Starting with my first band Ludichrist, which I named while attending Catholic School on Long Island (and whose first album was reviewed in People magazine underneath Bryan Adams), I have a long history as a drummer with some of New York's crazier musical groups, under the stage name Al Batross. I had the opportunity to drum for the legendary political punk band M.D.C. for a few years, and at one point was the only American member of three different Japanese bands based in NYC, despite not knowing how to speak Japanese. During my years as a drummer I toured the USA countless times and also toured across Europe and Japan. My very first gig was an "audition showcase" at CBGB. By the time it closed in 2006, I had played almost 60 gigs there. I chose the name Al Batross at the age of sixteen as an homage to a favorite Monty Python skit, and had partly been inspired by the stage names of some of my favorite punk rock musicians (such as Jello Biafra and Al Schvitz). There are still many people out there who only know me by that name.
Despite being somewhat proud of my drumming history, the truth is I never had a high opinion of my own skill. I limited myself by being self taught and never taking drums seriously as an instrument. I was always aware of my limitations as I tended to listen to a lot of music that was beyond my ability to play (Zappa, in particular). Unlike other fields I delved into, such as film production and post for example, I never did the studying and work necessary to building a professional skill set. I never learned it, so I could forget it, so to speak. I think part of the reason is that, from very early on, drumming became a major physical catharsis for me, a primal release of raw energy - well suited to certain types of music, but rather limited. I also never came to think of music as a profession, which is strange in retrospect, considering how much time I spent performing over the years. Whatever the reason may have been, I never became the drummer I had in my head, but I did play with a bunch of great bands, make a lot of friends and have a ton of fun.
To learn more about my band history and watch videos of live gigs or listen to songs,
click on any of the images below or check the tabs found under "band history" above.