Tom Meyers: The Drum Business Burned Him Out. His Dad Brought Him Back!

What happens when the business burns you out on the thing you love? For drummer Tom Meyers, the way back ran through his dad.

I went to 118 North on a Saturday night to hear live music and came home with my next guest. Tom was walking around beside the stage with no pass or anything identifying him as a musician. I figured he was the sound guy. Then he sat behind the kit with an eleven-piece Steely Dan tribute band and crushed it. He’s 71.

Tom joins me to talk about losing his passion, what it took to get his chops back after twenty-five years away, and why he went looking for the hardest music he could find. Along the way we get into studying with Tony Williams in a Harlem brownstone and a blown tire on the Jersey Turnpike at one in the morning with a car full of gear.

If you’ve walked away from something you loved, Tom’s story might get you thinking about picking it up again.

Tom plays with Kid Charlemagne, out of Philadelphia and South Jersey. Find the band at kidcharlemagnemusic.com.

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