Australian drummer and livestreamer Mitch Bruzzese has a magnetic personality. That open-hearted essence is apparent when watching him perform effortlessly fluid drum fills. And it’s especially obvious to his more than 30,000 Twitch followers on the platform, many of whom are also subscribers. This rising star in the streaming music community shares his secrets about how he grew his Twitch fandom, his hi-tech setup featuring numerous Roland instruments, and what inspires him about livestreaming. In addition to this interview, Bruzzese created five exclusive videos offering even more insight into his journey from behind the kit into viewers’ homes.
Hero’s Journey
Where did your drum story begin?
The story goes that I was learning piano when I was five and played for about a year. But I also knew that my dad had a set of drums in our attic. So, I asked my dad, “Can I play the drums one day?” He kept saying, “Sure, when you’re older.” Finally, at eight, he said, “OK,” and he got me lessons, and I’ve basically never stopped.
I joined the school concert bands and things like that. I had a rough time in elementary school with kids picking on me, so music and drumming became my outlet. No one could take that from me. That was always mine.
When I hit high school and started making friends, all of a sudden, I had skills that were desired. I never stopped playing music—I played in shows, jazz big bands, and rock bands. I wanted to be a full-time musician. That’s all I’ve always wanted to be. And here I am still doing it.
"I wanted to be a full-time musician. That's all I've always wanted to be. And here I am still doing it."
Who are your drumming heroes?
That’s changed throughout my life. When I was in high school, I worked at a drum store and was exposed to many clinicians. Prior to that, it would have been Josh Freese, Travis Barker, Andy Strachan from The Living End, Ben Gillies from Silverchair, and Carlos de la Garza when he was playing in Reel Big Fish, just the guys that were doing their own thing.
But watching Akira Jimbo was the first time I’d ever seen anybody play a completely integrated, hybrid setup in the way that he is so famous for. I loved the way he played the kit and triggered sounds. His ingenuity impressed me because I have a tech background. He wasn’t just a technologically advanced drummer; he was also an incredible player. The marrying of those two worlds definitely helped inspire what I’m doing now.
Stream Warrior
When did you begin streaming as a musician?
I started streaming in March 2017 and discovered Twitch through a friend who is a big gamer. Like most people, I’d heard of Twitch as a gaming platform. And he said to me, “You should play drums on this. There are other drummers on there.”
I was like, “Well, what are they doing? And are they any good? And how can you even make money from such a thing?” YouTube was well-established, but not this Twitch thing. And so, he kept at me. He sent me drummers and people who are now my friends. Finally, I went, “Maybe I can do this.” I had my original TD-20 because where I was living, I couldn’t easily play acoustic drums.
So, I bought a webcam, a couple of cables, and an interface to get going. The problem was that because of the way I am, I very quickly was like, “I need to stretch this in terms of quality.” Like everybody’s first few streams, my first few were just janky.
“It was this surreal moment of a viewer I’d been talking to this whole time on chat, and he was suddenly there in person."
Ingenuity Meets Professionalism
What did you do to up your game?
I very quickly got into the project side, the ingenuity side of it. The drumming never stopped; that was a given. But Sydney is geographically a bit further away from the rest of the world, and the opportunities are a lot more limited here. So, instead of building something for a local audience, it was for an international audience. I always hoped to be noticed or network with other people from around the world, which is exactly what’s happened. So that’s been an amazing opportunity. Otherwise, I focused as much as I could on developing real relationships with my community members.
How would you describe your online persona?
Twitch is often the home of crazy wigs or doing something ridiculous. I’ve tried my best to really rein that in and be as authentic as possible. There are a lot of streamers who wouldn’t necessarily bother with effects or a super professional-looking setup. They’ll perhaps instead go into gimmicks. I’ve tried hard to skirt around that. I’ve always wanted my show to be a more professional thing. It doesn’t mean I won’t occasionally do something ridiculous, but I’ve tried not to go down that road.
The Inner Circle
You have an amazing relationship with your subscribers. Are there any standout memories?
The people who were around five years ago who are still showing up in every stream absolutely break my brain. As for standout memories, I think a big one was my first Tier 3 subscriber who is now a great friend. Because he joined and began the Tier 3 Club, as we call it, all these people immediately joined and created this inner circle, and they’re all still subscribed.
Another was my third TwitchCon in San Diego, someone was actually coming to meet me, and we hung out. He’s from Tennessee, and it was this surreal moment of a viewer I’d been talking to this whole time on chat, and he was suddenly there in person. That really brought it home for me. And I had a nice, teary moment afterward.
The Drummer DJ
Your setup is so futuristic and is constantly expanding. Tell us about your evolving drummer DJ project.
I wanted to be able to manipulate the music and be DJing while I’m drumming—be able to manipulate the pitch, the tempo, set up loops, make songs, do whatever. Often, I can do it one-handed, but sometimes I need two hands. So when that happens, I have a looper involved so I can stop playing the drums and it can take the reins for a moment. I set up a loop or two on the DJ decks, set up a loop on the drums, put the sticks down, mix from one song into the next, take back over from the looper, and then return to the audience.
It took ages, probably eighteen months, from concept to a finished, functional build, but I was fine with that. In fact, I loved the process. I remember the morning I got the MIDI sync all working. Now I can be drumming along, and if I suddenly want to do a chorus with just the singer in the track and my drums, for example, I can hit a button, and it cuts out everything else, which is just crazy. I’m still perfecting the art and discovering new abilities.
Moving Forward
In what ways has Twitch changed the game?
Twitch is definitely similar to old-school TV. It’s like a community television station. I think of Wayne’s World. If that were now, it’d be on Twitch. I’ve made some great friends on the platform who share the same philosophy about streaming no matter what they are streaming. But the people I’m primarily drawn to are pushing the boundaries of what is possible from basically a single computer running these mini television stations in your house. Once upon a time, these would have been state-of-the-art studios but now it’s all DIY.
"While Twitch is a gigantic part of my life, it still feels like a huge cog in the machine that is me as a musician."
Would you speak about the role streaming plays in your life and your friendships with other streamers?
Everyone’s very accepting of what you do on the platform. I’m friends with a couple who do a cooking/comedy show. She cooks; he’s running the cameras and sound effects. But they’re both on camera. It’s got nothing to do with music but they are such wonderful people, and it works so well. They got married in Las Vegas at TwitchCon last year and asked me to be the best man.
So, what’s coming up next for you?
I’m constantly looking for ways to further develop my craft, but in the immediate future, I’m looking to expand what I do onto other social platforms. I’ve recently started streaming on TikTok, and I’m looking to create regular content for the likes of Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and perhaps even Substack to see if I can reach new audiences there.
Personally, I’m still always a musician first. I’m on a journey. While Twitch and social media are a gigantic part of my life, it still feels like a huge cog in the machine that is me as a musician. I still want to be performing. I still want to be playing live on stages and with other musicians.
