Z LIVE! One-On-One with JD Beck and Aaron Spears

In this one-on-one interview, JD Beck sits down with Aaron Spears to talk about becoming a Zildjian Artist at such an early age, being selected to represent Zildjian at Zildjian LIVE among a star-studded lineup and to discuss how he has taken the influence of so many artist around him to find a way to create his own unique voice in his playing.
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Zildjian LIVE Season 2 represents the energy and passion that’s generated when you bring together artists from around the world for a true Zildjian Family Experience!
Season 2 is hosted by Aaron Spears, musically directed by Robert “Sput” Searight and features the band Ghost-Note!
JD's Cymbal Setup:
8" A Custom Splash (on snare 1)
10" A Custom Splash and 6" K Splash (stack)
6" A Custom Splash (on snare 2)
16" K Constantinople Crashes (as HiHats)
17" K Constantinople Crash
10" Vintage A Splash (on snare 3)
Zildjian LIVE! Season 2 Schedule:
Episode 1: Matt Greiner - April
Episode 2: Sarah Thawer - May
Episode 3: Marcus Gilmore - June
Episode 4: JD Beck - July
Episode 5: Stanton Moore - August
Episode 6: Ash Soan - September
Episode 7: Gergo Borlai - October
Episode 8: Dennis Chambers- November
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Ghost-Note Band:
Robert Sput Searight - music director/keyboards
Nathaniel Werth- percussion
Dywane “MonoNeon” Thomas Jr. - bass
Sylvester Onyejiaka - baritone sax, flute
Jonathan Mones - alto sax, flute
Mike Jelani Brooks - tenor saxophone, flute
Xavier Taplin - keyboards
Peter Knudsen - guitar
Mike Clowes - guitar
Featuring Special Guest: DOMi on Keyboards
Audio Engineers:
Kevin Majorino
Tyler Shields
Sphere Audio Assistants:
Matt Cerritos
Xavier Stephenson
Daniel Morris
Audio Mixer:
Ben Burget at 206 Studios
Audio Mastering:
Dave Donnelly at DNA Mastering
Videographers:
Trevor Bowman
Scott Quade
Dean Fisher
Evan Chapman
Kevin Eikenberg
Taylor Davis
Mark Wessels
Photographers:
Ian Grom
Special thanks to:
Sphere Studios and Mackenzie Coats
Livemix for providing the monitoring system
Earthworks for providing the microphones
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FOLLOW ZILDJIAN:
➤Website: www.zildjian.com
➤Facebook: / zildjian
➤Instagram: / zildjiancompany
➤Twitter: / zildjiancompany

[@kirjian]

Tell JD that he does have fans, I'm one of them

[@sleepycat1878]

Except that one guy who disliked

[@kirjian]

@@sleepycat1878 he probably missed the like button, that's all

[@destroy1998]

same here. jd RIPS and GROOVES

[@danielcusack1309]

me2!!

[@jeremiahcherry5283]

Same. JD is insanely talented

[@CMD125]

I'm not trying to take anything away from J.D. because I think he's absolutely amazing. But Aaron is soooo good at hosting these and doing the follow up interviews. He just seems like such a nice, humble person. Much respect to both these amazing musicians.

[@CMD125]

@@spangalang Haha I'm sure playing Caught Up at every clinic for the past15 years doesn't help haha.

[@nicknorton7132]

Aaron is awesome. He’s so good at bringing drummers together and making them feel like part of a community when he’s involved.

[@CMD125]

@@nicknorton7132 Absolutely!

[@drumlinetryouts2151]

Yeah, he is genuinely a great guy

[@tridenttalisman8096]

he's that type of guy who i wanna hangout all day with.

[@skateforzero357]

JD sounds like a pretty chill person and very well spoken. You can tell he's kinda shy and being thrown into this whole "drum god" classification and he's not sure what to think of it. I hope he keeps his head straight because he's becoming the voice of a generation.

[@sonsauvage]

Dude he's still a kid. Like an actual kid. Already with such a unique sound that is also musical. Stoked to see what he will do as he continues to grow as a musician

[@n0tz10n5]

Teen*

[@craigrodgers8842]

Teen means infant in 2020.

[@francoaranda6499]

@@craigrodgers8842 as a teen in 2020 I can confirm

[@rashidjurgens9992]

teen

[@joey74261]

Same beat

[@Sonnylintag]

You can tell he’s a super humble kid, that is more concerned about his music and getting better rather than being interviewed and being noticed. He want’s people to know his sound. This kid’s music iq is beyond his years. Amazing

[@JoshDrumClass]

“I didn’t want to cause I don’t like you” 😂😂😂😂😂

[@davidnosa2318]

That part cracked me 😂 😂

[@ismaelsedoc4947]

Jaja

[@elijah-kingrichards4968]

Savage! 😂

[@jayjay1drum1skate]

I like that he did him like that straight out the gate. At first I thought he was nervous then he hit him with that.

[@BillKenaan]

Dope

[@tritone11]

JD knows why he is special. Which makes perfect sense. You can‘t sound this mature as a drummer and not know who you are. How thats even possible at this young age, is what I am still wrapping my head around.

[@RafaelZeratai]

You can hear DOMi being classic at 12:50 at the back

[@geahos]

Yup that’s domi alright😂

[@BobSchoepenjr]

I m impressed that the young JD stayed so cool amongst those ‘older’ fabulous musicians. Being a talent is great but staying calm and perform under pressure is another thing. Grts from Europe

[@7c2d]

Love that he gave a shoutout to Louis Cole

[@Teabonesteak]

Finally! He speaks!

[@WhisperLeo]

This kid is going very far in life talented mature down two earth and extremely unique. I wish all the best in all his adventures truly inspiring

[@Chiggianya]

“The less people know about me, the better” so young yet so wise

[@Zeal808]

Teared up during his performance. Love excellence in music...

[@eejebee]

Aaron is so humble. It's great to see!

[@camiloin]

Such a great person. A real heroe

[@Megamatthiesen]

JD big fan here from Denmark ❤️ You are a fantastic drummer and I love your style🥁🎶 Can’t wait for that album man... you and Domi rocks🥁🎹 all the Best 👍🏻🥁🥁❤️

[@MrJTeleVision]

Another one. Denmark fucks with JD ❤️

[@akmadsen]

@@MrJTeleVision Count me in! I'm super excited for that album.

[@mikele648]

The best guys are so humble. Respect!!

[@loveistheonlything3626]

I love to hear him and Domi play. They both are fantastic musicians. I especially love them with Ghost Notes in this series. They fit so well in a big band.

[@zabuma]

What a lifetime of music ahead of this dude. So excited to see how his sound grows!

[@michaeljames7152]

My nephews love jd and this style is good for adhd tension and release.

[@MrGreat182]

Humble and unique dude inspiring people of all skills and ages. Keep it up my man

[@theshipissinkingno6056]

So glad to hear my boy deantoni gettin love. So many people didnt know about him cuz he was waaaay underground

[@gustafsone]

I couldn't make out what he was saying at first. I thought he was maybe saying "Dion" which made sense to me because Josh Dion is a triple-threat playing drums, keys, and singing at the same time. I saw him with his most recent band "Paris Monster" opening for Cory Wong last fall and he blew me away, man. It was unreal watching him do his thing. kzbin.info/www/bejne/joS3lZ1pe6Zmo68

[@pepe7drum]

Ok hipster

[@cremejockey8636]

He played for the mars volta, a grammy award winning band (grammy won with pridgen on drums) Not so underground lol

[@cancel432]

I wouldn't necessarily call him underground, but I agree people are sleeping on him, I've watched this performance like a million times, incredibly tasteful playing kzbin.info/www/bejne/o2e9mKyqeLR1rZo&ab_channel=SargentHouse

[@GreeVince247]

This interview is a vibe within itself.

[@19tet]

aaron so sweet bruh ik a guy like that irl, kills it but still so humble and congratulates the next generation and encourages for the best

[@alexandresimoes8714]

After several years I'm returning on practicing and studying, so it's really inspiring to see such a young guy playing like that. It helps us think outside the box. Aaron, besides being an amazing drummer, he seems to be such a nice guy. Good job Zildjan!!

[@garrettmick3452]

I wish this guy made tutorials or had a KZbin channel giving walkthrough to how he plays stuff. He’s so fresh, unique, and tasty.

[@AquaAnim]

Combination stickings/patterns, there was someone who did a great breakdown of some of his grooves here on youtube.

[@roarkyster9478]

Yeah, Brandon Scott! He did a video on JD's grooves 🔥

[@davidethan8123]

I'm glad I watched this. Jd beck is really chill!

[@hugoquirozdrums]

Beautiful talk! Great talk, love from Argentina!

[@JoseCarlosHernandezM]

I don't even play Zildjian but this videos make me wanna love it

[@loydwilliams5861]

Sending Covid quarantine love your way. Coming across 2 new people in my life that I might never have before. Thank you KZbin and great interview guys!

[@freddiegarner2581]

true inspiration

[@brianboucher4248]

Wow, two of my fav drummers having a chat... sweet.

[@slotown]

so unbelievably inspiring

[@kanenewman5517]

It’s crazy to see some so talented that anxious. It just shows that anxiety is bullshit. Don’t listen to the negatives keep being yourself!

[@sickdrummer3831]

Shit Spears is insane in the kit. Dude nite JD has a unique thing goin on. I dig he’s not scared to go where he has. He has a bright future

[@nortonacosta3592]

Invite Youssef Dayes, we need him

[@Betelguese13]

That would be cool, but I think he sponsors Istanbul cymbals

[@tjthegreat7]

He's not with zildjian

[@EtiKai13]

YEAAA

[@schmarotzke8205]

This is a wonderful conversation and I feel we lost a strong supporter in giving talented young musicians a platform. RIP Aaron

[@INFPinSA]

This is probably the coolest shit I've seen in the last 10-15 years.

[@pasta8793]

JD and DOMi are my favorite musicians this year and they don't even have any music released yet. I love how he insisted that he keep his iPhone on his tom, some galaxy brain shit

[@virgil.alonso]

JD & DOMi feat. AARON SPEARS ON KAZOO

[@kevinchen1339]

I love seeing how he is nervous for something like this like a normal person can be, but I also love how he is my age and is 100000x times better at an instrument than I am

[@cmb5396]

Yesss!!!

[@JulianFernandez]

Aaron is the man

[@camilomateus]

Lo mejor fue escucharlo decir que hay muchos bateristas muy técnicos pero sin su propia voz e identidad.

[@jahkmusic5729]

He's ahead of his time! 🤯

[@NehemiahBradyP]

He's so talented....and handsome 🥺

[@alastairs3727]

Ahh that was great :)

[@altdelet3778]

I didn't know he was from Dallas! We love you in Oak Cliff JD.

[@ericw2648]

BTW Before Deantoni, there was Kenwood Dennard playing keys with drums.

[@winoklambrechts8222]

RIP❤

[@sajiste]

this kid is actually cool, ima fan.

[@amyo]

Quality over quantity!!!

[@chadwilliams6211]

Much ❤️

[@asphodelmusic]

This is special

[@metothemoon1227]

What kind of shampoo he use?

[@nickespina1975]

What an amazing boy

[@kirjian]

"N O I S"

[@Ted_Swayinghill]

N O I C E

[@positronikiss]

U the dude JD thanks for all the percussive jizz jazz!

[@diakmarcus5194]

im in love

[@callummoodley6311]

I can definitely hear the mike mitchell influence 🔥

[@JoseCarlosHernandezM]

Buenaaa chugcha!

[@ColeMatthewsOfficial]

What up JD!

[@walterduran9774]

Deantoni Parks I remember him from a place in the East Village NY call NUBLU he used to played there a lot with his band at the time KUDU in the early 2000's always stood out cause of his style

[@GladsonRamapogu]

that's some great lighting technique

[@n.s.3410]

that young man is from another planet.. from a distant galaxy called Andrumida . When he walks down our streets his feets makes beats.

[@lolilollo]

I’m a fan

[@fernandoanacletofirmino1518]

Great shirt

[@DamZZmaD]

If you like JD Beck style, you could listen to Peter SZENDOFI too 😉

[@zonasound]

Great statement, I'd like to hear a player who is less technical, that has their own identity than someone just sounds like everyone else...

[@popenzmadman4919]

Dope interview but what's whit this lighting. Looked like something out of a horror movie damn.

[@Buksiprezentz]

@JD if you are checking this ever: Do you happen to know Adam Betts frummer from "Shobaleader one"? (Squarepusher's live band), I think you share a very similar "vibe"

[@smelly1444]

shoutout deantoni parks. look up Omar Rodriguez Lopez live (theres like 4 or 5 vids in black and white with him drumming for that group at the time) deantoni is absolutely killin

[@ChrisSmith_NW]

How is JD now sweating at ALL times in that drip???

[@KennethKBBenson]

Sweet🔥🔥🔥🔥 #GospelDrummerReacts

[@nilssonschmillson5395]

Shouting out Deantoni, dude is a G

[@theavgdrummer23]

Vic Firth on the Banjo 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@melysaan]

He's so shy omg

[@EstebanPolos]

0:55 Aaron Spears: JD Beck Subtitles: *"JD Bear"* 😂😂😂😂

[@mattsullivan8996]

i think he actually says "jd bear" though

[@mariodangeladrums7130]

0:39 "Noice" "Aha noice"

[@praise_asalikeze]

I hv one question what is the full meaning of JD

[@christianherenz5072]

Wait, an album is coming??

[@brendonmasters]

Love the days when cats don’t know how good they are because they’re not used to being told they’re great. Nerves make great musicians

[@lamontmelrose7640]

Dallas on the map

[@apeirogonmusic]

The Jarzombek brother ( Texan Musicians )

[@longcastle4863]

Cool dude...

[@ntrakit6]

R.I.P. AARON SPEARS ‘23 😎

[@winnyjstew]

Shout out to Cleon Edwards!

[@drumnovik]

I'm waiting for Gavin Harrison

[@lactroc11]

nice

[@NatanSousa-vg8en]

🥁💕👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@brandonwilliams966]

Actually... Kenwood Dennard started the drums and keyboard thing.

[@thehoneyeffect]

Lovely interview (really, it felt warm and informative) but i wish that they would have shown pics and names of all the American people mentioned in the interview because we aren't all American or texan. The interwebs = worldwide Im lovingly annoyed but stay amazing

[@Z-Ack]

He reminds me straight up of the kid in the movie dazed and confused…. Like the main kid..

[@MeExpressing]

Really really really, I PLAY KAZOO, IF YOU NEED ME, I was so done, I immediately shut the video off!!

[@-gbogbo-]

3:21 : could you spell the name of the 'robotic' drummer they're are talking about here please ? I couldn't catch it.

[@Jonasjur]

Deantoni Parks :)

[@-gbogbo-]

@@Jonasjur Thanks a lot Jonas, I did not know him, great discovery ! Love at first glance on TECHNOSELF - "Bombay"

[@Jonasjur]

- GBoGBo - Yeah, i know! It’s crazy!

[@diafenix]

Deantoni Parks has also recorded albums with Omar Rodriguez Lopez, The Mars Volta and also look up "Astroid Power Up!"

[@drumlinetryouts2151]

My hero is jd beck:(

[@jimkent1480]

No mention of Chris Dave????????????????

[@montrealparker8731]

Right

[@alvinryan3432]

Anyone catch the name of the drummer he mentions @ 2.49?

[@jasonn668]

TaRon Lockett

[@farfletched]

Can someone write the “robotic” drummers name? I’m tryin to google , but not comin up with the correct spelling clearly XD. “Diantini Parks?”