Nashville Drummers Podcast

Welcome Arizona native, Mace Santa Maria! We cover Mace's move from Phoenix to Nashville four years ago, following a formative year at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts. She discusses learning the drums at age 10, major influences like the Jonas Brothers' drummer Jack Lawless (whom she recently met), and how Broadway demands fast adaptation through cues, band-specific arrangements, and on-the-fly decisions. Mace breaks down her unique Pelican-case rig, Nashville do's and don'ts, and opportunities for live streaming and subscription-based content. She details touring with indie-pop artists Brooke Alexx, 76th Street, and Tornsey, building Ableton show transitions, maintaining health and alone time on the road to avoid burnout, and the importance of LGBTQ+ community and representation in her career. We hope you enjoy!

Chapters:
0:00 Intro
1:53 Welcome, Mace! 
4:31 Broadway Connections 
6:48 What's for Breakfast? 
9:52 From Phoenix to Nashville 
12:48 Early Drumming Roots 
16:21 Meeting A Childhood Hero 
19:35 Broadway Survival Skills 
28:49 Rezo Custom Drum Heads (Sponsor) 
29:53 Broadway Rig Rundown 
37:35 TikTok vs Instagram 
42:07 Drum Box (Sponsor) 
42:49 Queer Pop Tour Scene 
53:50 Ableton Show Builds 
56:29 Staying Healthy On Tour 
1:01:24 Birthday Plans 
1:03:55 Low Boy Beaters (Sponsor) 
1:04:37 Pizza/Candy Debate 
1:10:54 Drum Supply (Sponsor) 
1:11:52 Tour Highlights and Burnout 
1:16:57 Music City Audiology 
1:17:39 Charting and Music Education 
1:29:09 Groove MPL (Sponsor) 
1:30:20 Home Studio and Iron Maiden Mic 
1:35:05 Tattoos and Hobbies 
1:41:09 Outro

Thank you to our Episode Sponsors:

Rezo Custom Drum Heads
https://rezoheads.com

Drum Box
https://drumbox.space

Drum Supply
https://www.drumsupply.com

Low Boy Beaters
https://lowboybeaters.com

Music City Audiology
https://www.musiccityaudiology.com

Connect with Mace:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/santamariuhhh
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@santamariuhhh
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@santamariuhhh

Music Featured in this Episode:
"She's My Handsome" - 76th Street
Support the show
Connect with us:
Website
Instagram
TikTok
YouTube
Facebook

Recorded at Garden Groove Recording Space, Nashville, TN
Podcast Artwork: GENUINE CREATIVE ART 

ⓒ 2026 Nashville Drummers Podcast, LLC

Attendee and exhibitor interviews from the 2026 Music City Drum Show, July 18-19 in Nashville, TN.
Register for the 2027 Music City Drum Show
https://www.musiccitydrumshow.com

Interviews
0:00 Intro
3:33 Kris Mazzarisi - Story Behind Big Fat Snare Drum 
17:15 Derek Lee (Beat Note) - "Combining Passions" 
24:48 Daniel Hegerle - "Favorite Event of the Year"
28:27 Taylor Morgan - "One Year in Nashville"
30:38 Alex Mortem - "Play Hard, Play Fast"
34:36 Shawn Tracht - "The Great American Drum Shop Road Trip"
57:26 Mace Santa Maria - "Girls Stick Together"
1:03:43 Majo Herrera - "Enjoying the Process"
1:06:17 Christian Gendics - "Welcome to Town"
1:07:38 Ryan Whitt - "Keeping Things Rolling"
1:10:02 Ed Bettinelli - Thumb Thang
1:15:07 Ory Brochet - "Orybon Drums: Sound Different"
1:21:24 Josh Blount - Lucky Drums 
1:24:00 Matt Bover - "Best Pizza in Nashville?" 
1:30:34 Greg Hersey - "Innovation in Percussion Setups" 
1:35:22 Jacob Robinson - "Learning by Doing"
Support the show
Connect with us:
Website
Instagram
TikTok
YouTube
Facebook

Recorded at Garden Groove Recording Space, Nashville, TN
Podcast Artwork: GENUINE CREATIVE ART 

ⓒ 2026 Nashville Drummers Podcast, LLC

Attendee and exhibitor interviews from the 2026 Music City Drum Show, July 18-19 in Nashville, TN.
Register for the 2027 Music City Drum Show
https://www.musiccitydrumshow.com

Interviews
0:00 Intro
3:34 Tom Stanfill - "Drumming Community is Fantastic" 
5:49 Jacqueline Cloud - "Change, Content, & Fudge" 
11:04 Edgel Groves - "Music Tech & Business" 
15:04 Alexander Hubbard - "Talent Show Rockstar" 
16:15 Lleyton Brainard - "Identity & Lemurian People" 
20:32 Laurie Toscano - "Lobsters & Accordions" 
26:47 Fisher Wilkie - "Drums & Tortellini" 
30:53 Dorothea Taylor - "Rudiments & Stardom"
35:32 Outro
Support the show
Connect with us:
Website
Instagram
TikTok
YouTube
Facebook

Recorded at Garden Groove Recording Space, Nashville, TN
Podcast Artwork: GENUINE CREATIVE ART 

ⓒ 2026 Nashville Drummers Podcast, LLC

Welcome Pittsburgh native, Luke Zajdel! Luke is currently the touring drummer for country artist Walker Montgomery. A lifelong Rush fan, Luke shares why Clockwork Angels is his favorite record, memories of seeing Neil Peart play 5x, and his emotional reaction to Rush’s return announcement. He explains adapting the note-for-note prog mindset to Nashville’s more flexible country and session culture, learning charting after a last-minute Whiskey Jam call, and developing stage presence by loosening up. Luke shares how important mentors and teachers have been in his development, specifically studying with Mark Poiesz, who has helped with stage presence, mindset, and meditation. We touch on other influences like David Garibaldi, Morgan Rose, and Danny Carey, touring routines, fitness, meditation, home recording, and of course, Luke's seemingly perfect posture behind the kit. We hope you enjoy!

Chapters:
0:00 Intro
1:17 Welcome, Luke! 
2:23 On Tour w/ Walker Montgomery 
5:39 PPG Arena Homecoming 
5:52 Rush Roots and Favorite Album 
12:23 Six Months To Obsess 
13:53 Garibaldi Rabbit Hole 
15:09 Rock Showmanship Chops 
17:24 Seeing Neil Peart Live 
18:25 Nashville Grind and Purpose 
26:38 Rezo Custom Drum Heads (Sponsor) 
27:38 Looking the Part 30:23 Move to Nashville 
31:52 Early Gigs and First Kit 
34:50 Drum Box (Sponsor) 
38:39 Rush to Country Mindsets 
44:29 Mentorship & Meditation 
49:24 Low Boy Beaters (Sponsor) 
50:06 Touring Habits and Fitness 
54:09 Perfect Posture 
59:58 Lesson Routine and Teachers 
1:00:38 Overqualified For The Gig 
1:03:34 Tour Culture and Temptations 
1:09:36 Drum Supply (Sponsor) 
1:10:33 Home Recording Goals 
1:13:42 Rapid Fire Questions 
1:21:22 Outro

Thank you to our Episode Sponsors:

Rezo Custom Drum Heads
https://rezoheads.com

Drum Box
https://drumbox.space

Drum Supply
https://www.drumsupply.com

Low Boy Beaters
https://lowboybeaters.com

Connect with Luke:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lzajdelmusic
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/2112rushfan1
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lzajdelmusic

Music Featured in this Episode:
"All Night Long Left" - Walker Montgomery
"Outlaws & Outsiders" - Cory Marks
Support the show
Connect with us:
Website
Instagram
TikTok
YouTube
Facebook

Recorded at Garden Groove Recording Space, Nashville, TN
Podcast Artwork: GENUINE CREATIVE ART 

ⓒ 2026 Nashville Drummers Podcast, LLC

Welcome Massachusetts native, Wesley Bourque! Wes is currently the touring drummer for rising country singer/songwriter Logan Crosby. In addition to gigging and recording, he serves as Artist Relations for NY-based distributor/record label United Masters. In this wide-ranging conversation, Wes shares his journey from small-town New England to the move to Nashville in 2014. We dive into his early years working day jobs at well-known coffee shops, building relationships, and his thoughts on navigating perception and identity. He shares lessons from Broadway, prepping for fill-in gigs with and without charts, and high-stress playback realities including redundancy and backup plans. Wes dives into Noble & Cooley’s history and his personal connection to the company, plus touring highlights and challenges with Logan (including a van fire) and why story, narrative, and platform-specific content matter in today’s saturated music landscape. We hope you enjoy!

Chapters:
0:00 Intro
1:51 Welcome, Wes! 
2:17 Broadway Connections 
9:10 Ableton/Playback Stress 
18:24 Noble & Cooley Origins 
29:13 Unexpected Event Planning 
30:14 Full Circle Maddie & Tae 
33:03 Rezo Custom Drum Heads (Sponsor) 
34:07 Networking & Coffee Shops 
36:08 Breaking Out Of Labels 
39:31 Artist Relations and Marketing 
45:28 Saturation and Storytelling 
50:28 Drum Box (Sponsor) 
51:11 Marketing For Musicians 
55:46 Subbing Prep (Charts vs Memorization) 
1:00:37 Japan Fly-Date Story
1:07:45 Iconic Fills and Pranks
1:09:58 Low Boy Beaters (Sponsor) 
1:11:12 NAMM Lessons and Trade Shows 
1:24:04 Drum Supply (Sponsor) 
1:25:06 Landing Logan Crosby Gig 
1:29:13 Tour Life and Van Fire 
1:37:31 Advice for Younger Drummers 
1:44:48 Whiskey Jam Wobble 
1:48:44 Platform Content Strategy 
2:00:20 Handling Mistakes During a Show 
2:03:34 Music City Audiology (Sponsor) 
2:04:25 Guitar Hero Drum Lore 
2:05:42 Rapid Fire Questions 
2:14:52 Outro

Thank you to our Episode Sponsors:

Rezo Custom Drum Heads
https://rezoheads.com

Drum Box
https://drumbox.space

Drum Supply
https://www.drumsupply.com

Low Boy Beaters
https://lowboybeaters.com

Music City Audiology
http://musiccityaudiology.com

Connect with Wes:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bourquechop/

Music Featured in this Episode:
"So Damn Free" - Logan Crosby
"A Parking Lot Far Away" - Logan Crosby
Support the show
Connect with us:
Website
Instagram
TikTok
YouTube
Facebook

Recorded at Garden Groove Recording Space, Nashville, TN
Podcast Artwork: GENUINE CREATIVE ART 

ⓒ 2026 Nashville Drummers Podcast, LLC