I played my first talent show in Junior High School, a 4-piece rock band that rocked such classics as Ain't got you (Yardbirds version), No Feelings (Sex Pistols), Brand New Cadillac (the Clash), and some other tune that I can't remember... I then "advanced(?)" to playing with friends in a high school metal band (Purple Heart). We were actually offered a record deal, a 1 record picture disc with Azra Records out of Los Angeles, if memory serves. However, we were all wrapping up high school or otherwise "growing up" and decided to pass on the opportunity. Also during high school, my jazz band instructor submitted a tape (yep, cassette) of our HS jazz band and I wound up getting selected to be the drummer of the SW Ohio All-Star Jazz Ensemble that year. That was an honor.

 

I continued to play drums in college in Miami University's (of Ohio) Jazz band. Outside of school, I kept busy playing drums and singing back-ups in bands like Making Jane, the Lime Twigs, and ultimately the Love Cowboys in Oxford, Ohio and, later, San Francisco. A couple years later, the Love Cowboys moved back to Cinci and I realized I missed SF so I left the band within a month or two, packed up my cats and drums and moved back west, finished my undergrad at SFSU (go Gators!), and rocked in a hard rock band named Tonnage for awhile until they sensed I wasn't going to want to tour with them and then it got awkward. No worries, though, as I then met Jeff Davis (who was in the Balancing Act) and I joined his band, Niagara, where we learned his first album (01), wrote a second one (02), and played in and around the Bay Area. This was an amazing period. Jeff is a great songwriter, of course, and also just an excellent band mate who encouraged singing and general musicality and the entire band delivered. Here I met James Combs who was playing keyboards/noises in Niagara. Within a couple years though, James recorded a solo record, enlisted me to play drums, and then he decided to move down to LA to dive deeper into his songwriting career. I coincidentally also moved down to LA and so I kept playing with James. Lucky for me, James writes a lot and enjoys my drumming so I've been able to play on 4 of his records, including one we released during the initial weirdness of Covid (Falling Under Spells), Oh yeah, and when I moved to LA, I also wound up working with Greg Dulli, an old friend from Ohio, where we recorded some demos that wound up being used to fill his first solo record, Amber Headlights. One of the drums tracks made it onto one of his other projects, the Twilight Singers (the Killer from Blackberry Belle). And on top of all of that goodness, I currently get to regularly play funk and soul tunes with Ocean Park Sound System. Look for us at the Rosenthal Wine Bar & Patio, we tend to play a Saturday a month from 1-5pm), as well as other venues around Los Angeles.

 

What a blast it all has been.

 

I've been fortunate to play with some great musicians over the years and continue to take advantage of as many compelling musical opportunities as I can muster. So, if you need a drummer for a gig or would like to work on an album or other recording project, I'm equipped to do multi-tracking from my home studio, or in a more collaborative setting of your choice. Let me know, I'd love to join you.