My Dad was a drummer, and his Dad was a drummer. I guess that makes me the son of a drummer's son . . .

At age 3 I had a plastic Smurf drumset. I'd use the couch in the living room as a stage and perform concerts for my family. Of course, banging on pots and pans was a thing. And the pinewood furniture in the house was all dented from the constant tapping of drumsticks. I suppose my path was c...
Read More

My Dad was a drummer, and his Dad was a drummer. I guess that makes me the son of a drummer's son . . .

At age 3 I had a plastic Smurf drumset. I'd use the couch in the living room as a stage and perform concerts for my family. Of course, banging on pots and pans was a thing. And the pinewood furniture in the house was all dented from the constant tapping of drumsticks. I suppose my path was chosen for me. I'm here to be a drummer. That's my purpose.

My friends and I put together a band when I was 11 and played our first bar gig shortly thereafter. This was tricky. One of our parents had to be present in order for us to play in bars legally. Of course that didn't stop us from investigating alcohol, which was a bonus to the already euphoric feeling of playing music together.

Eventually I developed some work ethic and turned into a real drummer nerd. I went to State University for music, but was in constant battle with the traditional classical based curriculum. It was stuffy for me, at best. Somehow I managed to squeeze out a GPA that allowed me to graduate, barely. And so I moved on.

I was in Portland Oregon for a few years gigging my ass off and teaching quite a bit too. Portland had a vibrant blues scene and so I found myself playing endless shuffles for a few years. But this was cool. At age 23 I was playing with guys in their 50's. Learning the ropes and cutting my teeth. But eventually I felt the need for more.

New York City was good to me, strangely. I first landed myself at The Drummers Collective to explore some more drummery things. I've had many great teachers over the years, but here at The Collective I found my true mentor, Leroy Clouden (checkout Steely Dans' "Janie runaway"). Leroy taught me about pocket, sound, and the depth of simplicity.

NYC turned into about 5 years of dollar chasing hustle and bustle. Lots of cover/wedding gigs, singer-songwriter work, and a healthy dose of avant-garde-jazz gigs. I also began playing percussion for yoga classes around the city, which was awesome. But after a while it was time to move on.

I've been in Maine for about 10 years. I focus most of my time on organicdrumloops[dot]com. This is my artsy calfskin based loop library. Here you'll find thousands of interesting loops and samples by open donation.

For me it's all about the art, and the desire to create greatness and share it with the world. To contribute in this way is to love and be loved, that's all I can ask for.
Read Less