120 – Kasey Todd: Touring with Tonic, Paying Your Dues, Growing Up Around the Music Business

Kasey Todd is a professional drummer, percussionist, vocalist, and an all around musician and entertainer. Along with being a performer, he also has credits as a producer, arranger, and bandleader.

Kasey grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio and was involved in music at a very young age. His father is the Co-Owner and front man of 50’s and 60’s show band, The Van-Dells. This has allowed Kasey to be around the music business his whole life, gaining great first hand experiences into the industry.

Kasey moved to Nashville, Tennessee in the fall of 2011, and is working as a full time touring and studio drummer. Before moving to Nashville, Kasey graduated from Otterbein University, in Columbus, Ohio, with a Bachelors Degree in Music with a focus in Jazz Studies. At Otterbein, Kasey studied all styles of music and spent a lot of time on drumset, vibraphone, orchestral and hand percussion.

Kasey has toured the globe as bandleader with Canadian country artist Aaron Goodvin(Warner Bros.). The latest single ‘Woman In Love’ reached #7 on the Canadian country charts. Kasey also performs and records with singer-songwriter Jace Everett, best known for the theme song to HBO’s True Blood. Kasey can be heard on the new Jace record ‘Dust & Dirt’ (2017). Kasey still holds the drum chair live and in the studio with The Van-Dells. And, starting in the summer of 2017, Kasey has been touring with the band Tonic. Kasey keeps busy working with a wide range of Nashville artists, and is even an entertainer at the Big Bang Dueling Piano Bars where he can be found singing, playing piano, drums, and bass.

Kasey has been on stage performing since the age of two and has had the pleasure to play with many great artists and groups. Some of those include Tonic, Jace Everett, Josh Thompson, Aaron Goodvin, Sam Lewis, Morgan Frazier (NBC’s The Voice), The Van-Dells, Rick Brantley, Megan Ruger (NBC’s The Voice), Matty Monk, Andrew Varner, The Central Ohio Symphony Orchestra, The Otterbein College Faculty Jazz Ensemble, and The Westerville Symphony Orchestra just to name a few.

In this episode, Kasey talks about:

Starting to tour with the band Tonic

Growing up watching his fathers band, The Van Dells and then taking on the drum chair

Learning to play piano and bass

Studying at Otterbein University

Dealing with perception vs. reality in the music business

Working with singer/songwriter Jace Everett

Recording at Abby Road Studios

Endorsements

Paying your dues

Recording at home

Kasey endorses: Promark Sticks, Paiste Cymbals, Evans Drum Heads, Kelly Shu mic mounting system, Westone in-ears, Humes and Berg cases, Snare Weight, Vintage Logos and Swan Percussion