Episode 85 – Interview – Dave Johnstone
Occasionally we get lucky. The lords of travel reveal themselves favorable and a guest we’ve been wanting to speak with drops into our lap. This week we welcome long time listener, friend of the show, and incredibly talented drummer, Dave Johnstone.
Dave was recently in town during a string of dates with Post Modern Jukebox sensation, Aubrey Logan. We were able to sit down with him at his hotel for a discussion about everything music.
After Dave and Jon reminisce about their time in St. Louis we find out about his formative years and studies with Midwest teaching legend, Kevin Gianino. He talks about the defining moment of his lessons along with the different methods and concepts that Gianino used.
We then move into his time in Boston at the Berklee College of Music. After talking about the enrollment process, audition recordings, and scholarships he received Dave discusses his private studies with Kenwood Dennard and Jon Hazilla. Dave also talks about the value of his music academic classes and performing in the many different ensembles in Berklee’s catalog.
During his time at Berklee Dave had the chance to attend the International Association of jazz Educators conference (now JEN) in Southern California which ultimately led him to relocating to where he now lives. Johnstone has firmly established himself as one of the first call players in the competitive LA scene. Aside from maintaining his regular gigs Dave also keeps a vibrant teaching schedule.
We finish up by talking about his touring schedule with Aubrey Logan. We go through a typical day on the road and what his plans for the future entail. Then, quite expectedly, Dave runs through the gauntlet with the DWG Rorschach Test!
Make sure you visit Dave at his website: www. davejohnstone.com
Also follow him on the road with Aubrey Logan: https://www.aubreylogan.com/
Also, keep up with all the doings of DWG at our web site. Here you can find all of our shows, videos, subscription options, and contact information. Point your browser to: www.drummersweeklygroovecast.com to check it out!
