404 - Dan Ainspan: Hosting the Nashville Drummers Podcast w/Nathan Sletner, Working at Pearl Drums, Studying with Blake Fleming

Dan Ainspan is the co-host of the podcast Nashville Drummers Podcast with colleague Nathan Sletner. The podcast gives a voice to Nashville’s next generation of players — the up-and-coming drummers that you may haven’t heard of yet.

Dan is also currently the Jr. Marketing Manager, Band & Orchestra Products for Pearl Corporation, based in Nashville, TN.

A Slingerlands, NY native, Dan attended the State University of New York College at Oneonta where he received a B.A. in Music Industry with Double Minors in Percussion Performance and Audio Production. At Oneonta, Dan studied percussion with Dr. Julie Licata and drum set with The Mars Volta drummer Blake Fleming.

After graduating in 2015, Dan relocated to Indianapolis, IN to pursue an internship with the Percussive Arts Society before his eventual move to Nashville, TN.

In this episode, Dan talks about:

•    His job at Pearl drums
•    Dan’s journey from college to NY to Indianapolis to Nashville
•    Interning at PAS
•    Studying with original The Mars Volta drummer Blake Fleming
•    Leaning into his digital and social media skills
•    Hosting the Nashville Drummers podcast w/Nathan Sletner
• The value of a personal website in 2023