About me
I hail from Devonshire originally, having first picked up the sticks at the age of 13. This was inspired by the spur-of-the-moment purchase of an old Premier kit from a dodgy second-hand shop, and put an end to 7 years at war with the piano.
Five years of diverse musical experiences followed, playing in a trad jazz band, a big band, a pit orchestra for several musicals, a rock ‘n’ roll band, a pop covers band and, of course, a heavy metal band (mandatory for all kit drummers in the 80s). Formal tuition followed a fairly traditional route, using the Guildhall School of Music.
After moving to Bath in 1987 I played in a series of popular local bands at many of the well-known venues, including rock and funk bands plus local indie legends the almost-famous Grandma’s Hamster. During the nineties, I made a lot of the musical friends and contacts I now have the fortune of working with.
Currently I’m performing regularly with Bootie & The Ho Fish, a hard-working disco / funk covers band; Dudlow Joe (boogie, blues, Nyorleans Funk); El Toro (blues, rock trio) and Soulpod, an R&B, TripHop, DnB, dance outfit. I also record for a number of projects in my own studio.
As a teacher, I run private lessons from my fully-equipped studio in Bath drawing on the many years of experience playing with other musicians in many environments. I focus on the application of creative and musical thinking to grooves in a song situation, and lessons tend to centre around playing with backing tracks. I also coach more advanced players on specific areas they may be having problems with, and take younger players through the Trinity Guildhall examination process. Lessons are predominantly 1-1, although I have run both group and school workshops on occasion.
Recently I have taken over as Course Director for Rhythmfest (formerly the Bath Rhythm Course) after having been involved for about 5 years. This is one of the biggest education events of it’s type in Europe with the list of tutors and artists reading like a who’s who of drumming.
Current setup
I am proud to be supported by Paiste Cymbals and Mapex Drums – I honestly can’t recommend them highly enough for their quality of product and unfailing support
Mapex Orion drums (Coffee Burst lacquer)
10,15 toms, 18 bass drum
Mapex Saturn drums (Galaxy Fade lacquer)
10,12,14,16 toms, 22 bass drum
Black Panther hammered brass snare, Black Panther maple snare, Black Panther cherry snare, Ludwig Acrolite snare, Highwood VG Birch Snare
Paiste Cymbals
Twenty Series 22 ride, 17 and 19 crashes, 8 splash, 14 light hats
2oo2 Series 17 crash, 20 Medium
Giant Beat 20
