Bio

HOW DID YOU LAND THE GIG PLAYING WITH PETRA FOR THEIR 40TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR?I’ve been a fan of the band since I was 11. I actually first started learning how to play drums to their cassettes! I regularly went to their fan page for news on the band and one day I read Petra was looking for a new drummer. So I called a friend who used to live in Nashville and he confirmed they were looking for a drummer. So I contacted Petra’s manager and told them I’d love to audition. The audition was great, and I got along great with the rest of the guys. I have been playing with Petra since 2010, and we have played many times in South America and Europe. This year the band decided to do a world tour for their 40th anniversary, and at the same time, a Classic Rock tour with Asia and Roy Wilson from Genesis Classic.WHAT’S IT LIKE PLAYING IN A BAND THAT HAS 13 GRAMMY-NOMINATIONS (4 GRAMMY WINS) AND 10 DOVE AWARDS?It’s my dream come true! The members of the band are super cool and I feel really comfortable playing with them. Crazy to think all I wanted as a kid was an autograph from the band and now I play with them. They have played thousands of concerts and have a great chemistry playing together. This makes it easy for me to fit in. All I have to do is play beats:)TAKING A STEP BACK FOR A SECOND, HOW DID YOU DECIDE TO STUDY AT LACM?I found out about LACM through Modern Drummer magazine. I wanted to learn from some of the best teachers of the world in a small environment. I read LACM’s curriculum and was hooked! Also, I was really wanting to push myself as a drummer with jazz and fusion. Having teachers like Ralph Humphrey and Joe Porcaro really made me want to study there.DESCRIBE YOUR FAVORITE EXPERIENCES DURING YOUR TIME IN THE DRUM PROGRAM.They are many!! Some of my life’s treasured memories are from LACM. I learned how to become a better musician and to play for the song from advice given to us such as: “less is more”, “play the room” (talking about volume), “play in the pocket” became the norm… Also, I will never forget the time when Otmaro Ruiz showed up for a latin ensemble that we had with Aaron Serfaty. I almost freaked out! Those were some heavyweight musicians I had seen only on VHS as a kid and they were hanging at the school and playing with the students!!! Such a priceless experience.The school is like one big family and once you attend, you are part of the LACM family. I’m still in touch with many great friends I made while studying at LACM, and every chance I get to visit the US, I make sure to make it to LA to say hi.WHAT OTHER PROJECTS ARE YOU BUSY WITH RIGHT NOW?Since LACM, I got my first break when I started playing with Latin Grammy nominee Pablo Olivares. I’ve played with him for 7 years now in more than 15 countries and 100s of cities. I still pick up a few gigs with Pablo.I’ve also been playing some European gigs with John W. Schlitt (singer of Petra) for some of his solo work. In the past, I have played with Sony artist band De Bueyes, soloist Daniela Herrero, Alfredo Caseros, among others. I’ve played in some big festivals, such as Pepsi Music, have done video clips on MTV and things like that.I have built my own home recording studio where I have done 100s of sessions. I work with producers, primarily from Argentina/Paraguay/Colombia. Thanks to technology though, I am starting to record for producers from different parts of the word. Some of them I haven’t even met in person yet!I’m also keeping up on my jazz fusion to make sure I make Ralph proud!