Trevor Lawrence Jr.: What I would say is that the best thing you can do as a musician who would love to have a career in the studios — you know, playing on records — is to… Welcome back to The TrevBeats Show. I’m your host, Trevor Lawrence Jr. And today is definitely a special one. We’re sitting down with absolute royalty. You’ve heard him on records by John Lennon, George Harrison, Steely Dan, Bob Dylan, The Traveling Wilburys — the list literally is endless. He’s the session drummer’s session drummer. Please welcome the legendary Jim Keltner. Jim Keltner: What an introduction. Trevor, I’m so glad we get to do this. And I’m glad you’re doing this kind of thing. If someone’s going to have these conversations, it should be somebody who knows what they’re talking about. Trevor: Man, people talk about the “Keltner Feel.” The Keltner wiggle. The vibe. It’s fluid. It’s conversational. It’s musical. How do you describe that? Jim: I’ve heard that for years. People say I don’t look like I’m playing when they watch me. That confused me at first. I thought maybe I should raise the sticks higher or look more animated. But if it’s not in you, you can’t fake it. It has to be part of your conversation when you play. Trevor: That word — conversation. That’s exactly it. Jim: That’s what playing is. Especially when you’re working with songwriters. It’s about fleshing out their song. Serving it. Elevating it without distracting from it. That’s what I was always told when I came up in the studio scene: serve the song. Trevor: You’ve worked with some of the greatest songwriters in history. When you walk into those sessions, what’s the approach? Jim: It’s always about the song. And about the sound. I’ve always chased sound. Making the verse feel different than the chorus. Sometimes that’s switching to cross stick. Sometimes it’s moving to a ride cymbal. Sometimes it’s the attack — how you hit the drum. And over time, I stopped using traditional drumsticks as much. I use other things that give me different textures. That’s what recording is about for me — experimenting. Trevor: You’ve also embraced technology in ways people might not expect. The MPC 4000. The SP-12. Pro Tools. Jim: I didn’t think I had the brain for it at first. But once I started, I loved it. I’d program grooves on the SP-12, make it swing, then play drums on top. During the pandemic, that saved me. I could stay creative. I’d take old sequences, change the samples, build new things. Trevor: And one of those experiments ended up in a major Paul Thomas Anderson film. Jim: Yeah. A jam from 15 years ago with Matt Chamberlain and Jon Brion ended up in a film. You just never know where things go. That’s why you keep creating. Trevor: For the young drummer watching this — 2026, AI everywhere, remote sessions — can you still build a studio career? Jim: Yes. It won’t be like it was. But there will always be a version of it. The best thing you can do is play with as many people as possible. Different styles. Different situations. That’s how you build vocabulary. And don’t wait. Be prepared. When someone calls, you’re ready. Trevor: That’s it right there. Jim: Play with your friends. Learn how to play together. That part won’t change. Trevor: Ladies and gentlemen, the incomparable Jim Keltner. We’re definitely doing part two.