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Drummer Tommy Clufetos Talks Playing With Sabbath, His Detroit Work Ethic, And More

Honored to have drummer extraordinaire, and fellow Detroiter, Tommy Clufetos on Talkin’ Rock. He’s playing the Token Lounge coming up on Thursday, March 28th. Having seen him play there before,…

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Tommy Clufetos is on Talkin’ Rock

Honored to have drummer extraordinaire, and fellow Detroiter, Tommy Clufetos on Talkin' Rock. He's playing the Token Lounge coming up on Thursday, March 28th. Having seen him play there before, this is a show you're not going to want to miss. He said that was the only time he'd played there and he "Loved it!" His drumming is insane. Just check out some of the clips below.

The conversation, which you can watch below, or hear the audio-only version of here, talked about his career playing with everyone from, Ted Nugent, to Rob Zombie, to Black Sabbath, John 5, and lots more.

Tommy is Detroit through and through. "Detroit is such a big part of my life, you can't get it out of me". Tommy credits his upbringing here in the Motor City with giving him his work ethic. Now he's made home in the music capitol of America, Nashville, Tenn.

He told me how he's managed to get so many high-profile gigs, starting with Mitch Rider. We talked about how he was hooked up with Ted Nugent through Alto Reed from Bob Seger's band. "I'm so spoiled because I love Detroit music so much," he told me.

Ozzy Osbourne recently picked him as his drummer in a hypothetical dream band. "That makes me feel really good." He went on to talk about playing with Ozzy "When I'm behind Ozzy, we go to war together". He said he's learned so much from guys like Ozzy and Nugent.

He talked about playing some gigs with Motley Crue, while Tommy Lee was injured and couldn't perform full shows.

How badly did he want to play on Black Sabbath's 13 album? What was it like playing Sabbath's last gig? He answers those questions and lots more.

Great to have Tommy on the show for the first time, and I cannot wait to see the show at the Token on March 28th. I'll see you guys there!

tommy clufetos interview

Here's the entire video interview with Tommy.

Tommy clufetos drum solo from black sabbath

This is so cool! Check out Tommy at "work" behind the kit with the legendary Black Sabbath.

tommy clufetos drum solo from 2022

Check out this video from Drummfest in 2022. This took place in Quebec.

audio-only Talkin' Rock interview with Tommy clufetos

Be sure to subscribe and follow the Talkin' Rock with Meltdown podcast. Here's the latest with Tommy. Enjoy!

MeltdownEditor
Meltdown started on the mighty WRIF on the evening of Halloween, 1995. Technically, his first on-air shift was the morning of November 1st. Moving to the Motor City from Buffalo, N.Y., he has built a career and family. Over his almost three-decade stint at RIFF, he's had the privilege to work with some of the biggest personalities in Detroit radio history. He boasts of being just the second-afternoon drive jock in the station's illustrious 53-year history. Along with his love for rock music and attending concerts, he's also an avid Harley-Davidson enthusiast and hockey player. He plays year-round and manages to squeeze in a few charity games throughout the year. Meltdown writes about the Detroit Red Wings, rock music, and Detroit concert venues.