#238 Andrew Maguire- Percussionist, Drummer, Recording Studio Owner & More!
Andrew Maguire is a freelance drummer/percussionist in Los Angeles. He has been a drum sub on Hamilton since 2017, performing hundreds of times in San Francisco, LA, and on the first national tour. Before relocating to LA in 2020, he was active in the Bay Area theatre, freelance, and indie rock worlds. He is a member of the Magik*Magik Orchestra, with whom he's joined Gregory Porter, Gregory Alan Isakov, ODC Dance with Zoe Keating, and Pop Up Magazine's live shows. He is also a house session musician at John Vanderslice's renowned Tiny Telephone Recording, collaborating on dozens of albums every year. He has played with people as diverse as Van Dyke Parks, the Kings of Convenience, and the Oregon Symphony and plays/tours regularly with Mirah, Vetiver, Meernaa, and more. He studied at the University of Miami Frost School of Music (BM) and the Henry Mancini Institute in LA.
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday to Dame Evelyn Glennie. Evelyn is the first person in history to successfully create and sustain a full-time career as a solo percussionist, performing worldwide with the greatest orchestras, conductors and artists. Evelyn paved the way for orchestras globally to feature percussion concerti when she played the first percussion concerto in the history of the Proms at the Royal Albert Hall in 1992.
A leading commissioner of new works, Evelyn has vastly expanded the solo percussion repertoire with more than 200 pieces to her name from many of the world’s most eminent composers. “It’s important that I continue to commission and collaborate with a diverse range of composers whilst recognising the young talent coming through”. Evelyn composes music for film, television, theatre and music library companies and is a double GRAMMY award winner and BAFTA nominee. She regularly provides masterclasses and consultations to inspire the next generation of musicians. The film ‘Touch the Sound’ and her enlightening TED speech remain key testimonies to her innovative approach to sound-creation.
Leading 1000 drummers, Evelyn had the honour of a prominent role in the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games.
“Playing at an event like that was proof that music really affects all of us, connecting us in ways that the spoken word cannot”. Evelyn’s solo recordings, which now exceed 40 CDs, are as diverse as her career on-stage. These range from original improvisations, collaborations, percussion concerti and ground-breaking modern solo percussion projects.
Evelyn was awarded an OBE in 1993 and now has over 100 international awards to date, including the Polar Music Prize and the Companion of Honour. She was recently appointed the first female President of Help Musicians, only the third person to hold the title since Sir Edward Elgar and Sir Peter Maxwell Davies and will take the mantle of Chancellor of Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, Scotland from July 2021.
The Evelyn Glennie Podcast was launched in 2020 featuring popular personalities from the worlds of music, television and academia. The episodes centred around what listening means to different people and its importance in everyday life. Subsequent series are being planned with a wider range of guests. Evelyn is currently creating The Evelyn Glennie Collection with a vision to open a centre that embodies her mission to Teach the World to Listen. She aims to ‘improve communication and social cohesion by encouraging everyone to discover new ways of listening as proven in her book ‘Listen World!’. We want to inspire, to create, to engage and to empower’.
Happy Birthday to (friend of the show) Daniel De Los Reyes. Daniel was born into a family that for three generations has been making a living at banging and shaking things to make music. His grandfather, Walfredo de los Reyes II, laid the family musical foundation by co-founding the famous Cuban orchestra, Casino de la Playa. His father, Walfredo de los Reyes III, went on to become one of Cuba’s most successful drummers/percussionists before moving to Puerto Rico and then the United States. As one of the first drummers to incorporate the drum set with congas and other percussion, Walfredo III blazed a wide path that many would follow. He continues to wow crowds with his drumming and percussion ability, extensive musical history, and incredible enthusiasm at the ripe young age of 79. Daniel and his brothers, Walfredo Reyes Jr. and Kamar de los Reyes, keep the torch burning brighter than ever as they consistently stamp the de los Reyes name all over the percussion and entertainment landscape.
Currently on tour with the Grammy award-winning Zac Brown Band, Daniel has performed with a virtual who’s-who of artists including Don Henley, Earth, Wind & Fire, Sting, The Killers, Sheryl Crow, Patti LaBelle, Peter Frampton, Jennifer Lopez, Don Omar, Stevie Nicks, Louie Vega, Ricky Martin, Shakira, Lionel Richie, Kenny Ortega, Steve Winwood, and many more.
Gig Alerts
Gig alerts this week features two websites that post classical jobs for all instruments, but they currently have some postings for percussionists. The first one is Musical Chairs (dot info). Musical chairs is the world's leading online resource for classical music professionals and students.
The other is Audition Cafe (dot com). Audition Cafe is the #1 site for finding and posting orchestra and band auditions. Discover orchestra, band and administrative jobs around the world.
Educational Spotlight
Shout-out to Mark Wessels on the forthcoming new book called "A Fresh Approach to the Beginning Percussion Class". Basically it's a synthesis of his snare and mallet books, but written to work together (so you can split up the class however you like). Throughout the book, He also introduces the other percussion instruments in a way that each lesson includes mini ensembles. It's a great way to keep kids excited, learning proper techniques, and perhaps as a way to reward or motivate students to learn their snare/keyboard parts.
Social Soundbyte
You can pre-save the album on Spotify or Apple Music by CLICKING HERE. You can also click to learn more about the Jazz Foundation of America and what they do for musicians!
Product Review
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Iconic Recording
The iconic recording for this week is “Long Train Runnin'” by the Doobie Brothers from the album ‘Live at Wolf Trap’.
You can see the Doobie Brothers on tour with friends of the show Ed Toth and Marc Quiñones.
Music News
MPs call for complete reset of music streaming to ensure fair pay for artists. The music industry is weighted against artists, with even successful pop stars seeing "pitiful returns" from streaming. -Article
Landing an endorsement deal. The benefits of signing as a brand ambassador may have morphed, but there is still much that can be gained by partnering with a well-known company -Article
This episode is sponsored by Eucatape. Use the code EUCATAPE15 for 15% off a checkout.
Andrew Maguire Interview
The song leading into the interview is Empty Promises by Luke Temple from his ‘Both-And’ album.
Andrew was born in Hershey, PA but raised in Denver, CO. Damon and Andrew talk about Hershey Park and the chocolate factory called Chocolatetown.
From there they move onto drum corps. Andrew was a member of the Blue Knights and their front ensemble.
Andrew learned from Rudy Royston.
Andrew attended the University of Miami school of music.
Andrew spent a lot of time listening to the Bodyguard soundtrack. Damon and Andrew both listened to Operation Ivy as kids and Andrew talks mixtapes.
Andrew talks about why he bought a vibraphone instead of a marimba.
Damon and Andrew nerd out about baking. He has baked Mexican wedding cookies. His go-to treats to bake are: Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies and the 10 Layer Russian Honey Cake (Medovik).
Andrew recounts some memories and pranks in Miami.
He talks about moving to the bay area and some of the musical outlets.
Andrew talks about recording at the legendary Tiny Telephone Studio.
Andrew moved to L.A. and is now building a studio called Altamira Sound.
Damon brings up Be An Arts Hero and the episode with Matthew Lee-Erlbach.
Andrew was subbing on the Hamilton tour before the pandemic for drummer John Mader.
Andrew used the Metronomics app to help him learn the book for Hamilton.
Damon and Andrew talk about post-covid times.
Andrew is a free agent when it comes to sponsors.
In addition to the aforementioned Rudy Roysten and John Mader, Andrew also shouts-out (friend of the show) Ney Rosauro, John Kinsey, Shannon Wood, and other musicians he works with!
Andrew’s go-to food spot in L.A. near the studio is a Uyghur Muslim restaurant called Dolan’s.
You can follow Andrew on his Website or on Instagram. You can follow the new studio he’s building by clicking Altamira Sound.
The song leading out of the interview is called “Better Part” by Meernaa from the album ‘Heart Hunger’.
