Sam W  
Instruments: Drums, Conga, Latin Percussion
Styles: Jazz, Pop, Rock, Blues, Folk, Country, R&B, Gospel, Musical Theater, Latin, Funk, Hip Hop, Electronic, Flamenco, Salsa, Showtunes, Spirituals, Reggae, Merengue, Latin Jazz, Swing, New Age, Samba, Bossa Nova, Soul, Marching Band, Punk, Avant-garde

  Most importantly, I love to play drums. The feeling that I’ve come to realize I can achieve through rhythm is unlike any other. A transcendental and indescribable feeling.   I started playing seriously at age twelve after I’d been bangin’ on tables and such for much of my childhood (Corny? Yes, but true… There seems to be a pattern with kids who bang on kitchenware becoming drummers, huh?). Due to all the table banging, I was given a lil’ junior kit for Christmas at age five and starting taking private lessons. Although I knew from the get go that there was a certain level of intimacy between me and the drum set, the private lessons only lasted a few weeks. My five year old mind was a bit too scattered to maintain focus, although I continued to mess around on the kit sporadically over the course of the following seven years.   When I returned to the drums at age twelve, the grooves and rhythms that had been developing in my subconscious took little time to translate to my limbs, and I knew from that point on that this was my thing – this was something that I would never be able to get enough of. Looking back on the initial stages of my drumming career, it’s wild to think about just how quickly music and the drums consumed my thoughts. When I was not at home playing or jamming with friends, I was sitting in class tapping out rhythms on my legs to the point that teachers would become irritated with me. I just couldn’t stop. I knew I had ideas within me that needed to be expressed, so I worked tirelessly to develop the vocabulary that I would need in order to express them. Just about two months later, I found myself sitting in with a reggae band while vacationing with my family on the British Virgin Island, Anguilla. I distinctly remember playing “No Woman No Cry” by Bob Marley with these guys, a tune I had dreamt about playing for as long as I could remember. I was in heaven. Although my facility on the drums was quite limited at the time, I could definitely groove. I remember sitting there with these older musicians, lost in the feeling and movement of the music as though I had transcended this plane of existence. In the following four months or so,  I joined two bands and began playing live at every possible opportunity: Teen centers, town halls, art spaces, motorcycle rides, homecoming festivals, you name it.   The ride that began over a decade ago continues to this day, and the roller coaster just seems to be climbing higher and higher all the time. I can foresee that this ride will never end – there may be ups and downs but it’s all part of the ride, and I have learned that the most crucial skill to have as a musician is to be able to enjoy every minute of it, to be in the moment, and to just do it. Nowadays, I still spend almost every waking moment either playing, studying, teaching or simply just thinking about what I could do to be a better musician. I have had the opportunity to share the stage with many incredible artists such as Livingston Taylor, James Montgomery, Turkuaz, Spiritual Rez, Goosepimp Orchestra, the New Mastersounds, Tauk, Naughty Octopus, the New Review, Nicole Alexandra, Goodwill and Them Apples Band, Liz Longley, Ayla Brown, Jake Pardee, Steven Feifke, Melissa Fielding, Rachel Gambiza and Derek Teichert, among many others. The only difference now is that there are no teachers left to tell me to stop tapping.   Check out some recordings of mine and feel free to contact me if you need a drummer/percussionist for whatever kind of project you’ve got. I vow to always bring my immense passion for what I do to the table.