The Drum Panel: Is the sound in the room with us right now?

Welcome back to Drummers on Drumming...a podcast powered by Big Fat Snare Drum. In this segment of The Drum Panel, I’m joined by Eric Urrea (Marina City) and Ralph Alexander (Poppy) for one of those conversations that goes everywhere. We start with life on the road and the physical reality of playing demanding shows night after night. From there we get into practice routines, creativity, and the strange balance between working hard and actually allowing yourself to rest. Eric also brings in a few spicy listener takes, which sparks some fun debates about jazz vs rock, whether technical drummers lose their feel, and the never-ending argument about electronic drums. Somewhere along the way we end up talking about confidence, why most drummers struggle to say they actually like their own playing, and how your influences slowly shape the way you hear the instrument...who'd have thought? In this episode: Ralph shares the story of the Slayer shirt he’s carried to every show for over twenty years The first drum parts we learned that actually felt like a real breakthrough A debate about whether learning jazz really makes you a “better” drummer Why some drummers worry that learning more might ruin their feel The role rest and downtime play in creativity Whether electronic drums should even be compared to acoustic drums A rare moment where drummers admit they might actually like their own playing --- Get Your Copy of the Drummers on Drumming Book Today! 🎯 ⁠⁠⁠Click here to order now!⁠⁠⁠ Drummers on Drumming (the book) takes you inside the stories, records, and moments that shaped some of the world’s greatest drummers. Built on the Big Fat Five format of digging into top influences, it’s packed with candid interviews and personal insights. Whether you’re just starting out or have been playing for years, this book is here to inspire you to sharpen your skills and find your own voice behind the kit. For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out ⁠⁠⁠ and

You can listen to The Drum Panel: Is the sound in the room with us right now? online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

The Drum Panel: Is the sound in the room with us right now? is an episode from Big Fat Five: A Podcast Financially Supported by Big Fat Snare Drum by Ben Hilzinger.

This episode is 52:24 long.

This episode was published on Mar 4, 2026.

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