Brian Melick – Xperience Monthly Interview, by OP Callaghan

Most drummers will say that they got their start, hitting pots and pans in the kitchen.  After showing interest, we quickly move on to real drums, and traditional percussion instruments.  But Brian Melick is not most drummers.  In his nearly 60 years of playing, Brian is still, hitting everything from drums, to found objects and even Legos.  He is an educator, percussionist, innovator, designer, and performer.  He also happens to be one of the nicest, most down to earth people that I have had the fortune of knowing.  I first met him in the early 2000’s, when we were on the same recording session, and Brian; or “Udu Boy” brought in his infamous Udu drum to play.  His knowledge and love of the instrument is palpable, and inspiring.  Brian’s passion for all things percussive is infectious, as is the smile that he wears when playing.  His story is fascinating, and his optimism and love of hitting things is infectious.  So please welcome, Mr. Brian Melick!

OC:  How did you get your start with drums?

BM: My journey really started quite organically.  I truly remember like it was yesterday, I was 4 years old and really found myself completely lost and feeling compelled to explore the different sounds and textures of different objects by either striking, scraping or rubbing them.  My favorites were Oatmeal containers, Coffee cans, Roller Skate Cases, Spice Containers, Piles of change, anything around the house.  I was blessed with two remarkable parents and an amazing sister who both consistently throughout my life have encouraged and fueled my fire by not only allowing my passion but also by offering me items to explore and create with.  Had no idea that all of these items in my formidable years would continue to be the basis of my musical voice to this day.  Early on my dad built me a simple wooden miniature pallet thing  that gave me multiple surfaces to explore all at once, finding different pitches as well as textures.  I was able to create my grooves with it, but also created my melodies.  Funny – Dad also gave me two metal rods to use as sticks.

I remember them feeling quite heavy but quickly felt pretty agile with them.  My sister was the one who purchased my first real drum for me – which I have to this day.  With her allowance money, she visited a next door neighbors garage sale and bought me a cardboard snare drum wrapped in a light blue metallic foil like paper with plastic hardware, but the drum was tunable and the snare throw worked beautifully.  Man – I played that drum all day long, every available minute.  I fondly remember standing outside my front door on our concrete stoop and playing every conceivable march-like rhythm that I remember hearing during parades in our community and the little kids would gather and march around the neighboring houses and streets.  Some would find a little flag or even make them out of paper.

OC: Who were some of your first influences?

BM: Wow – that’s a loaded question.  Every drummer on television or on the radio!!!  Seriously – Gene Krupa.  As a kid what I remember about him more than anything – his Smile.  Anytime I saw him on television he simply was radiant.  The absolute joy of being in the musical creative moment with those around him.  The music just poured out of him in such an effortless way and he always allowed you in.   I was riveted and absolutely inspired.  He was the first for me that equally used his drums as well as his cymbals to create his melody inside of his rhythm.  I absolutely love that and it is what draws me in when I listen to other drummers.  Not every drummer is moved in that way.  Some are just not melodic players.  To me it is always about the melody or I should say counter melody that we can create inside the main melody of the song we are playing.  As I grew up and to this day I adore John Bonham.  Started listening to Led Zeppelin very early in life and am still captivated by his work.  Nothing wasted – every note means something.  You just feel it.  The same absolutely is true about my biggest influence which is Steve Gadd.  All about the feel and the groove.  That man says more with one note, on one sound then most of us will ever say, period.  As I became inspired to explore hand percussion at the age of 17 – Babatunde Olatunji was huge in my life.  My parents bought me for 50 cents at a garage sale, a record that was a life changing experience and major turning point in my life and still to this day deeply moves me.  It is Baba’s “Drums of Passion”.  When I heard his voice and his drum for the first time, the hair on the back of my neck stood up.  For me there is nothing like the sound of skin on skin.  I can’t explain it.  Simply incredible.   Four percussionists that most certainly changed my life, inspire me and set the bar musically for me: Brazilian percussionists; Airto Moreira and Naná Vasconcelos, Afro-Cuban percussionist; Armando Peraza, and Indian percussionist; Trilok Gurtu.  One of the most amazing high points for me was when I met Baba Olatunji and told him that it was because of him that I do what I do.  He hugged me.  I then met up with Baba at Omega Institute when he invited Frank Giorgini; Udu Drum and I – Baba asked me to play udu with him.  Next to my family – this is one of the greatest moments of my life.  What a prized possession for me.

OC: Tell me about your first drum kit.

BM: When I was 10 years old after my Great Uncle Earl, a prominent professional drummer in the Capital Region from late 1930’s through the 70’s was visiting for dinner and heard me consistently play my makeshift drum / percussion setup for hours, he interrupted a family discussion to announce to my folks that they better either buy me a set of drums or he was going to.  So, I was gifted for my 10th year Christmas present a beautiful set of Blue Sparkle Mercury Pro’s, a Japanese Made wooden set of drums.  They were purchased from my Uncle Earl’s best friend and equally wonderful drummer and the sweetest gentlest man, Gus Mantis: The Drum Shop, on St. Lawrence Street in Albany, Gus’s Drum Shop literally took up the complete downstairs of his home.  And he had his set up in the living room and used the arm of his couch to sit on.  What an image.  I can still smell those amazing smells of his drum shop.  I kept that set of drums and added to it through my teens.  Changed their appearance as I grew up.  Covering them, staining them and even added red shag carpet to the inside of my bass drums.  My God the things we do because we think they are cool to do so.  Makes me laugh.  Wow when I think back.  I literally performed thousands of gigs with those drums – from resorts in the Catskills, to weddings, banquets and private parties.

OC:  Do you play any other instruments? –

BM: Although I don’t think of them as being different but simply an extension of what I do already, some folks think of them as different since we don’t always see them and many drummers don’t develop any connection or skill, so – I play a large variety of different hand percussion instruments.  i.e. udu, conga, djembe, cajon, ashiko, riq, bendir, panderio, etc  The journey that I started after being so moved by  Babatunde Olatunji and his music and because of the types of work that my career encompasses and the remarkable diverse artists I get to work with – my musical voice as a drummer really headed down a unique path to me becoming what is now commonly referred to as a hybrid drummer / percussionist.  The easiest way I would describe this is that because my mind is hearing and feeling both conventional drum parts as well as a multi-hand percussion parts (i.e. Latin, Brazilian, African, Indian) at the same time – I am inspired to combine these elements together at once.  Over the years working in many different diverse musical environments has also organically shown me that sometimes certain “Go To” conventional drum sounds just aren’t always the best fit – which creatively has led me down an equally creative and inspired path to create my own unique instruments.  As we all know – sounds, colors, tones and textures are everywhere and all around us.  I love having these varieties of sounds with me ALWAYS to draw on when creating my musical voice to support and service the music, dance or spoken word

OC: How did you come to start playing Udu?  Who are some other Udu players that inspire you?

BM: You know – when you stop and think about that one person, or that one situation that truly becomes the experience or opportunity that will go on to literally change your life, that is what happened with me when the Udu drum came into my life.  To this day the Udu continues to be a catalyst that opens doors and makes it possible for me to meet and work with folks that otherwise I would never have had the opportunity to do so.  Back in 1985 I was living home with my folks and my family used the refrigerator as our billboard.  My mother stuck up an article from the local paper about a locally based but world renown clay sculptor and tile designer; Frank Giorgini who had been a part of a cultural exchange in the early 70’s when Abbas M. Ahuwan, Hausa Kaja Master Potter from Zaria, Nigeria brought the clay art of the Hausa and Igbo/Ibo people to the US to share.  Frank went on to not only honor those traditions of Nigerian pottery techniques but who had also refined the methods of making the Nigerian Side Hole Pot Drum increasing its resonating qualities thereby increasing its natural voice.  These drums are known globally as “Udu”.  The story continued to say that the curator of the African Art Department at the Metropolitan Museum of Art reached out to Frank to have a few of his Udu Drums placed in the museum’s permanent art collection.  I was intrigued by the photos that were included and also the story and who in Zaria, Nigeria plays them (woman in the women’s wing of the evangelical church)  But didn’t think more about it until later that same night when I was performing with quite an expansive setup with a group in Catskill, NY.  As we went on break my back was turned to the people there in the club so I could stage the gear I needed for the second set and a very unassuming gentleman approached me and interrupted my thought process by saying “You have everything here but one of my drums”  I turned around to be staring at the same man who I read about earlier that day in the article about Udu Drums, Frank Giorgini.  We had an amazing visit and he invited me to his home and studio in Freehold, NY.  That day my life changed forever and about a week later I had my very first Udu and it has been at the center of my musical voice ever since.  Because of my relationship with Frank and the udu drum it opened up literally the world to me because of the work I would go on to do.  NAMM and PASIC Conferences for 12 years, Created and produced a series of Custom Stands for 21 years with unknown and famous percussionist all over the world utilizing my stands so they can do their work, being awarded 3 US Design Patents, Wrote the first of it’s kind methods book / audiophile in 1991 entitled “The HOW TO of Udu”, Video / DVD with the same title in 1997 currently available through Alfred Publishing.  You just NEVER know who you are meeting when you shake hands with that person that comes up to talk to you.  Other brilliant and inspiring Udu Drummers:  Mino Cinélu, George Jinda, Jamey Haddad, Joe Mekler, Janelle Burdell, and Trilok Gurtu.

OC:  Who are some of your current influences?

BM: You know – I really am inspired by so many.  I have to say getting lost in youtube world really opens your head up.  I love all types of music.  For years I have been consistently drawn in deeper to listening to many many forms of world music.  I can’t help it.  The sounds, tones, textures and colors are just intriguing and extremely intoxicating and therefore incredibly inspiring to me.  I have always been inspired to do with my fingers and hands what I can do with my sticks, mallets and brushes.  One surface, no matter the material it is made out of – you have an enormous amount of options to create your musical voice.  To that end I am equally embarrassed to say that I don’t know who a lot of these brilliant musicians are.  It seems better for me to say “What influences me?”, would be better indicated as styles of music / rhythms.  For this I can say without question – The music of Brazil, And the music of North Africa.

OC:  Tell me about your current drumming set up.

BM:  It really is driven by the music and the musical environment.  At the core these days it seems like these are the components that I go to the most as a staple or base to work from –

– Bass Drum is a Custom Billy Blast Drum Maple 18″x12″ set up as a floor tom / bass drum

– Schlagwerk Duel Cajon with a kick pedal that puts the beater behind playing on rear surface leaving entire front surface completely accessible for my hands and brushes

– Custom 12”x6″ Reverie Birch Snare Drum with 3 stage butt plate and 5 stage snare throw, also half of the Batterhead Triple Flange Hoop is custom cut down slightly below Batterhead so I can play drum as a conga or release overtones playing with my fingers and split hand.

– Custom Ken Lovlett, American Percussion 13″x 6″ Cajon Snare

– Toms are either 10″ & 12″ mounted Pandeiros, Custom Billy Blast Drum Maple low profile 8″x6″, 10″x6″, 12″x6″ SNOM, 14″x6″  or Arbiter Flats 10″, 12″, 14″

– Floor Toms are 14″x14″, 16″x16″ set up as floor tom / bass drum Custom Billy Blast Drum Maple

– Cymbals: Amedia – several different sizes, styles and weights.

= Hi Hats: 14″ Jazz Legend

= Splashes: 8″ & 10″ Vigor Rock

= Crashes:

: 14″ Custom Stingray Square

: 15″ Classic

: 16″ FX with 16 holes

: 18″ Jazz Legend

= Ride: 20″ Tigris

– Frank Giorgini Mbwata Udu Drum

– Set of 4 LP Wooden Galaxy Congas / Bongos

– Handmade 12″x24″ Djembe from Guinea West Africa

– Remo 10″ Klong Yaw

– Variety of Frame Drums: Riq, Pandeiro, Kanjira, Bendir, Tar, Def

– Misc. Suspended Percussion / Hand Percussion – i.e. nut, seed and goat toe rattles, various size, weights and strings of brass bells, coin belts, various types of chimes, triangles, guiro, agogo, gankogui, cowbells, temple blocks, various types of shakers

OC:  You play several different styles of music.  Do you have a preference or a favorite?

BM: I really love all the styles of music of Brazil, North Africa and the Caribbean.  Several styles I feel I have a strong musical sensibility with and can honor their tradition which often becomes the inspiration for the rhythms and melodies that I bring to the music that I am playing.  But many more are still a mystery to me and therefore continue to be both challenging as well as inspiring.

OC: You were featured in Modern Drummer.  Talk about that, and your Lego creation.

BM: well to share this story and connection – I will first offer the background story of the LEGO Drumset: taken from my website

: As a percussionist I am inspired by all sounds, colors and textures.  Since I was a kid I have always LOVED the sound that is created when one rake’s their hands through a pile of LEGO’s.  Nothing sounds quite like it that I have found anyway.  When my children were little it even became more intense of a sound and texture for me since so much had changed with the size and options of LEGOs.  While attending the International Brickfair in Chantilly, Virginia with my son in 2011, I was blown away immediately by the level of incredible people that I met there creating some absolutely remarkable designs, models, structures, art etc. etc.  Projectile Scientists, Navel Architects, Structural and Mechanical Engineers, Mathematicians, Software Programmers on and on and this doesn’t even touch on the amazing creative minds of the youth builders.  I also love the fact that all of these individuals that I had met and spoke with all follow a very strict credo to honor the original LEGO designed brick and not to alter it in any way.  Therefore “No cutting, drilling or gluing”. What I respect about that is what I respect of the music world that I am blessed to be a part of. it’s that deep respect for tradition and then the desire to create your own place within it.  I sat in on incredible in depth seminars, learned about the manufacturing processes and the amazing tight tolerances that they function under and met historians. Like I said – “Mind Blowing”.  I returned home with a collection of bricks and plates that I purchased from some vendors at Brickfair and was successful in creating a few different rattles and shakers, but in 2013 at Brickfair, VA I watched two children and their parents building a very flexible creation and I was amazed.  I had never thought for a moment that you could do such a thing with LEGO bricks.  I was directed by my son on how to achieve this feat and found myself most intrigued.  During that same weekend we ventured to an area shopping mall “Tyson’s Corners” which features a very well stocked LEGO Store which highlights the “Pick – A – Brick” wall which offered on the day of our visit two other incredible finds; the 1 x 1 slope and the 1 x 1 round plate.  These two finds blew my mind as well.  It was after discovering these two different LEGO bricks that it occurred to me that I can create a fully operational drum shell since these two bricks would allow me to create the most critical element of the drum shell – its bearing edges.  Using the combination of 1 x 3 standard brick and the 1 x 1 cylinder made it possible for me to create the straight walled cylinder shape of the drum shell but the 1 x 1 slope would allow me to create the all important bearing edge along the top edge batterhead, while using the 1 x 1 round plate as the all important bearing edge for the bottom of the drum shell for the resonating head.  When I returned home I outfitted my drum with the necessary conventional drum components to complete a fully operational drum with shells made completely out of LEGO Bricks.  I tuned the drum heads and when I struck the drum for the first time I was absolutely blown away.  I had never really fully expected it to work.  I honestly continue to use this first LEGO Drum (a snare drum) in all of my professional musical situations – performing , recording and education.  As of today’s date I have clocked at least 1000 performances: live and recorded with my LEGO Snare Drum.  Shortly after creating my snare drum – I then started building a Bass Drum (16″ x 16″), A Ride Tom (10″ x 10″) and a small diameter floor tom (12″ x 12″) all equally successful projects.  By 2015 I had successfully created a beautiful 4 piece drum set that I have continued to use since in both my LIVE and Studio situations.  I am currently planning on building 2 additional LEGO Drums, one smaller (8″ x 8″) and a slightly larger floor tom (14″ x 14″).  All of these sizes were selected on purpose since I work alongside many other drummers which use typically larger drum sizes – my LEGO Drums always find their sonic space and never get in the way.  I am continuing my adventure by exploring other ways to create other sounds and textures using the amazingly diverse LEGO Bricks!!!  Here’s a link: World Premier of the Lego Drum Set  https://youtu.be/4UwBs8RQTvc

– I was so knocked out by what had been created using LEGOs and their unique sound and grateful that my friend Peggy Delaney had taken a very short video of me in performance using the LEGO kit – I wanted to share this with the greater world community of drummers.  At the very least I thought people would get a kick out of it and it would put a smile on their face’s.  So the two best resources we have are PAS (Percussive Arts Society www.pas.org) and Modern Drummer.  I reached out to both thinking that neither would probably get back to me.  But I was very pleasantly surprised.  Both organizations got back to me within hours of reaching out.  The video clip told the whole story.  Biggest thing that was expressed by both was how incredible the sound of these drums were without being miced.  That was the magic.  The gig the video was taken from was a very intimate acoustic gig.  Here is a link to it: https://youtu.be/mq6Zg84QJ_o  Perfect to turn heads.  The executive director of PAS was so knocked out he expressed that they would love to have it in their permanent collection in their Rhythm Discovery Center and Museum that is visited by folks from all over the world.  I told him I use this kit on a pretty regular basis but I would be honored to make them one.  So in 2016 I built a beautiful Black and Red (their colors) LEGO Drum Set (the second one in the world) Here is a link to the PAS Kit I made: https://youtu.be/fuFzn8SDxrI To round out the LEGO Kit, I reached out to Amedia (my cymbal company) and they helped me secure a set of equally beautiful ONIK Cymbals (see attached photo).  After they are made by the cymbal smiths they are given an acid bath which gives the cymbals a black hue but takes nothing away from their incredible sound and then the RED lettering is added.  Stunning visually.  I visited the PAS Rhythm Discovery Center in Indianapolis, Indiana later that year (2016) and was asked to set it up between a portion of STOMPS original Kitchen SetUp and a Large 3 section Blueman Groups PVC Pipe Multi Tonal Instrument.  Nice company to keep.  That same year Modern Drummer’s  Managing Editor; Adam Budofsky was very excited to have the LEGO Kit featured in their “Kit of the Month” which highlighted unique and interesting takes on drum sets.  Was also very excited to know that my LEGO Drum Kit was included in a monumental issue: January, 2016 featuring the great Neil Peart on the cover celebrating RUSH’s 40the Anniversary (here is link to it:https://uduboy.com/modern-drummer-magazine-feature)  Again – great company to keep.  Side bar: I was given the honor many years ago by Frank Giorgini to play and sample several Udu Drums in the design that Neil wanted to pick out the perfect one for him.

OC:  Who would you like to play with?  Who is in your dream band?

BM: Who would I like to play with – In the commercial world; I would be lying if I didn’t say Santana – I grew up listening to them and ultimately  Armando Peraza.  Along with Armando was the remarkable non-latin percussionist Raul Rekow who played with Santana from the age of 17 to his passing a few years ago.  Side Bar: Wow – just shutting my eyes and listening to the two of them taught me how to play congas.  No kidding.  So happy that because of the udu, it opened up an opportunity for me to meet them both and play a bit of udu with them, but even more importantly – I was able to tell them both face to face no grandstanding – how important they both were to me and how much they both inspired me.  We have lost them both.  Man I fantasized about playing next to these two amazing souls.  Another, After seeing him one time – I ALWAYS dreamed of working with Al Jarreau: what an absolute consummate musician and performer.  Will have to wait for my next life.  We lost this incredible soul.  But what an amazing body of work he left the rest of us.  Seeing him perform was like going to school.  In the world music scene:  Several – Brazilian pianist; Tania Maria, Malian Artists, Salif Keita as well as Bassekou Kouyate and Ngoni Ba and of course Bob Marley!!!

= Who is my Dream Band – Aside from those artists I previously mentioned – to date for me:  Getting to watch Paul Simon’s “Rhythm of The Saints” group several years ago was absolute heaven for me.  Every element represented: 4 world percussionists, Set Drummer, Bass, Guitar, Lead guitarist, 4 horns, 3 or 4 harmony singers, Piano, keyboards, and Paul himself.  Some of the greatest living musicians across the board – Africa, Brazil, US, Europe etc were all on stage together.  18 pieces plus a 25 piece bateria from Brazil.  The other magical band for me that literally took me away – was Trilok Gurtu’s : “African Fantasy” group featuring Indians and Africans – man I’m still reeling from that experience and that was several years ago.  Again all these shows were like going to school.  Hence the “Dream Band”

OC:  You’re very active in music and percussion education.  How did you get involved with that?

BM:  When I was in grade school we were very fortunate at various times to experience arts in ed programs of performers.  I felt inspired right away and thought what a wonderful thing to be able to do – to bring the world I love with percussion to others and create a catalyst to welcome participants to physically experience these instruments and rhythm music up close and personal.  But I had no clue how to even go about it.  As fate would have it as I got older and my career was moving forward – I was performing with an electric Jazz Project; SuperNOVA many years ago at a very hip restaurant and as was typically the case, a few folks approached me on break and asked me several questions about my expansive rig of percussion that I was using.  It was a very visually inviting set up.  6′-0″ high and 6′-0″ diameter pentagonal rack of  conventional, exotic percussion as well as lots of found objects.  The Folks that were asking about my rig that day asked me if I would like to visit their classrooms and their library.  They found what I was sharing very interesting and exciting and multicultural.  They asked if I could share a varied collection of percussion instruments, their origins, examples of rhythms etc.  And there you go.  One thing led to another and I have consistently facilitated workshops / assemblies, masterclasses and individual lessons for over 35 years now.  Along the way I have created several programs like “The Introduction To The World Of Percussion”, “The World of Udu”, and “Making and Playing Percussion Instruments Out Of Found Objects”  as well as a lecture program about “Art as a Career”.  In 2000 I put together a project book and audiophile outlining 35 percussion instruments, 6 stick / mallet projects and 3 different projects to make devices to suspend some of the instruments that you created all out of found objects.  This project book and the format which I use for my “Making Instruments…” workshop became the basis for a 15 week course curriculum entitled “Playing With Percussion” which was put out and made available throughout North America by Community Learning.  Creating and facilitating these programs opened up the vehicle for me to not only work with teachers, librarians, and museum directors, but also with Arts Centers, Houses of Worship, Medical Professionals, Social Workers, Music and Occupational Therapists.  Absolutely means the world to me to know that my work can be the tools for others.  And the feeling you get when you see and hear the magic of what happens when folks with no prior experience come together and create music – there are really no words.  It is in the smiles on the faces of the participants that says it all.

OC: Tell me about some current projects?

BM: Music:

-Upcoming Performances with: The McKrells; Americana Roots / Celtic, Maria Zemantauski: Flamenco, Heard; NEW World Jazz, GeoBEAT; World Beat, Maswick & Brown; Adult Contemporary Singer / Songwriters, Warden and Company; Acoustic Rock, Studio Stu; Improvisational, Gus Mancini and Sonic Soul; Improvisation, Sonny & Perley; Brazilian Mix, Franklin Micare; Classic Adult Contemporary,  Joy Adler and the Souls of Evolution; Meditation

– Upcoming Recordings: Matt Smith; Blues / Rock, Rena’ Graf; Meditation

– Education :

– A year long residence with Ellen Sinopoli Dance Company at an elementary school in Cohoes that features Dance and Music that supports what the students are learning in Social Studies.  We explore: Egypt, Norway, Japan and Brazil with the students

– A year long theme called 80’s Mix Tape with SPAC Dance in many schools in the Capital Region; Albany, Saratoga, Schenectady.  SPAC Dance facilitates an amazing program that teaches a specific grade in the school the four important elements of dance highlighting all the students to learn different choreography per class as well as a full grade dance highlighting a Broadway Show like experience at the end putting on in 10 short weeks a full blown riveting performance that the students first perform for their school and then in the evening for their friends, family and general public

– A 10 week Percussion Program for Caffe Lena’s Music School for Senior Citizens

OC:  Watching you play is so enjoyable on so many levels; the expertise, the technique, the innovation, and the unbridled joy you reflect in your playing.  What would you be doing if you weren’t a percussionist?

BM: Wow, thank you so much for your very kind words.  Means everything to me to connect with others through my work.  To answer your question – I always thought I would have been a great guidance counselor

OC:  Tell me about your Uncle Earl, and his influence on you.

BM: There isn’t enough room here.  He was really quite a man.  Soft spoken, Gentle, kind and all about the music.  He was really the one that saw where my heart and passion was at a very early age.  It really was his position with my family being a professional musician in our region that added so much weight to my family really hearing him when he announced that they better buy a drum set for me or he was going to.  I remember vividly when we visited even though I was a little kid – he spoke to me like a peer.  How amazing that was to me.  To feel and hear the respect in his voice when we would talk.  The time he would always give me when I had questions, concerns and frustrations.  He literally taught me so much about playing, preparing, how to handle yourself in the crazy amount of different circumstances that could develop as well as the nuttiness of this path as a career.  The funny situations to the scary situations of dealing with coping in the different groups with such remarkable people passing through.  The importance of the union when he was growing up and how that all changed as time went on and more and more opportunities were moving to the private sector.  When he passed he was living in Florida.  He was still a card carrying member of the Albany / Schenectady Music Union.  He had been retired from music for years then. That’s how much he respected and appreciated our area and the music scene we have here.  One of the most moving times for me in my life was when he saw me perform some time later as I was getting older and my career was moving forward, my dad told me he just stood there and cried like a baby.  What can you say to that?  Simply beautiful.  Now I am getting up there in age and I most certainly get it.  You’re moved to tears when you witness the beauty that is experiencing one with their art.  No matter what their skill level is – if they are pure of heart and absolutely 100% connected to what they are doing, you feel that deeply.

OC: Any formal training / education?

BM: I was very fortunate that my school district offered music.  General Music, Chorus and Band.  High School offered additionally a Pep Band for school football / basketball games as well as a Jazz Band.  I was in all of it.  Loved every moment but most certainly came face to face with my fears.  In elementary school – General music offered the experience of dance.  I just couldn’t relax to develop any confidence.  Funny I still have two left feet but really could care less what you think of me when I am feeling the music, both as a spectator or as a performer.  It wasn’t until I let myself go and started moving to the movement of the music that I sincerely became connected to everything on a very deep level.  I later was laughed at when a dancer heard me say I didn’t dance.  She said I guess you’ve never seen yourself perform, because that’s all your doing.  An unexpected experience in 6th grade General Music class would change my life forever.  We had a substitute and the poor thing had no idea what to do with us because she wasn’t a music person.  So she handed out a box of coloring pencils and crayons along with a black sheet of paper to everyone and put on some music and said draw what you feel.  I wish I remembered her name.  That simple activity hit me on a very profound level.  I do that with sound and texture every day of my life.  Because of my middle school band teacher Mr. Thomas Hyde being progressive, my career started at the age of 13.  He created a 5 piece contemporary band out of 5 of us who were always playing music together and took us out and put us in a talent show produced by a wonderful man, bandleader and songwriter James Staats.  We didn’t win by any means, but what an extraordinary experience for us to perform on stage in front of total strangers.  Exhilarating.  But what did happen was that James Staats saw me and heard what I did and how I did it and was very impressed that I could handle myself confidently with many different styles of music with good dynamics and approached my folks and asked if he could formally hire me to fill in for his regular drummer who had to go into the hospital for an operation. I worked with Mr Staats over the next three years.  My highschool band teacher Mr. Malcolm McNaughton called me out and made me grow up.  He treated me like my folks treated me.  I was cowering away from my weakness of being intimidated with reading music so I was never prepared, although he saw my dedication to my drumming in every other way.  He saw I was short changing myself and thereby saw what lay ahead for me if I didn’t face my weakness and deal with it.  Because of that man I grew up and moved forward.  Reading is still a bit of a challenge for me but he gave me one of the best lessons I could have ever received – “If you can say it, you can play it” I so appreciate the foundation that I received from my music and band teachers because I honestly don’t know if I would have been able to experience many of the very special opportunities that I have had if I didn’t have a basic understanding of reading and theory.  95% of the time – it isn’t even a thing, but it’s that other 5% that makes the difference.  The personal notes that I can make to keep up with so many different musical situations at the same time.  The only thing I thought I could do after I graduating from High School to really say thank you to Mr. McNaughton for everything he did for me, was to stop by his home and when he answered the door I handed him about a dozen CD’s of very diverse recordings I had done to date and simply said – without you I don’t know if any of this would have been possible.

This guy is something else!  Make sure you catch him live.  You will not be disappointed