The Downbeat

Join Caleb Shomo, the talented singer/songwriter of Beartooth and former Attack Attack member, as he shares his journey in the music industry. He reflects on the chaotic fun of live performances, the nostalgia of creating mixtapes, and the challenges of maintaining a healthy lifestyle on tour. With humorous anecdotes and insights into the balance between spontaneity and structure in songwriting, Caleb's passion for music shines through. Plus, he dives into memorable moments from touring and the camaraderie that fuels his creativity.

My guest this week is Blake Richardson, drummer of Between The Buried And Me. Blake is without a doubt one of the best drummers doing it right now in progressive music. The band has massively evolved over time and so has Blake's drumming so we talk a lot about that as well as influences, practice routines etc but also about health and fitness. We also delve into the realm of perfect post-show food, and the time my dad spiked me with morphine at Christmas dinner.

My guest this week is Andrew Tkaczyk, drummer of The Ghost Inside. On November 19th 2015 TGI and their crew were involved in a horrific tourbus crash which resulted in Andrew losing his right leg above the knee. Against all odds, Andrew (with a little bit of help from his father's ingenuity) is back RIPPING the drums. We obviously talk about the crash, but also his father's invention that allowed him to relearn the drums, his solo project One Decade, and his unlikely friendship with Travis Barker. Andrew is an amazingly positive soul and I had a great time talking to him. I only nearly cried like once.

My guest this week is Aric Improta of Night Verses / The Fever. Aric is a true artist, everything he does exudes creativity and he's definitely one of, if not THE most original drummer out there. We first met at Meinl Drum Fest in 2017 where he play one 40 minute drum solo without breaks. The guy is a freak. We talk about art, music, touring weird places and what it was like to work with multiple Grammy award-winning producer Ross Robinson.

My guest this week is Eddy Thrower, a session drummer from the UK who currently plays with Busted, and was formerly a member of Lower Than Atlantis. Eddy has had his fair share of session work as well but has now found himself a home in the online education world with his website and hugely popular instagram account. One of the 'real' ones, he's a great sport and we share a lot of the same views on social media and 'performance' in general. We talk about finding your space in the online drumming world, the good old days of touring in vans and plenty more...

Josh Middleton, the talented guitarist of Architects and the multifaceted vocalist of Sylosis, shares insights on their new album 'Cycle Of Suffering'. He delves into the nostalgic influences of heavy metal, while navigating the emotional challenges of transitioning between bands. The conversation tackles the pressures of social media, mental health, and the intricacies of maintaining relationships in the music industry. Humorous anecdotes about merchandise design and memorable festival experiences add a light-hearted touch to their deep discussions.

My guest this week is Andrew Dijorio who sings in my band Stray From The Path. We're currently on a US tour so we talked rubbish in a hotel room for a hot minute. We talk about touring, recording our new album Internal Atomics and there's also a lengthy section about Drew's alter ego: The Jingle Man. We also fail to decide what to have for dinner. Enjoy!

Hi it's me I'm back and the guest is me. Explaining a bit of what's been going on lately with me health-wise and some Q&A. Peace!

My guest this week is Alessandro Venturella, aka V-Man. V-Man plays the bass in a band called Slipknot. If you don't know who Slipknot are I don't think I can help you with this podcast. Me and V go back around 10-15 years so we spend a lot of time reminiscing about the UK scene from back in the day, our similarities as UK-based techs who are now playing in US bands, as well as HOW EXACTLY ONE JOINS SLIPKNOT. We also of course talk about the new Slipknot album 'We Are Not Your Kind' and its recording process.

My guest this week is Matt Garstka, drummer of Animals as Leaders; and probably one of the best drummers in the world. I met up with Matt on his tour bus in Manchester during AAL's UK tour. We talked about drums A LOT: warm ups, practicing, music education (we share a love of old Hudson Music DVDs and VHS) as well as his own instructional video series. We also talked about his signature line of Meinl Cymbals: the Equilibrium hi hats and china. Matt is a wealth of knowledge and his passion for drums really shines through in everything he says, I'm grateful we had the chance to meet and have this chat. Top 5 this week is Meshuggah songs (obviously).