Last week, the world lost the great Leon "Ndugu" Chancler at the age of 65. Ndugu's art has been a constant presence in Joe's life for as long as he can remember, so he was thrilled that Mr. Chancler agreed to be the second guest on this show. That--in spite of his enormous success--he was willing to spend an hour with an unproven, inexperienced interviewer speaks to Ndugu's immense kindness and generosity of spirit. Ndugu, you are one of the very best, you've enriched the lives of billions of people the world over, and you'll be missed.
"So, it's come to this," as the Simpsons would say! This week, for the third anniversary of the show, Joe is joined by co-producer, Chris Karwowski. The pair explores themes that have emerged over the course of 153 episodes: identity, addiction, struggle, parenthood, fear, and redemption. We listen back to conversations with: Mimi Parker, Mike Clark, Phil Collins, Venzella Joy, Bernard Purdie, Lori Barbero, and more!
Abe Rounds was born into a musical family in Sydney and began drumming at age one. Now 26, he has quickly become one of his generation's most sought-after drummers. Abe tells Joe about his love of golf, his one-time gambling addiction, the demons of doubt, his interest in crypto currency, learning to write his own music, and working with everyone from Meshell Ndegeocello to Seal.
Joe sits down with four of The Twin Cities' most captivating drummers. Gordy Knudtson and Todd Trainer describe their respective approaches to teaching; Lori Barbero articulates why she doesn't believe in music education; and Eric Gravatt describes how he just "got it" at an early age and why he left a successful career in music to become a prison guard. This is a great conversation about identity, loss, getting paid, and style.
Chad Molter grew up playing bass, but he became picked up drums in a matter of months in order to co-found Faraquet, a DC-based band that merged proggy musical sophistication with the spirit of punk rock. Chad tells Joe about: yearning to leave his native Southern California; developing his self-taught, uniquely melodic style; hiking the Appalachian trail; his disdain for haircuts; and his current calling as the director of a homeless shelter.
Over the past several months, Joe has been co-producing a new podcast hosted by Laura Veirs called Midnight Lightning. We're excited to share the very first episode of that show, featuring Laura's interview with the legendary bassist (and Joe's bass teacher), Carol Kaye. The Trap Set returns with a stellar lineup of drummer conversations starting next week!