585 - Christopher Williams: Drumming for Accept, Life Between Tours, Financial Realities in the Metal World
Working DrummerShow Notes
Christopher Williams was born to be a drummer. Throughout high school, Williams drummed for several rock, jazz, metal, funk and blues groups, as well as the Greenville South Carolina youth orchestra. In 2004 he toured the United States as a member of the Carolina Gold Drum & Bugle corps. Christopher won a gold medal during the annual individual & ensemble competition and retained the title until 2006. Since 2008 he has been based in Nashville, Tennessee where he has built a strong reputation within the music community.
During his school years, Williams was able to study with Paul Riddle of the Marshall Tucker band, Dr. Gary Robinson, Brian Tinkle of the cavaliers drum & bugle corps, Ed Shaughnessy, Jim Chapin, and Elvin Jones.
During April of 2015 it was announced that Christopher would join the legendary heavy metal band Accept. Since then the group has played hundreds of shows in more than fifty countries around the world. Christopher has received global media attention, being featured in magazines and press since joining the band. When possible he performs, records, and tours with other artists & bands in a variety of genres.
Some of the artists/groups he has worked with include: Gene Simmons Ace, Frehley, Accept, Andrew W.K,. Rex Brown, Derek St Holmes, John Corabi, Kaato, Mick Mars, Blackfoot, Lee Greenwood, Kid Rock, Peter Stroud, Her, A Thousand Horses, members of: Parliament Funkadelic, the Rolling Stones, Kiss, Slaughter, Cinderella, David Bowie, Rod Stewart, Alice Cooper, Steppenwolf.
In this episode, Christopher talks about:
The origins of his woodworking skills
Managing life with a newborn son
Drumming for the legendary band Accept
How Christopher plans for recordings
The importance of being able to read & write notation
Inspiring experiences early in life
How he spends his time between tours
The financial realities of touring with a legendary band
Here's our Patreon
Here's our Youtube
Here's our Homepage
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
More from Working Drummer
Cassius Goens III is active on the Indianapolis scene primarily as a jazz drummer but he gets into plenty of other trouble there. He’s also a professor at Ball State University in Muncie, IN where he was born and raised. He teaches jazz drumset and also leads a 15-piece commercial music ensemble in the Music, Media, and Production department there.
John Gardner is a Nashville legend who's touring credits include working with artists like Narvel Felts, John Conlee, The Dixie Chicks "Top Of The World" tour, James Taylor and The Dixie Chicks, Earl Scruggs, Don Williams and others. He has recorded with many many artists including Rhonda Vincent, Don Williams, Larry Gatlin, Porter Waggoner, Jerry Douglas, Jesse Winchester, Al Kooper, Gene Watson, Ricky Scaggs, Josh Turner, Lee Roy Parnell, Tim O'Brien, Jim and Jesse ,Jim Lauderdale, Mickey Gilley, Merle Haggard, Daily & Vincent Dierks Bentley, Earl Scruggs, Dixie Chicks Steve Wariner, Michelle Wright, Taylor Swift, Willie Nelson, Phoebe Snow, Ed Snodderly, Steep Canyon Rangers & many more From 1999 - 2002 he was the staff drummer for the Grand Ole Opry. And from 2015 - 2020 he was an adjunct professor at East Tennessee State University He was nominated for a Grammy as a band member for Earl Scruggs "The ultimateCollection, Live At The Ryman". His TV credits include The Grammys, David Letterman, The Tonight Show, Good Morning America, The Today Show and Saturday Night Live
Jay Moeller has spent his entire adult life and career in Austin Texas where he has played with a long list of artists and acts from covers at the dive bar to names with international reach. He has also begun to lead his own projects both live and in the studio.
A native of France, Ben Lecourt spent his childhood studying percussion with George Van Gucht of the Percussion Of Strasbourg while at conservatory in the south of France. During this time, Ben simultaneously began his discovery of bebop through private studies with various drum teachers. Spending a decade based in Paris, Ben honed his playing nightly in jazz clubs and festivals such as Montreux Jazz.
Jason Smay has been in Nashville for a decade and plays with his son, McKinley James. Prior to that, he was based in Rochester, NY and toured with JD McPherson, Los Strait Jackets, and others. He and McKinley are also part of the Nashville group The Tiger Beats with Patrick Sweany and Ted Pecchio.