Pete's Percussion Podcast - Pete Zambito

Episode 510 - Payton MacDonald

Pete's Percussion Podcast














William Paterson University (NJ) Percussion Director and Music Department Chairperson Payton MacDonald stops by to talk about his college job, the challenges of getting jobs in higher education, and the facilities at the school (03:15), how he handles and maintains his physical and mental health with involvement in so many creative activities, his years as a founding member of Alarm Will Sound, and his move towards improvisation as the basis of his creative performances now (26:40), growing up in Idaho Falls (ID), his early percussion and band experiences, his exposure to a wide swath of genres from a young age, and his experiences mountain biking (45:40), attending the University of Michigan for undergrad and studying with Michael Udow (01:00:00), attending Eastman (NY) for his grad degrees, developing a freelancing career and setting himself up for success on the college teaching level, and his years teaching at the University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh (01:08:25), and finishes with the Random Ass Questions, with segments on music in competition, personal health, practical clothes, motorcycles, making fried rice, great books and poetry, administrative duties, and new music concerts (01:24:35).
Finishing with a Rave on the 2025 documentary Sly Lives! (01:53:50).
Payton MacDonald Links:
Payton MacDonald’s homepage
Payton MacDonald’s William Paterson University page
Void Patrol’s Bandcamp page
Sonic Divide
Sonic Parks
Previous Podcast Guests mentioned:
Mika Godbole in 2026
Colleen Bernstein in 2022
Michael Udow in 2025
Steven Schick in 2025
Julie Spencer in 2021
John W. Parks IV in 2018
Other Links:
Ray DesRoches
“Persephassa” - Iannis Xenakis
John Ferrari
M’Bemba Bangoura
Hector Morales
Steve Nelson
Johnathan Blake
Alarm Will Sound
Stefan Freund
New Jersey Percussion Ensemble
John H. Beck
Blackearth Percussion Group
Steve Reich
Charles Wuorinen
Max Roach
Philly Joe Jones
Elvin Jones
John Medeski
Glenn Gould
Gordon Stout
Vida Chenoweth
Leigh Howard Stevens
Clair Omar Musser
Live at Birdland - John Coltrane
Unit Structures - John Coltrane
Ali Akbar Khan
Bob Becker
Silence - John Cage
Rudimental Solos for Accomplished Drummers - John Pratt
Portraits in Rhythm - Tony Cirone
12 Studies for Snare Drum - Jacques Delecluse
H. Robert Reynolds
Mark Stone
Colin Stetson
Stephen Rush
Reggie Workman
Roscoe Mitchell
John Alfieri
Bobby Hutcherson
Milt Jackson
Jason Treuting
Lawson White
Steve Owen
Fred Bugbee
Ted Poor
Doug Perkins
Anthony Di Sanza
Blake Tyson
CHiPs Freeze frame ending
Apocalypse Now trailer
Heart of Darkness trailer
Oppenheimer trailer
Denis Villeneuve
Steven Soderbergh
The Dispossessed - Ursula K. Le Guin
Disgrace - J.M. Coetzee
Canada - Richard Ford
The Human Stain - Philip Roth
George Oppen
Dylan Thomas
Charles Bukowski
Fluxus
MASS MoCA
“Just Ancient Loops” - Michael Harrison & Bill Morrison - Maya Beiser, cello
Raves:
Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) - Sly Stone with Ben Goodman
WTF: Episode 1666 - Questlove
SLY LIVES! aka The Burden of Black Genius trailer

Episode 509 - Rick Mattingly

Pete's Percussion Podcast














Louisville-based percussionist, teacher, and writer, and editor of the Percussive Arts Society’s Percussive Notes magazine Rick Mattingly stops by to talk about his local performances in Louisville, the beginnings of his editing and writing career, and his interview style (04:55), his early editing career with Modern Drummer and his interviews and contact with drummers early in their careers (22:30), working as PAS’s Percussive Notes editor (38:35), growing up in Louisville, getting into rock and classical music early on, and getting to perform frequently (47:10), his years studying at the University of Louisville, playing professionally in orchestra, and playing in a hotel-based dance band (56:15), moving to New York City, interviewing members of the Rolling Stones, and his life in the city (01:07:40), moving back to Louisville, teaching and writing, and his work with method books and bringing Gary Chester’s The New Breed to the masses (01:21:00), and finishes with the Random Ass Questions, including segments on private instruction, maintaining physical and mental health, great books, The British Invasion, Louisville cuisine, and the Vesna Duo (01:44:00).
Finishing with a Rave honoring the life and work of Dolly Parton (02:06:30).
Rick Mattingly Links:
Rick Mattingly’s GIA Publications page
Your Music Career is NOT Over - Rick Mattingly
Previous Podcast Guests mentioned:
Julie Spencer in 2021
Norman Weinberg in 2017
Ksenija Komljenovic in 2020
The Vesna Duo in 2022
Other Links:
Roy Burns
Ron Spagnardi
Buddy Rich
Ed Shaughnessy
Jimmy Cobb
Jim Chapin
Don Moye
Peter Criss
Philly Joe Jones
Saul Goodman
Sue Evans
Garwood Whaley
Kenny Aronoff
Dave Weckl
Steve Gadd
Steve Jordan
Denny Carmassi
Val Wilmer
Arthur Press
The Beatles on Ed Sullivan
Max Roach
The Rolling Stones “Steel Wheels” tour
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Edward B. Straight
N.A.R.D.
Anthony J. Cirone
Modern School for Xylophone, Marimba, and Vibraphone - Morris Goldenberg
Clair Omar Musser
“Sonata for Xylophone” - Thomas Pitfield
“Children’s Songs” - Chick Corea and Gary Burton
Chet Atkins
Marvin Hamlisch
Doc Severinsen
“Gonna Fly Now” - Bill Conti
Charlie Watts
Tony Williams
Danny Gottlieb
Joe Morello
Gary Chester
Hal Blaine
Bill Bruford
Carl Palmer
Louisville Leopard Percussionists
Peter Erskine
Nancy Zeltsman
Charles Dickens
Jack Kerouac
Allen Ginsberg
Sherlock Holmes
Agatha Christie
Basil Rathbone
Sherlock trailer
Ed Soph
“Heart Full of Soul” - The Yardbirds
“You Really Got Me” - The Kinks
“Honey” - Bobby Goldsboro
Ramsi’s Cafe
Check’s Cafe
Raves:
Dolly Parton’s New York Times obituary

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