An Evening With Nick D’Virgilio 

• Posted on 16 January 2026
• By GRD
• Posted in Nick D' Virgilio
• 0

Nick D’Virgilio (NDV) is the drummer behind credits with Tears for Fears, Genesis (Calling All Stations), Spock’s Beard, and Big Big Train. His in-store evening will feature live playing, talk and Q&A, hosted with Gretsch Drums.

An Evening With Nick D’Virgilio 

Our Nick D’Virgilio evening is coming up in-store at Graham Russell Drums, in conjunction with Gretsch Drums and if you’ve only seen his name pop up on credits, tour posters, or YouTube videos, this is the useful bit: who he is, why drummers rate him so highly, and what you can expect from the night.

Who is Nick D’Virgilio?

Nick D’Virgilio (often shortened to NDV) is a drummer, vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter whose career spans progressive rock and major-label pop/rock touring.

The “headline” credits: 

• Tears for Fears - Nick toured and recorded with the band from 1995 to 2010.

• Genesis - he was one of the two drummers brought in around Phil Collins’ departure, and he recorded on Calling All Stations (1997).

• Spock’s Beard - a founding member, and later also lead singer from 2002.

• Big Big Train - a permanent member since 2009.

Why drummers connect with NDV

A lot of drummers know him from online play-throughs and demo-style videos, because he’s exceptionally good at making complicated music sound clear, relaxed and repeatable.

He’s also very open about how his approach developed. Focusing more on groove and musicality than “flash,” and building parts that serve the song.

The Gretsch angle

Because this is being hosted with Gretsch Drums, it’s worth pointing out that Gretsch isn’t a random badge here.

In Nick’s own biography, he describes persuading his dad to buy him a Tony Williams yellow lacquer Gretsch kit when he was about 15 - “the kit I really wanted.”

More recently, Gretsch content has highlighted him performing Big Big Train material behind a Gretsch Renown kit, talking about dialing in a drier rock sound.

What he’ll be doing on the night

Performance / Talk / Products - meaning this isn’t just a “watch and clap” clinic. It’s a proper drummer-to-drummer evening.

You can expect:

• Live playing and demonstrations (the “how it actually sounds” part)

• Stories and context from a career that spans prog and major touring work

• Practical explanations of touch, dynamics, time feel, and part-building

• Q&A - where the best learning usually happens

See you in-store

If you already know NDV, you already know why this is worth it. If you don’t, that’s almost better - because you’ll walk out with a clear sense of why he’s been trusted with those gigs and how he thinks behind the kit.

And if you’re a Gretsch player (or considering it), it’s also a great chance to connect the brand story to a real-world player’s approach - what matters in sound, feel, tuning, and musical decision-making.