i am 38 years old and have 22 years of drumming experience, which includes 5 years of studio drumming. i relocated to NYC in 2004 following a 10 year stint in the USMC.
i love music. it is my passion. i listen to all different genres and have an appreciation for just about anything that makes noise. all music has a beat; a rhythm; a pulse. it is a living thing that needs to be nurtured and developed to its full realization. like a bonsai tree that is groomed in the direction of its natural bent. i love to find that bent and play for the music.
i've been described as having a youthful attitude--i guess that means i like to have fun and my witty, dry sense of humor comes free with the package. don't get me wrong. i take music and performing very seriously. i am a reliable, hardworking, positive, creative, enthusiastic, and fun professional.
strangely enough, the drum was not my first instrument. i am a classically trained trumpet player. i studied for 4 years in colorado under the great Francis Demarco and spent 18 months studying theory in seattle with Greg Goss. during that entire time i found myself drawn more and more to rhythm. i had friends who were drummers and i began to teach myself to play.
after my second year in college, I spent time on a personal journey discovering my american indian heritage. it was then that i realized the drums were a part of my identity; my humanity. from then on i fully embraced them as my expressive instrument of choice.
i've gone through the typical "drummer evolution" of being a John Bonham/Keith Moon/Neil Peart/Stewart Copeland clone, expanding into fusion-y syncopation (Omar Hakim) getting back to the roots (DJ Fontana/Buddy Rich/Gene Krupa) and into more melodic percussion (Terry Bozzio/Bill Bruford).
After some time I've come to believe that my role as the drummer is to lay down a great musically appropriate groove for the rest of the band to travel down. i strive for efficiency, proficiency, power, and presence in my playing. think more Kinks than Krupa...more Ramones than Rush.
that philosophy guides everything about my musical approach and execution even to the extent of de-evolving my kit from a huge 70s-style stadium rock kit to its current 4 pc configuration with a conservative cymbal array.
That's not to say I can't step up and shine when it is appropriate, but nothing kills a good group sound like an overplaying drummer trying to be an individual.
It's simple: I listen to the song and play what fits.