578 - Sterling Laws: Recording for LA Hit Makers, The Shape of Recording Drums for Today's Mainstream Pop
Working DrummerShow Notes
Sterling Laws is a well-established drummer in LA, having toured and/or recorded with Chappell Roan, Olivia Rodrigo, producer Dan Nigro, Natasha Bedingfield, and many others. He is a graduate of Musicians Institute in LA where he studied with Stewart Jean and Kevin Stevens.
In this episode, Sterling talks about:
Playing with Natasha Bedingfield and serving as her MD
Growing up in rural Washington north of Seattle, and picking up drumming from his mom
Discovering a viable musical path other than being in a band and trying to “make it”
Studying at Musicians Institute with Stewart Jean and Kevin Stevens
Matriculating from school onto into he LA scene and getting his first opportunities from Barry Squire
Financial literacy lessons learned early
The support and positivity of today’s LA drumming community
Recording for Chappell Roan and Olivia Rodrigo, and how the drum tracking for a huge hit is often relatively DIY
Getting comfortable with your drumming being manipulated or even discarded altogether in the record-making process
How “getting the safe take” will earn you the right to do a more adventurous one
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