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Counting It In with Aaron Comess of the Spin Doctors

Metadata

title
Counting It In with Aaron Comess of the Spin Doctors
description
Aaron Comess is living the dream. His band, the Spin Doctors, has sold millions of records, and he's explored his musicality with hundreds more artists and collaborators around the world. And he's been on the cover of Rolling Stone and Modern Drummer! We had a great conversation about building a career, joining a music scene, and continual growth as a musician. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
status
complete
date
2024-06-25
kind
guest
guestSlugs
  • aaron-comess
listenUrl
https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lovemusicmore/episodes/Counting-It-In-with-Aaron-Comess-of-the-Spin-Doctors-e2l6tei
lmwUrl
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVT16ZSVX84
appleUrl
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/counting-it-in-with-aaron-comess-of-the-spin-doctors/id1567355195?i=1000660146736&uo=4
spotifyUrl
https://open.spotify.com/episode/7laZPSpZP9vynQzAkYO5zJ
youtubeUrl
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDrPGx6QYiw
topicsDiscussed
  • Drums
  • New York
  • Songwriting
  • The music business
  • Importance of live gigs
  • Navigating the music industry
  • Studying under legendary drummers
  • Evolving musical styles
hostNote
Aaron Comess moved to New York knowing he needed to be in a city that would eat him alive if he wasn’t serious, and it worked. He studied under **Bernard Purdy** (who corrected more than just his hi-hat technique), played every gig he could find, and ended up in the **Spin Doctors** by being in the right room at the New School. The conversation moves through how relentless live performance shaped the band’s sound, not polished in the wrong direction, to recording "Two Princes" as an inflection point, and why "if you sound incredible in practice, that’s probably not a good sign." Comess has a drummer’s view of songwriting: the pocket is a function of the *relationship* between instruments, not any one player’s perfection.
selectedMoments
  • label
    Childhood musical education
    startSec
    166
    note
    Aaron reflects on his early experiences with drumming and his journey into formal music education.
  • label
    Decision to move to NYC
    startSec
    243
    note
    Aaron describes the driving factors behind his choice to pursue music in New York City instead of staying in Texas.
  • label
    Studying with Bernard Purdy
    startSec
    556
    note
    Lessons with Bernard Purdy, attitude and musicality above all else.
  • label
    Joining the Spin Doctors
    startSec
    1836
    note
    Aaron shares the spontaneous moment when he was invited to join the Spin Doctors, including early days of the band.
  • label
    Recording 'Two Princes'
    startSec
    2635
    note
    Recording 'Two Princes' as a career inflection point.
  • label
    The importance of gigging
    startSec
    1912
    note
    Discusses how playing live shaped the sound of the Spin Doctors transforming their music.
excerptQuotes
  • text
    Most of the really high-level musicians didn’t make it through four years of college... they just got too busy and were gigging.
    startSec
    481
    reviewed
    true
  • text
    There’s nothing beats that feeling of when you're in it and the feeling you have afterwards, you know, it's just so gratifying.
    startSec
    3696
    reviewed
    true
  • text
    You have to do it for yourself, but ultimately you're creating something for people to listen to and enjoy.
    startSec
    3722
    reviewed
    true
  • text
    If you sound incredible in practice, that's probably not a good sign.
    startSec
    1665
    reviewed
    true
faq
  • question
    What inspired Aaron Comess to pursue a music career?
    answer
    Aaron was motivated by his early music education and the desire to be around the best musicians, leading him to New York City.
  • question
    How did Aaron Comess get involved with the Spin Doctors?
    answer
    He was invited by Eric Shankman after impressing him during a practice session at the New School in New York.
  • question
    What drumming techniques did Aaron learn from his teachers?
    answer
    Aaron studied with renowned drummers like Bernard Purdy, who taught him about the importance of attitude and musicality.
transcriptPublished
false
draft
false

Content

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