Nic Collins is the most recent drummer of Genesis. He also happens to be the son of the band’s longtime sticksman, the legendary Phil Collins.

Nic filled his dad’s shoes beautifully on the final Genesis tour in 2022. He’s drummed on Phil’s solo tours, also touring with supergroup Mike And The Mechanics, and he’s been busy with his own band Better Strangers.

He has the experience of three lifetimes under his belt, and he’s only 21 years old!

In this free hour-long lesson, Nic breaks down some of Genesis’ coolest grooves, talks about Phil Collins’ influences (from Santana to Bonham), shares a Taylor Hawkins story, demos some classic Simmons pads, and yes – he shows you the fill. The one you’re probably waiting for.

Lesson Index:
0:00 – SONG: “Duke’s Intro” by Genesis (live over Europe version)
3:55 – Introduction
6:15 – The fill from “In The Air Tonight”
9:00 – SONG: “The Cinema Show” by Genesis (live keyboard solo section)
14:23 – Opening ride cymbal groove from “Behind The Lines”
16:09 – Verse from “In The Cage”
21:54 – Groove from “Wot Gorilla?”
24:35 – Groove from “Watcher Of The Skies”
27:22 – Tom groove from “Duke’s Travels”
31:20 – SONG: “Fading Lights” (instrumental section from the Way We Walk version)
38:00 – Groove from “Los Endos”
49:35 – Groove from “In That Quiet Earth”
43:58 – Groove from “Supper’s Ready (Apocalypse In 9/8)”
47:30 – 7/8 groove from “The Cinema Show”
49:22 – The Chester fill
53:34 – The Groove from “Second Home By The Sea”
57:20 – SONG: “Raincheck” by Better Strangers
1:04:37 – SONG: “You’ll Be In My Heart” by Phil Collins

About Nic Collins:
Nic Collins is a rock drummer known for playing with Phil Collins, Genesis, Mike And The Mechanics, and his own band, Better Strangers. Nic’s passion for the drums began at an early age thanks to his father and that passion has only grown as time goes on.

Nic Plays:
Gretsch Drums
Sabian Cymbals

Follow Nic:
Instagram
Twitter

Now that Phil Collins has retired, someone should clone him and give that clone a set of drumsticks, right?

No need. We have Nic Collins, Phil’s 21-year-old son. And to make it clear, he’s not a Phil clone; while he’s definitely inherited his dad’s musical ear and skills, Nic is very much his own drummer who’s carving out his own style with his band Better Strangers.

He also took the throne during Genesis’ final tour, doing great justice to Phil Collins’ legendary work at the tender age of 20. Nic first performed with his dad live when he was 17, and he’s already playing like a pro.

When Nic came out to the Drumeo studio, we asked him to describe his stylistic comfort zone. As you can imagine, rock, prog rock, and funk were all in his wheelhouse.

We then asked him what styles he’s least comfortable with, and he mentioned metal and jazz, the latter of which “is a nightmare for me”.

Oops.

We asked him to listen to a drumless version of “Whiplash“, a jazzy 1973 Don Ellis tune that enjoyed a resurgence in the 2010s thanks to the drumming-themed movie of the same name.

Without drums in the track to guide him, Nic had to rely on his intuition to come up with a part on the fly that he thought would fit.

In his first attempt, he gave the song a funky feel – one that’s actually not too far off the original.

He felt much more comfortable in his second and third playthroughs, having the click as a reference and nailing the shots, time and dynamics.

Finally, we let him hear what the drums are actually supposed to sound like. How do you think he did?

If you like watching pro drummers jam their way through an unfamiliar song in a style they never play, you’ll love seeing Larnell Lewis hear “Enter Sandman” for the first time and Dennis Chambers try a Tool song.

Get the drumless track and full transcription of “Whiplash” inside the Drumeo members area, plus all of Phil Collins’ songs and more with a 7-day free Drumeo trial!