Pete's Percussion Podcast - Pete Zambito

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Percussion Professor Alex Wier stops by to talk about his job at UWM, Present Music, Chamber Music Playing, and the culture of the arts in Milwaukee (03:10), growing up in St. Louis and Phoenix, his musical beginnings, marching band, and playing video games (24:50), attending the University of Arizona for undergrad (38:35), going to Northwestern University (IL) for his master’s and taking a break from school after the degree (49:40), getting his doctorate from Arizona State (01:04:45), and settles in for the Random Ass Questions, including segments on developing young percussionists, cooking for children, great movies, TV shows, and books, his varied sports fandoms, and unusual performance experiences (01:14:45).
Finishing with a Rave on the best of the 2026 Winter Olympics (01:39:15).
Alex Wier Links:
Alex Wier’s website
Alex Wier’s University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee page
Present Music
Previous Podcast Guests mentioned:
Norman Weinberg in 2017
She-e Wu in 2025
Andy Miller in 2026
Steve Hemphill in 2020
Jeff Hewitt in 2021
Josh Armstrong in 2018
Mike Sammons in 2022
Other Links:
“Threads” - Paul Lansky
“Timber” - Michael Gordon
JB Smith
Simone Mancuso
“Radio Rewrite” - Steve Reich
Jack Forbes
Gary Cook
James Ross
Mike Vercelli
Jonathan Latta
Wes Hawkins
“Six Japanese Gardens” - Kaija Saariaho
“Silver Streetcar for the Orchestra” - Alvin Lucier
“Dressur” - Mauricio Kagel
Interstellar trailer
Inception trailer
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift trailer
Eagle Eye trailer
Kurt Vonnegut
Packers-Bears 2025 Wild Card
Arrested Development Season 1
I’m Making a Giant Salad
Severance Season 1
Raves:
USA-Canada Gold Medal Women’s Hockey Game 2026
USA-Canada Gold Medal Men’s Hockey Game 2026
Alysa Liu’s Gold Medal Free Skate

Indiana University Lecturer in Music Andy Miller stops by to talk about his percussion position at IU and the opportunities for creative concert outlets (03:00), being on the 2025 PASIC New Music/Research panel on Percussion and Dance and his prior teaching position at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (22:15), growing up in Dayton (OH) and getting into music and sports (39:40), attending Wright State (OH) for undergrad (53:30), going to the University of Illinois for the Master’s and changing his career focus (01:00:10), winning a Fulbright Scholarship to study in Colombía, Bang on a Can, and working in commercial cabinetry (01:12:05), his doctoral studies at IU (01:26:45), and settles in for the Random Ass Questions, including discussions on student mental health, Momofuku noodles, great movies, video games, Dayton pizza, and the writing of Wendell Berry (01:33:30).
Finishing with a Rave on the 2025 animated film Arco (01:52:00).
Andy Miller Links:
Andy Miller’s IU page
Previous Podcast guests mentioned:
Alexandros Fragiskatos in 2021
Drew Tucker in 2026
Meridythe Witt in 2026
William Moersch in 2019
Fernando Meza in 2020
Other Links:
Michael Spiro
Wayne Wallace
Latin American Music Center
John Tafoya
Joseph Gramley
Christopher Lamb
Merce Cunningham
Beto Torrens
Jerry Noble
Ricardo Flores
Carlos Vives
Robert E. Brown Center for World Music
Mamady Keita
Bolo Conde
Giovanni Hidalgo
Juri Seo
Thomas Turino
“Rhythm Gradation” - Toshi Ichiuyanagi
Bang on a Can Summer Festival
“2x5” - Steve Reich
Jorge Alabé
Lars and the Real Girl trailer
The Room trailer
Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Hollow Knight trailer
Underworld trailer
Marion’s Pizza
Wendell Berry
Raves:
Arco trailer

Orlando (FL) - based Percussionist and Dancer Meridythe Witt stops by to talk about performing as a dancer and drummer in theme parks, the audition process for these gigs, and how she stays “grounded in dance” (02:25), growing up in California, Indiana and Maryland, her musical family and their influence on her life, getting into dance and music early on, and a primer on ballet styles (19:45), attending Radford University (VA) for undergrad, getting degrees in dance and percussion performance at the same time there, creating collaborative opportunities there, and her experiences at PASIC50 on the New Music/Research Panel (44:15), and takes time for the Random Ass Questions, including segments on gestures and counting, baking bread, Bruce Springsteen, Twyla Tharp, rollercoasters, airports, and gymnastics (01:19:20).
Finishing with a Rave on the 2025 documentary film Monk in Pieces (01:43:40).
Meridythe Witt links:
Meridythe Witt’s Webpage
Meridythe’s instagram
Previous Podcast Guests mentioned:
Alexandros Fragiskatos in 2021
Drew Tucker in 2026
Other Links:
George Balanchine
Vaganova Ballet Method
The Drummer’s Cookbook - John Pickering
Advanced Techniques - Jim Chapin
“Take Five” - Dave Brubeck
Jim Petercsak
Robert Sanderl
“Frogs” - Keiko Abe
“Drum Corps on Parade” - John S. Pratt
“to wALk Or ruN in wEst harlem” - Andy Akiho
“Mirage” - Yasuo Sueyoshi
William Newton
Dave Rivers
Born to Run 50th Anniversary
Dark Side of the Moon 50th Anniversary
“Lingus” - Snarky Puppy
LaDuca Dance Shoes
Napoleon Dynamite trailer
Happy Gilmore trailer
This is Spinal Tap trailer
Born to Run - Bruce Springsteen
The Collaborative Habit - Twyla Tharp
“Mallet Quartet” - Steve Reich
Raves:
Monk in Pieces trailer

Mika Godbole returns to talk about attending Rowan University (NJ) for her master’s, studying orchestral music and taking auditions, and moving her focus to chamber music (03:25), attending Rutgers University (NJ) for her doctorate, her research on Steve Reich’s Music for 18 Musicians, timpani talk, teaching at York College (PA) and her early freelancing, and how the pandemic allowed her to recalibrate her life (14:45), and settles in for the Random Ass Questions, including segments on marimba performance, our favorite pop music, marching and indoor percussion, percussion conferences, Indian food, great movies, and so much more (35:00).
Finishing with a Rave on the 2025 film No Other Choice (01:09:00).
Mika Godbole Links:
Part 1 with Mika Godbole
William Paterson University Percussion Faculty
Mantra Percussion page
NJ PAS Facebook page
Previous Podcast Guests mentioned:
Megan Arns in 2017
Julia Gaines-Montag in 2016
Clif Walker in 2021
She-e Wu in 2025
Evan Chapman in 2019
Other Links:
Dean Witten
Alan Abel
Markus Rhoten
So Percussion Summer Institute
Joseph Tompkins
Chris Deviney
Music for 18 Musicians - Steve Reich
NEXUS
Marc Mellits
Doug Perkins
“Thank You (____)” - Jason Treuting
“Englishman in New York” - Sting
“Big Time” - Peter Gabriel
“They Won’t Go When I Go” - Stevie Wonder
“Black Dog” - Led Zeppelin
“Forty Six & 2” - TOOL
“Killing in the Name” - Rage Against the Machine
“The Scythe” - The Last Dinner Party
“Classical” - Vampire Weekend
“oceania” - Björk
The Sandlot trailer
…Say Anything trailer
Batman & Robin trailer
The Love Guru trailer
The Lord of the Rings 25th Anniversary trailer
All Quiet on the Western Front - Erich Maria Remarque
“Kinder than Man” - Althea Davis
Raves:
No Other Choice trailer

Educator, Freelancer, Vice President of the New Jersey Percussive Arts Society, and PAS New Music/Research member Mika Godbole stops by to talk about her adjunct position at William Paterson University (NJ) (03:55), her freelancing career and working as a member of the Mantra Percussion Sextet (20:00), her roles with the Percussive Arts Society (39:40), growing up in India and outside of Philadelphia and her early percussion teachers (54:50), and studying at Indiana University of Pennsylvania for her undergrad, working with Gary Olmstead and Jack Stamp, and her gap year as a young adult in Mumbai (01:05:25).
Finishing with a Rave on the 2025 documentary film It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley (01:22:40).
Mika Godbole Links:
William Paterson University’s Percussion Studio page
Mantra Percussion page
New Jersey PAS Chapter page
Previous Podcast guests mentioned:
Megan Arns in 2017
Casey Cangelosi in 2017
She-e Wu in 2025
Alexandros Fragiskatos in 2021
Karli Viña in 2022
I-Jen Fang in 2023
Bonnie Whiting in 2020
Frank Kumor in 2025
Other Links:
Fabio Oliveira
“Timber” - Michael Gordon
Bang on a Can
MASS MoCA
Red Poppy Music
Piano Sonata Op. 111 - L.V. Beethoven
Jack Stamp
Gary Olmstead
Christopher Hanning
“Ol’ Man River” - Paul Robeson
Raves:
It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley trailer