Jonathan David - Drummer
Hey there internet, I'm Jon and I drum. This is my online CV in paragraph format so if you want to get to know me a bit forge on, but if you just want to make sure I can hit these things like a champ, well - here's a video that shows that. Watch it, contact me, and let's get going on whatever it is that brought you to this gleaming corner of the world wide web to begin with.
I've been at this since I was 9 and my parents got me a reproduction civil war snare drum and lessons with George P. Carroll. Carroll was the first drum major music master (yes, that is the actual title) for Colonial Williamsburg so it was from his deep knowledge of 1860's marching drumming that I first learned. We studied right out of Bruce and Emmett, a drumming book from 1862, which gave me a solid foundation in the rudiments of drumming which still inform my rhythmic ideas today. In other words, pure sexy rock and roll baby. My parents were crazy enough people that the idea of getting the whole family involved with civil war reenacting seemed like a brilliant idea so for the next 6 years I was active with that on more weekends than I can remember. It was a lot of marching around, drumming, getting tired, and then pretending to die as much as possible because that was the height of fun at the time. Through that experience I also learned many of the popular tunes from the 1860's. My favorites were the Irish American songs of the era. If you want to get a glimpse into some of the roots of American music it is a great place to explore.
Back in those early days I often had to check that the sticks where, in fact, still in my hands
After quitting the military cosplay camping lifestyle I continued my snare drumming in junior high and high school concert and marching band for a few more years. But then, I discovered the glories of rock and roll. I vowed to procure a drum set and so a new chapter began.
My first band was terrible, I mean really awful. Despite how we sounded, we got to play out a lot. We all lived overseas and I think it was mainly the novelty of being a group of young americans that were playing rock music that got us shows. Soon, way too soon, we were playing shows at local colleges and clubs to thousands of people. I learned a lot in that process and got a lot better but I wanted more.
After High School I made my way back to America and then enrolled in the drumming program (PIT) at Musicians Institute in Los Angeles, California. There, I had my ass kicked by Gary Hess (private instructor) and the rest of the faculty until I could play with a click like a real goddamn drummer.
After Musicians Institute, I made some cash playing at churches (they give you snacks!) before working as a studio drummer for Track Mill.
That lasted about two years and then I teamed up with the guys at Countless Thousands. That's been a major gig for me over the last decade. Here are a songs that you should listen to if you want to get an idea of what I can do in a studio.
And now that I'm in this full time I've recently been drumming for Track Cult. Here's a before and after compilation.
So yeah, I do this and do it seriously. Hire me now. Thanks