Let me give you some background into my music career.
I started playing the drums when I was in 4th grade. For Christmas that year my mom bought me a snare drum. I started taking lessons, but they didn't last very long because the instructor was a burned out pot-smoking McDonald's-type. Soon enough I was just jamming on my own. I played that drum non-stop. I would create patterns and rhythms to songs that didn't even make sense and certainly did not accompany the song itself.
I was happy with my one drum, and I had no idea my mother had plans to purchase a full kit. She just couldn't afford to buy it all at once so the guy at the music shop (a tiny local shop that is no longer in business) allowed my mom to purchase one drum at a time until we had a full set. By my birthday the next year I had a bass drum and a high-hat. On Christmas I got my crash and ride cymbals. Finally, by 6th grade I had a full set.
For some reason there is something about waiting for my full kit that really made me love the drums. At the time the only room in the house I could keep my kit was in the living room. So everyday my mom would get home from work and my brother would get home from football and I'd be sitting there, stereo blasting to Hendrix or Black Sabbath or Pearl Jam and I'd just be rocking out. I remember my mom would give me like 20 or 30 minutes and then she'd yell "That's ENOOOUUUGGHHHH". My brother, being a typical older brother, would say mean stuff like "Mom tell him to quit he's never going to be any good". Of course that didn't stop my brother from recruiting me to his band when he started one when I was in 6th grade. I remember those days, how much I loved playing the drums.
Of course I grew up, got a job, got a girlfriend, got a Playstation, found Jesus. All of these things distracted me from playing the drums. I remember the highlight of my day would be getting home early in the afternoon and having 1 or 2 hours to practice all to myself. Then things changed and I changed. I no longer practiced everyday but I kept playing in bands. My brother's band (Golem) cost me $175 to record a demo before Zak went off to college while my other band (Ember) was just ramping up. Things were good musically. It was these days that shaped my taste in music that still persists today. I love hardcore, hard rock, and classic rock. That's because I played it in bands and at home with headphones.
I guess that's why I still do it today. I love music and I love playing music. When I was looking for a house to buy, the first (some would argue the only) thing I was looking for was a room to put my drums. I don't care about hardwood floors or crown molding or granite counter tops. I have all of that and it is nice, but I really needed a room that didn't touch outside walls to keep as my drum room.
There's just something special about stepping behind that kit, turning into a kid again, and just going bananas. I'm not the fastest, most technical, best sounding player by any means. But I play with heart. I don't care about mistakes because I'm usually too much into the music and the raw feeling of sticks on drums to notice. Every time I dream about winning the lottery the first thing I buy is a bunch of drums.
Truly a love of my life.
