Leo:
Hey guys, my name is Leo Freire, I’m a 25 year old professional musician based in New York. I currently play the drums for a number of talented projects of various genres. Highlights include Hypodive, Fire and the Romance, My World, and Foirmoda. Whether it be Pop, Rock, Funk, Jazz, or EDM, I’m into all music and take every opportunity I can to play!

Leo:
For a drummer who is starting I would recommend buying that they identify with their musical voice. Look into drummers and bands that you listen to and respect and pay attention to how they sound. Look at the brands associated with them and use that as an opportunity to explore what each brand has to offer.
Ironically, I only bought my first drumset when I was 20 (though I had been playing for 8 years already!) and though it took a while, I’m glad I waited to buy an amazing kit: the Yamaha oak custom series.

Leo:
The right sound from your gear should be connected to how well it fits your musical voice. Make sure that your gear is representative about how you feel as a musician. Look back at what other musicians you respect have done and use this foundation as a basis for you to build your own sound out of. You will know you have the right sound out of it when you feel like it is a good fit to yourself as a player.

Leo:
Especially if you are striving to be a professional musician, having great gear is absolutely necessary. Though high end gear is expensive, I always find that it is an investment that pays for itself. Great gear will make you sound better as a player in the practice room and live, which will ultimately transmit a more positive image of yourself to your audience. Great gear is like wearing a great outfit: how you present yourself is fundamental for how you want people to perceive you.

Leo:
I’ve had a number of epic moments in my growing music career, but I will choose to tell a story from when I was starting out and had just moved to New York from Brazil. At that time (I was 14 or 15 years old), I spent a great deal of my free time transcribing music for hours at end (including all instruments, from bass to guitar to drums…everything!). One day I had the crazy idea of tackling some material by one of my favorite bands at the time, a legendary underground Technical Metal band called Spastic Ink, who plays extremely complex music. Because I had no life, I spent hours upon hours writing out every part, note for note, and finally decided to send the final product to Ron Jarzombek (the band’s guitarist) and Bobby Jarzombek (the drummer). Not only were they very impressed that a teenage kid had gone through that ordeal, Ron sent me an autographed CD of the band and I later got to meet Bobby in person when he played a concert in town, after he also sent me an autographed piece of music from the band. That is still today one of my proudest achievements and it helped me see that perhaps this musical journey is not so out of reach as it seems!