On this week’s Gig Gab, you’re getting a masterclass in modern musicianship with Keith Harris, the drummer, producer, and musical director for the Black Eyed Peas. From behind the kit to behind the console, Keith walks you through the art of turning groove into leadership, showing how drummers often evolve into musical directors. He shares the hard-earned truth that your reputation is your currency, and sometimes, being a pro means not re-hiring someone—cordially. Keith reveals how he blends acoustic drums with pristine samples using tools like Splice and the Roland SPD-SX, and how Izotope Nectar helped shape Estelle’s vocals on “Stay Alta.” Always Be Performing, even in the studio.
But the performance doesn’t stop when the tracking ends. Keith pulls back the curtain on directing the Backstreet Boys’ residency at Sphere, where every note is locked in ahead of time, tracked by a killer band featuring André Bowman, Lance Tolbert, and Curt Chambers, all engineered by John D. Norten. There are no live musicians on stage, but that doesn’t mean it’s not live, because the show lives in the details. Keith emphasizes that your FOH and playback engineers aren’t just techs; they’re part of the band. Teaching them your show is just as critical as rehearsing the music. From ADAT to AI, the tools may change, but the hustle stays the same.
00:00:00
Gig Gab 494 – Monday,
August 11th, 2025
August 11th:
International Hip Hop Celebration Day
Guest co-host: Keith Harris
00:01:50 Drummers become producers
00:04:42 Transitioning from drummer to musical director
00:08:12 There’s no I in Team!
Keep it cordial, but you don’t have to re-hire them.
00:10:17 Managing your reputation
00:12:37 The human feel of blending acoustic drums and high quality samples
Using
Splice all the time
Roland SPD-SX
Using
Izotope Nectar on vocals with Estelle’s “Stay Alta”
00:16:25 The evolution of recording and the yin and yang of music and technology
00:20:00 The growing pains of the industry are always there, they just have different names:
ADAT
ProTools
AI
00:21:23 Choosing the right sounds for the gig
00:24:01 SPONSOR:
Mechanical Licensing Collective – Are you a songwriter, music publisher, or administrator? Every month, The MLC collects the streaming data and royalties from Spotify and Apple Music, matches the money to the creator who has earned it, and then pays out the royalties due. Visit
TheMLC.com today to sign up!
00:25:30 Music Directing
Backstreet Boys at Sphere
Everything’s Tracked, and there are no live musicians on stage except the singers.
Ahead of time, Keith and the band worked out the setlist, then arrangements, then went into the studio and tracked the whole band.
André Bowman on Bass
Lance Tolbert Keys
Curt Chambers on guitar
John D. Norten Engineer
00:38:46 Teaching your FOH engineer your show
FOH and Playback engineers are also band members
James McCullagh, FOH for Backstreet Boys
