Anthony
Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Anthony, drummer for the band Only on Weekends. Oh yea, and I’m a salesman by day. I know there are tons of bands out there, some good, some very good… some not so good. I’ve been in those bands; and I’ve seen those bands, as I’m sure everyone has.
I remember sitting behind a drum kit for the first time when I was 8 years old. I banged on it for about five minutes, then got yanked away by my parents. I waited another 8 whole years to bring up the topic of drums again in my household. For some reason, 8 was the magic number, and that Christmas I got a drum set. I played those drums day and night. Any free time, I was banging away. Crazy part of it all, I lived in a 2-bedroom apartment with my parents. They put up with it. I was loved.
I’m pretty much self-taught. I did take some lessons, but only for 3 months. I didn’t have the patience for the basics. I wanted to rock.
I went through my phases of what bands were cool, what bands you should or shouldn’t listen to. I’m a genius, and I knew this stuff. Funny thing about that… who cares what I thought? You listen to who you want to. You like who you like.
When I was in school, someone came up to me and said, “How can you like Green Day? They suck.” Funny thing, the guy who said this was wearing a Green Day shirt he had written all over. So yea, forget everyone’s opinion. You like who you like.
I ran the gamut of styles with my bands, going from Ska to Screamo to dirty rock-and-roll, back to Ska, and now I’m settled into pop punk alternative beats. Members of these bands were, and still are, some of my best friends. Don’t get me wrong. When you’re in a band, it’s basically like having a whole separate family. So, there will be fights and disagreements…. but always remember you were friends first. Music is just something you do when you’re hanging out… Don’t forget that!
Now that I’m older, and of course wiser, I know my glory days of living the dream are over… but I’ll never forget the good times that I’ve had and still have playing music. I’ve always played music for me, no one else. And that’s the way it should be… you gotta be happy in what you do. Nowadays, I have a job that pays my bills, and guess what? That job is not playing in a band… but that’s OK.
I’m still drumming away in a band called Only on Weekends. I’ve been with them for about 3 years now, playing a blend of alternative pop punk music. We play shows all around NJ and PA, as well as the occasional 3-to-4 day tour adventure. We all live normal working lives, but still really enjoy hanging out and cranking out the jams, like our newest release, Light Years and Heavy Lifting. Be sure to give us a look at onlyonweekends.com.
So that’s it… I’m a drummer who’s a salesman by day LIVING THE DREAM…
“Just give me one last chance to shine before I fade.” – Fairweather
Anthony
http://www.onlyonweekends.com/
@OOWeekends
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