About Me
(Excerpt from pipharbon.com)
I was born in 1974 and raised in Falmouth, Cornwall. My first encounter with a musical instrument was at the age of 7 when I was introduced to the violin, much to the dismay of my family. If only they knew what was to follow…Anyway, after 4 years of torturing this poor defenceless instrument the violin teacher announced to the class that I really ought to consider giving up, as I was “Tone deaf and will never be a musicianâ€! I took her advice.At 11, I joined the Falmouth Youth Marching Band. I was faced with the choice of a battered and dented bugle, or a shiny white snare drum. No contest! Fairly quickly one of the older drummers noticed that I was picking up the basics quite easily, and he suggested I should go to see the drum teacher who visited our school once a week. Here I met a gentleman by the name of Paul Hiley; a fine player who had been a studio musician in the 60’s and 70’s and is still playing today. After correcting my traditional grip (two fingers on top, not one!) and introducing me to matched grip, I was hooked. Paul had been a student of the legendary James Blades OBE and is a predominantly orchestral player so the next six years involved me playing snare drum as well as drum kit, alongside timpani and percussion ( tuned and untuned ), and he got me involved in the Cornwall Youth Orchestra, Cornwall Youth Wind Orchestra, and the acclaimed Cornwall youth Percussion Ensemble. He also booked me onto my first professional job, playing in a musical show when I was 14. I owe Paul a lot.While all of this education was going on I was being drawn to the dark side. Playing drums in a rock band! It didn’t take me long to succumb. First there were the rock and blues bands, then the funk and fusion bands, and then inevitably jazz. But I was never happy playing just one style so I’ve been a freelance player ever since. Over the years I’ve played Jazz in the Middle East, Big Band work across Europe, National tours with all kinds of acts and literally thousands of one-nighters all over the UK (including support slots for the Carl Palmer Band and the Jan Ackerman Band). I loved every minute.These days I’ve settled back in Cornwall with a family of my own, and I play more than ever. Since returning I’ve had the pleasure of backing a myriad of world class visiting musicians. These include John Etheridge (Soft Machine, Zappatistas, Tony Williams), Pete Oxley, Jim Mullen, Peter King and Alan Skidmore (Charlie Watts Band, Elvin Jones Band), Jean Toussaint,(Art Blakeys Jazz Messengers), Harry Beckett, Roger Beaujolais, Ed Jones, Alan Barnes, Ray Russell (Simon Phillips Protocol), Olaf Vas, Tim Whithead, Dave Whitford (Love you, Dougie!!) the Bournemouth Sinfonieta and countless others. (Apologies to anybody I’ve missed!).There have also been projects in all kinds of genres including a tenure with the critically acclaimed Rachel and Common Ground; however most of the acclaim was for Rachel Heffers sublime voice! Oh, and the odd session here and there.At the moment most of my work is with a band called Small Wonder, the greatest band in the universe. One of those rare bands that is adored by both musicians and the public, and envied by other bands! A covers band without a doubt, but with a twist. If you’ve seen us then you’ll know what I mean, if you haven’t then I really don’t know where to start…Also, I am currently getting to vent my dark side with the legendary Miss World. If you're a fan of sublime dark lyrics then you really should check this out. Gigging at an under-ground venue near you, soon!And at the other end of the spectrum, work is under way on the eagerly anticipated album from Helm. Entitled " Super Heroes", these tunes are fabulous. Country song-writing at it's best. Go check him out.Also working on Jade Hopcrofts debut EP.Oh yeah, and jazz gigs aplenty!!!And now, for the gear junkies...GEAR!I use Paiste cymbals exclusivly. Top notch instruments!Kit #1
Yamaha Maple Custom
10", 12", 14", 22" turquoiseKit #2
Yanaha Hipgig Jnr
10", 13", 16" bd in custom pink finish and black RIMS mounts.Kit #3
60's Rogers
12", 16", 20" in red sparklePaiste cymbals
4", 6", 8" 2002 Accent
10" 2002 splash
16" Signature Full crash
16" 2002 crash
17" 2002 crash
18" Sound Creation Dark china
18" 2002 Flat ride
20" Formula 602 Heavy ride
20" Traditional Medium Light ride
20" Signature Power ride
9", 11", 14" Accent gongsSnare drums
Tama "Kenny Aronoff" Trackmaster 14"x5" brass shell
Pearl "Joey Jordison" 13"x6.5" Steel shell
Sonor 70's 14"x8" steel shell
Rogers 60's 14"x5" wood shell
Remo 14"x3.5" Master Touch acousticon shell
Remo 12"x5" Master Edge acousticon shellShure Mics and Yamaha mixer.Meinl and LP percussion.Roland SPD20 and Yamaha trigger pads.This lot superceeds the gear list at pipharbon.com. All change!!!
