How I Became a Musician

So last night I was sitting up and couldn't fall asleep.  I was thinking about a lot of things, but one of them was how I became a musician.  What were my influences?  Who did I look up to and try to emulate when I was first starting out?  So we're going to take a little journey here.  Strap in, enjoy the ride.


I think all kids get their first taste of music from their parents.  Both of my parents being children of the 60's, albeit from different parts of the country, I was exposed to a lot of music from their generation.  My mother, being from San Francisco, seemed partial to more psychedelic rock, bands like The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Santana, etc.  My father, being from the Midwest was more into folk rock, bands like Bob Dylan and Joe Cocker.  So my early musical education was filled with classic rock.  Also, my mother played the piano so there was also some Classical element.  When I started playing the piano at 7, I became more exposed to an even greater library of Classical music, and was able to explore the diversity of different musical eras throughout history, from Romantic to Baroque and more.


When I was in 5th grade I took up the drums.    During this time I started getting into hip-hop.  In the late 80's and early 90's, artists like MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice began to take hip-hop music out of the street and make it more accessible to a more diverse audience.  This was the gateway and it wasn't long before I started getting into artists such as N.W.A., Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and more.  I was very much into the West Coast hip-hop sound.  It felt like a more laid back groove and the bass was deeper and looser than a lot of East Coast artists, which I dug.  This may come as a surprise to many of you, but I was not into rock music at all at that time.  Think about the time period.  Rock music was very much glam the latter part of the 80's and I was not into it AT ALL.  No matter how many videos I watch on Youtube from now until the day I die, I will still have seen the video for Unskinny Bop by Poison more than any other video in my lifetime.  They played it on MTV that much.


So first and foremost, I am a hip-hop inspired drummer.  Then when I was about 12, I began a 2 year stint as the drummer for my school's jazz ensemble.  Through this I was introduced to swing and big band music.  We also played some Latin, surf rock, and rockabilly as well.  I also started focusing more on jazz and Broadway in my piano playing.  It was also during this time that rock music and my direction as a drummer shifted dramatically.  I saw the video for Wherever I May Roam by Metallica.  The video is more or less just live footage, mixed with footage of Metallica on tour, in the van, backstage, etc.  The crowd, the energy they have on stage, everything, and I knew that was what I wanted to do.  I wanted to be on stage, to perform.  Also, the early 90's saw the rise of a new musical movement out of Seattle, Grunge.  Bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam gave a voice to the voiceless, a presence to a generation that felt ignored.  Then tragedy struck Generation X.


On April 5, 1994, Kurt Cobain died.  The circumstances of his death remain a topic of debate to this day, but that's not why I'm writing about it.  When Kurt Cobain died, the "spokesman" of our generation was gone.  I would not presume to compare Kurt Cobain to John Lennon, but in my estimation, when Kurt Cobain died, the impact that it had on millions of people who had never met the man could be compared to the impact felt when John Lennon was murdered.  I think there was a sense of anger and confusion amongst the Gen X'ers following the death of Kurt Cobain.  I truly believe that we became a generation of lost souls.  We weren't old enough to vote so we weren't old enough to truly affect change in our world, and our voice had been lost.  And in the confusion I embraced punk rock.


In 1994, 2 monumental punk records were released, Dookie by Green Day and Smash by The Offspring.  These 2 records, along with Bad Religion's Stranger Than Fiction and Rancid's ...And Out Come the Wolves, punk was thrust into the mainstream and gave a generation which at its roots was the definition of counter-culture a home and a tattooed and pierced family.  For me, these records were a jumping off point into a diverse punk scene.  Bands like Green Day and Rancid introduced me into the East Bay punk scene, along with bands like Operation Ivy, NOFX and AFI (from Ukiah, CA).  The Offspring and Bad Religion introduced me into the Southern California punk scene and bands like Pennywise, Strung Out, Agent Orange, and Face to Face.


In 1995, I joined my first band.  We were primarily influenced by grunge acts such as Pearl Jam, Bush, and Stone Temple Pilots.  By 1996 I had left that band and started a new one that was more heavily influenced by bands like Nirvana and The Pixies.  Also, in 1997, the Third Wave of Ska really began.  Bands like Reel Big Fish, No Doubt, Sublime, and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones discovered mainstream success.  I don't know if it was the horns and my time spent in concert band, or just the energy and vibe of the bands, but I developed a deep love for ska music which continues today.  In fact, only 2 weeks ago I went to see Reel Big Fish and Less Than Jake live.  Also in the late 90's, the Swing Revival began.  Bands like Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Royal Crown Revue, Cherry Poppin' Daddies, and The Brian Setzer Orchestra were bringing swing and jump blues of the 1930's and 40's to a whole new audience and I loved it.


Through all of this, I also grew into the nu-metal scene.  Bands like Slipknot, System of a Down, Mudvayne, Korn, Limp Bizkit, Rage Against the Machine.  I would also jam and cover songs by Soundgarden, 311, MxPx, the Deftones, etc.  Then in 2003, I moved to Denver.


Honestly, I think there comes a certain point in life where you no longer have room for influences.  For the first 24 years of my life, I was exposed to so much music, so many different styles, so many influences.  That's not to say that in the 11+ years I've been in Denver, I stopped listening to new music altogether.  If you were to go through my iTunes library, which currently lists 10,381 songs, you would find a huge mix of old and new, rock, hip-hop, electronic, metal, punk, swing, classical.  But I feel like I had already realized my own personal style and everything I do now is improving, honing those skills, and getting better.  I can still pick up things like fills or the way a certain drummer plays his kick drum.  If I were to list all the bands and drummers that I have "borrowed" from or that I listen to or take notes from, the list would be longer than this blog.  I have always considered myself a student of drummers and their performance.  Any time I listen to a CD or see a band in concert, I take it as an opportunity to watch and listen and learn.  That is certainly not to say that I don't enjoy music and concerts, but I always feel like every song and every concert is an opportunity to learn from someone who's doing what you want to do.


So that's my story.  Again, I could go on to list every drummer and every band that has influenced me over the years, and that list would be massive.  But they have all been a part of my life, big or small, and have all contributed to my musical makeup.