My Percussion Setup for Bill Miller

I’ve received a lot of questions about my setup for the televised performance on PBS with Native American artist Bill Miller, so I dug up some photos taken from the stage during soundcheck:

Ken Lingad’s percussion setup for Bill Miller at The Caverns for The Caverns Sessions Festival

From left to Right:

1. Authentic Pueblo Indian ceremonial drum

2. Tambourine mounted to DW foot pedal

3. Stage Front: authentic traditional powwow drum from the Black Eagle Singers (Jemez Pueblo)

4. Main Gon Bops Cajon - Alex Acuna model

5. 2nd Gon Bops Cajon - also Alex Acuna model, which doubles as a flat surface for easy access to my Schlagwerk Studio Shakers set or other items

6. Latin Percussion Tambourine and custom Reunion Blues stick bag

7. I use different drum mats, depending on the scale of my setup. The one pictured is my small drum mat by Protection Racket. I never — ever — leave it to the backline buyer to supply it because drum equipment creeping out of my foot range sucks.

Not pictured: Yamaha Peter Erskine Signature 10’ x 4” Snare Drum - I typically place this in front of me, or to the immediate left of my Hi Hat stand on my drum kit setup.

Although Bill Miller’s stage plot calls for two monitors in front of me, I typically use at least one floor monitor on my left side, which I prefer over my in-ears.

The only mic I specifically demand on my rider is the Shure Beta-52 for my large powwow drum (same for my bass drum when using a full kit) and one for the port of my main cajon — sometimes I add a Shure SM57 to the front of the cajon to capture more nuances in my playing.

Another side note that answers questions about the other sounds (cymbal splashes, sound effects, etc.) the audience hears: I vocally generate different percussive sounds through my vocal mic (a mix of my own educational techniques and Konnakol — the rhythmic spoken-word style of South Indian music), in addition to my harmony vocals.

Audience-facing view - note the “Flying Free” eagle and Zia Pueblo symbolism painted on the powwow drum skin

A fan shot this video of us performing GHOST DANCE by Bill Miller at the world-famous Caverns venue

I hope this helps. If you want to see my full drum kit rider click HERE.

For a select list of my go-to drum gear, click HERE.

Broadcast TV Premiere of Bill Miller and Ken Lingad at The Caverns Sessions Festival

The long-anticipated TV broadcast of The Caverns Sessions Festival featuring the Bill Miller Band premiered on PBS station affiliates around the world in honor of Native American Indian Heritage Month in the USA. Check local listings for repeat air dates or stream it on the PBS website or app.

Our headline show at the annual festival sold-out and I am also proud to be among the previous acts that have done the same there: Jason Isbell And the 400 Unit, Brandi Carlile, Old Crow Medicine Show, Gov't Mule, St. Paul and The Broken Bones, Steve Earle, Ozomatli, and others!

While the TV program only shows 24 minutes of footage, I will post other videos from the performance on my official Instagram account @IamKenLingad at a later date. -KL

Bill Miller Band: L-R - Doug Bossi, Andrew Steeno, Ken Lingad, Bill Miller Photo: Michael Weintraub

Bill Miller Band SELLS OUT The Caverns Sessions Festival

Was so honored to share the stage with my client, Bill Miller, for his SOLD OUT appearance at The Caverns Sessions 2023 Festival! Bill asked me to handle the percussionist duties, while my brother from the ‘Burque days, Doug Bossi, was tapped to shred his electric 6-string, and the HUGE audience loved everything about it!

I was humbled, blessed, and honored to be entrusted with the sacred traditional powwow drum of the GRAMMY award-winning Black Eagle Singers from the Indian Pueblo of Jemez to bring my BOOM to the beats — for our Native American Dance Troupe and the sold-out crowd in the majestic venue.

Our performance will be broadcast internationally on The Caverns Sessions on PBS in Fall 2023.

Photos: Michael Weintraub

Ken Lingad featured with Bill Miller for TV Series

I’m excited to be a part of this new TV series with 3-time GRAMMY-winning legend Bill Miller! We are the featured act for the grand finale of the new series, Ear To The Common Ground, filming this April in a barn on historic Cash Lane in Music City — a truly special place that once was the home of Country Music Hall Of Fame royalty: June Carter, Carl Smith, Marty Stuart, Patsy Cline, Jim Denney, Mother Maybelle Carter — as well as Carlene Carter, Cindy Cash, and more. The series will air next fall and each of the 12 episodes will feature one artist and one topic. Eight super fans of each artist will come together and each will bring a dish to the table.

The series will highlight the wonderful diversity of America in many ways: ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, geography and, most importantly, the project will celebrate the diversity of thought and opinion. Other episodes will feature Kyshona Armstrong, Gustavo Guerrero, Sam Lewis, Louis York, She Returns From War, Sister Sadie, Frank Solivan, Minton Sparks, SUSTO, Sweet Lizzy Project, and Wu Fei.

We all know and feel the power that music has to bring people together and we all know and feel how distant many Americans feel from each other these days. While we can disagree with our fellow Americans on issues, we can also BREAK BREAD with them, LAUGH with them, RESPECT them, HAVE COMPASSION for them, and hopefully find some common ground. A show like this should be on television — now, it will!

Each episode is 30 minutes long and will feature a diversity of opinions on each issue: right, left, and middle. At the end of the dinner party, Bill Miller and I will bring a dessert to share and then perform a few songs in the spirit of bringing people together through music and food. The topic that will be discussed in our episode is “Freedom of Religion / Separation of Church & State” with a filming date of April 12, 2022 in the heart of Nashville, Tennessee.

Interview with Ken Lingad about his Drum Gear

WOW! Came across this old interview. My selection of gear has changed a little — not too much — and some things probably never will. See here for current list of gear.

Enjoy the following read:

1680 Artists agent Natalia Livingston sat down for a few minutes with Yamaha Drums Artist Ken Lingad to ask about his gear and groove.  Here are some excerpts:

NATALIA LIVINGSTON: How long have you been playing professionally, and how long have you been a Yamaha Performing Artist?

KEN LINGAD: Wow...now I'll sound old [LAUGHS] - almost 25 years making money [LAUGHS]...Yamaha signed me to their artist/clinician roster in '91 - been with them ever since.

NL: What are you most recognized for from a musical perspective by your peers and colleagues in the music industry?

KL: I've always tried to lay down a solid groove for other musicians to springboard off of.  I don't get in their way with a fill every other bar.  I fill according to what I think is fatihfully appropriate to the integrity of the style.  If it is an R&B tune, foundation is everything, not soloing.  If it is a salsa tune, I remain faithful to the established clave' feel. The cats I play with tend to appreciate that.

NL: I've noticed a lot of drummers have attended your recent shows at Jazzbah in Albuquerque.  What do drummers talk about with you when you're on break between sets?

KL: All sorts of secret drummer stuff...[LAUGHS]...usually what gear I use and why do I set up a particular way, how I get my drums to sound the way they do - questions like that.  Other times, we just shoot the shit.  One of my favorite drummers of all time is a local cat - John Bartlit.  He is a few years older than me, but we were in the UNM Music Department at the same time.  I DIG HIS PLAYING! When he shows up, we always talk about the old days and what not.  It is so nice to get feedback from my peers and friends whom I respect as musicians - a real blessing.

NL: So, you hang out with drummers a lot?

KL: Actually, no.  Not at all, unless I'm in Los Angeles or Nashville.  I mostly hang out with guitarists and bass players - always have, actually.  There's a great young guitarist I've been hanging out with - Claudio Tolousse Perez - really dig his sound.  I'm blessed to have my Sez Who bandmates to hang out with, because they are so damned good at what they do.

NL: You mentioned "gear" earlier.  Tell me more about your gear.

KL: I use different Recording Custom and old-school Maple Custom - I never used the Absolute series - Yamaha kits depending on where I am and what type of gig I'm on.  Lately, I've been mainly using a tiny bop kit for the Jazzbah gigs.  It's a small jazz club, so I tried the newer Yamaha Stage Custom Birch drums for a night because I didn't want to ship my Recording Customs from the east coast for two gigs...and ended up keeping them! After spending a few minutes tuning them, they sounded perfect.

For all of the kits I almost always use the Yamaha 800-series mid-weight hardware.  I haven't needed heavy-duty cymbal stands since the mid-80s when I actually used rack systems and cages - mainly because my physical style and approach has changed over the years.  For the smaller jazz gigs, I sometimes use the student model hardware because it is so light, and I am not a "basher" - meaning I don't hit the plates [cymbals] hard.  I have used a variety of kick drum pedals from DW to AXIS and Yamaha's high-end chain drives, but always go back to a mid-level strap-driven Yamaha.  I love the old-school Yamaha pedals, but if the gig calls for it, I'll use a Yamaha 9500-series double pedal.

For plates, I don't religiously stick to one brand - I've played most of them, and had endorsement agreements with most of them at one time or another - but I don't think there is a "one-stop shop" for metallic sounds anymore.  I still love my Zildjian K Darks, but I do use Sabian and Paiste Signatures from time-to-time.  My jazz cymbals of choice right now are Bosphorus Hammers - all of them.  No matter the gig, I am sticking - no pun intended - primarily with larger 15" thin hi-hats.

Ken Lingad on stage at Jazzbah

Ken Lingad’s Drum Kit (Full setup, minus electronics and mic drops) Stage Plot