Then and Now.....
It all started when I was a child of eleven or so and my Dad, a former dixieland drummer, gave me
my first Drum kit. He handed down his 1936 set of Slingerland drums. Gold and Black Lacquer,
they were really big. Twentyfour inch Bass drum, a six inch deep "Radio King" Snare and a thirteen
inch Tom, all with calf skin heads. Huge, Fat, Deep and Beautiful. It was "love" at first sight. I
practiced for hours everyday, playing to the recordings of soul artists Otis Redding and Clarence
Carter, the Delfonics, the Temptations and rock artists Steppinwolf, Cream, Hendrix, and Led
Zepplin. Eventually, I took music in High School and was a percussion major in Collage.
At some point, I had met the guy who lived behind me.
He was none other than local Atlanta guitarist
Dan Coy and my life changed. We would hang together and listen to 'Trane,
Miles, Bird, and the new electronic music of Soft Machine. It was bringing me back to the jazz roots
I got from my Father. About that time, John McLaughlin released "Inner Mounting Flame" and
that album became the single most instrumental influence on me up to that point. "This" I said, "is
the Shit!!!!" It was the blend of jazz, rock, power and raw emotion that had struck a chord in me.
From then on I was a convert.
Dan and I would continually meet up in various bands together, playing such old haunt’s as The 12th
Gate, The Speak Easy and E.J.’s. Eventually, the old "Agora Ballroom" would host the 94Q Jazz
Flavours Atlanta winners ... "Windows". In the end, this band would consist of Billy Davidow -
Keyboards, Mark Osieki - Bass, Dan and myself playing all original "fusion" music. For me, it was a
pinnacle moment in my Drumming Career.
By now, we were into the 80’s and sadly "fusion" was suffering a declining audience. I couldn’t
understand the public’s fickle nature as I continued to support such groups as Weather Report, Tony
Williams Lifetime, The Pat Matheny Group, Chick Corea’s Elektric Band, Jean-Luc Ponty and
George Duke. In the end, I decided I needed a respite to pursue other interests, namely: White
Water Canoeing, Long distance Trail riding on Horseback and Marriage.
About ‘92 or so, I caught the "music" fever again and began to teach myself piano. I soon began to
write and that would lead to the formation of the "Miller - McGovern Project" and later a band
called "Foul Play". It was these attemps that led me to decide that I needed more control over the
sound I wanted. I started buying studio gear and set up in the basement of the house. It is here that
"Forcast" was born.
