2016 Year In Music

This has been a very busy year. I would definitely say 2016 was my busiest since I graduated college and moved to New York. And that's a good thing. While I think it's safe to say that this past year was a difficult one for most, myself included, I am also grateful for many of the opportunities that came my way this year allowing me to advance my career in music. I'm grateful to the many musicians I met this year, as well as my girlfriend Emily for writing beautiful music. Living in New York is not easy, but I like to think that I have finally carved out a little piece of the pie for myself after all these years. While I complain constantly about the city, I love making music here, and I am glad that I'm doing it with my friends. Below is a quick rundown of the projects that I'm involved in.



Gold Child  https://www.facebook.com/goldchildmusic/

This is Emily's band that I play drums in and help her record and produce. We did not release any new material this past year, but we have been busy the last few months recording and working with new people to help produce her new songs. Please stay tuned for new music coming soon.



Blonder  https://www.facebook.com/blonderworld/

This is a band that I play drums in with some really great dudes. I did not play on any of the recordings, but I would recommend that you listen to them. An EP will be released soon, which means that we are about to get very busy. Stay tuned.



Surf Rock is Dead  https://www.facebook.com/surfrockisdead/

I have been playing with these guys for a couple years now, but this year was especially busy. In addition to playing locally a 2-3 times a month, we ventured out of town quite frequently. We befriended a few bands in Philadelphia, and even went on a short tour with one (Suburban Living). We also went on our first semi-national tour (supporting The Jezabels), my first tour in a few years. We also recorded some new songs, the first of which was recently released. Listen below.





Ski Lodge  https://www.facebook.com/skilodgeee/

It's true we have not played many shows this year, or released much new material. However, Ski Lodge is not dead. Andrew recently opened his own studio in Brooklyn and we have been working on new material, as well as an assortment of different projects. Emily and I have been spending a lot of time there working on her songs and we are looking forward to spending more time there this year. Ski Lodge still exists, so stay tuned for new songs in the future.



Von Sell  https://www.facebook.com/vonsell/

This is a band that I play drums in. I've actually been involved in this project for a couple years, but only recently have I become an official member as we begin to play more shows. I have not played on any of the recordings, but an EP was released recently and I would highly recommend it.



Hammer of Justice  https://www.facebook.com/hammerofjusticenyc/

Many people ask me if I still play heavy music. And it's true, I occasionally do. We have only played two shows and have only begun recording our five songs, but this band is a force. I'm definitely getting a work out after pulling my double bass drum pedal out of retirement after seven years. Music coming soon.



So that's it. Well, not really. I still had plenty of other gigs this year, but I'm not going to go through and list everything. Also, I know I used to go through and list my favorite albums of the year, but sorry, this blog is all about me.