Frequently Asked Questions 

Q: On which instrument do you compose your music?

A: I mostly compose on the piano. I was encouraged at a young age to learn a musical instrument other than drums . . . one requiring me to learn real musical notes, scales, harmonies, etc. I chose the piano and began studying jazz theory as a child. Thankfully, I came from a very musical family, so lessons were free and easy to obtain. I also sometimes compose at the drum kit. Typically, I do this by laying down a groove then singing a bass line, series of chords or melody line against the beat.

Q: What drums do you play?

A: For acoustic drums, I play a nine-piece (6-ply-maple) DW kit with two bass drums, two hi-hats, and 11 cymbals. All cymbals are Zildjian (although I’ve been known to also play Sabian). I use Remo heads for the toms: clear Emperors on top, clear Ambassadors on bottom. I use an Evans frosted head for my snare. I mostly use fusion-weight sticks. For electronic drums, I play a five-piece Roland V-Drums kit (model TD-9KX). I totally dig Roland's mesh-head technology, which almost feels as natural as "real" drum heads. On GROOVE GARDEN, I layered acoustic drums over electronic drums (all performed live in-studio) to fatten my overall drum sound.

Q: What most inspires you to create music?

A: Two cities: Los Angeles and Manhattan. I used to live and perform in L.A. and the "city of angels" is possibly my favorite place in the entire world (and I've traveled the world, so I know). In fact, I love all of Southern California. What inspires me most are the miles and miles of wonderful beachfront communities you have all the way from Malibu to Cabo San Lucas. I love the ocean and often visualize SoCal when I compose music . . . as I do Manhattan, a place that brings out a completely opposite side to my nature. In contrast, NYC inspires the hardcore, streetwise urban side of my personality. There's no place quite like Manhattan and I'm inspired by its mind-blowing expansive jungle of steel and concrete as well as the incredible vibrant life-energy manifested within the city. People often say this makes me a bit of a dichotomy, but I really dig both places and try to visit often.

Q: What artists and musical genres most inspire you?

A: Whew, where do I start? I love and listen to all kinds of music . . . from bossa nova to death metal . . . and everything in between. And I’m influenced by it all. I literally have a full terabyte of music with which I feed my iPod. The musical genres include artists from many different countries and everything under the sun: jazz (swing to fusion), R&B, late-‘60’s psychedelic rock, funk, hip-hop, pop, rap, soul, oldies, disco, metal, Brazilian, ‘80s music, classic rock, grunge, house, surf music, alternative, folk, spy music, industrial, classical music, electronica, trip hop, drum ‘n’ bass . . . and on and on. It all inspires me. 

Q: What initially inspired you to learn the drums?

A: I was a child and watching my older brother’s high-school stage band blast out some seriously cool jazz-rock music. My young impressionable mind was so blown away. I remember my hair standing on end while I listened to them play. At the end of the concert, I realized I had spent the entire time with my eyes glued to the drummer and what he was doing. There were upwards of 20 musicians on stage, and I had only seen the drummer the entire time! That’s when I first realized the drums and I were destined for each other.

Q: How old were you when you first started drumming?

A: Age 6. I started on a 4-piece Gretch kit my dad purchased way back in 1963. (Hey, that's when dad bought it. Not when I started learning. I'm not that old!) Actually, I was quite a natural on drums. I could play a rock beat with no instruction the very first time I sat behind the kit. 

Q: When was your first paying gig?

A: I was 9 years old when I had my first gig . . . and I actually got paid! I was fortunate to be the youngest member of a successful family band, which enabled me to become a professional musician at a very young age. But despite the money I was earning at such an impressionable age, I never became a "child celebrity." I had lots of older siblings to keep me in my place.

Q: Who has most inspired you as a drummer?

A: Billy Cobham. When I first heard him play, I was totally blown away! His phenomenal playing inspired me to study fusion full time, and once I got into fusion, I went completely nuts studying all the famous drum greats within that genre. Years later when I first heard Dave Weckl, I was especially inspired by his approach and started pushing my 4-way independence abilities even harder. Overall, I'm a huge fan of most known drummers in the fields of jazz, funk, fusion, prog-rock and metal and have even studied personally with many of them. Initially, as a kid, I was mostly inspired by Mel Taylor, drummer for The Ventures. I also really dug Buddy Rich at a young age and (of course) Ringo.

Q: Would you encourage someone studying the drums to get private instruction?

A: Absolutely. While you do need to learn drums on your own (creating your own beats, playing by ear, etc.), you also need to supplement that with an experienced drum teacher who really knows their stuff. Otherwise you (or your child) will quickly stagnate and not grow and advance on the instrument. Throughout the years, I’ve used a combination of learning by ear, instructional videos, drum clinics, master classes and private instruction. It all makes a huge difference.

Q: Is it important that you know how to read drum music? Do you read drum music?

A: Yes and yes. Why would playing the drums be any different from playing the guitar, piano or violin? Musical notation is the common language of music. Drummers are not exempt.