My name is Denny Boynton, and I'm a life-long percussionist.
That being said, I've not always been an active percussionist. Much the way people adhere to a certain religion and don't attend their respective house of worship, so I have always been an avid percussionist, but have not always been able to sit down behind the kit and perform. Like many of you, I've always dreamt of playing for a living, but things in life happen and we have to make choices and sometimes being a full-time musician just isn't in the cards.
Biography
I started playing drums when I was eight-years-old. My elementary school was holding an open house for kids interested in joining the third grade orchestra. As I didn't show much inclination toward sports, my mother brought me to the event. I was convinced that I wanted to play the sax. Unfortunately, I had a hellacious overbite and working the reed and the mouth piece on that particular instrument weren't going to work out for me too well. The music teacher at my school suggested trying the percussion section. Being a somewhat timid child, I complied.
Fortunately, I fell in love with it right away. There was a primal power that came from striking that shiny, steel Ludwig concert snare drum (man, do I wish I still had that drum!). I beat on that thing night and day. The only thing I disliked was carrying it to and from school -- I weighed 85 pounds soaking wet, so it was a bit of struggle, even though we only lived a few blocks from my school.
Eventually, my parents bought me a used Ludwig five-piece kit. I dutifully carried it down to the basement and quickly discovered why I would need a rug to put it on. Once the kit was setup, I grabbed my tape of AC/DC's Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap and began the "Phil Rudd School of Rock Drumming."
When I grew tired of playing four-on-the-floor rock beats, I started taking lessons at a nearby music shop called Village Music in West Dundee, Illinois (I'm not even sure if it still exists). I studied with several teachers there and, when I was a senior in high school looking to study in college, my mom found Robert Chappell, an Associate Professor at Northern Illinois University.
I was primarily an orchestral percussion and set player when I started to study with Robert.I really credit him with opening my eyes to the vastness of our art. He taught me to read charts effectively, how to play the marimba and tune timpani correctly. Robert also taught me the nuances of playing jazz on the kit and significantly widened my listening habits.
After being accepted by NIU, I studied there for a couple of years with Rich Holly with the intent of going on to play for a living. And then, for some reason I can't even remember now, I changed majors and decided to play the drums as a hobby and seek ways to more easily make a living in the world. I don't wholly regret the decision. Had I not made it, I never would have met my soul mate in graduate school, married her and had my three beautiful daughters or ended up with my successful career at Microsoft.
But, in the back of my mind, I've always wondered, "What if..."
The Phoenix
A couple of years ago, my best friend and monster bass player, Jeff Laird, called me and asked for some help. He was starting a contemporary Christian rock band at his church, had their first performance lined-up and was lacking a drummer. Jeff and I had screwed around with some punk rock stuff in my basement over the years, but this was the first serious offer I'd had to play in front of an audience in about twelve years. Even thought that genre of music really isn't my thing, I said I'd help him out.
I quickly learned the set list and the day of the performance came: Easter Sunday, 2006. We got up and really played well. I wasn't overly pleased with the way I played, but it kept the group together and we finished with a really nicely written pop tune. When we finished, I looked up from my kit and the whole congregation was on their feet, applauding and cheering. It was in that moment that I remembered the sheer exhilaration of playing in front of a live audience. And, needless to say, I was hooked.
A couple of weeks later, I was wandering through a Guitar Center near my office and happened on a six-piece set of Gretsch Catalina Birch drums. They were beautiful, and I'd wanted a set of Gretsch drums for as long as I could remember, but had never been able to afford them. I was getting back into drumming on a regular basis and really wanted that kit. Instead, I left the store and started to drive back to my office.
On the way, I called my wife and our conversation went something like this:
Me: "You're going to regret encouraging me to get back into playing."
Her: "Why, I love that you're playing again."
Me: "Well, I was just saw the drum kit I've always wanted at the Guitar Center."
Her: "Well, you did buy them, didn't you?"
Me: "Well, no."
Her: "Well, why the hell not?!?"
Needless to say, that's a damn fine woman I married. After work that day, I went back and bought the kit, along with some new cymbals and hardware. And I've been looking for opportunities to play ever since.
The Present
Today I play in two local St. Louis-based bands: Meteor Pilots and Lake 32.
I've been playing with the Meteor Pilots for about two years now. I started out playing with the afore mentioned Jeff Laird and Gary Brittan, the groups guitar player and primary song writer and, when an opening for a bass player and drummer opened in the band, Jeff and I signed on. We're a very straight-ahead pop influenced band who does all original music. We're just finishing up our first CD which should be available soon. Also, we just added Mike Mora on lead guitar, which has brought a whole new dynamic to the band's music.
Lake 32 is a relatively new project, started in March of this year. Jeff and I were looking for opportunities to play some more modern rock and he mentioned that his friend, Rich Houke, was collaborating with a local singer named Chris Sebastian. We starting trading some emails and decided to get together and jam. Well, it just worked from the first moment we started playing. The chemistry was there and we've been working together every since. We're currently writing and rehearsing, getting ready for our first gigs, starting up in a couple of weeks. Hopefully we'll find some time to start recording this fall or winter.
Why DrummBlog.com?
This site coalesces my two professional passions: technology and drumming.
I will be posting on a myriad of topics related to the art of percussion, talking about hardware, technique and musicianship. I may even include some video now again on things I learn. I'll also be posting where I'll be playing on this site as well. A little self-promotion never hurt anybody, right?
Lastly, I want to have a conversation with you if you're reading this. I don't propose to know everything there is to know -- not by a long shot. I'll tell you what I think and what I've seen work, and I welcome your comments and ideas, whether you agree with me or not. Let's use this as a way to learn from one another and be better drummers at the end of the day.
That's enough about me and the site. Let's get started...