#372- (Scott) Garrison- Artist Relations/Marketing for DW, Drum Tech for Tony Williams & More!
This week’s guest is Garrison.
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday to Brendan Mason! Brendan is an active teacher, performer, composer, and clinician in the New England area. He currently teaches general and instrumental music at East Shoreline Catholic Academy in Branford, CT (previously Saint Mary School) and serves as the Assistant Marching Band Director for Jonathon Law High School in Milford, CT. He provides private lessons to many students of all ages in the New England Area. Brendan also has served as caption head or technician to several area drum lines and percussion sections including the Cheshire High School Marching Band, Col. John Chester Drum Corps, Connecticut Patriots Drum Corps, The Stony Creek Drum Corps and the 7th Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps. He has provided clinics and workshops all over the United States and Europe, including a 2014 presentation for the Percussive Arts Society International Convention in Indianapolis, a series of performances throughout China, a week of clinics in Singapore for the Singapore Armed Forces Band and for The Royal Marine School of Music in Portsmouth, UK.
Brendan is a student of Ed Rhodes, Bob Rush, Paul Cormier, Mike Gagnon, Matt Mayotte, Tim Cecil and later studied under Ken Green while attending Northwestern State University of Louisiana where he pursued a degree in music education and percussion performance. Brendan started playing rudimental snare drum at the age of 6 as a member of the Col. John Chester Drum Corps. He soon began competing individually through the Corps, winning honors at the Connecticut, Massachusetts, Hudson Valley, and Northeastern States Championships. At age 9, Brendan became the youngest drummer to hold The Dan English Trophy as the Connecticut State Junior Snare Drum Champion, a distinction he has won more times than any other individual. In addition to teaching, Brendan is a member of the Connecticut Patriots Drum Corps. He has also performed with the Middlesex County Volunteers and The Top Secret Drum Corps of Basel, Switzerland. Through these groups, Brendan has toured both nationally and internationally, performing in Switzerland, France, Germany, and Australia. He has individually performed with notable musicians, such as Shania Twain, and was featured on an ESPN recording. Brendan is a proud member of The Company of Fifers and Drummers, USARD and NARD. He is also an endorsee of The Cooperman Drum Company, Innovative Percussion, ProLogix Percussion, and Loyal Drums.
Happy Birthday to Juels Thomas! Juels Thomas has never lived in a house without a drumset. She thinks this is normal. Her father was a drummer and started teaching her to play at the age of five. From there, she went on to march snare all four years of high school, graduate with a BA in Professional Music Business from Berklee College of Music in Boston and is currently the Director of Marketing and Artist Relations for Drum Workshop, Inc., which includes DW Drums, DWe, Gretsch Drums, Latin Percussion, Pacific Drums & Percussion and Slingerland. Juels is involved in the marketing strategy, planning and budgeting for all DW brands as well as overseeing artist and industry relations globally. She also manages the company’s trade show presence, clinic tours, artist sessions and participation at music festivals all over the world. Juels has been an active Advisory Member of the Percussive Arts Society’s Drumset Committee since 2008 and currently serves on PAS’s Board of Directors.
Happy Birthday to Jessie Caraballo! Jessie was born in Springfield, Massachusetts on February 14, 1985. He has managed to forge a career that few people twice his age achieve. Currently playing with Latin superstar Marc Anthony, Jessie dazzles with his fluid style and technique.
Jessie’s God given abilities were seen early on, at age six, when he began
playing drums with the family band. By the time he was fifteen, he went on his first tour with the Christian band El Trio De Hoy. This began a professional career which would see him playing concerts and local clubs in the local Orlando, Florida area. By the age of sixteen, he landed a gig with Pop/Latin singer Brenda K Starr. This led to many other opportunities, including recording and performing with Huey Dunbar, Don Omar, Tito Nieves, Ng2, Jennifer Lopez, Domingo Quinonez, Tony Vega, Frankie Negron, Charlie Cruz, Michael Stuart, N- Klave, Jose Alberto El Canario, Samuel Hernandez, Ron Kenoly, Tercer Cielo, Vico C, Funky, Jan, Lilly Goodman, William Mcdowell, Sunny Paxson, Sisaundra Lewis, Eric Darius, Nick Collionne and many others. Jessie also has worked with noted producers, among them Sergio George, Ricky Gonzales, Angel Fernandez as well as such clients as Disney World. In 2005 Jessie did a nationwide tour called The Juntos Tour which featured Marc Anthony, Alejandro Fernandez and Chayanne. In 2006 Jessie did another Juntos tour which featured Marc Anthony, Marco Antonio Solis and Laura pausini. In 2007 Jessie did another Juntos tour which featured Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez.
Gig Alerts
The Jazz Foundation of America is having its annual gala at the Apollo on March 28th.
The 20th annual Jam Cruise still has 10 cabins available. It is from February 25th to March 1st.
South By Southwest is happening March 3rd - 16th in Austin, Texas.
Lollapalooza is in 7 locations globally.
Damon will be part of the Encores Orchestra for a two week run of Jelly’s Last Jam at the NY City Center in Manhattan, NY from Feb 21-Mar3.
Educational Spotlight
The educational spotlight this week is the latest DIY Musician Podcast focusing on physical and mental health hacks for touring musicians.
Iconic Recording
The iconic recording for the week is from The Concert Sinatra.
This album was recorded on 24 RCA 44 mics which you can now get from AEA Microhphones.
Music News
The sluggish sales for Coachella 2024 continue—although week one general admission tickets are finally sold out. It is the slowest sales in ten years for the Indio-based arts and music festival. -Article
This is the post by Geoffrey Keezer that went viral in the music community.
“I teach at one of the preeminent, hardest-to-get-into music schools in the world, with supposedly the cream of the crop of music students intent on having a career in music when they graduate. Yet they can't be bothered to show up on time for a 9:30AM class. Nothing but lame excuses. The trains were messed up. Was up hanging at Small's till 3AM. My heater is broken. Ad nauseum. And when they do show up a half hour late (if at all), they haven't practiced and are unprepared. So I ask you students, how do you expect to have a career when you graduate if you can't get up in the morning? How are you going to make a 6AM lobby call on tour to get to the airport for an 8AM flight? The staying-up-all-night and sleeping on the plane thing gets old fast (and so does your body). How are you going to make a 10AM recording session that STARTS AT 10AM? I'm telling you, nobody cares that you live in Jersey or upstate or Queens or wherever people commute from (I commute and my ass was up at 6AM to be at work on time). This culture of "everybody gets an A", "everybody gets a medal" regardless of student's blatant disrespect for their lesson plans and their teachers (we have lives too, AND we play gigs late at night and still somehow manage to get up in the morning to take our kids to school and get to work on time) is not sustainable. Back to tough love, because it was still love. My mentors and bosses gave it to me straight, if I was out of line. It might have hurt my feelings for a day or two, but then I got my shit together. Students - if you're serious about wanting a career in music when you graduate, then GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER. Practice your assignments, do the work, and SHOW UP. Thanks.”
Garrison Interview
The song leading into the interview is, “Rise” performed by Public Image Ltd.
Damon and Garrison start the interview talking about the hoodie he got from the Apollo Theater, and the T-shirt from Mystic Disc record shop, as well as the vinyl record adapter for 45 sized albums.
Then they move on to behind the scenes with the drummers that have done the Super Bowl.
Garrison talks about how he got the job at DW from John Good after making a connection at Tony Williams’ funeral.
Garrison used to work at Drum World in San Fransisco. That drum shop closed in 2013.
Shout out to (friend of the show) Juels Thomas and Pat Rogers.
Damon asks about the best mission style burrito in San Fransisco.
Garrison’s grandparents played music, but his parents just listened and appreciated.
Garrison was introduced to the drums by his brother.
Garrison attended San Fransisco State University for business administration and sound engineering.
Garrison needs to complete a music history class to receive his degree. He left school to work with Tony Williams.
Shout-out to Neil Schon.
As a drum tech, Garrison worked with Michael Carbello, Michael Shrieve, David Garabaldi, Steve Smith, and Narada Michael Walden before ultimately working with Tony Williams.
Garrison talks about how he went from video store employee to drum tech.
Shout-out to Ross Garfield of Drum Doctors. Garrison also mentions Paul “Jamo” Jamison, Marco Zambrano, Toast, Gersh, Iain “Robbo” Roberston, and others.
Garrison talks about how he got the job as Tony Williams’ drum tech from a recommendation.
Garrison tells a cymbal anecdote.
He went from using yellow legal pads of keeping notes straight to a composition book.
Garrison talks about some of his “other” duties aside from set up, breakdown, tuning and more.
Garrison talks about drummers leaving a legacy.
Damon brings up M’boom.
Garrison chooses the iconic recording.
Shout-out to Garrison’s parents, David Lauser, Denny Carmassi, David Getz, Mike Carabello, Michael Shrieve, Steve Smith, Narada Michael Walden, Tony Williams. John Good and Don Lombardi.
The song leading out of the interview is from a Lee Michael’s Medley. The first song is, “Tell Me How Do You Feel”
