#164 Scott Pellegrom- Drummer, Educator, Writer and More!
Scott Pellegrom is known throughout the drumming community as the “mad scientist.” His playing as a soloist and band leader exudes creativity, from surprising ideas to blinding hand speed, using found objects to pulling unconventional sounds from conventional instruments. Videos of his hyper-creative playing can be seen on Drumeo, the Dream Cymbals and PDP/DW Drums social media channels, Scott’s Instagram (@scottpellegrom), and numerous other places around the web. Incorporating elements of drum and bass, jungle, and fearless improvisation into his playing, this “drummer’s drummer” defies expectation and genre, whether it’s playing jazz standards or today’s most experimental music.
Performing since the age of 5, Scott currently leads his own band, SP3, works as a chameleon-like head of percussionist and session drummer at Third Coast Recording Studios, and is an in-demand sideman for renowned artists spanning genres and styles. His reputation as an exciting, dynamic player has helped him cultivate a globetrotting career as a clinician and educator, teaching private students, masterclasses, and performing at drum festivals around the world.
With a recent Drumeo video passing 5 Million views, 32 thousand Instagram followers, a final four finish in the Guitar Center Drum-Off, and a nomination for Modern Drummer’s “Best Up-and-Coming Player,” Scott’s ability on the kit speaks for itself. As a proud endorser of Dream Cymbals (maker of the signature Scott Pellegrom RE-FX Crop Circle), Remo Drum Heads, PDP Percussion, and Prologix pads, he also travels as a brand ambassador, demonstrating products at Musikmesse, PASIC, and NAMM every year, and working closely with these companies to develop and market unique products for today’s drummers and percussionists.
A self-described “rhythmist,” Scott’s passion for honing his craft seems to spill from his personality, whether performing at a festival for thousands of spectators, leading a school assembly of young non-musicians, or delivering a presentation at a TedX event. As a professional educator, Pellegrom offers both in-person and Skype/Facetime lessons, has twice been featured as a Drumeo presenter, leads workshops, and provides vital technical and philosophical information to drummers of all ages and skill levels.
While his extensive career appearances and performances are too numerous to list, some noteworthy highlights include events like the Victoria Drum Fest, Montreal Drum Festival, PASIC, SXSW, Cape Breton International Drum Festival, Music China, Shanghai Music Mesa, and Australia’s Ultimate Drummers Weekend. He shared the stage with acts such as Karl Denson, Digital Tape Machine, Joel Cummins, Billy Strings, Federico Malaman, Seth Bernard, Theo Katzman, Bernhard Lackner, The Drifters, and many, many others - not to mention appearing at drum festivals alongside many of the greatest players in the world.
Gig Alerts
Damon is a special guest playing with Morgan James at the FTC Stage One theater in Fairfield, CT on Friday the 28th of February.
Marcos will be playing with Plena Libre in Chicago from Feb 28th-March 8th. More details to come.
Marcos is also playing with Domino Saints in a video coming out on the Vevo platform.
Feb 21st, Marcos is playing at Casona in Hartford, CT with Manolo Mairena from 6-9, then at Gonzalez Y Gonzalez with Arturo Ortiz & 7 Con Calle at 11.30pm.
Stay tuned for the Great Night in Harlem Concert on April 14th hosted by the Jazz Foundation of America.
Educational Spotlights
First up, our friends over at the CD Baby DIY Musician Podcast, have broken down TikTok for musicians to better understand and then use the platform. Check out their podcast episode explaining all the details for that.
If you’re interested in more DIY musician help, you can attend their DIY Musician Conference in Austin at the end of August.
The company Damon refers to that Charles Alexander started for upping your Spotify playlisting game is called Streaming Promotions.
The 21 Drums camp will be in Tuscany Italy this year. The teachers are Mike Johnston, Ash Soan, Mark Guiliana and Matt Halpern.
Product Review
The DW Quick Release Wingnut, is the product review for this week. It will save hours of screwing on wingnuts and then losing said wingnut and felt and thus searching for them in the darkness of the stage or practice room.
Social Soundbyte
Vlog #5 by Jeremy Bosch featuring Marcos, Marcos and Camilo talking about the top 10 solos in salsa.
Since it is still Black History Month, you can still go over to Spotify and listen to our official Discussions in Percussion Black History Month Playlist. Full of black history standards and favorites with some other cool versions mixed in.
Music News
Michael Bloomberg uses the same social media team as the disastrous Fyre Festival - Article
Spotify Launches ‘Songwriter Pages’ — With Clickable Songwriting Credits - Article
YouTube Is Testing ‘Applause,’ a Way for Viewers to Directly Donate to Creators - Article
Adele announces to expect her new album this September - Article
Scott Pellegrom Interview
The song leading into the interview is called Creepin’ by the Scott Pellegrom Trio.
Damon met Scott at PASIC. They talked about different kits including the kit they both started out on, the Muppet Drumset. You can own one too for a cool $675.
Scott came from a family of music appreciators with music always being in and around his family.
Scott’s first teacher was Tim Johnson. One of the first books Scott used was the Syncopation book by Ted Reed.
After Tim Johnson, Scott studied with Dr. Joyce Smith, then a bit with Tim Froncek, his daughter Danielle Santos, and later with Derico Watston.
Derico inspired Scott to dig into playing single pedal bass drum stuff a lot stronger, so one of the exercises he used was 1-12-123-1234-12345-12345-1234-123-12-1. Then adding a backbeat to that. Two songs Scott and Damon bring up are “So Fresh, So Clean” and “B.O.B. (Bombs Over Baghdad)” by Outkast.
Damon brings up Dave Elitch and his use of Alexander Technique. You can see more of that HERE.
Damon and Scott briefly joke about losing the cymbal wingnut and felt, which was also a bit in Fred Armisen’s Standup for Drummers.
Scott and Damon talk about making things that seem difficult, very simple. Most elements of drumming can be broken down into singles, doubles and triples. Which leads to Scott talking about the new book he has been working on.
Feel free to send Scott messages of encouragement to get him to finish his book.
Damon and Scott bounce ideas back and forth about new product development, which leads to talking about creating new sounds and your own voice on the instrument you play. One exercise that helped Scott in his creativity started as a drinking game with a “physical challenge” worked in.
Scott moves on to talk about the beginnings of the drumset evolving from different percussion instruments combined together to make a “trap kit”.
Scott tells his interaction with Bernard Purdie at the Cape Breton Drum Festival.
Some of the cool instruments Scott uses in his various setups are Morfbeats, a Jingle Stick, The PDP New Yorker Kit, the PDP concept single pedal with either a felt or hardcore beater or even the Vater Vintage Bomber.
Some of the music in Scott’s current rotation is anything by the Tribe Called Quest. Honorable mention for rhythmic inspiration is Busta Rhymes. You can check out the website Who Sampled to figure out the original source for some of the more popular hip hop samples. Squarepusher and Nine Inch Nails are others on the list of inspiration.
Some of the drummers in the electronica genre that Scott checks out are JoJo Mayer, KJ Sawka and Johnny Rabb. Scott also mentions Adam Deitch (of Break Science and Lettuce), as well as Victor Wooten, Bobby McFerrin, and Chick Corea. Damon mentions the Chick and Bobby duos. Scott also listens to Erik Satie, Aphex Twin and Louis Armstrong.
In addition to cooking, Scott likes to go Morel (and other type of mushroom) hunting.
Scott is a big fan of cooking and comedy. He mentions some of the same properties of being a stand-up comedian with performing music in front of an audience.
Scott uses Dream Cymbals, Vater Drumsticks, Remo Drumheads, Latin Percussion, DW/PDP Drums and hardware and ProLogix Pads
You can find Scott on his Website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
The song leading out of the interview is called Bees Knees by the Scott Pellegrom Trio.
