#504 Floyd Kellogg- Drummer, Multi-Instrumentalist, Producer, and More!
This week’s guest is Floyd Kellogg. Floyd has many talents in the music industry. For starters, he plays several instruments, drums in Woodford Line and was instrumental in the outcome of the debut album. He continues to record & produce many other artists at his own studio as well as perform on tour. Floyd’s played in several amazing bands that include Andy Frasco, Adios Pantalones, You Scream I Scream, Violent Mae, Spookie Daly Pride, Jeff Tuohy, Foggy Roots, Buckle n Shake, and more.
Happy Birthfday!
Happy Birthday to Rebecca Kite! Rebecca is the author of a definitive biography of the world-famous Japanese marimba virtuoso, Keiko Abe – a work of scholarship that includes an exhaustively researched history of the concert marimba, accompanied by an illustrative music CD.
Kite's biography cum marimba history has been translated into Japanese, and will be translated into Spanish and published by the University of the Arts and Sciences in Chiapas, Mexico in 2013. A Chinese translation is planned, as well.
Kite was the first marimba teacher to record pieces traditionally played by beginning marimba students -- and so, for the first time, students could have the instructional benefit of hearing how these pieces ought to sound. On Kite's Prism recording, she played "Yellow After the Rain," the most popular marimba piece for beginners worldwide. She has created additional groundbreaking teaching materials, as well.
Kite holds several patents for innovative timpani designs that enable greater ease in moving the pedal, while improving the drum's overall sound. Early in Kite's musical career, she studied with such stars of the percussion world as Cloyd Duff, timpanist of the Cleveland Orchestra from 1942-1981, and George Gaber, Chair of the Percussion Department at the Indiana University School of Music in Bloomington, Indiana from 1960 to 1985. Much later in her continuing musical education, she studied with Keiko Abe, the
internationally known marimba virtuoso.
Happy birthday to David Rivera! David sprang from Puerto Rico as a recording artist, composer and arranger with roots in Latin, Jazz, Gospel, Rock and Pop. Over ten years of professional music experience focused on teaching, arranging, composing, and performing various music styles – including Jazz, Latin, Gospel, Rock and Pop. In 2004 Rivera won the BEST Scholarship to attend the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston. Since then, he has been actively partaking in numerous live concerts and studio sessions with various artists. Some of those include legendary Gospel Singer, Ron Kenoly; Grammy Award Winner, John Benitez; Latin Grammy Nominee, Gonzalo Grau; Pedro Capo, Miguel Zenon, Tito Nieves, Jerry Rivera, Chucho Valdes, William Cepeda; Oscar Stagnaro; and Eguie Castrillo’s "Mambo King" Big Band and Latin Jazz Band. For the past seven years he’s been working full time with Alex Alvear and Mango Blue. He also performs as a guest drum set player with numerous bands, trios, and quartets. Furthermore, Rivera recently completed his Master’s degree in Music Education and is a faculty member at the Berklee College of Music City Music Program and in various summer programs such as The Berklee Day Sessions Summer Program and The Berklee Five Week Program. In 2017, he founded the podcast show “AKULKUL.”
Happy Birthday to She-e Wu! She-e has appeared as a solo artist at the 25th, 27th, and 30th Percussive Arts Society International Convention; Journées de la Percussion, NancyPhony Festival, perKumania festival, and PercuPassion Festival in France; Bach Symposium/Bach Variation Festival in Lincoln Center; Taiwan Connection concert at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center; International Percussion Festival and InterAmerican Music and Arts Festival Orchestra in Puerto Rico; Festival Internacional de Percusion "Ritmo Vital 2001" and National Percussion Convention in Spain; Fukui Marimba Seminar in Japan; Giornate della Percussione in Italy; Percussion Festival in Greece; Taipei International Percussion Convention, and many other festivals. She has performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall and Symphony Center, Chicago Chamber Musicians, and the Philadelphia Orchestra Chamber Music Series in Pearlman Hall at the Kimmel Center. Ms. Wu has performed as guest recitalist and clinician at universities, colleges, and conservatories in France, Belgium, Italy, Sweden, Denmark, England, Scotland, Germany, Spain, Greece, Japan, and Korea, as well as American music institutions and numerous PAS Days of Percussion throughout the United States.
Ms. Wu's composition Blue Identity was written for Frederic Macarez and the Paris Conservatory CNR percussion ensemble. Blue Identity was premiered in Paris at the Journées de la Percussion festival, and the American premiere took place at the 27th Percussive Arts Society International Convention. K-PAX, a piece for marimba duo, was commissioned by the Taipei International Percussion Convention in 2002 and was premiered in Taiwan and Japan. UP!, for solo percussion and seven percussionists, received its premiere at the Midwest Clinic in Chicago in December 2009. The world premiere of Ms. Wu's latest composition, What the Sun Would Say to the Sky, for marimba quartet, was premiered at PASIC 2011 in Indianapolis.
Ms. Wu has commissioned and premiered numerous works by Eric Ewazen, Ronald Caltabiano, Robin Engleman, Gerald Chenoweth, and many others. Ms. Wu's recent commissions are pieces written by Lee Hyla, Paul Lansky, and Dafnis Prieto. The world premiere of the percussion concerto with wind ensemble written by Paul Lansky is scheduled for January 2015 with the Northwestern University Symphonic Wind Ensemble. Ms. Wu has served as a judge for the Paris International Marimba Competition, Greece International Competition, Italy International Competition, Atlanta Snare Drum Competition, PASIC Marimba Competition, P.A.S. Composition Competition (Large Percussion Ensemble), and International Percussion Ensemble Competition (College).
Ms. Wu's recordings include Marimba Concerto by Eric Ewazen with the International Sejong Soloists, solo marimba CD Snapshot, Suite for Marimba and Flute by Alec Wilder with flautist Bart Feller, A Set of Songs and Dances by Doug Hill featuring Gail Williams on horn, and a chamber music recording with the American Brass Quintet of music by David Sampson. Her recording of Nos. 1, 2, and 3 of the Six Suites for Solo Cello by J. S. Bach, with Baroque embellishments by George B. Stauffer, was released in fall of 2014.
Ms. Wu is a clinician and recitalist for the Majestic, Mapex, Innovative Percussion, and Evans and Zildjian companies. Her signature mallets with Innovative Percussion are available worldwide. She plays on a concert marimba of her design by Majestic. Ms. Wu is associate professor of music and the head of the percussion program at Northwestern University.
Happy Birthday to Ryan Vaughn. Over the past twenty years, drummer/percussionist Ryan Vaughn has become a fixture in the independent music scene. Ryan has performed with some of the best independent singer/songwriters; including Caleb Hawley, Chrissi Poland, Zach Hurd (Bay Ledges), Sonya Kitchell, Elizabeth & the Catapult, Wakey! Wakey!, Ian Axel (A Great Big World), Rachel Platten, Lucius, Emily Kinney, Charlotte Sometimes, etc.
Ryan has also performed with numerous well-known recording artists such as John Forté, Anna Nalick, Aloe Blacc, Dave Monks (Tokyo Police Club), Joshua Radin, Ryan Cabrera, Tony Lucca, Jeffrey Gaines, Teddy Geiger, Tyler Hilton, Natasha Bedingfield, Rita Wilson, Hugh Jackman, Bebe Rexha, Lizzy Grant (Lana Del Rey), Ben Taylor, and Carly Simon. Ryan has performed on television for Late Night with Conan O’Brien with Joshua Radin, Comcast’s Backstage with Nick Howard (2012 winner of The Voice in Germany), and he is featured in John Forté’s groundbreaking documentary entitled The Russian Winter, which premiered at the TriBeCa Film Festival in the Spring of 2012.
In 2013, Ryan was the bandleader of the house band for Katie Couric’s daytime talk show, Katie. In 2016, Ryan worked on the development for Fox 20th Century’s hit movie, The Greatest Showman, for which he received a credit on the multi-award-winning original motion picture soundtrack. Vaughn has also worked on numerous other shows, including The Masked Singer, Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, and The Bachelor Presents: Listen To Your Heart.
In addition to performing and recording, Ryan has always had a knack for the business of music. In 2014, Ryan took a position as head of A&R for the new music company, Fieldhouse Music (BMG). In 2016, Vaughn was hired as the Business Development Manager at Marshall Arts U.S. (AEG). In 2017, Ryan founded his own artist management company called Backline Creative. Simultaneously to launching Backline Creative, Ryan helped his wife launch her custom music company, Head Bitch Music.
While Ryan was born in Upland, CA, he grew up in Prescott, AZ. Vaughn went on to earn two Associate degrees – one in Jazz Performance and the other in General Business – from Mesa Community College in Mesa, AZ and later his Bachelor of Music in Jazz Performance from the prestigious William Paterson University of New Jersey in Wayne, NJ.
Happy Birthday to Charles Ruggiero! Charles was born to be a drummer. The son of world renowned jazz musician Vinnie Ruggiero, Charles spent his early years surrounded by the "who's who" of jazz. There was always music around, and with musicians like Art Blakey, Philly Joe Jones, Freddie Hubbard, and Jon Hendricks coming to spend time and play, it was only a matter of time before he caught the bug and asked his father to play the "bang-bangs."
As a teenager, Charles got serious about drumming, playing anywhere he could. Soon, local high schools and colleges, as well as professional theatre groups, and popular local bands throughout western N.Y. started to hire him. After winning a seat in the New York State All State Jazz Ensemble, music colleges came calling. Manhattan School of Music offered a full scholarship and a chance to study with famed jazz educator Justin DiCioccio, so he jumped at the chance. The jazz scene in New York City in the early 90's was vibrant and he was plying regularly with his own "who's who" of jazz, including Joshua Redman, Peter Bernstein, Jane Monheit, Ryan Kisor, Joel Frahm, Sam Yahel, Brad Mehldau, Myron Walden, Chris Potter, and Dwayne Burno, to name a few.
Happy Birthday to Andy Moffatt! Andy is a lifelong Eagles fan living in Philly and come from a family of drummers. He was in the Indiana University of Pennsylvania Drumline in college which helped propel him into The Crossmen Drum & Bugle Corps. before he found out the Eagles were starting a Drumline, he worked at Zildjian Cymbals. After that, he auditioned and was lucky enough to grab a spot in the snareline with the team. A few short years later, he took over guiding the drumline mission. Their mission is to add to the incredible gameday atmosphere in Philly and engage with as many Eagles fans as possible!
Gig Alerts
Friend of the show, Jeffrey Barudin, has new job openings posted to his website for both teaching and playing.
Damon also mentions the Musical Chairs website.
The Percussion People, led by friend of the show, Michael Sgouros, has a concert as part of the NY Percussion Series at the Players Theater in the west village of NYC on Tues Sept 8th.
Sō Percussion is thrilled to announce their 2026-2027 concert season! Friend of the show, Jason Treuting, is one of the founding members of the group.
Friends of the show, Lilliana de los Reyes and Wally Reyes are performing at the Vibrato Jazz Club in Los Angeles on Friday September 11th, two sets at 7 and 9.30pm.
Rock in Rio is happening in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from September 4th-13th.
Educational Spotlight
Prices for PASIC are going up after September 2nd, so hurry up and get your badge today, renew your membership for a discounted price and reserve your hotel room.
The UK Drum Show is happening in Liverpool, England on October 24th-25th.
Iconic Recording
The iconic recording is “Hey Joe” by the Jimi Hendrix Experience, with Mitch Mitchell on drums.
The Weather Report video talked about may have been from this concert.
Music News
Shout-out to Olivia Rodrigo’s on the success of her first Daisy Chain Fields festival which raised $20 million.
Shout-out to friend of the show, Andy Sanesi on the product for your bass drum he helped create!
The TourSync platform has now created an app to use with Master Tour and your respective digital calendar.
Floyd Kellogg interview
The song leading into the interview is, “In The Sun” by VIOLENT MAE with Floyd on drums.
Damon starts the interview defining what a person from Connecticut is. “While "Connecticutian" is sometimes heard, Connecticuter is the official term recognized by the U.S. Government Publishing Office and the Library of Congress. Another popular, historical nickname for residents is a Nutmegger.”
Floyd and Damon met at Nectars in Vermont with the respective bands they were playing in. Shout-out ot friend of the show, Tommy Diehl and the band he and Floyd were in, Spoky Daly Pride.
Floyd’s first instrument was bass. He plays both bass and drums.
Floyd attended UConn.
Floyd is from Newtown, CT. Shout-out to his uncle for the music introduction.
The band Floyd was in was called Adios Pantalones.
Floyd mentions the (Motor)Cycle Sluts from Hell.
Floyd talks about genre shaming in music and the evolution of improvised music.
Shout-out to Bill Reynolds, one of Floyd’s teachers.
Floyd has worked on the flooring of people’s homes from time to time.
Floyd now lives on Nantucket. He found out about the island from playing at the Chicken Box.
Floyd has a studio in the basement of the Nantucket Community Music Center where he is the main engineer and producer.
Floyd talks about the advantage of playing other instruments and knowing music when he’s engineering or producing a session.
Damon mentions Elin Hinderbrand.
Floyd talks about recording on Muskeget Island.
Shout-out to friend of the show, Josh Dion, Jon Peckman, as well as Jim Oblon.
Floyd also mentiions Aynsley Powell.
Floyd picks the iconic recording for the week.
Shout-out to Joe Proc (Procaccini), Richie Scarlet, Earl MacDonald, Dave Santoro, Carl Nappa, and Danny Bernini.
Floyd asks Damon about getting “tuned up” or learning new instruments, or maintaining skills on different percussion instruments.
Floyd talks about playing drums with a percussionist.
Damon gives some pointers on small hand held percussion instruments.
Floyd and Damon talk about playing percussion for reggae music.
Shout-out to Andre Quackenbush.
Damon and Floyd mention a champagne vending machine located at the Gaslight venue on Nantucket.
Damon and Floyd talk about the Five Star Weekend series.
