his love of Wichita, Thai
food, the island of Trinidad
and the healing power of
percussive music.
"After denting a few pieces of my mother’s kitchenware at the age of 2, my parents decided to buy me one of those Sears catalog drum sets — you know, the ones with paper heads that are made for young children. I think it took me a week to destroy the damn thing."
"I discovered the steel drums, or what I prefer to call pans, when I moved to Wichita."
"The sound of the pan is one of the most complex. The pan produces more overtones than any other instrument. An individual note reverberates and produces a pitch that is vastly colored. The sound can somewhat be like piano, organ and metallic timbres mixed together. The striking of a single note vibrates the shell of the pan to such a degree that other notes will lightly ring out and blend beautifully with the primary pitch. Pans are created by hand from 55-gallon oil drums."
"Coming into the music department at 19 with no formal musical training outside of playing drums in the South Florida hard rock music scene was quite a trip for me — and I believe for the faculty as well. I vividly remember my first master class conducted by Dr. J.C. Combs. He spent that first day imprinting upon me the importance of being organized, having a calendar and staying focused with one’s commitments. I recall Dr. Victor Markovich also spending a good amount of time driving home the importance of being early to rehearsal. On time was simply too late."
"Afinke Machine is essentially made up of three musicians: Mark Lewis (fs ’88), Troy Olson (’01) and myself (’95). When we perform, we’ll bring in two to three guest musicians to balance out the ensemble. Afinke will always be a Wichita staple to me, a project I hope continues to reinvent itself. Currently we’re discussing the pre-production of a third album."
"The single most influential person on percussion in the last century would have to be Ellie Mannette, the inventor of the modern steel drum. I meet Ellie 14 years ago and have been playing his instruments since."
"I decided during my final year at WSU that I would visit Trinidad and play in their national steel band competition. The group I played with is Potential Symphony, a 120-member steel pan orchestra. Out of 80-plus bands, we qualified and played in the finals, which was the biggest rush to date in my career."
"My extended visit to the island of Trinidad, the birthplace of the pans, was a pinnacle moment in my life. Imagine a place that lives and breathes steel pans day and night — and a government that has pictures of pans on its money."
"Every once in a while, you’ll hear pans in a popular song — Jane’s Addiction, Jack Johnson — and it’s always recognizable. The pan adds a beautiful spice to the tune, while the tone of the instrument lends itself well to popular music: happy, upbeat, percussive, cutting. It’s a beautiful-sounding instrument and more people should use it. Pop songs are spoon-fed to the masses, so why not feed them something extra tasty and delicious?"
"I love food that has a spicy kick to it, especially Thai dishes. Curry with tofu, rice and vegetables is my favorite."
"After Trinidad I traveled around bohemian style, living out of my vehicle and performing up and down the East Coast. I did this for two years and then returned to Wichita. Shortly afterwards, I received a week-long substitute art position at Metro Midtown that turned into an eight-month full-time teaching job. I’ve never been more excited about doing something outside of music. Those kids taught me a great deal. My time at Metro planted an ever-growing love and appreciation for the visual arts."
"Thus far I’ve lived on the left coast, right coast and in the middle. Large cities are the most exciting. Yet Wichita is still the most interesting place for me to be, spiritually speaking. I don’t have a direct reason as to why. An artist who creates, whether it be a painting, composition or sculpture, is in the closest profession to experience God, the ultimate creator."
"A true artist perfects one’s craft his/her entire life and often feels the pain of not reaching perfection."
"I see mankind coming full circle and rediscovering the healing power of the drum. Particular forms of music, combinations of tones that are produced with a complementary intent of heart can heal the most severely ill, yet we over-medicate in the name of greed and deceit — or ignorance."
"Understanding the elements of music, rhythm, harmony and melody, makes for a better understanding of ourselves and the world around us."
"Every time I return to Wichita I’m shockingly amazed at two things: the length of time it takes a city to build a single east-west highway and the foul condition of the Arkansas River. The city ought to take a few lessons on how to rhythmically, harmonically and melodically increase productivity within its system."
"I’d say the five most important books in my life are the Bible, Zen in the Art of Archery by Eugen Herrigel, A Beginner’s Guide to Constructing the Universe: The Mathematical Archetypes of Nature, Art and Science, A Voyage From 1 to 10 by Michael S. Schneider, The Mysticism of Sound and Music by Hazrat Inayat Khan and The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene."
