The photo of Jason was taken by Axel Kabundji.

This week’s guest is Jason McGerr. Jason is a Drummer, Session Artist, Producer, Mix Engineer, Clinician, and Educator who's worked with the likes of Death Cab for Cutie, Tegan and Sara, and Matt Nathanson among many others.

Jason first picked up sticks in middle school band at age 11. It became such a passion that by the time he’d turned 15, he was hired by a regional artist to join a group performing Paul Simon songs at a local theater. The catalog and range of material required him to study and learn some of the most iconic grooves in drumming history, including several beats by the great Steve Gadd, which in turn set the standard for Jason’s musical and professional goals. In 1992, he began studying privately at The Seattle Drum School of Music and one year later, started taking his own students to carry on as a member of the SDS teaching staff for the next decade.

He has been a member of Death Cab for Cutie since 2002, internationally touring some of the worlds greatest venues while receiving 9 Grammy nominations along the way. With a vested interest in recording, engineering, session and programming experience, he owns a studio and has contributed to the catalogs of such artists as Tegan & Sara, Matt Nathanson, Chance the Rapper, Fences and several others.

As a private teacher and clinician over the past 25 years, he’s been featured in several publications, including Modern Drummer, Drumhead, Drum, Rhythm Magazine and even the New York Times. He’s performed at the Modern Drummer Festival, PASIC, and given several master classes at premiere drum shops and music schools around the country. All the while humbly furthering his eduction by continuing to study with world champion Scottish drummers for technique, internationally acclaimed drum set artists, studio session greats and touring veterans…. Anyone that he can learn from to gain a deeper understanding and approach to drumming. He will forever be a student and teacher.

Jason proudly endorses Gretsch Drums, Zildjian Cymbals, Vic Firth sticks, Remo Drumheads and DW Hardware.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to Jerrod “J-Rod” Sullivan! Proficient, intentional, and consistent not only describes Jerrod ‘J-rod’ Sullivan’s approach to music, but also his approach to life. Born in 1992, J-rod discovered his love for music at the early age of two and could often be heard drumming on pots and pans in his mother’s kitchen. Immersing himself in the diverse world of music, J-rod spent countless hours teaching himself to play bass guitar and the art of production.

In 2006, J-rod uploaded his first Youtube video, and the reactions confirmed what he knew all along - his musical talent would be used as a gift to educate and inspire others. Committed to learning and advancing his skill, J-rod enrolled in the Atlanta Institute of Music, graduating in 2012, and joined The 4 Korners band in 2013. With a growing community of over 700K+ online followers, it's obvious that J-rod’s brand exceeds his talent. His style, method, and dedication create an electric and eager community of aspiring and talented musicians.

J-rod's talent has led him to collaborate with some notable artists, including Janet Jackson, Jeffrey Osborne, Lalah Hathaway, Avery Sunshine, Bebe Winans, Smokey Robinson, Stokley Williams, Eric Roberson, The Temptations, Gerald Albright, Kirk Whalum, Jidenna, Johnny Gill, Frank McComb, Sevyn Streeter, Xscape, Kenny Latimore, Byron Cage, Alex Bugnon, and many more. These collaborations have further showcased J-rod's versatility and ability to work with a wide range of artists.

Additionally, J-rod has recently reached a significant milestone in his career. His highly anticipated debut album, "The Comeback," is now available. This album is a culmination of his musical journey, showcasing his growth, passion, and unique artistic vision. With captivating melodies and a distinctive sound, "The Comeback" promises to leave a lasting impression on listeners and establish J-rod as a force to be reckoned with in the music industry.

J-rod has already released two well-received singles from the album, "Out of Nowhere" and the title track "The Comeback." These singles have given fans a taste of what's in store, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive. Stay tuned for J-rod's continued inspiration and mark-making as he promotes his incredible talent and unwavering dedication.

Happy Birthday to Randy Gloss! A protégé of renowned percussion vanguard John Bergamo and longtime student of tabla maestro Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri, Randy Gloss is a percussionist whose background performing several modalities of hand drums, contemporary percussion, and drum set has led to his involvement in many innovative ensembles that fuse world music with new music and jazz.

Most notable for his work with Hands On’Semble, a percussion group devoted to the art of hand drumming created by John Bergamo in 1997 (with Randy Gloss, Andrew Grueschow, and Austin Wrinkle).

Hands On’Semble also garnered the attention of acclaimed film composer Harry Gregson-Williams, who recruited the group to provide percussion for his soundtrack to the Disney film Prince of Persia: Sands of Time. The following year, he brought Hands On’Semble back to provide the percussion for the Universal/ Dreamworks film Cowboys and Aliens.

In addition to being a founding member of Hands On’Semble, Randy was a driving force in the ensemble, having written many of the group’s compositions, organizing, producing and arranging tours, albums, grants, endorsements, and projects throughout the group’s extensive history. Ultimately, taking leave from the ensemble in the Fall of 2021. In those 24 years though, Hands On’Semble accomplished a tremendous amount out of very little, and afforded Gloss the percussion adventure of a lifetime on a global scale.

Other percussion music endeavors include Gloss’ solo percussion albums “…The Ayes Have It” Vol.I - Self Portraits in Percussion in 2015 and it’s follow up companion “…The Ayes Have It”, Vol. II - Self Portraits in Percussion in 2022, both released as double LP vinyl records on Orenda Records, in addition to a percussion duo album with Pete Lockett (Stones In the Yard) in 2020.

Randy has also worked with an extensive array of world renowned artists including: reggae superstar Ziggy Marley (on the Grammy winning album Fly Rasta); violin icon L. Shankar (Shenkar); pianist Larry Karush; The Lian Ensemble (including the Pangea Project with Djivan Gasparyan and Swapan Chaudhuri; and the 2009 UCLALive production of Medea starring Annette Bening); percussionist Adam Rudolph’s “Go: Organic Orchestra” and world percussion group Vashti; projects with slide veena virtuoso Chitravina Ravikiran (including a concert tour of India that also featured Brazilian pianist Jovino Santos Neto and master Ghanaian drummer Alfred Ladzekpo); a Balkan/Indian collaboration with maestros Aashish Khan, Swapan Chaudhuri, Miroslav Tadic, Vlatko Stefanovski; Romanian pan flute virtuoso Damian Draghici; overtone singer David Hykes; Turkish musician Latif Bolat; Vinny Golia’s Large Ensemble; pianist Ardeshir Rohani; flautist Nicole Mitchell, pianist Dan Siegel, and South Indian percussionist Poovalur Sriji to name only some. Randy has also contributed percussion for film soundtracks by composers Danny Elfman, Harry Gregson-Williams, and Gary Chang; for television series’ such as Fear Factor; video games such as Uncharted 3 for Sony Play Station; recorded music for the American Conservatory Theater; Southwest Chamber Music (Lou Harrison); and has recorded several extensive percussion sample libraries for software companies such as: Apple (Garage Band), Ilio, and Native Instruments.

Gloss has performed worldwide at international music festivals such as: International Oud festival of Jerusalem; Tahiti Guitar Festival; PercPan, Ritmos de Terra, the International Music Festival of Belo Horizonte, and Encontro Internacional de Percussão in Brazil; World Drum Festival in Hamburg Germany; The Taiwan International Drum Festival, the Tainan Chi-Hsi Int’l Arts Festival – Int’l Drummers Gala and the Hsin Chu International Folk Drum Festival in Taiwan; Percussive Arts Society International Conventions (PASIC); Angel City Jazz Festival; Seattle World Rhythm Festival; Watts Tower Day of the Drum Festival; the Different Drummer Festival, and numerous PAS “Days of Percussion” including New York City, Southern California, Central California, Northern California, Southern Oregon, Utah, Nebraska, Wisconsin, and Nevada. As well as performances at venues such as: Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco; Royce Hall, Skirball Cultural Center, Getty Center, and Ford Amphitheater in Los Angeles; Siri Fort Auditorium and National Center for Performing Arts in India; SESC Sao Paulo and Sergio Magnani Music Hall Fundação de Educação Artística in Brazil; and in Canada at Outremont Theatre in Montreal and Convocation Hall in Toronto.

Randy Gloss is faculty at California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) in Valencia California where he has taught since the late 90’s, overseeing the MFA World Percussion Program (since 2007); from 2015-2020 was the Director of World Music Performance Programs; and 2018-2021 the recipient of the Michel Columbier Performer-Composer Chair at CalArts. Additionally, Randy has taught at UCLA and LA Music Academy (LAMA), and has been a visiting artist/lecturer/clinician at many universities, music schools and conservatories in the U.S. and abroad.

Happy Birthday to Luis Conte! His genius stems from his ability to integrate the powerful rhythms of his native Cuba with the American necessities of American pop music. His long and varied career has included numerous Hollywood film scores and mega-successful albums with Madonna, Ray Charles, Phil Collins, Santana, Shakira, Jackson Browne, Sergio Mendes, Cachao, and a multitude of other artists too numerous to mention.

Born in Santiago, Cuba, Luis spent the first 15 years of his life soaking up the rich musical heritage of “El Son” and Carnival. "Life in Cuba is all about enjoying life, and music is central to that lifestyle," Luis says. "Music is almost like food to Cuban people.” While immersed in the music of his native Cuba, Luis also developed a passion for Rock & Roll, R&B soul music, jazz, and the Beatles.

At 15, looking for freedom, Luis emigrated to Madrid, Spain. He soon had another opportunity to travel, this time to Hollywood. In California, Luis stayed with a cousin and attended Hollywood High School, playing guitar in numerous rock bands throughout his teens.

After high school, Luis met John Monteallegre, who reunited him with Cuban drums at LA City College. By the time he was 18, Luis was intensely interested in drumming and took every opportunity to play and to learn, drawing his inspiration from a deep source of rhythm absorbed during his youth in Cuba.

Since then, Luis has become one of the most respected and recorded percussionists in the world.

Happy Birthday to Nick Angelis! Nick has been involved in the drum corps activity since 1979. Throughout 15 seasons, he marched with The Satellites from Leicester, MA from 1980-87, The Spartans from N.H. '88 and '89, The Boston Crusaders '90-91, The Santa Clara Vanguard 1992, The Star of Indiana 1993, Brass Theater 1994, and aged out of The Blue Knights from Denver, CO in 1995. As a performer, he was crowned The 1992 Drum Corps International Rudimental Snare Drum World Champion, 1993 Drum Corps Midwest Champion, and was a part of the 1993 Star of Indiana World Champion Percussion section.

Nick has taught and/or written, for numerous marching bands and drum corps all around the country including: Blue Knights, Boston Crusaders, Crossmen, Spartans of N.H., Troopers (Caption Head/Arranger 2005), Spirit of J.S.U. (Co-Caption Head and Co-Arranger, 2004-05), University of Massachusetts at Amherst, three-time BOA Finalist and AAA National Champion, Kennesaw Mountain H.S. (Percussion Arranger), BOA 2004 Atlanta Regional Finalist Harrison H.S., and BOA 2005 National Semi-Finalist, Bellbrook H.S. In 1994, he performed as a soloist in Star of Indiana's Brass Theater Featuring The Canadian Brass. He was an Original Featured Star performer for The Tony and Emmy award-Winning Show, Blast! From 1999-2003.

He performed in London at The Hammersmith Apollo Theatre, opened in New York City at The Broadway Theater, and was in The 1st National Tour performing in over 40 cities. Nick attended The University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where he received a Bachelor's degree in Music Education. He is currently the Assistant Band Director for the University of Cincinnati Bearcat Bands under the direction of Dr. Terren Frenz, and the Caption Head and Percussion Arranger for the Colts Drum and Bugle Corps from Dubuque, Iowa.

Happy Birthday to Josh Kiggans! Josh is the current drummer for GA-20 and previous to that, Ward Hayden and the Outliers. “My general approach is to always serve the song. I try to craft my parts in a way that will showcase the strength of a tune. Sometimes that means fast and loud and sometimes that means slow, low, or nothing at all. With social media there seems to be a lot of focus on over the top playing and a lot of notes but if you really dive into who’s working with a wide range of artists, whether live or in studio, you start to notice the common thread of “playing the song”. To me that’s the highest compliment you can get as a musician. In my playing and in crafting the parts for this record I really was striving to always put the song first.”

Happy Birthday to Bendji Allonce! Bendji Allonce began his percussion career at the tender age of four, deeply rooted in his Caribbean culture, but has since then toured across the globe and collaborated with the best of many musical genres. Highlights of his career include providing percussion for Kesha performance at 2018 Grammys, Vogue Fashion show with designer Pyer Moss, Dave Chappelle, Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, Kassav', Tanya St. Val, Chrisette Michele, R & B divas Jade, RES, Ben Williams, Terry Slingbaum, Trombone Shorty, Craig Robinson and The Nasty Delicious Band, Elle Varner and The Voice's Jermaine Paul. In addition, he stays busy doing studio work with artists ranging from B Slade (formerly Tonex) and singer/producer Chris Rob, to living legends like songstress Roberta Flack.

Bendji has also appeared on episodes of VH1's Love and Hip-Hop, BET's Music Matters and HBO show Vinyl, Netflix Special Hilarity For Charity with The Nasty Delicious in collaboration with The Muppets. Influenced by his father Herman Nau, bandleader of Haitians' leading Kompa band "Tabou Combo", it was only fitting for Bendji to also become an internationally recognized musician. His craft continues to evolve everyday while his effortless performance, and ability to cross over to new genres of music are leading factors to his distinction and authenticity as a musician.

Gig Alerts

Percussionist Jeffrey Barudin has posted new gigs to his website.

Here’s a few examples of what you can find on his page:

NETworks Presentations, LLC - Beetlejuice Bus & Truck National Tour (Drums)
Applicants should be comfortable playing big band/swing, rock, “standard” Broadway, hip-hop, pop, Latin, with a strong classical background.
Performance dates are 2/9/26 through 8/9/26
Please visit this website for additional information and instructions on how to apply

theatreMAMA (NY, NY) - Drumline performers needed
Drumline performers needed for a special pop-up performance this holiday season
Applications are being collected immediately; first rehearsal is 11/20/25
Please visit this website for additional information and instructions on how to apply

National Repertory Orchestra (Breckenridge, CO) - Timpani & Percussion Fellowships
Final deadline for submitting applications: 1/25/26
Summer Festival Dates: 6/20 - 8/8 (arrival on 6/14 and departure on 8/9)
Please visit their website for audition information and instruction on how to apply

Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (Indianapolis, IN) - Principal Percussion
Application deadline: 5/7/26
Audition dates: 6/14-16/26
Please visit their website for additional information and to apply online

Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (Winnipeg, Manitoba, CA) - Principal Percussion
This position is only open to applicants eligible to work in Canada
Application deadline: 12/1/25
Audition date: 12/15/25
Please visit their website for additional information and instructions on how to apply

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (Pittsburgh, PA) - Principal Percussion
Application deadline: 11/10/25
Preliminary auditions: January 12, 13, 19, and 20, 2025
Semi-final and Final auditions: 2/16-17/25
Please visit their website for additional information and instructions on how to apply

Jeremy Bosch is having an album release show this coming Saturday November, 22nd at 7pm at the Bronx Music Hall.

Mötley Crüe is headed back out on tour for 2026.

Educational Spotlight

Episode 2 of the Working Percussionist Podcast is out. It features friends of the show, Paulo Stagnaro, Marcos Lopez, and Marcos Torres.

Applications are now open for Sō Percussion Summer Institute 2026! July 5-19, in Princeton NJ – come learn and perform with Sō Percussion and its collaborators. CLICK HERE for more info or to sign up.

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Friends of the show, Jason Treuting and Megan Arns are involved.

Iconic Recording

Jason picked two iconic recordings for the week. The first one is, “East Broadway Run Down” by Sonny Rollins, with Elvin Jones on drums.

The second one is, “Ascension Day” by Talk Talk from the album, ‘Laughing Stock’. This one has Lee Harris on drums.

Music News

Entries are now open for the FIRST EVER Germany / Austria / Switzerland Zildjian Young Drummer Of The Year competition!

Friend of the show, Mike Dolbear in conjunction with ZIldjian Cymbals, Vic Firth Sticks, Remo Drumheads, and Gretsch Drums are sponsoring it.

CLICK HERE to get more info and to enter.

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Apple’s new Digital ID lets you add your passport to Apple Wallet and use it at TSA checkpoints in 250+ airports across the United States.

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Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye is donating $350,000 to support emergency relief efforts in Jamaica in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa. -Article

Jason McGerr Interview

The song leading into the interview is, “You Are A Tourist” by Death Cab for Cutie from the album, ‘Asphalt Meadows’.

Damon and Jason are recording this from PASIC. Damon talks about first meeting Jason in 2022.

Jason talks about Scottish Drumming. Shout-out to John Fisher. Also, shout-out to the late Alex Duthert.

Damon mentions the restaurant/music venue Oran Mor in Glasgow, Scotland.

Damon and Jason talk about the virtual aspect to PASIC.

Jason talks about the drumming posters on his walll growing up as a kid. From Dave Weckl, Neil Peart, Jeff Porcaro, Tommy Aldridge, Gregg Bissonette, Steve Gadd and more!

Jason talks about the importance of the DCI music videos and Modern Drummer magazines growing up.

Jason talks about the community of drummers and percussionists.

Shout-out to John Theodore and Glenn Kotche.

Jason talks about the difference of duties for being a band member vs. side person.

Jason is and has been a member of the band Death Cab for Cutie for over 20 years.

Damon talks about Steve Smith and his journey (pun intended). Jason talks about playing with other musicians and artists.

Jason talks about the writing and production process with his band.

Jason is from Bellingham, Washington, but has lived in Seattle as well.

Shout-out to Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich (and his album Time Check)

Shout-out to Doug Anderson.

Jason mentions watching Ash Soan give his clinic at PASIC.

Damon took a King Dojo session with Aaron Sterling.