The Drum Panel: Taste Is Fake, but My Feelings Are Real

Drummers on Drumming

In this episode, The Drum Panel returns with ME (Ben Hilzinger), alongside my co-host Eric Urrea (Marina City), Max Flanders (Lukas Nelson), and Dean Sinclair (Capital Soirée, Worry Club, Ostin) for a roundtable on the ever-fragile topic of taste.

Today we discuss:

• How to handle unsolicited feedback without spiraling into existential dread
• The delicate balance between self-expression and being hireable
• Whether “good taste” is something you're born with—or can develop
• That awkward moment when a producer tells you to “play something you’re already playing”
• Learning to interpret non-drummer feedback without losing your mind
• The anxiety of showing people your work… and how to move past it
• Whether your teenage influences are a crutch… or your secret weapon
• Developing your own voice in a world full of technically perfect drummers—and incoming AI
• Overcoming “red light syndrome” in the studio and learning to groove under pressure

This one is for anyone who's ever questioned their taste, their technique, or their place in the industry. It’s funny, raw, and packed with perspective.

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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.

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