#459 Marcia McCants- Percussionist, Educator, Psychologist, and More!
Damon thanks people for coming out to his gig with friend of the show, Andy Sanesi at the top of the show.
This week’s guest is Marcia McCants. Up and coming percussionist, Marcia McCants is on the path to change the musical world. She completed her bachelor’s degree from James Madison University and has a Master’s in Music Performance from George Mason University and recently received a Master of Arts in Applied Psychology of Music from the University of Leeds. Her expertise in percussion has been in demand in her area, helping local high schools and middle schools with marching band or concert band. She currently teaches at Virginia State University as an Adjunct Professor or Percussion. Marcia is also active within the Percussive Arts Society being on the Scholarly Research committee and is a member of the Diversity Alliance. She has used her musical platform to bring awareness to social justice issues within the world of music, being recognized by growing social media accounts related to music such as Colors of Classical Music and Modern Marimba.
Her percussion skills have been heralded by peers, mentors, and others such as Sandbox Percussion, Casey Cangelosi, Annie Stevens, and Laurel Black. One of her more recent accolades has been playing with the Colour of Music Orchestra in 2021, resulting in a PASIC performance, and in 2024. Marcia continues and strives to combine her musical skills and knowledge with her drive for social and racial change by supporting artists and composers of color as well as gender equality. She runs a blog combining percussion, music psychology, and well-being in hopes to become a reliable source for all percussionists and musicians.
Happy Birthday!
Happy birthday to Adam Hill who was part of the Sports Drumline Roundtable episode. Adam is a music educator and percussionist in the Chicagoland area. He received a B.A. in Music Education from VanderCook College of Music with an emphasis in percussion under the instruction of Kevin Lepper and Dr. Charlie Menghini. At Romeoville High School in Romeoville, Illinois, Hill is the director of percussion, assistant marching band director, and teaches music technology, music theory, and guitar. Adam also is a member of the music faculty at University of St. Francis in the Music Technology program. He founded Pioneer Indoor, an independent marching percussion ensemble and has lead the ensemble to multiple WGI medals as their Executive Director. Adam Hill spent ten seasons as a member of the Chicago Bears drumline and is currently the director of the Chicago Bulls “Stampede“ Drumline. He was a member of Pioneer Drum and Bugle Corps and spent several seasons as their percussion coordinator, caption head, and arranger. Hill placed within the top ten for snare drum solo contest in Drum Corp
International, Drum Corps Midwest, and PASIC. In 2002, he placed second in the DCI snare drum solo compe-tition. Hill received the “Dr. Rosanne Rosenthal Excellence in Teaching Award” from Vandercook College of Music, the “Natalie Stukas Hearing Conservation Award”, and named a Pillar of the Community in Valley View School District. Adam Hill is an active music arranger, judge, clinician and performer. He proudly endorses Innovative Percussion, Evans, Dynasty, Zildjian, and Etymot-ic ear protection.
Happy Birthday to Makaya McCraven! Makaya is a beat scientist. The cutting edge drummer, producer, and sonic collagist is a multi-talented force whose inventive process & intuitive style of performance defy categorization. French-born, but raised in the Pioneer Valley of Massachusetts by expatriate musician parents, McCraven went on to develop his chops in Chicago and now represents a rising generation of globally-minded, genre-bending music makers as an artist as well as band leader. Through his unique, rarified performances and collaborations he unapologetically affirms our right to re-think and re-write the rules, any rules, and affirms other artists in their own exploratory evolutions. The song playing behind his intro is ‘Suite Haus’, from his newest album, “Universal Beings”.
Happy Birthday to Josh Dion! This week’s guest is Josh Dion. Josh is 50% of the band Paris Monster, where he plays drums, keyboards and also sings. Josh Dion was born at the tail end of the disco funk era, when popular radio bore the sounds of Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson, and 'four on the floor' drum beats! Raised in Storrs, CT, Josh started playing his father's drums before he even started kindergarten. He grew up playing drums to the simple and beat driven sounds of Nick Mason and Ringo Starr. He also lived across the hall from his older brother, who not only followed the Grateful Dead, but introduced him to Cream at the tender age of seven. Rightfully so, Cream, Zeppelin and the Stones led Dion to Willie Dixon, Robert Johnson and beyond.
A prodigious talent, Josh started playing professionally at age eight and was invited to shed with the UConn Jazz Studies program by the time he was twelve. While he was impressing people with his percussion skills, he was playing piano and singing in his local church, developing talents which would eventually help him stand out even among the world class drummers in whose company he has now found himself.
After a stint in the music program at New Jersey's William Paterson University, he has made New York City his home. Josh's college days were greeted by an immersion in the Jam band scene with NYC funk band Ulu, who toured the Eastern half of the US. Josh was soon noticed by jazz guitarist Chuck Loeb, who offered Josh an opportunity to be seen and heard by a whole new level of the music audience. From that platform, he has gone on to work with some of the major brand names of the music world: Candy Dulfer, Spyro Gyra, Will Lee, Pat Martino, Jeff Kashiwa, Jason Miles, Anthony Jackson, Edgar Winter, Randy Brecker, Bob James, Eric Marienthal, Til Bronner, Jim Beard, Ivan Lins and on and on.
Happy Birthday to Jim Mola! Jim has performed and/or recorded with jazz artists such as Phil Woods, Hank Jones, Dr. Billy Taylor, Bill Watrous, Mel Martin, Pepper Adams and Stanley Turrentine, as well as a diverse group of pop icons, Broadway and show business personalities including Tony Bennett, Weird Al Yankovic, Angelique Kidjo, Jane Olivor, Henny Youngman, Al Hirt, Pat Cooper, Billy Porter, Mario Cantone, Sally Kellerman and many others.
He has worked extensively in New York City’s recording studios, doing television, film, and jingle dates including A&E’s “Rat Pack” biography, Turner Classic Movie’s Lana Turner biography, Burger King, Nikon, Band-Aid, and more.
Jazz credits include:
The JVC Jazz Festival • Tony Bennett • Phil Woods • Stanley Turrentine • Charlie Rouse • Hank Jones • Frank Morgan • Annie Ross • Grady Tate • Dr. Billy Taylor • Larry Willis • Marc Johnson • Leon Pendarvis • Carmen Lundy • Bill Elliot • Bud Shank • Vic Juris • Bill Mays • Calvin Hill • Frank Strozier • Marion Cowings • Jay Leonhart • Harvey Swartz • Don Elliot • Victor Bailey • Lew Soloff • Bill Hardman • The Jackie Robinson Jazz Festival (House Drummer, 7 years) • The Charlie Parker Memorial Concert • Nelson Rangell • Carmen Leggio • Sal Salvador • Jimmy Rowles
Television, Film and Radio credits include:
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver • Sony Pictures "Hitch" • A&E bio pic "The Rat Pack" (Emmy Winner) • Turner Classic Movies "Lana Turner...A Daughter's Memoir" • Good Morning America • New York At Night (ABC).
Happy birthday to Valerie Dee Naranjo. Valerie is known for her pioneering efforts in West African keyboard percussion music, is originally from Southern Colorado. She moved to New York City after completing studies in vocal and instrumental music education (University of Oklahoma) and Percussion Performance (Ithaca College). In 1988 her playing of the gyil's traditional repertoire in Ghana's Kobine Festival of Traditional Music led to the declaration of a chiefly decree in the Dagara nation that women be allowed to play the instrument for the first time.
She plays percussion for NBC's Saturday Night Live Band, and has recorded and performed with Broadway's The Lion King, The Philip Glass Ensemble, David Byrne, The Paul Winter Consort, Tori Amos, Airto Moreira, and the international percussion ensemble, MEGADRUMS, which includes Milton Cardona, Zakir Hussein, and Glen Velez.
On six continents she endorses Avedis Zildjian (cymbals) Pearl/Adams (Latin and concert percussion) and Vic Firth products as a soloist and clinician.
Her recent film score recordings include Final Fantasy - The Dream Within and Frida. Her work and music have been written about in Modern Drummer, Drum!, Rhythm, Percussive Notes, and World Percussion Rhythm. She was named World Music Percussionist of the Year in 2005 and 2008, as winner of DRUM! magazine's Reader's Poll in that category. She has recorded several CDs of traditional gyil music with Kakraba Lobi and Barry Olsen, and the CD Zie Mwea with Mr. Olsen and Bernard Woma. Her solo Native American CD Orenda is on the Ellipsis Arts Label, and her series of 16 written transcriptions and CDs, West African Music for the Marimba Soloist, Traditional World Music for Western Percussion Ensemble, and Lewaa's Dream (Ancient and Contemporary Music for West African Marimba) are published by Mandara Music.
Valerie has apprenticed with some of America's and West Africa's strictest master percussionists, including Leigh Howard Stevens, Gordon Stout, Dave Samuels, Godwin Agbelli, and Adama Drame, and continues to spend summers in Ghana to further her perucussion study with maestros Yotere Baere and Kofi Misiso. She has also researched and studied in Botswana, Burkina Faso, Egypt, Morrocco, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa, where, in 1994 with Thuli Dumakude, she opened Johannesburg’s Civic Theatre to its first post-apartheid audiences in the production Buya Africa.
Happy Birthday to Kenny Grohowski! Brought up in a musical household in Miami, Kenny Grohowski has been performing since the age of 14. His rich musical background is demonstrated through the growing list of his collaborators and guest artists, including John Zorn, Andy Milne & Dapp Theory, Felix Pastorius & The Hipster Assassins, Shanir Blumenkranz, Trey Spruance & Secret Chiefs 3, Imperial Triumphant, Rez Abbasi & Junction, Jorge Sylvester’s A.C.E Collective, Jonathan Powell & Nu Sangha, Daniel Bernard Roumain, Bobby Sanabria, Lonnie Plaxico, Bill T. Jones, and Richie Ray & Bobby Cruz.
Happy Birthday to Taku Hirano! Taku, one of the top percussionists on the touring and recording circuit, has been referred to by rock legend Mick Fleetwood, founder and drummer for Fleetwood Mac, as his “Secret Weapon" for good reason. His training encompasses Classical concert percussion, jazz drum set, and traditional Afro-Cuban, Brazilian, West African, Middle Eastern, Indian and Japanese styles and instruments.
This includes a BM cum laude from Berklee College of Music as the institution's first graduating Hand Percussion degree major, four years under the tutelage of conga master Giovanni Hidalgo, four years of Middle Eastern percussion studies under world fusion percussionist Jamey Haddad, studies with frame drumming virtuoso Glen Velez, graduate studies in World Music Performance at California Institute of the Arts studying West African and Indian percussion, time spent with Tokyo’s leading taiko drumming dojo through the Nippon Taiko Foundation, research in Havana, Cuba studying for a month both privately with percussion legend Jose Luis "Changuito" Quintana and at the Escuelas Nacionales de Arte - ENA, and formative years spent under the guidance of Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra principal timpanist Kristan Phillips, jazz drumming legend Alan Dawson and world-renowned pop, funk and jazz drummer Ndugu Chancler.
Taku’s client list of luminaries spans practically every genre. He has toured the world with Fleetwood Mac, Whitney Houston, John Mayer, Bette Midler, Stevie Nicks, Lionel Richie, Isaac Hayes, Japanese pop superstar Utada Hikaru, as a soloist on Japanese and Indian percussion with Academy Award-winning Bollywood composer A.R. Rahman (Slumdog Millionaire), and as a featured soloist on the #7 top-grossing concert tour of all time, Cirque du Soleil’s Michael Jackson: THE IMMORTAL World Tour.
And Happy Birthday to this week’s guest, Lalo Davila (on October 25th!)
Gig Alerts
PASIC 50 is about 3 weeks out! It’s not too late to register and get your hotel room.
The NYC Halloween Parade is happening on Oct 31st in the west village of Manhattan, and the afterparty is at the House of Yes in Brooklyn. Friend of the show, Scott Kettner and Maracatu NY have participated in the past and you too can sign up and be in the parade as long as you have a costume.
Damon and friend of the show, Bryan Carter, will be in the houseband for the Sing Out for Freedom benefit for the NY-ACLU. One of the musical acts is the cast of the Broadway show, Buena Vista Social Club. Friend of the show, Renato Thoms will be playing percussion with them. He also has some new dates for forthcoming clinics at schools at schools coming up.
Educational Spotlight
The Guidebook App for PASIC 50 is out now and you can create your own personalized schedule. Go to: https://pas.org/pasic/app/. You can also check out when the various committee meetings are happening and when if you need to attend or are interested in becoming a member on one (see image below).
The October issue of Percussive Notes has dropped and there is an article on the education committee sponsored clinics.
Euro Zambrano, professor at L.A. Community College and percussionist for Chaka Kahn is giving a clinic on groove, free of charge.
Iconic Recording
The iconic recording is “Tisket-A-Tasket” performed by Ella Fitzgerald.
The song where Ella forgot the lyrics is from a live performance in Berlin of “Mack The Knife”.
Music News
The Diversity Alliance committee has scheduled several themed events for different groups at this coming PASIC. All of which are listed in the Guidebook app.
The Black Percussionists B.Y.O.L. (Bring Your Own Lunch) is happening Thursday, November 13th at 12pm.
The LGBTQIA+ meet up is happening Thursday, November 13th at 5.30pm.
The Women and Non-Binary Coffee is happening Friday, November 14th at 8am
The Diversity Alliance Reception is happening Friday, November 14th at 5.30pm
The Philadelphia Eagles are going to have jerseys in honor of D’Angelo and also set up a music scholarship. The D’Angelo Memorial Music Fund, established in partnership with several Philadelphia-based institutions, has already received donations from players, artists, and fans nationwide. The fund’s mission is to provide full scholarships for young musicians who demonstrate exceptional talent and a passion for soul and R&B. Within 48 hours of launch, it had reportedly raised over $1.2 million. -Article
Michael League expresses his thoughts and concerns with the way Spotify is currently being run and some suggestions on how to take action.
The NY Musicians Union has authorized a strike if the contract with the musicians is not agreed to by Thursday October, 23rd.
Some back story as to why there is a discrepancy in the contract.
Marcia McCants Interview
The song leading into the interview is, Bach's Lute Suite in E Minor (Allemande, Bourrée), performed by Marcia.
Damon first met Marcia at the Black Percussionists, B.Y.O.L. last PASIC.
Marcia talks about musicians of African decent playing in a wide varieties of genres.
Shout-out to Q Robinson.
Marcia talks about how she decided to play percussion because of her brother. Shout-out to her dog Chili.
Marcia was born in the Bay area of California. She spent her formative years in the Alexandria, VA area outside Washington D.C.
She started in choir and dancing.
Damon and Marcia talk about the marching arts and fundraising.
Marcia talks about how she landed on marimba as one of her favorites to play.
Shout-out to friend of the show Valerie Naranjo and the gyil.
Marcia went to James Madison University. Same school as friend of the show, Nate Smith.
She got her masters at George Mason University.
Marcia’s singing and piano skills have helped her with her percussion playing.
She recounts her audition material to get into school.
Marcia got a second masters in psychology at Leeds University in England. She talks about how she got into that and its prevalence in her life (and some info on smiling).
Damon mentions the book, Touring and Mental Health.
Marcia talks about the percussion ensemble she helped start.
Damon mentions the Alexander technique. Shout-out to the interview with friend of the show, Nick Costa. Damon mentions the book by Pedro de Alcantara. The book is called: Indirect Procedures: A Musician's Guide to the Alexander Technique.
Marcia talks about her PASIC presentation she will be involved in this November. Her “How Musicians Convey Emotions Through Body Movement” seminar will be Thursday November 13th at 10am in room 209. Her participation in the M’Boom performance is on Friday November 14th, in the ballroom at 1pm.
A video of M’Boom with Max Roach is below.
Damon and Marcia talk about improvisation.
Marcia picks the iconic recording for the week.
Marcia uses Sonaris percussion, and Black Swamp percussion.
Shout-out to Kristi Thomas, Joe Lebrie, Charlie Burts, Adam Forman, Steve Rice, Bill Rice, Dr. Michael Overman, the late Marlon Foster, John Kilkenny, (friend of the show) Dr. Lamon Lawhorn, and Casey Cangelosi.
Marcia and Damon end the interview talking about T-Pain.
You can follow Marcia on Facebook and Instagram.
The song leading out of the interview is the first track from Marcia’s graduate recital.
