Today we’d like to introduce you to David Avery.
Hi David , can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I’ve always been obsessed with music as a whole. But my journey as a drummer truly began in high school when I joined percussion at James Bowie HS in Arlington. Thanks to my first percussion instructor, Justin Myers, I started learning how to read music and the percussion arts as a whole and got a really good foundation as a drummer through marching band and percussion ensembles.
After graduation I would continue to pursue performing by joining Vigilantes Indoor Percussion (VIP), a world class competing drumline in the Winter Guard International (WGI) circuit. During my three years competing with that group I would also begin my career as a percussion instructor for high schools all around the DFW as well as taking other drumline gigs with groups like the Dallas Cowboys Rhythm and Blue Drumline, Dynamic Rhythm and the Dallas Mavericks Drumline in which I’m still a part of to this day.
At some point, however, I realized I wasn’t being truly fulfilled by just playing on drumlines all the time. Although I did (and still) enjoy playing marching drums, I decided I needed to play the music that inspired me before I even joined marching band. I wanted to create the music that motivated me throughout my journey up to that point and discover a new sound to play and (hopefully) inspire musicians that would come after me. So as soon as I got the funds, I bought some drum shells from my long-time mentor, Aaron Capers, started building a drum set and use everything I’ve learned through performing and teaching drumlines to hone that skillset.
I started by sharing a rehearsal space with another DFW drummer, James Haynes, to practice solo along with going out to play at open jams wherever I could at every opportunity. Eventually one of my old friends that I bonded with through music way back in middle school, Marcos Morales, would reach out for me to write drums for his post-metal project. Eventually that would become Cloudvase, a band that I’m extremely blessed to create and perform music all around DFW with some truly phenomenal friends.
I still teach percussion, perform on drumlines, play (and have played) for multiple bands in DFW. Now I’m just really happy to be a part of the DFW music scene.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Objectively no it has not been easy. However, I truly believe everything comes with time. Now that timeline is going to look very different from person to person with factors like resources coming into play. For me, focusing on the small wins along the way is the key. So as opposed to celebrating building the whole drum kit, I celebrate things like the fact that I bought a drum throne. Through that and building good coping strategies for my mental health through therapy, with time, eventually I looked back and realized everything I wanted to do came to be.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I do various types of paid gigs with a company called Dynamic Rhythm. I’m also a part of the Dallas Mavericks Drumline. We perform at all the home games and well as outside appearances such as community events and business events as the Mavericks are very involved in the Dallas community.
Aside from all that of course I teach as a supplemental percussion instructor for High Schools in DFW. I’ve taught at a wide range of schools but currently I’m teaching Macarthur HS in Irving TX and Plano West HS in Plano TX. With that I usually come during their summer camps to teach drum and marching techniques to get them prepared for the marching season. I take private lesson students whenever there is interest and whenever the budget and schedule availability is there, I’ll come out more for their band competitions, rehearsals, and drum clubs if the program has them.
I think what sets me apart from most other instructors is that I’m still involved in the music scene and that I’m making and performing music that students can resonate with I believe. Through that I do aim to be a model that students can look up to not only as a drummer or instructor, but as a person. My hope is that my presenting my most authentic self through my music, sense of style, and strong core values, that they themselves can be inspired to be the best and most authentic version of themselves through probably the most crucial part of one’s development as a human being.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I think living life as a whole inherently comes with risk. Risk is literally unavoidable no matter the situation. It really is just a matter of how you perceive that risk. Where one person can view going out to a concert as risk of not enjoying your time out, I view that same situation as risk of me missing out on a set that could potentially change my life through inspiration. One person could look at performing music as a risk of having a bad set or messing up in front of a crowd. I view that same risk as being a necessary and crucial part of the journey. The only way to eliminate risk would be to stop living life.
Pricing:
- Private Lessons – $50/hr
- Fill-in Drummer – $120-$300 (depending on time/involvment)
- Rehearsals – $75
- Studio Sessions – $100/hr
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daverydadrummer/
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/cloudvase.band/
