Meet Zak St. John | Session & Touring Drummer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Zak St. John and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Zak, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
I think this is an interesting question that really applies to musicians and creatives. For most people in music and the arts, risk is a huge part of success. From my point of view, the majority of artists migrate to a center hub of work. By that I mean, Los Angeles, Nashville, New York, etc. That in itself, takes a huge amount of courage and commitment. I know it did for me. Moving from a small town in Wisconsin, all the way to Los Angeles, was a major life change. I didn’t know anyone here in LA, and didn’t have any promising prospects for work. And you leave behind your support from parents, family, friends and your co-workers/band mates. Those few things alone are more RISK than the majority of humans take in their lifetimes.

From a personal stand point, I am excited by risk. More RISK, more reward. The beauty of risk is how a professional can make gains and excel past competition in their field. Keep in mind, it can also end up the opposite. But even though life seems impossible, while in the pit of failure, the lessons we learn and the navigation through difficult times only makes a human stronger. I take losing in team sports as a kid or getting a bad grade on math test as example from early on.

As far as a specific risk taken as a musician? A good example is when you are offered a session, gig or tour. BUT… you have other things you see possibly happening and by committing, you make yourself unavailable. And you RISK not being able to pursue an even better opportunity or make more money. Again, the reverse is…if you decide to not take new gigs or move out of your comfort zone, you risk not having any work or opportunities and people WILL stop calling you. Risk Baby, Risk Baby, 123.

Risk has played a huge part in my career. And I know that risk is around every corner. I recommend putting lots of thought and time into each decision you make. Weigh the positives and negatives. Talk it over with a friend, co-worker, family member, or spouse. And my most dependable source over the years… my gut.

What should our readers know about your business?
Truth be told, I have 3 business’ ! I’ll focus on my first baby. “Holiver Productions.” It is my beloved recording studio that I built from the ground up, located in Burbank-Adjacent, CA. (inside joke..hahaha)

This studio was built based on years of experience working in the best recording studios in the world. I took all my favorite aspects and implemented them as best as possible. And I’m proud that I was able to do this while staying on a budget and not over extending myself financially in the process. To this day, I make improvements and advancements in the quality and features.

I see many studios that are built and cannot be sustained due to lack of revenue and an inflated amount of cost/expenditures. I got to where I am with Holiver Productions, by not over investing time and money. And making small improvements over time. I owe a lot of this from my degree in Business Administration and by following advice and a business model similar to one of my mentors, Ross Garfield (owner and founder of Drum Doctors).

Holiver Productions has so much vibe and love within the walls. If you like drums, you’ll be surrounded by them during your time in my studio. I specialize in drum and percussion recording. I’m able to capture some of the best sounds and recordings without the large expenditure of a major recording studio. I’ve tailored a way to record music and musicians of all types, and still stay in the budgets that have become smaller and smaller these days.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I pride myself on knowing a lot of cool parts of our beautiful city of Los Angeles and its surrounding areas. My favorite place is The Magic Castle in Hollywood. It can be difficult to get in, but boy is it worth it. I’d also take them to my favorite restaurants. Centanni Tratoria in Burbank, Mastro’s Ocean Club in Malibu, Brother’s Sushi in Woodland Hills, Fish Wives in Pasadena and Salsa and Beer in North Hollywood.
During one of the evenings, I’d for sure stop by The Rendezvous Room in Studio City. My favorite bar/speakeasy in LA. Great drinks, service, and environment.
Other landmarks and must-see’s are: The Rainbow on Sunset, the Peterson Auto Museum, The Natural History Museum, The La Brea Tar Pits, The Santa Monica Pier, and the Griffith Park Observatory.
For fun, I love a mid-week day hanging at City-Walk and Universal Studios. Tickets are not too expensive and they have a bunch of new rides. And also we are just a quick ride down to Disney Land!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Honestly, this was hard for me. Many deserve credit and recognition. I’d have to say my good friend Christian Martucci. He also has taken so much risk in his life. He’s gone through a lot of change and adversity, yet ends up on the other side, smarter, more talented, successful, and happier. Christian has always been a huge supporter and has helped me in so many ways along the way. You can check out Christian playing guitar with Corey Taylor, Stone Sour, and Black Star Riders, to name a few. Oh, he’s also become an excellent recording engineer and mixer.

Website: www.ZakStJohn.com

Instagram: @ZakStJohn

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zak-st-john-5037b530

Twitter: @ZakStJohn

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ZakStJohn

Youtube: www.youtube.com/ZakStJohn

Image Credits
Kim Clayborne Photography