Tom Kinka: Persistence & Idiocy, On Tour w/ Lecade, Stick Trick Mastery, Drum Lessons & Mentors

Welcome Philly-native Tom Kinka! Tom is currently the touring drummer for up-and-coming country artist Lecade. Growing up in a music-heavy family shaped by Rock Band, Blink-182, and country music in his mom’s car, Tom's passion for music and the drums was developed at an early age. Tom shares how a serious car accident and coma at 17 sharpened his focus on music, leading to a fearless, “persistence and idiocy” approach. He discusses leaving a jazz program at Temple for media production, navigating Philly’s DIY pop-punk scene, moving to Nashville during COVID, learning country on the fly for Broadway, seeking lessons directly from his heroes like Josh Manuel and Luke Holland, and landing the Lecade gig—plus touring highlights, onstage gear fails, evolving drum setups, and his obsession with stick tricks and community. We hope you enjoy! Chapters: 0:00 Intro 1:09 Welcome, Tom! 4:34 Music Family Roots 10:57 Blink-182 and Green Day Obsession 12:29 Near-Death Accident 17:27 Broadway Rookie Mistakes 18:15 Rezo Custom Drum Heads (Sponsor) 19:18 Quitting Jazz at Temple 20:44 Philly DIY Pop-Punk Scene 23:57 The Move to Nashville 30:46 Studying w/ Luke Holland 32:32 Drum Box (Sponsor) 33:13 Broadway vs Touring Life 36:58 Meeting Lecade 50:00 Rig Rundown and Gear Changes 53:27 Stage Style and Band Vibes 57:32 Low Boy Beaters (Sponsor) 58:14 Moments from Tour 1:03:36 Drum Supply (Sponsor) 1:04:35 Mastering Stick Tricks 1:15:19 Music City Audiology (Sponsor) 1:16:01 Nashville Drum Community 1:25:47 Rapid Fire Questions 1:30:10 Outro Thank you to our Episode Sponsors: Rezo Custom Drum Heads https://rezoheads.com Drum Box https://drumbox.space Drum Supply https://www.drumsupply.com Low Boy Beaters https://lowboybeaters.com Music City Audiology http://musiccityaudiology.com Connect with Tom: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tom_kinka Music Featured in this Episode: "Blind" - Lecade "LET U GO" - JaxsonFree Support the show Connect with us: Website Instagram TikTok YouTube Facebook Recorded at Garden Groove Recording Space, Nashville, TN Podcast Artwork: GENUINE CREATIVE ART ⓒ 2026 Nashville Drummers Podcast, LLC