Clark Drake

I was nearly born on stage. My mom is a singer/songwriter/bandleader in Austin, TX and she gigs with a really cool gospel band on Sundays. My mom did her gospel gig at Maria's Taco Xpress in labor with me. I still remember the awesome heavy grooves of the Imperial Golden Crown Harmonizers that day. The monitors and amps so loud and jamming it just made me want to hurry up and get here so I could start rocking with the band too. It didn't take long. My mom did a festival gig with her all girl southern rock band "Sis Deville" when I was just 5 days old. I stayed at home with my grandmother and great grandmother while my dad took my mom to the gig. When I was nine days old, I got to go to my very first gig outside the womb. It was at ArtZ Ribhouse in south Austin and my mom and her friend Susan Gibson (writer of Wide Open Spaces for the Dixie Chicks) did a little acoustic song swap. that night I met my good bud Reid Wilson of "Reid Wilson and His So Called Friends". We've been tight now for over two years. He's a way cool dude. Be sure to check out his profile. Mom & Susan did that gig for a few weeks and then my mentor and heart throb Carolyn Wonderland took over Susan's place and has been jammin' with my mom weekly for a couple of years now. I love going to ArtZ and rockin' with those cool chicks. Carolyn is an amazing blues woman. She plays guitar, slide, trumpet and more. She's one of my favorite girls. Be sure to check out her profile too. My dad is a great drummer. He & my mom are in my killer band that also features Kyle Judd (awesome guitarist) and Troy Wilson (super bassist). I love these guys. I rock out with them regularly. My friend Aliya is the band enthusiasm coodinator. She and I hang out quite a bit when I'm not on stage with my band. I have been sitting on my dad's lap, playing his drums before & after his gigs and even during breaks. I joined the band and made my independent stage debut at SXSW 2006. My parents band had a SXSW showcase and I played a tom-tom drum along with them during their set. I was set up on the ground in front of the stage. The next day they had another gig for SXSW and I set up on stage with them. It was a great weekend. Pretty much from there on out they couldn't get me off the stage. I started jammin' with the band regularly at all of their gigs. I play drums, djembe, harmonica, I dance and throw down with some serious attitude. My friend, the late Gary Primach was an amazing blues harmonica player. I jammed with him several times and he taught me some of my early chops. Dale Spalding is another great harmonica player and a good friend of mine. I've jammed with him and he even gave me a cool harmonica. I have 5 harmonicas now. I have fans from coast to coast. I've toured the east coast the west coast and most of the southwest. I've played NYC twice, Washington DC twice, and many many other cities up and down the east coast. I've played festivals and clubs. I've toured all over Texas many many times. I just got back from New Orleans where I jammed with some really cool street musicians in the French Quarter. Christmas of 2005 I got a great drum kit that's just my size. My friend Cindy Wyatt gave it to me. For a long time it was set up in my living room but my folks finally got me to move it to my room. It's a rockin' little kit with a high hat, kick, snare, one tom, and a ride cymbal. I love to jam on that kit almost as much as I like to play my Dad's kit. I've played on so many famous drummers gear already. I'm good friends with Steve Amedee from the subdudes. He's totally cool with me jammin' on his kit. My bud Paul "Buddha" Mills is the amazing drummer for the Imperial Golden Crown Harmonizers. He lets me jam on his kit all the time at gigs. Lefty from Carolyn Wonderland's Band has a great Gretsch kit that I love to bang on. I've jammed on the Ricky Caesar's kit. He's the drummer for Cyril Neville & Tribe 13 and Caesar Brothers Funk Box. They played a gig with my mom & the subdudes at the opening night of the Glenn (the Backyard) in Austin, TX. I was actually the very first performer on that stage ever. I opened the show with a killer solo and then Kevin Conner introduced me and the crowd of 1200 screaming fans went nuts for me. Kevin was, at that time, the KGSR morning guy. Now he's the head honcho of the Austin Music Channel now called ME Music & Entertainment television. I also write songs. I really had a breakthrough on July 4th of this year. I wrote a song called "Fireworks". It's a hit! No doubt about it. I have a lot of different versions. I play it on piano, on djembe, on the organ, on drums...any way you slice it, it's awesome. It has dynamics. It's starts off soft and moody and builds to an incredible POW! Let's see, more about me....I'm a Virgo. I like guacamole. I saw Willie Nelson from the 6th row at the Backyard in Austin when I was six months old. I met Ray Benson when I was about two weeks old and he scared the living daylights out of me by saying "Hello young man" in a really deep voice. That guy has to be 8 feet tall. I love to dance. My Aunt Robyn, I call her Ya-Ya, is one cool chick. I don't know anyone goofier than her. I'm a great dancer. She taught me a few of my early moves. In fact, there's a group of dancers that dance every Sunday at Hippie Church (the affectionate slang name for my mom's gospel gig) These dancers are so cool. I've been grooving with them for a long time now. I have even invented some fresh moves that they all try to do. We are called "The Body Choir" and I am their leader. I like trains. I like airplanes. I flew 25 times before I was one year old. I've been kicked out of about 10 bars. The first one when I was only four months old. It even had a nice non-smoking green room that was far away from the general public. Some people just don't get it. Don't they know who I am? I am a big proponent of ear plugs. I wear wax ear plugs at every gig. Well, not at mom's acoustic gig at ArtZ 'cause it's just not that loud. I have height measurements on the walls at Cheatham Street Warehouse and ArtZ Ribhouse. As you can see...I'm bad...I'm nationwide!