About Me

I grew up in Red Bank, New Jersey and started playing drums at age 6 because my mom thought it’d be a good way for me to fully realize my ADHD superpowers. Around this same time, my dad gave me his old Walkman player, showed me his massive CD collection, and told me to pick two. I picked the first two I saw: “Led Zeppelin IV”, and “Are You Experienced?”. After first hearing these records, there was no question that I’d devote my life to music.

In the years that followed, I formed a band with my guitarist brother and bassist cousin. I remember learning tons of songs we liked, writing some, but mostly improvising…a whole lot. I remember the first time I improvised on the drums: It started really loud but eventually transitioned into more of a Late-Paul-Motian vibe before edging on a 15-minute long groove between the rack tom and hi hat cymbal. In that moment, the possibilities seemed absolutely limitless. I try to recapture this feeling with every music-making opportunity that comes my way.

Next something pretty wild happened. When I was 11 I learned how to use the internet and watched a JoJo Mayer drum interview where he talked about Drum ‘N’ Bass music—artists like Squarepusher and Aphex Twin were now on my radar. I think that being exposed to this style of drumming at a young age kinda instilled a really weird vocabulary and sound concept in my playing. I’m pretty grateful for that.

When I was 14, I was blown away by The John Coltrane Quartet and started to invest most of my time studying jazz music. Throughout high school I attended NJPAC’s prestigious Jazz for Teens Program, following in the footsteps of contemporary NJ-based “drummer-composer” legends like Tyshawn Sorey, Mark Guiliana, and Dan Weiss. I went on to study at The Eastman School of Music. While in college, I began composing and started a 10-piece pop band with my friends. “The Saplings” have since recorded two albums, and the latest (”Go Digital!) featured Grammy-nominated pianist, Gary Versace, among many other really cool musicians.

After graduating from Eastman in 2018, I moved to Brooklyn, New York. I’m currently the Fellowship recipient of a really sick non-profit called “Play Music NYC”. Guided by PlayMusic directors Zaneta Sykes and Chris Dingman, I instruct piano and drum lessons in Brooklyn. I also teach drum lessons and produce music out of my private studio space in Bushwick (Brooklyn, NY).

Nowadays, I’m spending much of my time performing in New York City, producing, composing, and playing drums with the following Artists:

-The Saplings

-Beshken

-Kopps

-Jack West

-CGI Jesus

-Brahim!