Skip Happens Podcast - Every Boot Has a Story!

How A West Genesee Kid Became The Backbone Of A National Tour

• Skip Clark

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SPEAKER_00:

Hello! Here we go. Hello, everybody. What is going on? It is Skip, and it's another episode of the Skip Happens podcast where hometown stories meet country music, and the people behind the scenes get their moment in the spotlight. It's gonna be a good one. Yep, today's guest is one of those guys who holds it all together from the drum throne. He's currently touring. Get this. He, this guy right over here, where am I pointing? Right over there. He is the drummer for Nashville Artists Zack Top. I know. I look at the CMAs the other night, and who do I see? He's in every video, every television shot, everything. And uh he's helping uh to bring that classic country sound to stages all over the country. Uh, but before the tour buses, before the big crowds, it all started right here in central New York. He is a West Genesee alum, took the long road from local gigs to the national stage. He's from Shifties to the big stage in Nashville. It's so cool. And uh, you know what? He's just getting started. We're gonna talk about tour life, we're gonna uh lock in with a little bit of Zach Top and what it really makes uh what really it it you know it takes to make it as a working drummer. That's what I'm trying to say. Nashville, Nate Felty. Welcome to the podcast, dude. It's so good to see you.

SPEAKER_01:

Pleasure, man. Thank you for having me.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, you found your way here, okay. Oh yeah, oh yeah, yeah. So um let's just start right from the basics. Uh, tell us a little bit about you, Nate. Uh West Genesee Alum uh back uh back in the day.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, man. Um cats.

SPEAKER_00:

And uh how did drums become your thing? I mean, is this all started with West Jenny or what yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Super, super young randomly just took to rhythm for some reason. That's cool. Yeah, just you know how when you're little and you I mean, some schools have this, but we had it at West Jenny where um you walk in and you try out all these different instruments in the band room as a young kid, you know. I remember that. And uh, you know, I'd you know, play play, try and play trumpet and be like, what no, that ain't that ain't it. And then a reed instrument like a saxophone. I was like, no, that's not it.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, I love the saxophone.

SPEAKER_01:

And then uh I do too, but I didn't know that I'm not good at it. Right, but yeah, then uh then it came around to the drums, and uh music teacher there was making a rhythm, and he's like, match this rhythm for me. So I matched the rhythm. He's okay, great. Now now match this one, okay. Take this hand and do this, and then take this hand and do this twice as fast. And I was just kind of, you know, I'm a little goofy, you know, eight-year-old or whatever, and I love it. He's like, hang on one second. He went and talked to my folks, and it's basically like, Yeah, we should think about doing some music, some some percussion for him if if uh if you if you find it in your in your heart, basically. So yeah, that's kind of the the beginnings.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, do you remember who that was, teacher? Oh man. Um, and and and would you go back to him today and go, thank you?

SPEAKER_01:

I I'm not sure he's still alive today. I mean, if he is, I apologize. Mr. Sippley is oh Mr.

SPEAKER_00:

Sippy, dude, because you know, we mentioned these these names, and I I said, Oh, yeah, I remember that because I am a West Tennessee grad as well, although uh many years before you, yeah. But uh, but still, Mr. Sippley, yeah, Miss Uh Bruce Burt with the band.

SPEAKER_01:

Yep, uh man, I just another, you know, another great West Jenny grad, Nick Barata, was Nick Barata, another one that he was a fantastic percussionist.

SPEAKER_00:

He was a and he then he ended up leading the band, right?

SPEAKER_01:

Or for a short time, and you you know, he's gone on to do some incredible things. So I know he works for Warren worked for Warner Brothers. So cool. Um, but he was another guy that just kind of we worked together briefly, and he spoke with my parents, who we actually parents are West Jenny grads, also. Wow, we got a whole room of West Tennessee grads. I love this. Littered and but um he went and said Wildcats. He talked to my folks again, and he was as I got a little bit older, and he was just like, I hope that you're able to let him see this too a little bit.

SPEAKER_00:

But Nick played what what's the the the three drums that there's one oh uh yeah, the the quads, the is that what they call them? I know, but it's always exciting to you know, I being at the parades and stuff, and yeah, back in the day. Exactly. Yeah, you know, I love hearing that. I didn't realize that he went on to work for Warner Brothers, but there's another good example of somebody that's uh born and raised here in central New York, and you got the roots, and we grade high school. I mean, we had you know the senior class. I don't know about you, but mine was like 800 people. You know, I don't remember how many mine was well. You're lucky that your last name started with an F because my real last name is Motondo. I had to wait till the M's. Oh, yeah. And that was like, all right, that was a couple hours in. Are we done yet? Are we done yet? Yeah, Jesus, I'm gonna get out of here. Let's go. I got things to do and places to uh people to see and so on. But uh, you know, we have uh such a sneaky, good music scene. And uh what did it give you that helped you once you left? Oh wow. What a question.

SPEAKER_01:

Um as far as Syracuse music scene goes, not not just grade school, but professional working music scene in Syracuse, there's there's such a wide variety of uh musicians here. And you wouldn't expect it from the outside looking in, like, you know, what's going on in Syracuse? Well I don't know. But when you're you know, I just the other day I went went to Shifties, you know, we talked about Shifties earlier, yeah, yeah. And um had some friends playing, and you know, we had what eight inches of snow coming down in a couple of hours the other night. And uh crazy. And I of course carted through all that snow, and I opened these doors, and it's a room full of music lovers, you know. And I heard things from like the meters to um gosh, just to to like Grateful Dead to Earth When in Fire. All in all in one band set, you know, to Stevie Wonder and um in this room full of people dancing and having a good time, and and it it could be zero degrees with a foot of snow on the ground, it could be a hundred degrees, and it's the same energy and the same love and appreciation for people. And I've had some wonderful sort of I think of them as like father figures, mentors here that still are playing here week in, week out, doing great things.

SPEAKER_00:

You know, uh Nate, I have to ask, when you come back home, which I I would assume you try to make it back to see everybody around the holidays as you're sitting here with me today, but uh does it hit differently knowing that you're doing this on a professional level?

SPEAKER_01:

I try not to think about it.

SPEAKER_00:

Really?

SPEAKER_01:

It's I it's amazing it's fun. It's it's you know, we always say, like, you know, the dream is to is to do something you love and whatever the quote, you'll never work a day in your life, which I think is very false. You will work hard, but you'll enjoy the work that you do. Um, yeah, I try not to think about it, to be honest, because um I I I like to think about just why I love it. And it's the music being made, the people I'm making it with. Um I don't I'm not someone that chases any kind of attention.

SPEAKER_00:

You're just doing your job.

SPEAKER_01:

I just love to doing what you're doing. Yeah, exactly. If I can just keep keep rhythm going, keep time and make people happy.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, but but you're doing it for Zach Top. Yes. Come on, let's be real here. Yeah, he is one of the hottest artists right now. And I know that from doing what I do with the radio scene, and I've been doing that a long time and being the music director here in the cubes, uh, for what we play and what we don't play. Uh, Zach Top is you know, hit after head after hit. And I gotta tell you, every time I play one of those songs, I do mention your name when I come out of it, and I say, Oh, always remember that uh you hear the beat, that's our boy, Nate Felty. So too kind, but no, no, but you deserve that. You deserve that, you know. Without the drum, where would they be without the beat? Right. I don't think about it. And uh, was this your first year on the CMAs?

SPEAKER_01:

Uh yeah, on the actual show.

SPEAKER_00:

On the actual show, yep, yep. The curtain went up.

SPEAKER_01:

I went there's Zach, there's Nate. Exactly. Yeah, it's it's it's a well-oiled machine, that whole operation. You know, yeah, I know. You're you're in uh it's in Bridgestone Arena where the NHL team, the predators are played. Yep, yep. So they they fill that entire arena with cameras and it's amazing, all sorts of craziness, and then they you know, then they fill it with all sorts of people, and then they make this whole production and build stages catered to whoever's performing.

SPEAKER_00:

So it's amazing. I um I've had the opportunity to broadcast live from Nashville for the CMAs for a lot of years, and uh be being able to go to the show, you're right, it's a huge production. Yeah, and uh I'd come to find out in the the last time I went, we watched it from a bar down on Broadway just to stay out of the mess and all that. But if you've never seen it, it's amazing because it's it's television. They stop for the commercials and they say, Okay, we're coming back in 30, coming back in 10, 9, boom. Then everybody starts clapping, and everybody, you know, and the seat fillers move around depending on who's coming up next and everything. So that was so cool. That's so cool. But uh, you know, take us, uh Nate, if you would, when you first got the call to play with Zach Top, how did all that go?

SPEAKER_01:

Man, so I had a mutual friend um that was in the band at the time. Uh his name was Brett Resnick. He played the pedal steel guitar. And we had worked together on records and in other groups in years past, but um, he was working with Zach at the time, and Zach had been going through a couple different drummers, and um the the phone just rang, and it was, you know, it was Zach. And the first time, the first time it was him, I was actually I'd already committed to something and couldn't do it. And I was got it. This was, you know, yeah, this was in 2023. Probably just yeah, two years ago, yeah, two and a half years ago. Yeah, and I and I had something else going on, and I was like, man, I wish I could, but I I I'm already on the road. I I wish I yeah, I can't do it. But I I had checked out his music and I said, I love your music, man. Please reach out if if ever you are in a pinch and need me. Again, I'd love to be able to help out. And that's exactly what happened a couple months later. At the channel. January and uh 2024.

unknown:

Wow.

SPEAKER_01:

Um, yeah, I got a phone call from Zach about a week and change before this run of shows he had. Um, he had a run, if you can believe this, in January, a run of shows in the upper Midwest. Wow, and then wait a minute, you said January? Yeah, yeah. So so the first show was actually February. Yeah, well, some for some reason it didn't snow and nothing was canceled. And anyway, but I flew into uh Milwaukee was the first show that I played in. Oh, okay. All right. Um, and I'm somebody who's very forensic when when it comes to learning music. I I have all these like I call them weird notebooks. There's all these like college-ruled notebooks full of my own weird notes charts that I make for songs that I that I learn. Yep. That's so cool. Yeah, I mean, I I just it's just my shorthand way of it. It's the way you do it. Exactly.

SPEAKER_00:

It's my own weird shorthand way of doing things.

SPEAKER_01:

I don't know if I want to patent it yet, but yeah. No, keep it to yourself, dude, if it's working for you. Yeah, but that's all that happened. I I you know I I showed up and I learned an hour's worth of his show and we we played the show, and I think I think whatever I did was immediately doing the right thing.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, thankfully. But what year did you graduate?

SPEAKER_01:

From Jenny.

SPEAKER_00:

From West Jenham, class of 07, 2007. Okay, all right. So did you so you moved to Nashville in 2012? Yes. Did you play with anybody between 2007? And 2012. Well, I was an undergrad. Well, you were an undergrad.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, an undergrad. I was up at Sunia Suego, and I did work with a lot of different groups. Um, I I could I could name drop, like you know, I just the other day, for example, I had played with a local group, Count Blastula. Oh yeah, who aren't but all those guys are are homies. Um I love it. I love it. Yeah, a couple, you know, other other musicians up and around central New York while I was in college. Um, another Sunia Suego alum, one of my dear friends, just a might as well be a brother, uh his name's Max McKee, also in Nashville. I'm sure you know Max. I know Max. Love him. Max and I are yeah, we're we're brothers. We didn't realize we were brothers until we met each other. But uh so cool. Yeah, he's another guy who lives in Nashville. But um, anyway, where's it going? Yeah, so Sunia Suego, I was in a couple different groups. Max was in one of those groups, and that was just kind of how we sort of hit the grindstone, you know. That's so cool.

SPEAKER_00:

What was um the biggest adjustment? You go from local gigs to uh national touring. What is that adjustment like?

SPEAKER_01:

It's always a balancing act. That's the um I still keep local weekly gigs in Nashville when I'm off the road. Okay. Do you go down and play on Broadway for not on Broadway as much anymore? Once in a while. Yeah, once once in a while, been to the station a couple times, played there. It's a great place. It's becoming more of a hidden gem these days. I know, it's out of the way. Booming hotels all up and around. Oh, that's crazy. But yeah, I you know, I'll I'll do local gigs at like cocktail clubs and things like that. But I try and keep as plugged into the local community as I can, even if I'm on tour two-thirds of the year.

SPEAKER_00:

So this is normally the time of the year where you know, I know uh they say Nashville shuts down about December, mid-December, the 15th or so. I know from from one of my reporting and working with the labels and all that, it's like we hit the 15th, we're done. We're done. So, and this is a chance for you, artists like you, uh performers like you, musicians like you to spend time with family, some downtime. When when do you usually hit the road again, though? Is that like mid-January?

SPEAKER_01:

It was last this past year, yeah. It was the first or the second week of January. It's gonna be January, January the 9th, I believe. Okay. There's a ski town out there, they throw a big festival.

SPEAKER_00:

You're talking about Colorado, and I am so freaking jealous because on my bucket list for doing what I do and going to the shows and meeting the artists and the musicians, Red Rocks. Oh, yeah, dude. I saw you played Red Rocks. Yeah, it's talk to me about that because I cannot wait to see that sounds it's a very, very special place.

SPEAKER_01:

Um, I think it's it's just one of those places where you're you're like you can almost feel the air a little bit, you know. Like after our sound check there, I I just kind of had a moment on stage alone, just beating the daylights out of the yeah, just just feeling the reflections, you know, all the the acoustics of all it bouncing off the rocks, just without any any of the front of house speakers on or anything, just the the rawness of the stuff.

SPEAKER_00:

Is there like you you hear that and you feel it come back?

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, yeah, without because nobody's in there, nobody's there to absorb the sound. Could coffin, but it's uh yeah, it's just a such a special place, man. And and and walking in there, um, the loading area, there's like a big ramp that goes up and everything. Like tunnels, too. Yep, yep. The tunnel that goes up. And everybody signs the yeah, you know, you already know, man.

SPEAKER_00:

No, dude, because it's on my bucket list, and I did a little bit of research about Red Rocks. Yeah, and everybody I talked to, it's like, dude, have you played Red Rocks yet? Yeah, we were there. I I'm so jealous.

SPEAKER_01:

It's a very special. Yeah, we had we had two nights there. It's it's on my bucket list. Yeah, it was one of one of the nights was his birthday. It was kind of a kickoff of our fall tour. Oh, nice. And um, yeah, to be able to to headline there. I mean, if you you can't like I feel like you you can't really realize it or understand it unless you're it just becomes reality someday.

SPEAKER_00:

How does it um work on stage? How do you and Zach you lock in rhythm-wise on stage? I mean, because let's I mean, you're the beat. You you've got it going. I could and you go off.

SPEAKER_01:

I could lay out and he's the he he has he's a wonderful musician, keeps great time, and he knows exactly where he wants his songs tempo-wise. Um, that was something I immediately locked in and just had this instant connection with him because you know, I I as a forensic learner of music, you know, if I had to learn one of his songs for a show, I'd learn the record, the version I heard on his record, and I'm like, hey, okay, here we go. How's this sound? One, two, three, and he'll stop and be like, that's a tiny bit too slow with where I want it. How about how about right here? Okay, okay, and it's just like that he just knows exactly where he wants everything, and he'll he'll start some songs by himself and take an entire and you just need to and I know right where the tempo needs to be, dude. But he does too, so it makes it it. I feel like my job is is is not that as tricky as it may seem because he's someone who is so locked in with his own rhythm.

SPEAKER_00:

Was there ever a time where you and him would look at each other and go, what the F did you just do? Or like, you know, whether he did something or whether you did something, and then it's like, oh crap.

SPEAKER_01:

I tell drum students of mine this. Um it would be I I think one of the most clever ways you you can you can show somebody that you're really listening to what they're playing is to like give a little like spice to some if it's a drummer, a little acting a little rhythm, rhythmic hit or something. And uh we were playing one song on our tour over the summer, and he uh he he approaches a solo a similar way, most most shows. And and I right before he went into his solo, I just kind of like had this evil thought. I'm like, I'm gonna I'm gonna match the same rhythm he does. And we didn't he turned right around and started laughing. He's just like it was it was awesome. And it's like as as a drummer, it's like such a good feeling when you go for something. Yeah, have that relationship with him where you can both just go. Yeah, it's very yeah, it's just like I got you. It's just such a yeah, it's fun to sit on the the the the tour bus at the end of the night and be like, you son of a does he does Zach Top actually ride the tour bus with you?

SPEAKER_00:

Oh yeah, he sleeps, he sleeps right above me because a lot of the artists, I mean, depending on where the gigs are, if they're close, like maybe somebody's playing up the road at CMAC, then again here at the Amp, and then they're playing Saratoga, they'll take the bus from venue to venue. But then again, there's been others like Dirk Spentley, he'd fly in on it. Well, he's a pilot too. So but he'd meet his baby.

SPEAKER_01:

His drummer is also a pilot, yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Exactly. Yeah, and they both flew home after the show here. I know one was flying it, the other was co-pilot.

SPEAKER_01:

Yep. Yeah, um, I I don't know, I don't know if we're if we're there, but I mean it's it's fun just to kind of get in the bus and you know, we're we're I think there's such a down-to-earthness of everybody in our band. Um, I'm only speaking about Zach right now, but you know, the other guys and gals, Cheyenne, our um utility player and vocalists. These are the same people that are with you right along, right? Cheyenne, they all yeah, Cheyenne, her husband Jimmy, the bass player. Um Ryan Stigman's our steel guitarist. I'm making all these iter, like these motions with my hands, each person's instrument. Um, yeah, William Bagby is our our lead guitarist, um, and David Meyer, our keys and fiddle player. But we're all just like a bunch of homies, yeah. It's you know, we're on the the bus after the show, kind of melting from it all and still acting like a bunch of doofuses, you know, and then we'll slowly file into bed and into the bunk, do yeah, into the bunk, I should say, and and sometimes into somebody else's bunk by accident, but and then just do the whole thing over again tomorrow. It's like whose socks are these? Right, right. Hey, you gotta how is um you know, life on the road?

SPEAKER_00:

What is something that the fans never see? Like what you were just talking about. I mean, being on the bus and the bunks and just craziness and yeah, it gets it gets fun.

SPEAKER_01:

Sometimes you know, but it's gotta be fun. Yeah, it's it's it's hilarious sometimes when you kind of think about it. You know, we're it's it's I sometimes feel like we're just a bunch of children having a blast. And that's I hope that feeling sticks in. Until we're in our 80s.

SPEAKER_00:

Now now you also you teach at Belmont. You're an adjunct professor, which is pretty cool. Tell us a little bit about that and how long have you been doing that?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I started that job in August of last year, 2024. Okay. Yep. Um I did my master's there. Nice. Right after I got out of Sunia Swego in 2012. So you didn't wait between Swego because I just I I figured, you know, I think we said this earlier, but I I just wanted to apply to grad school. And if I got in in a place that was a music rich place like Nashville, if I got in, then I would just that's my sort of professional sounding reason to move to a place like that. So I moved there right in 2020, 2012, sorry. Yeah. Um and then did my two years, my master's there. And then I graduated. Smart move.

SPEAKER_00:

The way I'm the way I look at it, because if you had waited, maybe you wouldn't go back and get the right because I have a daughter that's got a teaching degree. She went to gene as CEO. Oh, nice. And then she ended up going to William and Mary, and she didn't wait. She she told me, she goes, Dad, if I wait, I may not do this. Yeah. That's I had this go and get the same thing the same thought I was. You're on a roll. I might as well just go do this. But you're teaching at Belmont. So that's pretty cool. And a lot of uh musicians like yourself do that, correct? Yeah. I mean, I've I forgot who I've spoken with now, and they'd have told me that, but they say, Yeah, you know, when I'm not on the road, I'm teaching at Belmont. So that's cool.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, it's a it's an almighty juggling act. There's been times there's been times where we've, you know, the buses rolled in back into Nashville. You know, we'll play occasional shows on Sundays, and then I've got students at 9 a.m. on Monday morning, and you know, we'll roll into we'll roll into town at 8:30 on Monday morning, and I'm just you know, there's like all these uh like a meme of a bear coming out of hibernation all disheveled. That's me. And I drive straight to campus. Yeah, exactly. Holy crap. Straight to campus, and I'm on, you know, I'm in the I'm in the studio there just working with students, and I think I get a couple of weird looks every now and then.

SPEAKER_00:

So how do um how do the students relate to you? They do that do they know that you're Zach Topstrom? Oh yeah. Okay, they're very aware. So they're very aware of that.

SPEAKER_01:

So I try and sort of, you know, I I'm I I'm not someone that looks for attention, you know. So I have a hard time if um I can tell that just by talking if somebody yeah, if somebody's like whoa whoa, is that and I'm just yeah, yeah, that's what I do. Yeah, but um yeah, it's it's uh I think everybody, ever all the drum students at that school, and it's a pretty big music school. There's there's I think there's like almost a hundred drum majors there. I think they they all know that that I that I hold that position. Um but uh they also know that I'm I'm gonna be fair and equal to everybody. You know, and you have to be. Like you can be you can be buddy buddy, but if if you're not showing up doing the work, then you're gonna hear about it.

SPEAKER_00:

Just because you downloaded all the Zach Top songs does not mean I'm gonna give you an A for this course. Yeah, no teacher pet with that. No, no, exactly. Well, that's good. That's that's that's a cool deal. It's fun, man. It's fun. It's it's it's how does that work when you're on the road?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, well, that's just it. How does yeah, it's so you got that balance that you need to work out. Yep, and sometimes you know, our our schedule has been such that the bus will leave Wednesday afternoon, evening, or we'll fly out if we're going somewhere cross country, for example. We'll fly out on Wednesday, and then we'll play usually Thursday, Friday, Saturday, sometimes Sunday.

SPEAKER_00:

Did you guys go to C2C?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, down in Australia. We went there this this past March. Yep. Dude, how was that flight? Long. Long. It's you know, it's long when you like you just you just think for like it's a 14 hours. And it was a commercial flight, right? Yeah, oh yeah. Yeah, you didn't get the oh, yeah, man. That was hard. Because like, you know, you're so you're just so melted in.

SPEAKER_00:

I would love to see that. And and you know, somebody like you, this is an opportunity for you to see the world too.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, you know, doing what you're doing, and it doesn't mean that after a long flight, you know, it's the last thing that I think any of us wants when we get off of a 14-15 hour flight in Sydney, Australia is Jesus Christ, you said top all the time like they're already like you know, the attention starts to build, and you're just like, All right, please, please.

SPEAKER_00:

I know, I get it. We're almost home. I get it. And and I've seen people do that. I mean, you know, being doing what I do and all the years that I've been doing this, and it just it does annoy me. I'll be honest with you. When it's like, okay, look at dude, they just pulled in, you just let them go, get a little rest, get something to eat, you know, use the restroom, maybe you know. I mean, yeah, yeah, exactly. But it happens, and you have your fans, and I guess on the other hand, you got to be thankful for the fans.

SPEAKER_01:

Absolutely, you know, it's amazing to go across as he, you know, we'd never done anything in I mean Canada, I guess, but like a proper international trip, you know, Australia was our first sort of other side of the world experience, you know. And um, we were all very excited, but we also had that thought of like, I hope I hope people know who we are and appreciate what we're doing. And it was such an incredible feeling to just get off the plane and have that that kind of fervor, you know, like everyone was so buoyant and just like it lifts you right up into a special place, you know. Yeah, country's so big there, too. Yeah, it's huge.

SPEAKER_00:

You would never think. I mean, I know, for example, not Australia, but if you go to Ireland, I mean, there's something about our country music that they're just like they'll sing every word of every cut on the album back to you.

SPEAKER_01:

Yep, yeah, we'll be going over there. Um, yeah, end of February, early March. Yeah, coming up. All right.

SPEAKER_00:

So, where in that Nashville do you live? Do you live obviously outside of town?

SPEAKER_01:

Um, not too far. I live right in the east side, east Nashville area. It's um there's a park across the river from downtown Shelby Park.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Um, and just outside of that park is where we live. So you got your own place. So I share, I have two other musicians. Oh, okay. Yeah, they're two brothers that are brothers. Everybody's a brother. Yeah, pretty much. Yeah, that's cool. That is do they play uh with uh the one one brother plays bass for the brothers Osborne? No kidding. Yeah, so it's and the other brother is uh brilliant Luthier, he repairs and fixes guitars. You got everything right there, though. Yeah, it's it's uh they fix a drum kit. Right. I haven't I haven't tasked him with that yet. I want the rent to increase.

SPEAKER_00:

Do you um so they supply the drum kit for you? You tell them what you want, yeah, because I know obviously you have your own drum kit for, but for you to carry it around everywhere would be rather difficult.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, that we we and now it's nice to have the roadie. Zach had a had a kit that he really liked, um, a great an older Gretsch kit that he really liked. And um, he just you know he was like, Man, these are the the drum shells I I already have. I really love how they sound. Um, I'm opening it. I'm open if you want to bring anything else in. And I I'm just like, well, you already got what you what you like. I and I you know, so as someone that was coming into an already oiled machine a couple of years ago, I was just like, well, if he already likes that, I'll just bring my symbols snares that I like.

SPEAKER_00:

You can slide in to play pretty much any kit. Because I know there's been shows we've done, we've had a supply of drum kit.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. So yeah, we we bring ours just about everywhere we can. What's your go-to kit? Um, I do love Gretsch. It depends. It's I'm I'm one of those kind of chameleon type people that loves different styles of music. So it depends on what the music is to answer that question. But um Yeah, yeah, I got you. I think in any scenario, I love a good Gretsch kit. I love a good Yamaha kit. I think a Yamaha kit would be my choice for music. It does, yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

But yeah, but you're doing a good thing. So far so you know what I mean. Yes. So far. You're blessed. Um, what are your biggest uh I hate asking this question? I don't even know why I put it on here. What are your biggest drumming influences, country or otherwise? I I always hate asking. So tell me who's who's your influence, you know?

SPEAKER_01:

It's all over the place. Again, there's um I I I so a little musical background of mine to preface that answer is um, you know, I I think uh touring with someone like Zach, where it's all over social media and the industry and all that. I think anybody that meets me through uh Zach's work thinks like, right, this guy's a must be a great country drummer, you know. And I do love playing country music, but um, I also love I mean I grew up playing like jazz and soul. Really? They like R and B blues, sound good. Yeah, yeah. And and like so to go back to answer what you know were your influences like I grew up on classic rock, John Bonham, oh Led Zeppelin. Yeah you know, that I have that was you know, I I I I would sit and wear those CDs out. I'm gonna sound old now. Yeah, no, it's okay. Wear those CDs out. So they started skipping, you know, and I would I would just kind of play along with all those albums, and that was kind of like my first classic rock love, that kind of thing. I love Led Zeppelin and John.

SPEAKER_00:

I had those albums, by the way. So now I'm showing my age, and now the vinyl's coming back, right? Right, and even today's artists, Zach Topp and everybody, they're releasing uh vinyl. Yeah, so that's cool. Oh, yeah, that's cool. And I know vinyl was really popular this uh Christmas because everybody's asked. I had uh friends ask me, you know, I said, what do you want for Christmas? And they went vinyl, vinyl. Right. So I think that's cool. Um, if your younger self was watching you right now, what do you think he'd say?

SPEAKER_01:

I don't know if this is gonna sound meaning. I genuinely think my younger self would be like, what are you doing? Really? Really? You know what I mean? Like it's yeah, yeah. It's funny talking to talking to students at the college, for example. You know, they they a lot of the questions I get asked are like, how do I prepare myself so that I'm doing what you're doing? Because I would love to do something similar. And I think my answer kind of kind of pisses them off if I'm being honest. I think it kind of upsets them to be honest. Um, I just say like, you know, don't skip skimp out on anything, you know. Like don't like you don't you don't want to do this assignment where you have to transcribe the the drum beat or groove that you hear. Well, tough luck. Like that's I'm asking you to do that for a reason. You know the same way that I'm asking to learn songs for a reason. So if they don't want to take the effort to do that, then why are they even spending time with you? Well, that's the thing. It's like I think I mean they're there for a reason. Right. Well, I think there's there's a lot of this like um this sort of feeling of like, well, I have a lot of my act together, so therefore I'm I can do these things, X, Y, and Z. And it's like you can you can be an incredible musician, but if your character and your ath, like your work ethic isn't there, it's like you're not always gonna find yourself in those opportunities, you know. I love it. So yeah, do you have a favorite city that you've played so far? Or just too many. That's a good question. Yeah, it's too many, probably. Um And do you know where you are when you arrive? Some sometimes I don't. I know that's how I'm asking. Yeah, sometimes and it's not just you, it's you know, yeah, there's there's times where you know we're we have a schedule and and everything, you know. I'm more so worried about like, all right, I'm done teaching, I gotta get my I gotta get to the airport and catch this flight, you know, wherever. And I'll see on the plane, oh, we're going to Las Vegas, cool. Or we're going to Seattle, whatever it may be. I think it's yeah, favorite city. Man, that's a hard one to answer. I think if I had to choose just for the the wow factor of it all, um, it's probably that festival in Australia. Wow, I don't blame you. There was something about just showing up to that festival ever having never been there and just have such a raucous reception.

SPEAKER_00:

No, I believe it was last summer that you rolled into Syracuse. Was it last summer? Yeah, at the amp. Yep. And how cool was that? Uh what was that feeling like for you knowing you must have known you were coming to Syracuse? Yeah, that was yeah, and you had the fam there, and uh you know, brothers and sisters, but I think you had so many. I saw you come out, and it's just like everybody was like, There's Nate, right? There's Nate, there's Nate.

SPEAKER_01:

Such a such a wild thing. Yeah, I mean, that that that whole weekend was crazy because the night the night before we were at SPAC, yeah, and I, you know, memories of like Dave Matthews band at SPAC, and all you know, that was like the talk of of high school, you know, every single end of the year in high school was like, You're going to SPAC, go to SPAC. That was every June. Yep. And to be there on the stage, it was like, wow, okay, this is this is a different thing, you know. That's so cool. And then rolling up to Syracuse the next day, got out, I got out of the tour bus and just kind of, you know, the familiar smells, the the lake, the beautiful breeze of Lake Ontario.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, well, the breeze of Lake Ontario is one thing, but that was Lake Anna Doga Lake.

SPEAKER_01:

Sorry, yeah, Lake Lake, sorry, on a dog.

SPEAKER_00:

And it was a hot day.

SPEAKER_01:

That was a really hot day. You know, we we thank God.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, they've done a lot to get on a dog lake cleaned up, but uh to be honest with you, I I know they say you can eat the fish out of there now and this and that, but just knowing what it's past is, I'd rather not. And I'm not dissing anything, but I did have to laugh. And it's a story when uh we did the radio thing and we're backstage, and Zach comes out, we're just kind of you know shooting the shit and having a great conversation. Asked him what he did, and he's talking about shooting hoops and how hot it was. And he goes, Then he went for a swim, and I just looked at him and went, dude. You have this many hours left to live.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_00:

Exactly. He goes, Well, you know, it was hot, and yeah, I did see a few dead fish on the shore. Okay, Zach. All right, all right. I'll check on you in.

SPEAKER_01:

Do you remember that the actual show when he said that? Like the the audible silence in the crowd when he said it was just like it was like it was like somebody took the needle off the record, you know.

SPEAKER_00:

He what?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, like the gasp was just I just remember hearing the gasp from stage now. I was just kind of thinking, that's hilarious.

SPEAKER_00:

He doesn't know, he has no idea, but should have talked to his drummer, yeah. Man, yeah, yeah. You should have warned him, Nate. Hey, said, you know, I grew up around here and I know what that like's been through. Right. Hey, it's live to tell the tale, right? Exactly. Um, what song you never get tired of playing live?

SPEAKER_01:

Oh man, probably it's it's a it's a banger, and it's uh I never lie. I love because I'm Zach will look starts with you, right? Yeah, Zach will look up at me when he's ready to start the song, and I just do two stick clicks, you know, the yep, boom, you know, yeah, right in. And I think like as soon as the full band comes in a couple beats later, everybody immediately knows what it is, and just like the you know, the feeling can you hear the crowd singing back to you?

SPEAKER_00:

Oh yeah, even where you are? Oh yeah. Wow, yeah, it's a it's a yeah, it's what kind of feeling is that? I know it's gotta be out of this world for Zach. You know, he's up front, he's the front man, but you being back on the drums, I mean, to hear that does it psych you up still? Does it really pump you up to to go wow? This is awesome.

SPEAKER_01:

There's yeah, we we played um probably if if that that answer you asked me about, my favorite city I've played in Australia was my first answer. If I could give you a second answer for this particular discussion right now, it'd be Houston. We played uh the Houston rodeo. The rodeo um at was that Reliance Stadium or uh whatever that stadium name is where that the Texans play. Yeah, but um yeah, we we found out that that that we sold that night out and um walking out there and kicking off the set and hearing like the couple seconds of delay from where we were in the center of the field to the room. Oh, yeah, because it you're right, you're like in the round. So so it's like as as you start playing, you just you hear your yourself and your band, and then about four seconds later you hear the you know, the the reaction from the crowd, you know. That's so cool.

SPEAKER_00:

That was a that was a pretty wild thing, just to sort of you're talking about the Houston Rodeo. Do you know that uh Zach Topp is being called the New George Strait? Oh and dude, and you're you're a part of that, yeah. It's so I'm just it's funny reading that today in some uh show prep I get.

SPEAKER_01:

It's uh it's fun to like you know, he it's obviously King George is one of one of his heroes, but but uh it's wild to to know that like those people are uh also aware of Zach's music as well. We're actually playing with Joe with George this year, dude. That's gonna be a pretty special now. Get talking about that a little bit.

SPEAKER_00:

It is very special. Is there I mean George Strait is one, but you've been playing, you know, you're banging on the drums for of course Zach Top, but there's other artists that come out as well. And so, I mean, I think Laney Wilson has been out, and uh these do you ever feel like oh my god, that's you don't break you don't break your stride, I get that, but still it's like, oh my god. Well, you know ahead of time who's coming out, though, right?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, usually once in a while we get pranked or something, yeah. And then it's have you been pranked? Yeah, a couple times.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, do they ever prank you as the drummer?

SPEAKER_01:

Not me personally, thankfully. That's Zach. I feel like that, yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Usually Zach's the new guy on tour, and he's selling places out, and other artists are gonna go, okay, I'm gonna get you. Right.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I love that. He's he's fun though, man. He he takes it so well, too. He's he's somebody who like he'll surf the way of being created immediately.

SPEAKER_00:

If has uh anything wild ever happened while you're up there on stage that will stick out? I mean, I imagine you could write probably write a book, yeah. Maybe, but um something that really sticks out in your mind, something happened during a show or something crazy. I'm trying to think of a good example.

SPEAKER_01:

There's been all sorts of things. So many, right? Yeah, people you know, there's it seems like almost every week during a show, somebody's proposing in the middle of the song. That's that's always a special thing. Or like, you know, Zach will see some people hold up signs, you know, these hundreds of signs people holding up, and once in a while he'll he'll see one and he'll read it out loud, and he's like whatever those signs are. Some of them are inappropriate, don't want to share anymore. But um the bras come up on stage, the panties come up on stage. It's like all right, all right. You can think it, it's probably happened, which I know, which is I've seen it. But um, yeah, as far as a special moment, man, yeah, nothing jumps out as like a pivotal, like this was crazy, but several things where you're just like gotta keep going, gotta keep going. You know, like it's it's it's wild. You never know what to expect. What do you hope for in the next five years? Five years, oh wow. Um it's like two years. Yeah, yeah, it'll fly by. Yeah, next couple, yeah, next five years. I mean, I'm I'm someone that that just loves to to pour into anything that I'm passionate about that others are also passionate about. And um I've never worked with such a hellbent great group of hardworking people that that are, you know, like that, that can just be very focused at the task at hand and the touring and the rigors of touring. People, you know, I'm sure you understand this too, but like, you know, the the the glamorous things you see on tour are only a percentage of everything else that's on tour. Right, right, right.

SPEAKER_00:

There's a lot of ugly as well.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, but but through it all, like uh it's it's it's it's so it's it just is a privilege to work with people that are all you know head down, work hard. And before we had any kind of crew and people helping us. Load in gear and set things up. Oh my god. We were schlepping all that stuff ourselves into this year as well. And you know, yeah. Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, that's gonna change. It it already has. Yeah, it already kind of has. But but even still, like um the earlier this year, you know, we'd open up our buses, we're pulling trailers of gear before we had semi-trucks pulling everything. Yep, yep. And um, you know, the first person to grab cases out of the trailer would would be Zach, or it would be our hand guitar, our other guitar, our bass player, or you know, myself or our steel guitarist. And I think that sort of work hard ethic has always kind of been at the forefront. So I hope that that it pays off stays the same over five years. Yeah, I think it's well, yeah, that's the same passion.

SPEAKER_00:

You know, it's going great now. You said, you know, now you've got the the trailers that you got people that do all that for you. Yeah. So which is also a weird feeling.

SPEAKER_01:

I I'm someone, you know, I've did uh oh go ahead. I'd say I I've always someone like I I I've been taught to put my toys away when I'm done, you know. So it's it's weird. Is it kind of hard to say weird to get no, I'll get you like yeah, it is kind of it is kind of weird. It does, it's it's a privilege, very nice, you know. I'm very grateful for it. But it's but I also just want to be like, I I I can do it. I got this. I got this. I did this. I'll pick up after myself, you know.

SPEAKER_00:

So I how many uh drumsticks do you usually take on stage with you? Um I mean you're well.

SPEAKER_01:

Several pairs, yeah. I'll I'll it's you ever toss them out? Yeah, oh yeah. Oh yeah, good. It's all sorts of people that yell for certain things, you know, after the show. Yeah. And um, yeah, it's as long as I have some.

SPEAKER_00:

But they supply all those, though.

SPEAKER_01:

Um, yeah, for the most part. Okay, for the most part. Good. Yeah, good. Once in a while we'll we'll we'll get low and I and I'll won't be aware and I'll be like, oh, okay, I'll go out and grab something. Did um Zach throw a holiday party? This year? I'm trying to remember. Yeah. I'm just just like damn. Um we had, I mean, we played in Las Vegas.

SPEAKER_00:

Um, were you at the sphere?

SPEAKER_01:

Uh not the sphere. No, we were at the MGM Grand. Still. Yeah, that that arena there, which is yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Was that the rodeo?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, NFR. Okay. Yes, yes, yep. That's a that's uh that's a very much a popular popular hotspot for for that. And it's also like, you know, I think a lot of our music is very synonymous with NFR and Rodeo. We've done several rodeos. We'll still do rodeos. Oh, Zach, didn't he ride? Yeah, a rider back in the day? A little bit, yeah. He was someone he was like, he was like, man, the best way he puts it, um, when he's if if he's playing or talking about the next song he's gonna play is like, yeah, you know, I grew up in Washington State, and dad owns a livestock commission company, and you know, worked worked with cattle, and I, you know, I I I wasn't the best cowboy, but I figured I might as well just sing about it, you know. And that's that's kind of his way to answer that.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I don't know if you can see this, but uh, he's got the livestock. Uh Nate has the uh livestock commission jacket on that. That is Zach Top's family's company, correct? Yep, that's so cool.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I I didn't even realize I had the jacket on.

SPEAKER_00:

No, I like it. It's I immediately my mind went to Yellowstone. Yeah. Because of the livestock commission. Yep, yep. But uh yeah, that is so cool. That is so cool. You know, being from West Tennessee, Central New York, the you're this is home to you. Nashville's home to you. So is there what would you tell somebody that wants to do what you have done? What kind of advice would you give this uh person?

SPEAKER_01:

Uh don't be afraid to put yourself out there. Um the the best thing I ever did was so far was just go try.

SPEAKER_00:

You know, were you always the quiet one?

SPEAKER_01:

You know what I mean? I'm sure people give me crap if I say the wrong answer here. I think I I think I m for the most part, you weren't a hell raiser. No. Okay. I would I would raise hell by default uh if if things got crazy throughout the night during a show or whatever, but I was never the one causing the commotion. Exactly. I would join in happily along the way. But um, yeah, no, my my if I could give any advice to anybody that it's uh I think it takes a lot of sacrifice. Um but you gotta be willing to do that. Yeah, yeah. And and you have to be willing to know that it's not gonna show up overnight.

SPEAKER_00:

You know, and how do you accept change? You know, we're we're at a point where there's a lot of change going on. Oh, yeah. Whether you know, from the musician standpoint, from the actual artist standpoint, we're working with AI now. I know with radio, with what I do, there's a lot of AI stuff going on. Uh how do you how do you handle all that?

SPEAKER_01:

I just try and not think about it, let it take over my brain. That's the yeah, exactly. Um I I mean, when I'm not touring with Zach or teaching or gigging, um, I'll do uh I'll do work in the studio. I'll record, and sometimes not just for for artists or or musicians, but sometimes for music licensing. Oh, that's right. I'll record for television ads and stuff. And several several of those that have ended up getting picked out and and put up.

SPEAKER_00:

So that's like that's like an extra paycheck for it's like putting gas in the truck.

SPEAKER_01:

It it can be and it can be better than that. That's cool. I love that. Which is nice. But yeah, but but um but doing that, um you work with producers in that licensing market that that that speak of AI with you know with with anxiety and disdain sometimes because they're like, man, you can just plug in an idea and get all these songs out of it. That's not right. And and you know, we're we're people that are pouring hours and days and weeks into a track that may not get chosen.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

And I think back to the thing about advice like you would give, it's like my my sort of thought process is like, well, man, if I spun that a different way, um, there are musicians that didn't go to school, didn't didn't invest in music school, that are on nationally touring circuits for the last couple decades. And I don't look at that and be like jealous and weird, you know. I I just think of it as like great, that works for them. I'm like, I know that if I work hard and the right exact things show up at the right times, and I'm not afraid to to to to to go for it, you know. And then I think that kind of mentality will always kind of keep you above water. That's that's my thought of it.

SPEAKER_00:

No, I like that. I like that a lot. Um, when it comes to AI, I'm not gonna get into it real heavily here, but uh because we all know it can be a really touchy subject. But yeah, from the radio standpoint, I don't agree with what it's doing with the way with the music. Yeah, it can be because I've listened to some stuff and I've gone, oh well, no way. Yeah, and then but for radio, whether it's writing commercial copy, if I need ideas, that's when I dig in and go, I need another word for whatever, or I want to this to sound more exciting, and I just maybe I'm having a brain fart, and then that's when I use it, yeah, or even to draw some graphics graphics, it's pretty good, but uh, but I have to be careful with that too. Sure, so yeah, it's it's I mean, so it's right there, it's right there. Quickly before I let you go. Um, some of the big TV shows you've been on. Were you on? Oh yeah, yeah. I mean, what's that like? Jimmy Fallon was that was a that was a fun kind of where I was going.

SPEAKER_01:

It was kind of um, yeah, that was in the middle of tour also. We played in New York like the next night after that. So you were there. Um, so we were there, but um, yeah, it's a that's we saw that. That's a oh, did you yeah, that's a that's a special, that was a special experience kind of having and it was funny, you know, the way that Jimmy was very cordial and friendly with us when he came right in and he's like he was like, Man, guys, I'm I'm sorry. I dragged a whole whole bunch of hillbillies up from Tennessee for the night. Like I we're like man, yeah, whatever. Nah, he's funny like that. He's he was he was a he was a good yeah, he was a really nice guy. And it was also, you know, going back about how I have interest in other styles of music too. Um, I'm a huge fan of his band, The Roots. Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_00:

It's an incredible band. And those late night bands are incredible, whether it's Kimmel, whether it's Fallon or Stephen Colbert. Right. I mean, it's just yeah, it's they're just tight. They're awesome. And every once in a while you see a another musician in there going, Wait a minute, that's so-and-so from so-and-so.

SPEAKER_01:

Some of yeah, I've got a you know, a home couple homies that work at Colbert, you know, and then it's like it's it's funny to talk to them about when guests artists show up and play because they're like, Man, I I thought I knew who they were, and then they started playing, and I was like, All right, now, yeah, you know, so it's it's a cool feeling to to be you know part welcomed into that whole world for the night, you know.

SPEAKER_00:

Absolutely love that, man. It's been great seeing you, my friend. Thanks, man. You know, uh West Then I see grad. Uh moved to Nashville in 2012, and uh life is good. Life is good. But Nate, uh seriously, thank you so much for hanging out and pulling the curtain back on what it's really like playing drums for artists like Zach Topp. And also, I mean, studio stuff and all that on the side, too.

SPEAKER_01:

It's a privilege, man. And that you never you have no idea where where it can take you.

SPEAKER_00:

So do you when you you have I see you have a Syracuse shirt on today, but did you wear that around and people go, ah, Syracuse. Oh, yeah. And they go, uh well, we don't watch the basketball anymore, or you know, football, uh, you guys need to rebuild. But right, right.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, there's I get a lot of I get a lot of flack on on tour for my my support of the Buffalo Bills, for example.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, they got a big game tomorrow.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes, but uh I don't see yeah, exactly. You know, it's it's always it's always entertaining when we roll up into a town. Um it feels like any anywhere outside of New York now, but I'll roll up into a town and Zach Zach will introduce the band. He's like, from the great state of New York, and then there's usually greeted by a thousands of booze. Yeah, he's like he he's a big supporter of the bills and the booze, the booze amplify, you know.

SPEAKER_00:

And then uh could be worse, could be the giants, could be the right.

SPEAKER_01:

Then I'll have 10 seconds to to to play a little drum solo or something and try and win people's trust back over, you know. But um, but yeah, man, a lot of love for for West Genesee. My teachers there. We talked about Nick Barata. Uh my Dak Nick's another, another one was my main drum teacher. I have to give him a shout out because um he's been a focal point in my life, you know.

SPEAKER_00:

So made a big difference to me. Yeah, you should be, and I know you are, and uh just proof uh that hometown work ethic still matters, and that staying locked in, staying humble, and staying ready can take you a long way. And that's exactly what you've done. Uh, make sure you catch uh Zach Top live and pay attention to the guy driving the groove from the back of the stage. It's him. I'm pointing the wrong way because the TV, but it's him, it's so cool. And uh, here's the deal uh you know the story behind it now. You can go, hey, I saw it on Skip Happens. It was so cool. I listened to the whole thing. And if you like this episode, uh, do me a favor, hit subscribe and share it with a music fan or a drummer who needs a little uh motivation. This guy can do it. Uh, and check out past episodes of the Skip Happens podcast. Nick Felty, thank you so much for being here today. Uh dude, I'm just so proud. I I cannot say this enough that every time I see Zach Top, whether it's television, something's going on, there's a video, and there you are. And I go, West Genesee, baby. West Genesee. That's what it's about. Go cats. Go cats, wildcat. You played soccer. I mean, I'm jumping around here, but yeah, so yeah, big sport. But you know, now here you are. So Nick Felty, thank you so much for being here. Thanks, good.

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