088 – Kent Aberle: Touring with Kristian Bush, Building Your Reputation in Cover Bands, Owning a Drum Shop

Kent Aberle has been touring and recording with Kristian Bush for two years. He attended Eastern Illinois University as a Special Education major and began playing in cover bands on the weekends. He has made his home in Atlanta since 2001.

After working his way through several cover bands and retail gigs, he got the opportunity to audition for Kristian Bush and won the gig. He also gained a unique perspective on the drum business and the Atlanta drumming community during his time as part owner of the ATL Drum Collective.

In this podcast, Kent talks about:

How losing weight in his 20’s caused a physical and mental shift from survival mode to productive/creative mode

His college experience as a non-music major, and how it differed from his music major peers

The welcoming nature of the Atlanta music scene

How cover bands serve as a crucial training ground, help you build trust among your colleagues, develop your “song learning muscle,” and set you up to be part of original projects

How he got in with Kristian Bush, and his process for learning Kristian’s songs quickly

The time he spent as part owner of The ATL Drum Collective

Kent Aberle endorses Gretsch Drums, Dream Cymbals, Aquarian Drumheads, Gibraltar Hardware, Vic Firth Drumsticks, Latin Percussion, Gator Cases, Audio-Technica, Porter and Davies, Big Fat Snare Drum, KBrakes, Gig Gear LLC, and Booty Shakers.

This episode is sponsored by Mapex Drums.