Welcome to GPdrums!

I’ve carried this nickname for quite some time and as you might have guessed, I am indeed a drummer.

I picked up GPdrums when I was in my first rock band back in high school. I auditioned for the band after hearing they were in need of a drummer. There was no way on earth my parents were going to allow me to play in a band, but that’s another story.

Anyway, I bought a tape of the band at the music store and practiced for several days until I memorized every song. The guys were surprised (and impressed) when I showed up at the audition and knew their material, literally without skipping a beat. That’s yet another story.

The bass player said to me, “So, what do they call you?” I answered, “What do you mean?” He asked, “Well, do you have a nick-name?” I said, “No!” He asked, “What are your initials?” I said, “GP, why?” He replied, “GP? As in what? General Purpose Vehicle? Like a Jeep?”

Well, from that day forward they called me “GPjeep,” which made no sense to me whatsoever. After my stint with that band I modified my nick-name to GPdrums and I’ve had it ever since.

So why is that important now? It’s not, but I thought a little explanation might be a good way to start the blog. Oh, and this makes for still another story - mindset has everything to do with your skill as a drummer. I’ve always subconsciously considered myself the general purpose drummer and I’m sure that hasn’t hurt me along the way.

So for now, I will begin to chronicle my experiences playing drums, industry experiences, playing for live audiences, recording sessions, and other miscellaneous and related topics. But most important to my heart, I want to talk about playing drums to worship God.

I invite friendly conversations and questions so feel free to post. I will answer every question posed to the best of my ability and research the areas where my knowledge and experience may be lacking. I’ve had a ton of experience in this field and I want to share as much as possibe. But I’m also a life-long student and I know that I don’t know it all.

On a final beat, I am a Christian. You may have opinions that differ from mine and I, likewise. That said, I will never condemn or judge (on purpose - I am human afterall), however, I will speak openly about what happens in my soul when I’m worshipping God from the drum throne. Let’s keep this a respectable community. I’d rather not have this blog turn into a religious debate so we’re not gonna go there.

I am very passionate about what I do and it’s important that I communicate this intimate part of my relationship with God so that other drummers, musicians, and worship leaders can understand the importance of the drummer’s role in the worship setting.

So let’s rock-n-roll!

-GP

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