170 – Craig Blundell: The long road to overnight success
In this podcast I had to the pleasure to chat with and get to know Craig Blundell, the seemingly overnight success who is currently on tour with Prog Rock icon Steven Wilson. Craig has been working tirelessly in the trenches of music, trying to “make it pro” for many years. Between bouncing between day job and playing pro, Craig made the decision to go “all-in” and never looked back. Since turning pro on a full time basis, Craig has become a clinician for Roland, Premier and Paiste, contributes to the R&D of many brands.
If you concentrate on what you have, you’ll always have more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you’ll never have enough. (Tweet this)
Craig Blundell talks about:
- Getting started playing drums
- His struggles “turning pro”
- Having a day job VS playing for a living
- His “ah-hah” moment
- Landing the Steven Wilson gig (and the audition process)
- Tips for learning new material
- Dealing with negative backlash from Steven Wilson fans (initially)
- Practice routines
- Mental health
- Habit formation
- much more
Resources and links mentioned:
- Contact Craig Blundell: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
- Johnny Rabb
- Marco Minnimann
- Craig’s mental health article
Craig Blundell Plays:
- Paiste Cymbals
- Mapex
- Roland Electronics
- Vater Drumsticks
- Aquarian Drumheads
- Protection Racket Drum Cases
- Sennheiser Microphones
- Porter and Davies
- Ultimate Ears
- Tuner Fish Lug Locks
- Slapklatz
Podcast Sponsors:
DW Drums: I’ve been paying DW for years…not only because they make high-quality, handcrafted drums but because they support and foster drumming initiatives all over the wold, much like this podcast. I’m thrilled to announce that DW has signed on to support Drummer’s Reosource for 2016! Be sure to check them out today and DWDrums.com.
Sabian XSR Cymbals: I could tell you all about Sabian’s B12 bronze and their trick-down technology, but let me tell you what’s really important: The cymbals in the XSR line are professional-grade cymbals, priced to not break the bank. They sound amazing and won’t hurt you wallet when you buy them. For more info, visit Sabian.
Promark Drumsticks: Promark is Is now a sponsor of the podcast once again they were last year and now they are again. they just released the Mike Portnoy signature model that has the active group 420X at it’s designed to add more power to your arsenal and features the heat activated technology. It’s s an awesome technology that actually adjusts to your body temperature and give you control you need so no matter how hard you play the active grip is going to help you handle it by getting tackier as it warms up. You can learn more about this great technology and the Mike Portnoy stick at Promark.com
