After being gifted a very rough & barely functional Ludwig Hollywood kit (gold sparkle) when I was around 9 years old, I was hooked on drums and played whenever I could. Throughout grade-school I was involved in some mixture of instructor-led study which went on for eight years plus concert, jazz, and marching disciplines. Post-grade school, I played professionally for five years, worked as an instructor for two years, and have been involved in drums and drumming since 1985. Some of the most memorable drummers who influenced me are Simon Philips, Bernard Purdie, Mitch Mitchell, Bill Ward, John Bonham, Clyde Stubblefield, Jeff Porcaro, Stewart Copeland, Neil Peart, Dave Weckl, Dom Famularo, Carter Beauford, Mike Portnoy, Vinnie Paul & Jim Chapin.

Later in my life, I've worked as a cloud engineer, helping various companies achieve their goals and honing my engineering abilities. At the same time, I found myself trying to find ways to stay connected to my passion of drums. In 2020, Jeannie and I decided we would take action and start a company. We weren't going to do what everyone else is doing or has done. We would re-imagine the drum from the ground-up, do it without compromises or apology, and take some bold steps for the future of drums & drumming.

I have been a CEO for a major non-profit for over a decade, served on executive boards, and gave my own time as a community leader in Denver over the years to help marginalized groups. Together, Adam and I combine my leadership and executive experience with Adam's engineering and drumming experience to start something very special in the drum & percussion community.

Early in 2020, we began to work on conceptualizing what would eventually be Sonique Drums. We spent the next two years designing, prototyping, and testing our own tension rods, lugs, snare strainer, and even the drum key. When the dust settled, we filed 34 patents in the U.S. and internationally; those IP filings continue to grow.

The last two years of R&D have produced an impressive list of achievements and are a testament to our attention to detail. An industry-first continuously adjustable snare strainer. Pioneering the unibody lug design that eliminates the swivel nut & spring. An industry-first 12-point drum key that improves tension rod engagement by 3x. And as we grow, our list of innovations that improve the drumming experience for artists will continue to grow too.