ZackGrooves on Writing for Everything Yes, The Language of Jazz, and Building an Indie Drum Empire

While Zack Graybeal, aka ZackGrooves, isn’t necessarily an avatar for the average drummer - he seems to have exceptional drum skills, comedy and filmmaking skills, hustle, and timing - he is a great example of what’s possible for an independent drummer in 2023.

The fact that noone’s asking him to teach seminar classes at the nation’s music schools leaves me puzzled.

But all-the-more opportunity for people like me to feature him on our outlets.

Zack was playing gigs right up until 2020, not thinking much about YouTube or social media. Then what happened…happened…and Zack picked up a camera, channeled his sense of humor and love of prank shows and the Nelk Brothers, and started making content.

If you’re paying attention, you know the rest. He wasted no time becoming the most meteoric drum YouTuber besides Drumeo. And he didn’t stop there. Zack secured sponsor deals from Meinl and Dixon Drums, did clinic tours of Europe and Asia, and headlined the Meinl Drum Festival and UK Drum Show.

And he didn’t stop there. He started a band. Everything Yes. And started touring the world, opening for acts like Sungazer.

Obviously, getting the chance to speak to Zack was an opportunity to get his perspective on all this success. But we also talked favorite jazz drummers, his writing process for Everything Yes, and my own struggles learning one of their songs.

1:15 - Nate's process for learning Arrival by Everything Yes 3:05 - does Everything Yes work from charts? 4:50 - Zack's reaction to my rendition of Arrival 6:45 - is sight-reading dead? 8:10 - early Eric Harland experiences 8:57 - should Nate start a band? 10:29 - why Zack likes bands 10:57 - Zack's favorite jazz drummers from way back 12:02 - Nate and Zack's favorite Tain tracks 13:05 - Nate makes the best dad jokes 13:53 - Zack guesses Nate's influences 15:54 - jazz hybrids 18:10 - is Zack really into metal 19:17 - what Nate realized in the early 20-teens 20:47 - where did Zack get his filmmaking chops and sense of humor 22:32 - did Nate influence the timeline, Back to The Future style?