From Zero to Zeppelin

When Anika Nilles recommends you for a gig with Paul Gilbert — you say yes and get to work.

Where do I even begin… maybe best to get straight to the point:

In early May, I received a voice message from Chris, A&R and my longtime direct contact at Tama. He asked if I could imagine jumping in on short notice for Anika Nilles to perform with Paul Gilbert at the Ibanez Guitar Festival on May 24th.

I needed a moment to let that sink in. Not because it didn’t instantly blow my socks off, but because I sometimes take a bit longer to zoom out from my detail-focused perspective and view the bigger picture. Wow. What an unexpected request. The fact that Anika Nilles personally recommended me meant the world to me. We’ve had a wonderful relationship for years, and her drumming career is one of the most inspiring stories of recent times.

Of course, I was aware that Paul Gilbert (Mr. Big, Racer-X, etc.) is a living guitar legend. But it wasn’t until the days following that the full magnitude of this honor really hit me. So I didn’t hesitate for long and said yes to the gig. The fact that I was even available at the time was probably due to the rather new occasion of not being on tour. I could count on having enough time to properly study the material.

The very next day, I received the setlist: about 80 minutes of music, a mix of tracks by Robin Trower, Jimi Hendrix, Yes, The Who, and a 30-minute Led Zeppelin medley, which would clearly take up most of the prep time, as it was composed of nearly 30 different song segments. That meant I needed to create a meaningful, efficient, and doable practice routine that would help me absorb all this information while leaving enough room to internalize it and feel confident.

The following two weeks were spent almost daily in the studio.

I listened to the setlist on repeat, analyzing and structuring the songs, their rhythms, intensity, feel, dynamics, and potential space for improvisation and creative freedom. The most effective way for me to learn new material is to first familiarize myself with it through active listening: understanding and anticipating the song structure, recognizing what comes next. Then it’s time to get into the details: noting down rhythms, bar counts, breaks, choruses, verses, etc.

Prep. Note. Set.

After a week of listening and grasping the songs, I focused on the Led Zeppelin medley. I split it into three equal parts in a Logic Pro session, then started repeating small segments, gradually increasing their length until I had mastered the first section. Then the second. Then sections one and two combined. Finally, the third part, before attempting the full piece. To avoid getting lost in this mammoth task, I alternated between this and other songs that also required full attention.

As the show approached, I aimed to have all songs fully understood and playable by the Sunday before the performance week, so I could rehearse the full set twice a day during the final three days. Slowly, I began to feel like I truly knew the songs. I didn’t want to rely on notes or last-minute cues. My principle is: Know the songs so well that you don’t have to think about what’s coming up next. It’s not about copying every part in meticulous detail (except for the Led Zeppelin medley, of course), but about stepping on stage with a sense of ease. Only then I allow myself to improvise, to play around with fills and grooves.

Thursday came around: time to pack up, grab a rental car, and head to Gutenstetten to the Meinl headquarters.

After a tough seven-hour drive (traffic included), I arrived at the hotel in Neustadt a.d. Aisch and immediately met up with my colleagues Felix from Meinl and Chris from Tama to have dinner with Paul Gilbert and Lisa-X. Despite the fatigue, I enjoyed this little wind-down and was happy to introduce myself to Paul and say hi to Daniel from the Ibanez team as well. Paul asked if I could teach him something on the drums during tomorrow’s rehearsal, which threw me off a little, but in a very charming and calming way. 😅

Pass. Gang. Vintage. Leather. Boys. View.

That night, I barely slept. I usually don’t have sleep issues, but the songs haunted me. I kept waking up, mentally running through the Zeppelin medley on repeat. Add to that a pillow that felt more like a folded sheet of paper and gave me the neck tension I absolutely didn’t need.

The next morning, I felt a little tense, but after a quick breakfast, I drove to the AFW studio, where the owner Christian welcomed me and gave me a tour of his beautiful space in the countryside. Coffee and cake were waiting, my drum set was already set up, mic’d, and wired. All I had to do was adjust a few things and we were ready. Linus Klausenitzer, our bassist for the show, arrived next. We’re still not sure when we first met, but we’ve definitely known each other forever. What a lovely human being and what a phenomenal player!

Then Paul arrived with his A&R manager and a camera crew.

A quick hello, some last-minute tweaking of his cabs and pedalboard—and we got straight to work. Robin Trower. Too Rolling Stoned. Daydream. Rock Me Baby. Our 20-minute opener set. And just like that, the tension vanished. We played well together, the room had this driving energy, and Paul had such a calm and grounded vibe. All that intense preparation had paid off. We locked in so well that no “emergency” ever came up. The medley worked perfectly, and the remaining songs flew by. It became clear quickly: this just worked. So after a short but chatty lunch over some pasta, we headed over to the Meinl grounds for soundcheck, met up with the rest of the crew and played a couple of tracks in front of the yet empty room.

The day slowly wound down, and later in the evening we met up with the big “guitar gang” for dinner at a local restaurant. Many familiar and unfamiliar faces, but a consistent sense of being welcome and part of something. That’s something I’ve always loved—whether it’s Meinl, Tama, or Ibanez events—there’s this sense of family. A community with a shared purpose, where the well-being of the artists and guests really matters. It means a lot to be a returning guest in such a space.

Grinding and grounding.

The second night brought deep, fairy-tale-like rest.

I woke up on Saturday refreshed and ready. After breakfast and some downtime (including finishing the Andor series), it was time to head to the festival. Around 1PM the event kicked off, and I was genuinely nervous. More than I had been in a long time. A completely new set, one rehearsal, and now live on stage in front of 1.000 people. But the 20 minutes flew by. The mix of adrenaline and grounded, meditative awareness felt fresh and euphoric. After the set, a massive wave of tension left my body. I went for a walk in the nearby woods to reset my nervous system with some fresh air, nature sounds, butterflies, insects, flowers, open fields, and the shelter of trees. Just what I needed. 🌿

A short nap in the car, a quick stop at the hotel to change, and back to the festival for the headliner concert. I was nervous again, but in a good way. The first show had given me confidence, and it held strong. I was able to truly enjoy the performance, get lost in the music, close my eyes, and just play with the fantastic Paul Gilbert, who performed with impressive finesse and humility. A true showman and one of a kind. What an honor. What an experience.

The rest of the night is a bit of a blur, partly due to exhaustion, not just from the performance but also from all the socializing, the people, the background noise. That’s always a lot for my body to process, so I took a step back with my noise-cancelling headphones to disconnect for a bit. It helped me recharge for the remainder of the evening and more conversations, as well as a closing round at the locally famous “Trichter” pub. 🍻

Thanks to good hydration and a proper night’s sleep, I didn’t feel too wrecked the next morning. One last breakfast in the hotel and then off for a relaxed drive home with my colleague and guitarist Ian, whom I brought back to Berlin. Good music, good conversations, and about seven hours later, I finally arrived home, blissfully exhausted and ready to crash.

What a ride.

The past three weeks were undeniably intense, but also incredibly rewarding. The challenge was real, and I’m proud of myself. I’m grateful that the people I care about believe in me and trust in my abilities. I love taking on quests like these. They always offer a chance to grow and discover new parts of myself. The focused practicing opened new doors in my drumming as well, adding new skills, more finesse, greater dynamic range. But above all: a confident ease. A rediscovered joy in drumming that reminds me why I love this instrument so much.

Now it’s time to process, appreciate, and trust that the horizon will keep expanding and bringing new opportunities.

Thank you for reading this week’s rather lengthy post.
Much love ♥️
Paul

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