290 - Steven Wolf: How to make it in the session world - Drummer's Resource: Conversations with the world's greatest drummers and music industry pros.
July 31, 2017

290 – Steven Wolf: How to make it in the session world

Steven Wolf is a surviver – not only in his personal life, but in his professional life, too. Wolf, as he’s commonly referred to, came up during a time of live drum tracks and studio dates. Over time he saw the writing on the wall and began to hone his programming chops to embrace the changes in music. With his drumming and programming credits, he has quite the resume, including this abbreviated list: Alicia Keys, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Beyoncé, P!nk, Aretha Franklin, Britney Spears, Avril Lavigne, Chaka Khan, Joss Stone, Kelly Clarkson and a very long list of others. In addition to drumming and programming, he’s also an accomplished producer, songwriter, and remixer.

Steven Wolf talks about:

  • How he got into playing drums
  • Why he didn’t want to graduate from Berklee
  • The music scene in Boston
  • A near career-ending injury
  •  Why he moved to a smaller kit
  • What makes you a popular drummer for hire
  • how he got into doing recording sessions
  • Why he stopped touring
  • Adapting to the world of mainstream, programmed music
  • Working for free
  • Advice to get into doing session work
  • Much more

Resources / Links / People mentioned:

Steven Wolf plays:

  • Zildjian cymbals
  • Ludwig drums
  • Promark sticks
  • Evans heads
  • Gibraltar hardware
  • SKB cases
  • Reflexx pads
  • XLN Audio – Addictive Drums
  • Smoothie Life Co 

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