Welcome to Episode 211 of DRUM with Mike & Eddy! This week, we are looking back at the exact turning points that shaped our careers as professional drummers. We’re skipping the "hustle culture" buzzwords and getting straight into the reality of what it actually takes to build a life around the kit.

Here is what we get into this week:

• Grail Gear Guilt: Eddy scores a legendary pair of Joey Jordison sticks, and I break down why I couldn't resist dropping my own cash on a 1970s stop-sign badge Gretsch bop kit.
• The Return of NAMM: Why the drum industry is finally getting its pre-pandemic vibe back and the magic of experiencing gear in person.
• The Year That Changed Everything: We break down the specific years we had to go all-in. Eddy talks about his intense 2017–2018 transition, and I take it back to 2005–2006—late-night coding, the "two-shake rule" with Amber, and building a 99-cent online lesson site from the ground up.
• Staying Authentic: Why doubling down on real, honest connection is the only way forward in an AI-heavy world.

Enjoy - Mike J

www.mikeslessons.com

Support the show

In this episode, we get into what it really takes to prepare to record, and why “jamming to a song” and tracking a song for an artist are two totally different worlds. Eddy shares how he practices and preps parts (often without writing anything down), why e-kits can be a secret weapon for learning technical material, and how to identify the non-negotiables in a drum part when a demo already has programmed drums.

We also talk about fighting muscle memory, why simple pop parts can be harder than complex chops, the “less is more” mindset, listening back with ruthless honesty, and the ultimate litmus test: did your drumming make the song better, or did it pull the listener out of it? Plus: the courage to “dare to suck” during the process… because that’s where the magic shows up.

Enjoy - Mike J

Support the show

In this episode, Eddy and I realized that without physical drum magazines sitting around our studios, we’ve totally lost touch with what the major brands, besides our endorsements, are doing. So, we decided to fix that by taking a deep dive into companies that we are not sponsored by, starting with Pearl Drums!

We answer the internet's most googled questions about the brand (Is Pearl actually good? Pearl vs. Tama?), and then—with an unlimited imaginary budget—we build our absolute dream Pearl kits from scratch.

In this episode, we cover:

• The Dream Builds: I go with a Reference One and the Matt Halpern Signature Snare, while Eddy leans into nostalgia with a Maple/Gum kit and the Joey Jordison Signature Snare.
• The "Magazine Problem": Why it’s so much harder to understand gear specs and innovation in the age of Instagram reels.
• Studio Update: I share the unfortunate news that my studio flooded on Christmas Day and that renovations are currently underway.

Mentioned in this Episode:

• Pearl Reference One Series
• Pearl Masters Maple/Gum
• Matt Halpern Signature Snare
• Joey Jordison Signature Snare

Support the show