The Drum Panel: The Bubble Solution
featuring Mark Stepro (The Wallflowers) & Kris Mazzarisi (founder of BFSD, Winnetka Bowling League)
Hey all, Ben here.
Long time no write. I’m planning to lean into this newsletter a lot more this year.
On this past week’s episode of Drummers on Drumming, we’re back with another edition of The Drum Panel, the roundtable where honest opinions, real experience, and the occasional hot take all get some air.
This time, we talked about what actually happens when your schedule suddenly opens up and you’re not as “booked and busy” as you thought you’d be. We kept it practical. We kept it honest.
Joining me:
Mark Stepro
Main gig with The Wallflowers. Also works with Butch Walker and stays busy in the LA session world.
Kris Mazzarisi
Founder of Big Fat Snare Drum. Gigging drummer with hands-on experience touring, dealing with gear, and running a drum business.
We talked about:
How established pros rebuild their calendar after a big opportunity falls through
Balancing family life with the reality of road gigs
Who actually gets the callback: mass emails vs picking up the phone
The nerve-wracking reality of gear. Kick drums. Bubble machines. Getting shocked on stage
Whether old “play six nights a week” networking advice still makes sense in 2024
How tariffs and supply chain chaos affect drum companies and prices
The subtle ways Mark and Kris track progress in their own practice
What really causes anxiety on stage, and how each of us resets or just pushes through
And yes, we finally had a disagreement.
Mark and I went back and forth on the introvert versus extrovert thing. He questioned whether you should even chase music gigs if you “don’t like people.” I pushed back with my own take on introvert energy, and we landed somewhere between blunt truth and practical advice. Kris also shared his recurring anxiety about Ableton playback, plus getting shocked by his own bubble machine mid-show.
Come hang with us on this one. Lots of real talk, practical advice, and a few moments you probably weren’t expecting.
Listen to the full episode → HERE
The Drum Panel is a recurring series on Drummers on Drumming, powered by Big Fat Snare Drum. Thanks for listening—and for keeping the conversation honest.
—Ben
And don’t forget to check out my book, Drummers On Drumming: The Stories and Records That Shaped Their Sound👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻
“an absolute gem—The depth here is next-level...“
- Butch Vig
“[This book] brings us back to carefully gathered, intimate insight and a deeper sense of connection that feels like sitting at a round table sharing stories with drumming colleagues. Well done, Ben!”
- Jojo Mayer
“A beautiful tribute to the drumming community...”
- Jared Falk