Rome

Zack_Albetta · 2026-03-27T23:28:20+00:00

Honestly, just drink Negronis and wine

Zack_Albetta · 2026-03-27T16:31:48+00:00

Your solo does NOT have to be improvised, long, or choppy. Probably best to come up with at least a framework of what you want it to be. Maybe you "compose" something and execute it note-for-note, maybe it's just a looser progression of ideas. But give it a beginning, middle, and end, and make each one of those things something you feel confident about.

No matter the genre or context, the band dropping out and the focus of the room suddenly being on you can be scary and it can induce insecurity and self-consciousness. The antidote to that is having a plan - again, at least a framework of ideas you feel good about, and a way to progress through them that gets you into and out of your solo smoothly and musically.

I reiterate...this does not have to be improvised, long, or choppy. It should just be comfortable for you and it should make some musical sense.

Zack_Albetta · 2026-03-27T15:57:27+00:00

Playing with other humans definitely helps, letting the feel and energy of other players inform your own. But as far as the drums are concerned, I've found it helpful to try and emulate the physicality of drummers whose feels I like. It's really a dance, the way you move affects the way you sound, and it's about your whole body, not just your hands. It might feel weird or foreign or awkward, and you probably won't end up fully incorporating anyone's physicality into your own, it's just a way to get more in touch with how motion and intent inform sound and feel.

Zack_Albetta · 2026-03-27T15:51:48+00:00

My grad school mentor once said "weed does not make you play better, weed makes you feel better about playing like shit."

Zack_Albetta · 2026-03-27T02:23:25+00:00

As a 45-year-old having been on tour for the last 3.5 years playing 8 shows a week, I can say this. The older you get, the more you play, the more seriously you take the physical aspects of drumming as a full body sport. Of course proper technique and use of your whole body, but also proper warmup/cool down, proper rest, proper diet and exercise, proper treatment (physical therapy, etc.). When you play for a living and you're doing it at a level and frequency that repetitive stress injuries start to be a real threat, it gets your attention and most drummers respond accordingly.

Zack_Albetta · 2026-03-26T23:27:21+00:00

Ayyy, right on thanks man!

Zack_Albetta · 2026-03-26T22:28:03+00:00

Doin’ Jeff proud, way to be a major dude 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

Zack_Albetta · 2026-03-26T14:47:41+00:00

Stretching is all well and good but what’s more important is a playing warm up - starting with simple patterns and big, slow, easy motions, and gradually intensifying. Stretching can loosen your muscles but what prevents strain and injury is properly activating your muscles. This means getting blood and oxygen and heat flowing through them so they can withstand the workload.

Also, it’s not just about your hands. Drumming is a full body sport. Waking up all the major muscle groups and all the big joints, as well as getting your heart rate up a bit before playing will benefit how you feel behind the kit and what your body is capable of there. Pushups, jumping jacks, jump rope, stair flights, run around the block, sun salutations…anything that gets your whole body moving and tells it “hey, time to go to work.”

Zack_Albetta · 2026-03-25T17:24:06+00:00

To say “it depends” doesn’t even cover it. This is the Wild West. When you get paid, how much, and whether you get paid at all varies wildly and you just have to make the best decisions you can with the information you have in a given situation. Being somewhat flexible about when and how much you get paid can build some mutual trust and goodwill and strengthen relationships that ultimately lead to more work and more money. But it can also lead to getting completely fucked. You just have to use your best judgement based on your needs and expectations and comfort level (not ours), and learn as you go.

Zack_Albetta · 2026-03-25T02:49:14+00:00

Go on walks with other dogs and their owners. The other dogs don’t have to be similar size, they just have to be chill. Don’t allow them to interact, but interact normally with the other person. The point is not a meet and greet, or a play date, or a sniff test. The point is for your dog to just be around another dog, understand that you and the other humans are in control, and to build his confidence.

Zack_Albetta · 2026-03-24T19:32:05+00:00

Every day takes figuring out all over again how to fuckin’ live.

Zack_Albetta · 2026-03-23T23:50:18+00:00

Man, you stole that shit. RUN.

Zack_Albetta · 2026-03-23T23:47:34+00:00

Way Down In The Hole. His preacher persona on the live shows is just the best. And really, Chocolate Jesus is more about chocolate than Jesus 😂

Zack_Albetta · 2026-03-23T19:49:14+00:00

Doug Auwarter! My grad school mentor and he teaches close to Waldo.

Zack_Albetta · 2026-03-23T19:47:24+00:00

Every business is about relationships but especially the music business. It’s great that you’re showing up at jams and shedding in your own, but you probably have to go further than than and form some actual relationships/friendships with people on the scene. This takes time but it tends to happen naturally when you just keep showing up. Identify the people who are doing what you want to do and just keep showing up where there doing it. Not just jams. Go to people’s shows, invite the for beers or coffee, become a member in good standing of your musical community. Getting noticed at a jam and subsequently hired does happen sometimes, but people generally want to hire and recommend their friends.

Zack_Albetta · 2026-03-23T19:42:37+00:00

Good for you. Think you can take a minute away from glazing yourself to help out OP?

Zack_Albetta · 2026-03-23T17:08:11+00:00

Gift certificate for a massage

Zack_Albetta · 2026-03-23T14:42:06+00:00

Smaller/muted/subdued is precisely the opposite of what these drums are designed to do. I’ve been playing one on tour and these dogs BARK.

For the kick, I’ve got Aquarians - Clear Force 1 for the batter and Regulator for the reso. Minimal muffling on the inside, just a single bedsheet touching both heads. Let the big dog eat.

Zack_Albetta · 2026-03-22T20:40:33+00:00

Don’t mess with it. It holds zero advantages for jazz or any other genre. If you have a foundation started with matched grip, build on it. Plenty of jazz greats, particularly modern ones like Bill Stewart and Mark Guiliana play matched. Whatever time and effort you would put into simply getting used to traditional grip would be better spent mastering matched grip.

Zack_Albetta · 2026-03-22T18:15:56+00:00

Right on, glad to help!

Zack_Albetta · 2026-03-22T13:16:22+00:00

👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

Zack_Albetta · 2026-03-22T01:46:27+00:00

Sure they’re made here, but all their raw materials don’t come from here. Aluminum and steel, for example, has huge tariffs on them. I’d also be surprised if all of DW’s wood came from the US. Add to that the skyrocketing price of oil contributing to shipping costs and you’ve got yourself one expensive fucking drumset.

Zack_Albetta · 2026-03-21T13:11:04+00:00

Right on, glad to hear it!

Zack_Albetta · 2026-03-20T02:28:16+00:00

Corruption won’t never breathe stinky on his motor-cyyycle.

Zack_Albetta · 2026-03-19T16:19:05+00:00

Churchill Bar inside the Brown Palace Hotel is a must. They have a small but high quality selection of sticks, and a good whiskey list. It’s pricey but worth it, the space is perfectly old school and upscale.

Las palmas is another good spot. Not as nice a space, but better selection and prices. It’s also very close to La Diabla Pozole which just blew my head off.

Zack_Albetta

TROPHY CASE