Born in Pittsfield, Mass., I got my first kid's drumset at the age of 8 and promptly destroyed the paper drumheads in about an hour. Before that, I had a cheap chrome snare and cymbal. I took about 4 weeks of lessons from a jazz clarinetist who lived a street away. He would constantly yell at me that my double-stroke roll wasn't correct, so I promptly quit and taught myself how to play. I later progressed to a "real" drumkit (a 4-piece Kent champagne sparkle) and played drums in my first band comprised of other neighborhood kids, appropriately named "Thee Band". Our one big gig was a talent show at a junior high school. (I think we lost.) After that, we went on to become "The Rising Sun" for a year or two.
In 1971, my dad got me a four-piece set of 1959 blue sparkle Ludwigs and I joined a band called "Blackwood" -- all the other guys were in college, and I was only in my first year of high school. We'd play bar gigs in Vermont until 1AM, they'd drive me home, and I'd wake up and go to school the next morning. It was during one of those bar gigs, that my whole bag of cymbals got stolen -- devastating to me of course, because I had to scrape together money for new cymbals.
Various other bands followed that (including an incredible group with my high school buddies, called "Woodrow"), until my "big break" in the Berkshires! I was asked to join the top rock band in town, "Zarvis-Allen Band", at the age of 19. I played with them for two years, then formed another local band called "Falcon Eddy".
Jazz/fusion guitarist Joe Beck saw the band and immediately recruited me and the guitarist for his new touring group. I spent a year in New York City playing and recording with "Joe Beck & Leader" until the band self-destructed after a gig in Woodstock, NY where the entire equipment truck got stolen and was never recovered. I stayed in Manhattan for another year, went on various auditions, and played the city clubs with songwriter/singer Nick Holmes.
After that "brush with stardom", I came back to Western Mass. and continued to play in rock (The Odds, The Wait), funk (Kasyopia), and wedding bands (Third Avenue, The Wanderers) throughout the 1980s, including a long stint at Eastover Resort in Lenox, Mass. in the "house bands" there.
Eastover was a wild gig, especially during their "Singles Weekends". We'd play "Happy Hours" from 4-6, then return at night to play from 10PM to sometimes as late as 5AM, alternating sets with another band. During this frantic period, I'd drive across the state to Boston once every two weeks to study with Gary Chaffee, a true wizard of polyrhythmic drumming. My studies with Gary were rapidly getting me in shape for my dream--to play in Frank Zappa's band. I was also very fortunate at that time to be in contact with Steve Vai, who sent me tons of transcriptions to rehearse. Unfortunately, Frank passed away way before his time -- and before I could ever audition for him. (Maybe Steve Vai needs a drummer sometime? Hey Steve -- call me!)
During the hectic '80s, I also played in theater pit bands for local productions of musicals such as "Jesus Christ Superstar", "A Chorus Line", "Chicago", and others, gave private drum lessons, did tons of studio session work, and wrote a monthly product review column for "Modern Drummer Magazine" for about 10 years.
I even appeared in a Japanese drum magazine in the mid-'80s as a Pearl Drums endorser. In the late '80s, I became a Remo Drums endorser, and I'm now back to playing Pearl again with a new birch-shell Sunburst lacquer finish kit.
In 1989, I moved to Long Island to work for Korg, Inc. who handled Sonor Drums, and I was Product Specialist. Two years later, Sonor got sold off to Hohner/HSS in Ashland, VA, and I moved along with it, landing in Richmond, VA. I became Artist Relations Director for Sonor for four years -- a lot of the time, the job mostly consisted of hanging around backstage at rock shows around the country like Phil Collins, Cher, Living Colour, etc., making sure the bands' drummers were happy with their Sonor equipment endorsement. I soon also took on responsibilities of National Marketing Manager and Advertising Designer. While at Sonor, I invented a 5x12 "soprano" snare drum (that all other drum companies have since copied).
I realized that while I was working with drums and drummers on a daily basis, I didn't have time to play anymore myself. So, I made it my mission to seek out a Richmond-based band to play with. A wedding/party band called "After Dark" needed a drummer, so I auditioned for them in 1994 and got the gig. (The "most memorable occasion" of my time with that band was playing at White Tail Park in Ivor, VA -- a private nudist camp -- definitely the strangest [and ugliest] gig I've ever played!)
Funny how "destiny" works out... I married Catherine Berlin, the singer in After Dark in 1995 and we now have two cool kids: Rhiannon and Rowan.
I began to get burnt-out on the music industry, and left my job at Sonor in 1995 to become a full-time Graphic Designer/Art Director. I've been doing so ever since, and have been working in the Creative Department at a "credit card giant" for the past 8 years, as well as doing freelance design from home.
After Dark disbanded in mid-'95, and I packed away the drums until early 1999, when I joined "Daddy-Oh", a rock band in Richmond, for about six months. The band ended up cutting into my rare family/leisure time, so I quit the band, and didn't play again until July 2005 when I traveled back up to Massachusetts for some 30-year reunion gigs with Zarvis-Allen Band. For only 2-1/2 days of rehearsals, the band was smokin!! It was like we'd never lost a step.
Lately, I've been doing some sub gigs with Big Ray & The Kool Kats (a 12-pc. band from Charlottesville VA), and am looking to join a working band again in the Richmond VA area.
More later...stay tuned!
