Go with Elmo Lovano

• 78. Omar Hakim: Drumming with David Bowie, Weather Report, Nile Rodgers, Dire Straits, Miles | Part 1

  Episode 78: Omar Hakim. Today on the pod we’ve got one of the most recorded drummers of all time. The legendary Omar Hakim! We went deep for over 2 hours, and unlocked SO MUCH GOLD, so we’re releasing this conversation in two parts. In Part 1, Omar shares the stories behind some of his most iconic recordings, including his legendary session with David Bowie on Let’s Dance, his deep musical relationship with Nile Rodgers, and his time in Weather Report. We also get into the wild story of how he tracked the entire Dire Straits album "Brothers in Arms" (including the questions I’ve always had about Money for Nothing). With this interview, I hope you'll now understand how Omar became the legend he is today. I think your mind will be blown when you hear about the caliber of musicians that were around him since he was a kid! Part 2 drops next week. For now, here’s the first hour of my conversation with the amazing Omar Hakim. ‘Go with Elmo Lovano’ is a weekly podcast where Elmo interviews creatives and entrepreneurs in music on HOW they push forward every day, got where they are in their careers, manage their personal lives, and share lessons learned and their most important insights. (0:00:00) INTRO (0:04:57) STARTING PROFESSIONALLY AT AGE 10 (0:05:57) JAMAICA QUEENS, NEW YORK (0:07:13) TOURING WITH JAY MASON AT AGE 15 (0:08:08) OPENING FOR HALL & OATS, PLAYING ARENAS AS A TEENAGER (0:08:42) LABELLE, LADY MARMALADE (0:11:15) JOINING WEATHER REPORT (0:11:35) DAVID SANDBOURNE, “AS WE SPEAK” RECORD, MARCUS MILLER (0:12:10) CARLY SIMON (0:13:29) OTHER GIGS IN TEENAGE YEARS (0:14:18) OPENING FOR “RETURN TO FOREVER” (0:15:00) CHICK COREA, STANLEY CLARKE STORY (0:20:02) GETTING THE GIG WITH WEATHER REPORT (0:21:41) MILES DAVIS (0:22:53) GETTING THE GIG WITH WEATHER REPORT CONTINUED (0:24:57) HUGH MASEKELA, VICTOR BAILEY (0:26:56) HOW THE WEATHER REPORT GIG CHANGED OMAR’S LIFE (0:27:31) NILE RODGERS (0:28:32) DAVID BOWIE’S “LET’S DANCE” (0:33:08) BECOMING A MUSICAL CHAMELEON (0:34:08) “LET’S DANCE” DRUM PART, THOUGHT PROCESS (0:36:53) RECORDING “RICOCHET” WITH DAVID BOWIE (0:38:22) TIPS FOR SESSION MUSICIANS (0:40:05) GROWING UP WITH NILE RODGERS (0:41:59) NILE RODGERS, “GOOD TIMES” MASTERING SESSION (0:44:58) NILE RODGERS AS A PRODUCER (0:47:23) DAVID BOWIE SESSIONS, SAYING NO TO TOURING (0:50:26) DAVID BOWIE “TONIGHT” ALBUM RECORDING (0:51:42) TURNING DOWN BOWIE FOR WEATHER REPORT (0:55:22) DIRE STRAITS “MONEY FOR NOTHING” Please SUBSCRIBE / FOLLOW this podcast to catch new episodes as soon as they drop! Your likes, comments and shares are much appreciated!   Listen to the audio form of this podcast wherever you get your podcasts: https://elmolovano.komi.io/ Follow Omar: https://www.instagram.com/omarhakimmusic/ Follow Go With Elmo: https://www.instagram.com/gowithelmo/ https://www.tiktok.com/@gowithelmo https://x.com/gowithelmopod Follow Elmo Lovano: https://Instagram.com/elmolovano https://x.com/elmolovano

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• 77. Steve Smith: Journey Drummer, Jazz Legend, Vital Information, Top 25 Drummers of All Time, Interview

  Episode 77: Steve Smith.The incredible, multi-faceted, Steve Smith was one of my favorite drummers growing up. His playing with Journey blew me mind, and the fact that he had a full-on jazz career alongside his rock success made him even more inspiring to me. Steve made Modern Drummer’s Top 25 Drummers of All Time list and won the #1 All-Around Drummer Award five years in a row. His credits are stacked, from early gigs with Jean Luc-Ponty (alongside Allan Holdsworth), Focus, and Ronnie Montrose, to arena-filling hits with Journey, to leading his band Vital Information (for the past 4 decades). He’s done sessions with Mariah Carey, Andrea Bocelli, Vasco Rossi, Zucchero, Savage Garden, Bryan Adams, and Zakir Hussain. On the jazz side, Steve has played with heavyweights like Steps Ahead, Tom Coster, Ahmad Jamal, Victor Wooten, Mike Stern, Randy Brecker, Frank Gambale, Stuart Hamm, Dweezil Zappa, Hiromi, and Bill Evans.Steve is one of the greatest to ever do it, and it was a total honor to have him on the show. I hope you enjoy my conversation with the legendary Steve Smith! Special thanks to Zildjian. I used their ALCHEM-E Perfect Tune Headphones in this episode and loved it. Check it out! https://zildjian.com/products/zildjian-alchem-e-perfect-tune-headphones?variant=49623287628068 ‘Go with Elmo Lovano’ is a weekly podcast where Elmo interviews creatives and entrepreneurs in music on HOW they push forward every day, got where they are in their careers, manage their personal lives, and share lessons learned and their most important insights. (0:00:00) INTRO (0:06:01) FROM JAZZ TO JOURNEY (0:11:02) PROGRESSIVE FUSION, BOSTON FROM 1972 TO 1976 (0:12:24) JEAN-LUC PONTY (0:13:37) MOVING TO L.A. IN 1978 (0:15:13) SONOR FUSION DRUM KIT, RONNIE MONTROSE (0:16:24) OPENING FOR JOURNEY IN 1978 WITH RONNIE MONTROSE (0:17:02) TOURING WITH VAN HALEN, RONNIE, AND JOURNEY (0:18:37) GETTING THE GIG WITH JOURNEY (0:20:51) AN IMPRESSIVE CAREER AT 24 YEARS OLD (0:21:49) WHAT VAN HALEN WAS LIKE IN THE EARLY DAYS (0:24:25) RECORDING JOURNEY’S ALBUM, “EVOLUTION” (0:24:54) HOW JOURNEY’S HIT SINGLES CHANGED STEVE SMITH’S LIFE (0:27:42) PLAYING JAZZ, MEETING RANDY JACKSON (0:28:40) STARTING VITAL INFORMATION (0:29:32) GETTING FAMOUS (0:33:36) “DON’T STOP BELIEVIN’” (0:40:45) CREATING JOURNEY’S BIGGEST HITS (0:44:03) DRUM SOLOS (0:45:44) ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME, DANNY SERAPHINE, NARADA MICHAEL WALDEN, BILLY COBHAM (0:46:56) MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA (0:48:13) LEAVING JOURNEY (0:53:11) “TRIAL BY FIRE” ALBUM (0:55:02) TRANSITIONING OUT OF JOURNEY (1:02:20) BUDDY RICH BIG BAND (1:06:13) NEAL PEART FRIENDSHIP (1:07:08) TOURING (1:11:31) TOURING WITH VITAL INFORMATION IN 2025 (1:12:09) HOW TO PLAY GREAT EVERY NIGHT (1:13:58) STAYING INSPIRED (1:15:00) DRUMMING IN NEW YORK CITY (1:16:19) HOW TO BUILD A DRUM COURSE (1:20:02) HOW TO SYSTEMATICALLY PRACTICE (1:23:12) KONNAKOLS, ZAKIR HUSSAIN, INDIA Please SUBSCRIBE / FOLLOW this podcast to catch new episodes as soon as they drop! Your likes, comments and shares are much appreciated! Listen to the audio form of this podcast wherever you get your podcasts: https://elmolovano.komi.io/ Follow Steve: https://www.instagram.com/stevesmithdrums/ Follow Vital Information: https://www.vitalinformation.com/ Follow Go With Elmo: https://www.instagram.com/gowithelmo/ https://www.tiktok.com/@gowithelmo https://x.com/gowithelmopod Follow Elmo Lovano: https://Instagram.com/elmolovano https://x.com/elmolovano Journey's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Acceptance Speeches https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XyCKJ-Z9dA

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• 76. J-Rod Sullivan: From Viral Drum Videos to Janet Jackson’s Drummer

  Episode 76: Jerrod "J-Rod" Sullivan. If you're a drummer, chances are you've seen J-Rod pop up in your feed. He's one of the most exciting drummers to watch, and now he’s holding down the drum chair for Janet Jackson. From uploading his first drum video to YouTube back in 2006 to building an audience of over 700,000 followers, J-Rod is living proof that consistency and passion pay off. We get into everything from his early days playing in church to building an online community of over 700K+ followers with his drum videos and how he creates them. We talk about staying consistent while on the road, and why authenticity is everything. Plus, we go deep into the Janet Jackson gig, talking about how it came together from a DM and the sacrifice he took dedicating 2 months to turn this Janet Jackson opportunity into a closed deal. I had to find out how in the world he plays the infamous “Control” drum fill, his gear setups, how he makes his social media videos (both the cameras, the audio, and the process), creating drumless tracks with the Moises app, his band The 4 Korners, staying sharp, and why it pays to act as if you already got the gig. J-Rod came through to my hotel room in Las Vegas to link up the next day after his show with Janet Jackson. I went to the show and it was incredible. After the show, we went out with Zedd until 5 a.m., and the next morning he went straight to AMA rehearsals with Janet, then soundcheck at Resorts World with Janet, then to my hotel room to do the interview, and then straight to his show with Janet that night. We were running on fumes for this convo, which made it fun in it's own way. We dive into his story, his viral rise, how he landed the Janet gig, and so much more. Here's my conversation with the incredible, Jerrod "J-Rod" Sullivan! (0:00) INTRO (01:17) THE JANET JACKSON LAS VEGAS SHOW (02:37) ZEDD (03:20) STARTING OUT, JROD'S SOCIAL MEDIA PAGE (06:30) J-ROD'S DRUM TONE (07:20) HOW GETTING NOTICED CHANGED J-ROD (08:27) VIDEO CREATION PROCESS (11:07) DECISIVENESS (13:26) DRUMLESS TRACKS (13:56) HOME RECORDING RIG (15:11) HOW TO MAKE TRACKS DRUMLESS (16:11) PARAMORE'S "AIN'T IT FUN" COVER (17:06) GAINING TRACTION OVER 10 YEARS (18:43) GETTING THE GIG WITH JANET JACKSON (34:19) OFFICIALLY GETTING THE GIG WITH JANET (36:24) REHEARSALS WITH JANET JACKSON (40:42) "CONTROL" DRUM FILL (43:41) MEETING JANET JACKSON AT REHEARSALS (46:40) LIFE RIGHT NOW AND WHAT'S NEXT (50:17) WHO SHOULD BE ON THE PODCAST?  Here's the Jimmy Jam Videos that were referenced in the video: Jimmy Jam Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VQgpr2WNM0&t=3894s Jimmy Jam Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2R4utgYvHdY&t=2305s Flyte Tyme Studios Tour with Jimmy Jam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=updSUi65UvI&t=1266s ‘Go with Elmo Lovano’ is a weekly podcast where Elmo interviews creatives and entrepreneurs in music on HOW they push forward every day, got where they are in their careers, manage their personal lives, and share lessons learned and their most important insights. Please SUBSCRIBE / FOLLOW this podcast to catch new episodes as soon as they drop! Your likes, comments and shares are much appreciated!   Listen to the audio form of this podcast wherever you get your podcasts: https://elmolovano.komi.io/ Follow J-Rod: https://www.instagram.com/jrodsullivan/ Follow Go With Elmo: https://www.instagram.com/gowithelmo/ https://www.tiktok.com/@gowithelmo https://x.com/gowithelmopod Follow Elmo Lovano: https://Instagram.com/elmolovano https://x.com/elmolovano Follow Jammcard: https://jammcard.komi.io/?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAacpJtZKkl1AgBAffAQ4GRhL3aVKuKHJ704aJuBkalXXThdDCOiRye8RjcHTKQ_aem_o5GVeQoM7Kb3ykDhqwZbtA

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• 75. Thomas Lang: Drum God Mode, Practice Secrets, Clinics, Social Media Trends with guest Luke Holland!

  Thomas Lang: Drum God Mode, Practice Secrets, Clinics, Social Media Trends with guest Luke Holland! Episode 75: Thomas Lang. Thomas Lang is one of the best drummers of all time. His drive and focused, intentional practice has led to him being one of the most sophisticated drummers, producers, and composers, with the ability to do four-limb separation beyond pretty much anyone else. On top of that ability, he is musical! He's also a great human, impressive entrepreneur, and a fun guy to hang with. In this episode, we dive deep into his story, how he became the Thomas Lang we see today — both in his skill sets and his success. We talk about how he throws his drum camps, his insane clinics (he did the biggest clinic tour of all time), how to practice correctly, what to do and what not to do. You'll also get a glimpse into his great personality and mindset. Luke Holland jumped in and joined us in this interview as well, which was fun since we're all friends. Together we talked about something you all want to know — our least favorite social media drumming trends lol. More importantly, keeping the inspiration to continue drumming, and so much more. Here's my interview with the awesome Thomas Lang, and special guest Luke Holland, Let's go!! Special thanks to Apogee Electronics. We used their Apogee HypeMic and Podcast Kit in this episode and they sounded great. Check it out!Apogee HypeMic & Podcast Kit: https://apogeedigital.com/product/podcast-kit/?srsltid=AfmBOor0bzlGQhUM0cHCNZoSPLEmXEl_qjIO-AQhdsDTDCxQCP7zNBd_ ‘Go with Elmo Lovano’ is a weekly podcast where Elmo interviews creatives and entrepreneurs in music on HOW they push forward every day, got where they are in their careers, manage their personal lives, and share lessons learned and their most important insights. (0:00:00) INTRO (0:04:16) CREATIVE CONTROL DVD (0:12:10) HOW THOMAS BECAME 'SUPER DRUMMER' (0:14:21) THE WORLD'S BIGGEST DRUM CLINIC TOUR (0:20:22) ENTREPRENEURSHIP (0:21:04) HOW TO PUT A DRUM EVENT TOGETHER (0:28:07) BIGGEST REVENUE GENERATOR (0:30:35) SIGNATURE PRODUCTS (0:34:04) PRICING (0:37:30) THOMAS LANG ON PRACTICING (0:45:17) SLEEP (0:46:09) PRIMUS & DREAM THEATER AUDITION (0:50:24) SOCIAL MEDIA DRUMMING (0:51:05) PRIMUS AUDITION (0:51:45) WHO THOMAS LANG LOOKS UP TO (0:53:11) LUKE HOLLAND APPEARS (0:55:05) INSTAGRAM DRUM TRENDS WE DON'T LIKE (1:02:36) HOW TO STAY INSPIRED (1:21:05) THE DRUM WORLD TODAY (1:27:21) AI DRUMMING (1:29:38) DREAM COLLABS Please SUBSCRIBE / FOLLOW this podcast to catch new episodes as soon as they drop! Your likes, comments and shares are much appreciated!   Listen to the audio form of this podcast wherever you get your podcasts: https://elmolovano.komi.io/ Follow Thomas Lang: https://www.instagram.com/thomaslangdrum/ Follow Go With Elmo: https://www.instagram.com/gowithelmo/ https://www.tiktok.com/@gowithelmo https://x.com/gowithelmopod Follow Elmo Lovano: https://Instagram.com/elmolovano https://x.com/elmolovano

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• 74. RedOne: Producing Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj, J.Lo, Pitbull, FIFA, Real Madrid, & Creating Global Hits

  Episode 74: RedOne. RedOne is one of the most successful producers and songwriters of our time. From Lady Gaga’s Just Dance, Poker Face, and Bad Romance, to J.Lo and Pitbull’s On the Floor, and Nicki Minaj’s Starships — he’s helped shape the sound of modern pop. In this episode, we go deep into RedOne’s story — from being broke in 2008 to producing The Fame with Gaga and changing pop music forever. He shares behind-the-scenes stories from iconic sessions, how his producer tag came to life, and how he creates hits from demo to final mix. We talk about his work with FIFA and how he is now their Head of Music Entertainment, producing the album for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, as well as writing the official anthem song for his favorite team, Real Madrid, We also talk about collaborating with Jung Kook and Red's close friend, Cristiano Ronaldo, We discuss his passion for elevating music from the MENA region, all about his life in Dubai, as well as the future of AI in music, and the love he shares with his wife Laila Aziz. This episode is full of inspiration, heart, and real talk from a global hitmaker. Let’s go! (0:00:00) INTRO (0:02:43) LADY GAGA IN 2008, "JUST DANCE" (0:03:41) LADY GAGA'S, "POKER FACE" (0:06:09) 2008 STRUGGLES & KAT DELUNA'S, "WHINE UP" (0:11:28) "THE FAME" SESSIONS WITH LADY GAGA (0:14:29) "JUST DANCE," "POKER FACE," "LOVEGAME" (0:16:03) "BOYS, BOYS, BOYS" & JUST DANCE (0:19:24) THE REDONE PRODUCER TAG (0:22:28) "POKER FACE" (0:28:02) "BAD ROMANCE" (0:35:32) U2 STORY (0:37:42) CREATING "ON THE FLOOR" WITH J.LO & PITBULL (0:46:54) CREATING "STARSHIPS" WITH NICKI MINAJ (0:50:58) HOW REDONE CREATES DEMOS (0:52:51) FIFA, JUNG KOOK, REAL MADRID, CRISTIANO RONALDO (1:01:53) REDONE'S WIFE, LAILA (1:08:08) DUBAI (1:11:21) DUBAI MUSIC SCENE (1:12:02) ADVICE FOR MENA REGION ARTISTS (1:14:05) AI IN MUSIC Please SUBSCRIBE / FOLLOW this podcast to catch new episodes as soon as they drop! Your likes, comments and shares are much appreciated!   Listen to the audio form of this podcast wherever you get your podcasts: https://elmolovano.komi.io/ Follow RedOne: https://www.instagram.com/redone/ Follow Go With Elmo: https://www.instagram.com/gowithelmo/ https://www.tiktok.com/@gowithelmo https://x.com/gowithelmopod Follow Elmo Lovano: https://Instagram.com/elmolovano https://x.com/elmolovano

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