Ben Wood sits down with Rich Redmond and producer Jim McCarthy for a fast-moving conversation about music, business, and building a life in Music City. Ben shares how a Green Day concert lit the spark, why he drove 7 hours to study with Rich in LA, and how that conversation pushed him to choose Nashville over Los Angeles.
They break down the origin story of Music Lab Nashville, including buying an existing school, taking on serious debt during the pandemic, and growing it to 15 teachers and 200+ students. Ben talks teaching philosophy, Ableton and tracks, being an asset to artists, and what it really takes to move from “local guy” to touring drummer.
Along the way they riff on Calypso Café, MySpace days, cruises, hockey, Legos, horror movies, Annika Niles with Rush, Aaron Spears, Stuart Copeland’s one‑man show, and why more female drummers should move to Nashville right now.
Drop a comment if you’ve ever thought about moving to Nashville for music or if you’ve taken lessons at Music Lab Nashville.
Timed highlights:
00:00 Produced by ItsYourShow.co and why Ben brings more than just drumming
01:20 Organic food, Calypso Café, and Nashville musician culture
05:30 Meeting Jim at Calypso to talk voiceover and MySpace throwbacks
06:40 Introducing Ben Wood: Sacramento roots, LA lesson, and move to Nashville
08:15 Screamo band tours, record deal at 18, and falling in love with teaching
17:20 Mike Johnston’s Drum Lab, Serge Lysack, and the Sacramento drum scene
22:20 Pandemic wipeout and the “I’m going all‑in” moment for Music Lab Nashville
25:55 Absorbing Jan Williams School clients and staff; rebuilding the business model
29:40 Year‑3 turning point, signing a 10‑year lease, and reaching profitability
32:30 Culture at Music Lab: all ages, all styles, all abilities
39:10 Just Jane, CMA Fest, and getting gigs through hockey and community
43:40 Female drummers, Annika with Rush, and the open lane in Nashville
48:30 Hockey clips, Lego addiction, and algorithm‑stopping content
52:00 Streaming services, sex scenes, and full‑frontal overload
55:10 Gateway music, Green Day, and MTV‑era discovery
59:40 Paradiddles, 3s and 5s, and Ben’s warm‑up philosophy
1:02:30 Doubling to 400 students and the vision for Music Lab Nashville
1:15:00 Owning “best drummer in Nashville,” handling trolls, and betting on yourself
Podcast Studio and Prodcuders: https://itsyourshow.co
Drumtensive: https://drumtensive.com
More Rich Redmond Show Episodes: https://richredmond.com/podcasts
Music Lab Nashville: https://nashville.musiclab.co
Ben Wood Instagram: @benwooddrums
