Drum Addicted

I have been obsessed with drumming since I was 5. I first started playing the kit in church, then joined the jazz band in 7th grade just so I could play the kit. When I was in 9th grade I fell in love with the Beastie Boys which inspired me to branch out my drumming interests with hand drumming. I received The Mike Berg Award/Scholarship for Most Outstanding Soloist my senior year which only helped fuel my desire to dive into rhythm. After graduating, I was lucky enough to meet the members of the band i currently drum with. We went through many names before finding ourselves as a group and becoming Echo's Answer. It has been this band that has constantly challenged my skills as a drummer and forced me to think outside of traditional Western time signatures. After watching and listening to inspiring percussionists like Aloke Dutta, Pete Lockett, Danney Carey, and many others I have begun to search out different drums, cultures, and styles to further my progress as a drummer. Up to this point I have been self taught on all of my drums. I have alsways wanted to be trained yet live in a place that doesn't have much to offer in regards to world music. Luckily, the band is equally as enthusiastic about challenging themselves to look at music from other angles which has helped me become diligent in constantly studying and practicing new techniques. These and other mind sets have led us to shred the desire and focus of becoming a signed band and inspired us to instead, become a band whose purpose is not entertaining, but experiencing.