Drums

 

A native of Virginia Beach, Virginia, Andrew has been playing drums for over 35 years. He started playing professionally at the age of 16 and has been teaching music since 1987. He attended the Berklee College of Music, where he won two scholarships including a Buddy Rich award. Andrew went on to tour and become the Music Director for Grammy Award winning CCM artist Rebecca St. James. He also toured with Michael Sweet of Stryper fame and now currently plays with his original band Divine Ratio when not traveling with Windborne. He has held product endorsements with Attack drum heads and Pro-Mark drumsticks.

What equipment do you use?
 I'm a huge fan of Tama drums and own several sets in their various lines. With Windborne, I have the pleasure of playing a wide variety of Drum Workshop and vintage Ludwig drum sets. It's always fun to see which drums will be provided for the show, kind of like opening presents on Christmas morning. I also play Roland V-Drums, a variety of percussion instruments and any cymbal that catches my ear, regardless of its maker.

Who are some of your musical influences?
Hands down, my biggest influence is Neil Peart of Rush. He is the musician that inspires me to keep striving for excellence in my craft. Of course, John Bonham has been incredibly important to me. I'll never get tired of listening to and learning from him. Some other favorite drummers are Terry Bozzio, Gary Husband and Bill Bruford. Along with my favorite well known drummers, are my teachers who personally inspired me during my formative years; Mark Farley, Bob Cotter and Ian Froman. I owe a lot to them. I'd like to mention a guitar player and friend, Steve Jolemore. I had the pleasure of playing and writing with Steve in the 90s. He challenged me to explore more complex rhythmic structure and coordination on the drum set. That brought me to a new level of ability as a player and still serves as an inspiration to keep pushing my limits.

Tell us about the various Windborne shows and how they impact you:
If someone told me as a kid that I would someday travel around the world, playing the music of Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd I'd have been stunned. How cool is that? Every show is enjoyable and challenging in its own way, whether it's the lighter feel of The Eagles, the funky dance grooves of Michael Jackson or the power and complexity of Led Zeppelin. Along with the music, the opportunity to meet and perform with so many fantastic musicians from around the country has been wonderful. Everyone sets such a high standard for themselves when preparing for these shows. It's an honor to work with them and call them friends. …and it has really bumped up my Facebook friend numbers. ;-)

What's on your iPod?
I'm usually listening to whatever songs I have to learn for my next show. Right now, that's a whole lot of David Bowie.