I can remember the moment I realized that I wanted to be in a band.  I was around 10, singing along with Steve Perry, while listening to one of my sister's Journey records.  I thought I sounded pretty good, which helped crystallize my dreams of performing.  I learned to sing, properly, in high school, and was in my first band when I was 17, The Eclipse.  We worked our butts off and managed to enter, and eventually win the City Spark/KY 102 Rock And Roll Knockout.  The first time I heard my voice singing on the radio gave me an elation that is difficult to express

By the time college had rolled around, I had picked up the guitar, tried to teach myself piano, and sat down at a drum set any time I could.  I wasn't very good at any of them, but I kept at it, eventually realizing my love for the guitar.  In college, I learned how to jam and how to collaborate.  Being in a band was something that all of my friends did, and it was a fluid and free experience.  Anyone could play with anyone.  Sometimes it worked, and sometimes it really didn't.  This is where I learned that, if I wanted to be in a successful band, I really had to chose my company well.

Fast forward several years, I stepped in as lead guitarist in a friend's band, Stereo Command.  That bloomed, and quickly withered, which lead to the opportunity to found Depth Of Field.  The memories and music that we created have become central to who I am as a musician and performer.  With Depth Of Field, and as a guitarist-for-hire, I was blessed to play the best venues in town, the highlight of which was at The Folly theater, backing up for Emily Frost, at the Inaugural Kansas City Burlesque Revival.

I was thrilled when I was invited to join Sean and Ian to play bass and sing.  After the first rehearsal I knew that I had made the right choice.  That was over a year ago, and we have taken our time to really find out who we are as a group.  Their musicianship has elevated mine, and I feel very fortunate to be with two guys who really know what they are doing.

Statues In The Sky is something that we have put a lot of love into.  We have not rushed into playing gigs  We haven't looked down the wrong end of the telescope, as is the temptation with new bands.  We have spent the last year practicing, and practicing, and writing, and pushing, and not worrying about anything else, until now.  Now we are ready.

 

Music, particularly drumming and percussion, has always been a huge part of my life. At age ten, I was fortunate enough to have parents brave enough to buy a rambunctious child with ADD a drum set. 

Playing drums has always been my mode of expression and a means to decompress from the stresses of everyday life. For me, there is no better stress reliever than pounding on some drums and making a loud raucous. 

I grew up in Kansas City, have moved around and traveled quite a bit, but inevitably I always find my way back to KC to play music with my good friend Ian Mason. Ian and I met in high school and our musical bro-mance has lasted for over two decades. This is the third musical project I have collaborated on with Ian and one that I am truly excited about. Together with Nathan’s unique and melodic bass riffs, Statues In The Sky has really taken shape and come into its own. 

My style of drumming has always leaned on the aggressive, hard, loud, and fast side. The music we are creating in Statues In The Sky with various time signatures, bass lines that blend rhythm and melody in a seamless fashion, and smooth dynamic shifts between heavy and graceful has created a sense of harmony that has allowed me to explore different styles and blend the aggressive moments with those that are nuanced, technical, and even gentle at times.