights on the development of the book, which includes interviews, song transcriptions, never before-seen-photos and much more! Also some of Steve's iconic recordings with commentary from Steve. So come along for the ride! Please Subscribe!  Order the book:...

This episode aired live/was recorded on June 22, 2021 and due to audio issues, it was never released as a podcast (only available on YouTube. ) However, I feel the content in Dave's episode is too good not to release as a podcast, even with the echo, so here it is!  My guest is drummer, educator, author and composer, Dave DiCenso! We talk about Dave's incredible career including his years touring with Josh Groban and Hiromi. His work as an educator and author, teaching at Berklee College of...

My guest is four-time grammy nominated drummer, composer, arranger and producer, Adam Deitch. Adam and I do a deep dive into his creative process for composing and recording. Growing up immersed in music, where both parents are drummers. His bands "Lettuce" "The Adam Deitch Quartet" and their latest release "Roll The Tape" his work and collaborations with John Scofield, his online drum lessons "Deitch Academy" and much more! So come along for the ride!  Adam's website:...

Closing out 2023 with a tour of my drum room and memorabilia. A look at my vintage drum collection, along with some background on each kit. And a look at the various memorabilia, Gold and Platinum Records and more, I've accumulated from my years working in the Drum Industry. Please excuse any audio glitches as the show was streamed live on Facebook with my iPhone. So come along for the ride and please...