Pete's Percussion Podcast - Pete Zambito

Episode 508 - Jim McCarthy

Pete's Percussion Podcast














Saskatchewan-based instrument designer, builder, tuner, and band arranger Jim McCarthy stops by to talk about all of his current work, along with the mallet bar retuning process (03:45), his Canadian Percussion Network conference presentations on his contrabass marimba and vibraphone motor manipulation (18:20), growing up in Adelaide (AUS), his interest in many musical genres and beginning on drumset, and the sports, music education, and weather scene in southern Australia (50:05), his time in undergrad at the University of Adelaide (01:10:00), his post-undergrad years freelancing, performing, arranging, and teaching, along with commentary about his volleyball career (01:23:30), and finishes with the Random Ass Questions, including segments on marimba design, Australian accents, personal health, movie comedies, great books, and traveling around the world (01:39:40).
Finishing with a Rave on the classic novel Vanity Fair (02:15:00).
Jim McCarthy links:
Make a Marimba homepage
Jim’s “Vibes Motor Unlimited” page
Jim McCarthy’s bio at the Make a Marimba webpage
Stick Technique - Jim McCarthy
Jim McCarthy’s Percussion Clinic page
Previous Podcast guests mentioned:
Michael Schutz in 2025
John Wooton in 2022
Other Links:
James Bailey PAS Hall of Fame page
Helmholtz Resonators
Arturo Sandoval
Gary Burton
Australian Contemporary Percussion - Louise Devenish
Tower Heist trailer
The African Queen trailer
Dodgeball trailer
Monty Python and the Holy Grail trailer
Talladega Nights trailer
The Man Who Captured Eichmann trailer
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series - Douglas Adams
Last Chance to See - Douglas Adams
The Many-Colored Land - Julian May
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robert Pirsig
Jonathan Livingston Seagull - Richard Bach
Raves:
Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray

Episode 507 - Leonardo Soto

Pete's Percussion Podcast














Principal Timpanist for the Houston Symphony (TX) Leonardo Soto stops by to talk about his main gig, teaching at the University of Miami (FL), working at summer festivals, secrets of auditioning, and maintaining a busy schedule (03:35), his previous orchestral jobs at the Detroit Opera (MI) and Charlotte Symphony (NC) and his experiences on the audition circuit later in his career (33:45), growing up in Chile, his father the drummer and pop musician, the legacy of Chilean orchestral percussionists, studying percussion in Chile, and the challenges of equipment and music resources in the country (45:20), his master’s degree work at Carnegie-Mellon University (PA), studying with Tim Adams and (later) Tom Freer, early audition experiences, and learning English through Seinfeld and the Rush Hour movies (01:04:05), and finishes with the Random Ass Questions, including segments on student learning styles, his sporting activities and doing cardio, playing athletic timpani music, Rafa Nadal, Chilean soccer, cooking mishaps, great books, and seeing the artwork in The Vatican (01:27:20).
Finishing with a Rave on the 2026 documentary Cookie Queens (02:04:55).
Leonardo Soto links:
Leonardo Soto’s Houston Symphony page
Leonardo Soto’s University of Miami page
Leonardo Soto’s Remo page
Timpani Concerto - Andy Akiho (Leonardo Soto, soloist)
Previous Podcast Guests mentioned:
She-e Wu in 2025
Pablo Rieppi in 2024
Andrés Espinoza in 2018
Other Links:
Matthew Strauss
Brevard Music Center
Grand Teton Music Festival
National Youth Orchestra
Tom Freer
Tim Adams
Cloyd Duff
Steven Reineke
Svet Stoyanov
Joseph Petrasek
Edward Stephan
Mingyu Son
Luft Mallets
Richard Weiner
Shannon Wood
La Sonora de Tommy Rey
The All-American Drummer: 150 Rudimental Solos - Charley Wilcoxin
Etudes for Timpani - Richard Hochrainer
Rafa Nadal
The Inner Game of Music - Barry Green
City Lights trailer
Cinema Paradiso trailer
The Undefeated Mind - Alex Lickerman
The Alchemist - Paulo Coehlo
Meditations - Marcus Aurelius
Myriam Hernandez
The Vatican
Raves:
Cookie Queens trailer

Episode 506 - Reed Puleo

Pete's Percussion Podcast














Denver-based percussionist and educator Reed Puleo stops by to talk about establishing himself in the Denver area and his Fulbright Award to study and work in Austria (02:20), growing up in New Jersey, family members in the arts, his early start in percussion ensemble and percussion performance, and his marching band experiences (34:25), attending Boston Conservatory (MA) for undergrad (47:35), living and studying in Amsterdam after undergrad, the challenges of being there at the time, and heading to the University of Michigan to complete his masters during and after the COVID epidemic (01:02:00), and settles in for the Random Ass Questions, including segments on developing young percussionists, maintaining his physical and mental health, cooking, great movies, New Jersey foods, and Curb Your Enthusiasm (01:17:35).
Finishing with a Rave on the 2023 documentary Karen Carpenter: Starving for Perfection (01:44:40).
Reed Puleo Links:
Reed Puleo’s webpage
Previous Podcast Guests mentioned:
Michael Jones in 2026
Ian Antonio in 2023
Keith Aleo in 2020
Other Links:
Klangforum Wien
Alex Lipowski
Ensemble Modern
Christian Dierstein
Lucerne Festival Academy
Impulse New Music Festival
Kenneth Piascik
“Three Brothers” - Michael Colgrass
“Ostinato Pianissimo” - Henry Cowell
“Variations on a Ghanaian Theme - Dan Levitan
Neil McNulty
Kyle Brightwell
Nancy Zeltsman
Doug Perkins
Chosen Vale
“Hop(2)” - Paul Lansky
From My Little Island - Robert Aldridge
American Songbook II - George Crumb
Chris Sies
Colin Currie
(Untitled) trailer
Michael Compitello
Nathan Davis
A Different Man trailer
Unfrosted trailer
The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger
Jannik Sinner
“Mr. Brightside” - The Killers
Rose Garden
Raves:
Karen Carpenter: Starving for Perfection trailer

Episode 505 - Luke Helker

Pete's Percussion Podcast














Fort Hays State (KS) Director of Percussion Studies Luke Helker stops by to talk about the FHSU job and about recruiting to a small regional college (02:45), his recent presentation at the Canadian Percussion Network’s annual conference and its beginnings (17:05), growing up in Pennsylvania, his vast array of musical influences and experiences, getting to travel with family, and his years of undergrad at Millersville University (PA) studying percussion and audio production (25:50), his grad school years at the University of Kansas, his time as a wedding DJ, studying under Mike Compitello and Sam Um, and his early teaching experiences (49:10), and then Luke settles in for the Random Ass Questions, including segments on marching vs. concert percussion, great and terrible movies, John Steinbeck, metal music, Philly sports, and the artist Alphonse Mucha (01:11:30).
Finishing with a Rave on the book and movie versions of The Odyssey (01:48:05).
Luke Helker Links:
Luke Helker’s website
Luke Helker’s Fort Hays State website
Previous Podcast Guests mentioned:
Michael Jones in 2026
Other Links:
Ryan Pearson
“Child of Tree” - John Cage
“The Ice is Talking” - Vivian Fung
“Allegro ma non troppo” - Unsuk Chin
“Echolalia” - Mark Applebaum
Oklahoma!
ABBA
Mozart for Monday Mornings
Puccini and Pasta
The Who
Neil Young
Arab Spring
James Armstrong
Stick Control - George L. Stone
Syncopation - Ted Reed
Toccata for Percussion Instruments - Carlos Chavez
Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture - PI Tchaikovsky
Symphony No. 2 - Jean Sibelius
Rick Rubin
The Strokes
Wilco
My Morning Jacket
@Percussion Podcast
Michael Compitello
Sam Um
“Starships” - Nikki Minaj
“Fireball” - Pitbull
“At Last” - Etta James
“I Loved Her First” - Heartland
“Celebration” - Kool and the Gang
“Shout” - The Isley Brothers
“Wobble” - V.I.C.
“Yeah!” - Usher and Lil Jon
“Turn Down for What” - DJ Snake and Lil Jon
Ed Sheeran
“Art of Almost” - Wilco
Reflections on the Nature of Water - Jacob Druckman
Huberman Lab podcast
NOPE trailer
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift trailer
Orbital - Samantha Harvey
The Winter of Our Discontent - John Steinbeck
Slipknot
Metallica
Ghost
Bell Witch
sunn O)))
Phillies 2008 World Series
Eagles vs. Patriots Super Bowl LII
Jaylen Brown
Wawa
“Friends in Low Places” - Garth Brooks
Alphonse Mucha - Nelson Atkins Museum
Raves:
The Odyssey - Homer (translation by Emily Wilson)
The Odyssey trailer

Episode 504 - Kathy Armstrong

Pete's Percussion Podcast














Carleton University (ON) Ethnomusicologist and Director of Fine Arts Kathy Armstrong stops by to talk about her job, teaching West African drumming and dance, Baobab, and traveling and learning in Ghana for many years (03:30), her recent Canadian Percussion Network Conference presentation and the importance of Global Percussion Studies in standard Western Percussion tradition (21:45), growing up in the Scarborough area of Toronto, her early musical influences (including Soul and Funk music), her wonderful public school music background, the idea of “rhythmic tapestry”, and her experiences in the Girl Guides of Canada (36:10), attending the University of Toronto, studying with members of NEXUS, her post-undergrad experience and branching out into an entrepreneurship mindset (57:15), and finishing with the Random Ass Questions, including segments working in world percussion, the importance of maintaining physical and mental health, baking, sports, and great movies and poetry (01:18:00).
Finishing with a Rave on the 2026 FIFA World Cup (01:45:05).
Kathy Armstrong links:
Kathy Armstrong’s website
Kathy Armstrong’s Carleton University page
Previous Podcast Guests Mentioned:
Daniel Noonan in 2026
Chrissie Souza in 2024
Sarah Hasekamp in 2024
Fabrice Marandola in 2026
Kristie Ibrahim in 2024
Other Links:
NEXUS Percussion
Stevie Wonder
Breakfast in America - Supertramp
Earth, Wind, and Fire
Tower of Power
Led Zeppelin
Nina Simone
Earth, Wind & Fire documentary
Summer of Soul trailer
Peter Gabriel live in 1986
The Specials
“Come Talk to Me” - Peter Gabriel
“English Folk Song Suite” - Ralph Vaughan Williams
Sting
Paul Simon
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
Michelle Colton
Beverley Johnston
Timothy Rice
James Kippen
Big Night trailer
Hamnet trailer
Mamma Mia! trailer
Fall On Your Knees - Ann-Marie MacDonald
Outlander - Diana Gabaldon
K.C. and the Sunshine Band
“Shake It Off” - Taylor Swift
Kirk Franklin
“Le Freak” - CHIC
Northern Super League
The Professional Women’s Hockey League
Rumi
Mary Oliver
Raves:
The 2026 FIFA World Cup