At George Fox College

For a drummer to step out from behind the drum kit requires both abilities and confidence. If you've got the talent then you can truly shine. After hearing thousands of "Drummers can't sing" jokes, and "Drummers aren't really musicians" jokes over the years, something just begins to burn down deep in your soul that says, "I can do this, I have the talent, I have the ability." And then, as they say in Nike Land, you just do it.

At the Las Vegas Tropicana

I started the early part of my musical career in the valley's of Southern Oregon, Northern California, and Northern Nevada. I began performing, playing drums, singing, and recording at the tender young age of eleven. I've been keeping the beat for nearly 30 years. I've performed and recorded on both sides of the recording console with over 50 different music and performance groups. I've played drums with small trios, rock, jazz, country, classical, reggae, soul, and gospel groups. I've played for 21 piece orchestras, with horns, strings, full rhythm sections, and hundreds of singers. I've done club work, concert work, church work, huge out door festivals, county fairs, Las Vegas revues, and international tours. Occasionally I've had the opportunity to work side by side with other drummers, step out from behind the drum kit, and stretch my vocal cords as well.

Playing other instruments is an important part of being a good musician. Learning the sensitivity and strengths of several instruments gives you an intuitive understanding of what the other musicians around you are doing and why. The more understanding of the other instruments you can gain, the more you are in a position to make some really great music.

My interests have given me lots of opportunities for adventure. Theatre, Art, Music, Computers, and of course Drums and Percussion are my passions. I've worked as an Assistant Theatrical Director, Photojournalist, Writer, Recording Engineer, Producer, and Computer Geek. I paint -- as you can see from the picture above -- I also write, and try very hard to keep the creative energy flowing. Just recently a song I co-wrote with songwriter David Janssen called "Tumon Bay" has been recorded and released on Green Flash Records on the island of Guam. We've had the lyrics translated into Japanese and hope to have a broader Asian release of the song in the near future. I'm currently involved in teaching music and drumming in Albany, Oregon. I'm also developing some drum instruction materials, as well as various songwriting and music production projects. Drumming, after all is about more that just banging out some patterns on the drums. Drumming is about life, and about what you can bring to the experience. Every experience you have in life can add dimension and depth to your playing and make you a better, more sensitive, and more intelligent artist.

At the Las Vegas Tropicana

Here we are, myself, Steve Elmer, and Dave Janssen on stage at the Tropicana Hotel a few years back. Dave, Steve, and I have come a long way together over the years. Back when we were just kids in junior high, and then later in college, we were all playing in bands together, off and on again for many, many years. Dave and Steve are both incredibly talented musicians and song writers. Today, Steve writes and records with a group in the Ashland area of Southern Oregon. While Dave lives and works on the island of Guam where he writes and records children's music among many other creative projects.