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Artists
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I
have been playing drums as far back as I can remember. I guess that means
I’ve been playing for 25+ years. I remember going through two or three
“play” drum
sets, and then one Christmas, I received my first “real” kit
(no hi-hat though!!) It was a red-sparkle finish that my parents bought
for me at D.S. Andrews, a local music store here in Williamsport, PA.
After that, I gladly received two other Ludwig Oyster Black drum sets from my
Dad (yes...he bought new ones for himself...what was up with that?)
The first time I can remember playing
in front of anyone in public has to be
around the age of 10. I would get a chance to 
sit-in with
the band my Dad
was in at the time, at an annual St. Patrick’s Day bash, which was held at
McGrady’s Irish Inn in my hometown of South Williamsport, PA (home of the
"Little League World Series.")
Playing drums seemed to come quite naturally for me. I guess since my Dad
could always play “by-ear”, it was just something I inherited somehow.
He played drums from the time he was a sophomore in high school too.
Starting in the fifth grade, I began to take formal lessons and learn to read
music, something to this day that has proven to be very helpful to me, even
though I could play a drum kit. I wanted to see and understand what
exactly it was that I had been playing. And so it went…elementary band,
junior high marching and concert band and finally, four years of high school
marching and concert band seasons. In high school, as I freshmen, I made
it straight to the snare drum line. A task at the time I had no idea as to
what that really meant. All I knew was that the other three upperclassmen
weren’t to keen to a freshmen making it straight there. However, I soon
proved to them I could handle the chops and 
things smoothed out. I 
must
credit three people here. My elementary school band director, Mr. Paul
Seifrit (who passed away several years ago), my high school band director for my final two years at South Williamsport, Mr. Chuck Hall, and Mr. Bob
Leidhecker, who was student-teaching at South during my last two years there.
They all instilled in me the value of hard work, and also in learning to really understand music beyond just playing it and not knowing what exactly is going
on while you’re playing it.
In my junior year I got a call from Don Farnsworth, a very well-know country
music singer in my area, with whom my Dad worked with for about a year or so.
He called and asked me to fill in a few gigs with him. This went on all
during my last two years of high school.
After I graduated in 1985, he called and offered me a full-time gig
with his
band, “Country 
Gold.” We played American Legions, VFW’s, carnivals, bars,
weddings...even square dances. But, all I cared about was the fact that I
got to play virtually every weekend, two or three times….and I got paid real
money!! It was around that time I bought my first set with my own money!
I bought a set of Yamaha Tour Custom (Black Finish) from Big Daddy’s Music in
Montoursville, PA.
I
played two stints with “Country Gold” (1985 -1988 and 1990-1994).
Between those stints, I gigged with various local bands filling in and
helping bands out. That too was fun because I was playing R&B, oldies,
and other stuff besides country music.
In late 1988 the band my Dad was playing with,
“TC and the VIPs”,
asked me to play when my Dad suddenly found himself working night shift at the
local factory. That gig was a wake-up call! We played 5 nights
straight at the Golden Apple Lounge, which was in the Econo-Lodge Hotel.
These guys played all kinds of stuff! Everything from Lenny Welsh’s
“Since I Fell For You”, all the way to Waylon & Willie’s “Good
Hearted Woman!” The two brothers in the band that time (Tony Caschera
“TC” and Mike Caschera), both turned around and told me something right
after the second tune of the night that probably has been one of the greatest
pieces of advice ever given to me. They told me, “You drive the
band and don’t let the band drive you.” I’ve never forgotten that,
and that has been my mind set ever since!
When “Country Gold” disbanded in 1994 (due to Don’s urge to “retire”
and go RVing), I co-founded MY first band.
“Neon Cactus” was central
PA’s most in demand country music band from the Fall of 1994 thru Winter of 
2001. We started small and ended up being a six-piece unit with three CDs,
a handful of opening slots with Merle Haggard, Tracy Byrd, Collin Raye, The
Bellamy Brothers and several others. We capped off our run with a win over
several hundred bands, at the 2001 “StarQuest” competition and captured the
chance to appear at the Capital Music Hall in Wheeling, WV (home of Jamboree USA
- the longest running country music radio show next to the Grand Ole Opry), and
landed our own 45 minute set at the 2001 edition of “Jamboree In The Hills”
- The Super Bowl of Country Music. That was awesome!!! We played on
a Sunday morning and to a crowd of at least 50,000 fans.
By the end of the fourth day there had been close to 200,000 people in
attendance. We saw some great stars up close! Joe Diffie, Terri
Clark, Lee Ann Womack, Alan Jackson, Ronnie Milsap and to many more than I can
even think of right now!! Neal McCoy was extremely complimentary to our
show, which made us feel really good!
While gigging with “Neon Cactus”, I did manage to squeeze in some brief
“touring”, if you call it that, with “Johnny Counterfit - the 
Rich Little
of Nashville”...who is VERY entertaining. Also, one short stint of dates
with “Tommy Cash”...yes, Johnny’s brother. They were both very nice
to me personally and professionally. I had the opportunity to see some
unique things that I never would have otherwise on some off-days. The
Oklahoma City National Memorial site where the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building once stood and the Napa
Valley Wine & Grape Festival in Lodi, CA was pretty cool too!!
I
also have been pretty lucky to get some recording projects come my way.
Most recently, a 
session that I did with Davy Jones (The Monkees)
has been
released on “Just Me 2."
So far only one track has made it, but hopefully a few more will see the
light of day some time. Other albums I have worked on include “Deeper
Down/Ben Kaplan and We Don’t Monkey Around/Alice Weiler. The latter is a
children’s album, which I am quite glad I had a chance to do! In
September 1996 I was fortunate enough to appear in a profile in "Modern
Drummer Magazine" in their "On The Move" column.
I
decided to leave “Neon Cactus” in early 2002. Ray and Randy Cramer
of the “Cramer Brothers Band" (CBB) called me and asked
me to fill-in a few
dates for them as they were in need of a full-time drummer.
I had seen them both several times before, but never really had a chance to talk to or to meet them. I think they had heard me play once or twice with “Neon
Cactus.” So I played a date with them at Camelback Ski Resort and I
think I helped them out with a post 911 fundraiser in East Stroudsburg, PA.
They offered me a spot and I had to take it. I remember seeing the
brothers with “Shucks” and thinking how cool it would be to get a chance to
play with them. It’s still hard to believe I get to do it now! Who
would have thought.…..??!!
I
would have to say that playing with the musicians in the CBB is probably the
best thing 
that I will ever end up doing. Each guy is individually
talented and it makes playing really fun and easy. We have played many
shows and I hope there are many more to come. I am lucky to be where I am
musically. I don’t think it could get any better than this, unless I did
move to Nashville...
YEE-HAW!
