Name: Tim Kerr aka Zatoichi

Date of Birth: 14/03/77

Status: Married

Tell us about yourself

I was born in Queensland, Australia on the Sunshine Coast. I live just down the road from the Big Pineapple, and about half an hour from Australia Zoo (Steve Irwin? Croikey? Ring any bells?) I''ve pretty much lived my whole life here, except for a couple of years in Brisbane while I was studying.

I have a wife of nearly 10 years and three fantastic children: two girls and a boy. My boy, Tom (2), has already cottoned onto the drums, and loves bashing away whenever he gets a chance, and sitting down watching drum DVDs with his old dad. He thinks every drummer is "daddy" - it''s nice being mistaken for Jojo Mayer, if only I had the chops to back it up!

My eldest, Lily (4), is more into ballet right now, and Jasmine is only 5 months old but loves music anyway.

I started my musical path in 1983. I was 6 and my parents enrolled me for organ and music theory lessons. I switched to piano when I was 11, and chucked it in altogether when I was sixteen. At the time I didn''t particularly enjoy these lessons, but I now appreciate the coordination and musical skills that I acquired. Apart from drums, I started playing bass guitar when I was twelve, and I still play. It helps me appreciate the rhythm section vibe, which means I can better relate to bass players that I work with.

When I left school, I auditioned at as many different universities as I could to do a Bachelor of Music. I didn''t get into any of them, so I started a Bachelor of Science and went and jammed and gigged with the B.Mus students anyway. The lecturer who originally auditioned me heard me play at one point. He came up and asked me why I wasn''t doing a B.Mus. "Because you didn''t want me," was my reply. Funnily, he didn''t know what to say after that... I supported myself by gigging and teaching drums throughout my time at uni.

I''ve spent most of my life teaching and playing drums. About two years ago, with the birth of my second child, I changed career for a while, more for stability of income than anything else. I started doing what I''m doing now: selling mobile phones and broadband. I still keep myself available for dep gigs and the occasional session, and I teach a few students on my day off.

How and when did you get into drumming?

I was eight, and it was 1985. Apparently I was advanced for my age, so the schoolwork was too easy. I''d finish it quickly and then just read books or start annoying other kids. My teacher quickly realized that I needed something else to occupy me, so I was sent along to band lessons. I remember my first teacher was Mr Morgan, who tried to show me traditional grip, which I could never get the hang of. I also remember plugging away at pages from Syncopation on a practice pad.

My next teacher, Alan Kewley, showed me how to play a rock beat when I was 10, and according to my Dad, "it was all downhill from there."

Dad caved in and bought me my first drum kit the next year. It was a Boston 4 piece kit in gold wrap and cost a grand total of $100 from the pawn shop. I saved and saved, eventually got decent hardware and cymbals for it, and later bought my own kit - a Pearl Export - a few years later.

What are you doing musically at present?

I play regularly at my church, which is two to three Sundays a month, AM and PM services. I''m also a music director there, responsible for running rehearsals and preparing for events. I also arrange the songs and try to tailor them to the band that''s playing them. I really enjoy coaching the team and the other drummers and watching them grow and develop their musical gifts.

I''m trying my hand at writing songs, but it''s a steep learning curve on that front - I''ve got a long way to go!

I also coach the drummers at my church and help them to play at their best. Every year I give a week of my time to go and drum tech for Easterfest, a large Christian music festival held over the Easter weekend. I also play for the church service on Easter Sunday night.

I completed my Master of Music last year. As part of the project, I wrote a drum method aimed at developing the skills needed to function as a working drummer. It''s not anti-technique, but more of a meat-and-potatoes book. My hope is that kids who use this method will come out the other end with their heads screwed on straight and not looking to blast their chops at every turn. I''m still looking for an avenue to get it published. The next step is to commence a Doctorate of Creative Industries, but this is on ice until the kids get a bit older.

Band-wise, I recorded a debut CD for a singer/songwriter in April. As I type this, I''m getting ready for a session tomorrow for a very unique band called Elvish. They''re a fantastic 4-piece band which is driven by the bass player - there are no guitarists in this band! This bassist strums and taps on a six-string bass to create the most intricate and musical bass parts I''ve heard in a long time. Their CD will be available in early July. Keep an eye out - it''s well worth listening to.

My Yamaha and Mapex kits get hired out to local recording studios on a regular basis, where the engineer is after a good sound and don''t have their own house kit.

Most memorable drumming experience?

- Seeing Grant Collins play live in 2002, then a few years later scoring a regular lesson slot with him. He''s really helped me fine-tune my technique and pushed me out of my comfort zone more times than I can count. He made me learn Steve Gadd''s Crazy Army solo and some Dennis Chambers stuff, and I''m forever grateful for that experience.

- Drum teching for David Jones, talking drums, technique and other things with him. He''s a bit of a Jedi master of drums - an absolute freak, but hardly anyone''s heard of him.

- Drum teching for the Easterfest (http://www.easterfest.com.au/home ) Mainstage. I''ve done that for 4 years now and I''ve had the privilege of working with some fantastic bands - The Newsboys, Superchick, Third Day, Sanctus Real and As I Lay Dying to name only very few. I''ve also played for the church service on the Sunday night, in front of a 10,000+ crowd.

Kit set up?

My main kit is a Yamaha Recording Custom from the mid to late 80''s. It comprises a 20" kick with 8", 10" and 12" rack toms along with 14" and 16" floor toms. I also have a five-piece Mapex Saturn Pro kit and a five-piece Premier kit from 1968.

I have a 14x5.5 Mapex Black panther maple snare, a 14x6.5 Pearl free-floating steel snare (for louder gigs) and a 12x6 Yamaha Musashi.

Cymbal-wise, I use Meinl. I have a 22" Spectrum ride, 16" and 17" Byzance crashes, a 10" Byzance splash, an 18" Sound Formula thin china and 13" Zildjian K/Z hats. I also have a set of Gen-X Safari cymbals and a set of 10" Classics mini hats.

I use Pro Mark sticks: Benny Greb signature and SD4, as well as Lightning Rods. I have a set of Vic Firth Steve Gadd brushes which are fantastic.

I have a rehearsal room full of other drums, cymbals and bits and pieces that are too numerous to mention.

Favourite drummers and why?

Rick Allen, for his attitude to life and for being able to do what he does with one

Chad Smith and Aaron Comess, for being my early influences (I heard Blood Sugar Sex Magik for the first time in 1992 and saw the Spin Doctors live in 1993).

Jojo Mayer, for his technique. In my opinion, he''s arguably the closest thing we have to a modern Buddy Rich.

Mark Schulman, for his fantastic attitude and amazing groove.

Grant Collins, for his amazing compositional approach to drumming, his infectious enthusiasm, and his approachability.

Favourite drum DVD?

Secret Weapons has it hands down. However, I do enjoy Marco Minnemann''s DVD, along with Carter Beauford''s Under the Table and Drumming.

Favourite bit of kit?

There''s a few.

- My Spectrum ride, which seems to give me the best of both worlds. It''s a nice thin washy cymbal with a great bell.

- My Safari cymbals are awesome. Having the ability to simulate a loop/sample sound and create a "kit within a kit" sound is extremely valuable. By buying these cymbals it''s nearly doubled the versatility of my kit.

- I recently got two Futz pedals that I have found to be fantastic. They are the most portable and useable practice pedal option I''ve ever come across.

Anything you would like to add?

It''s annoying being 10 hours out of alignment with most of you MD forumites. One day I''ll come over and show you how it''s really done! I''d love to meet you all in the flesh and see you play. I''m also insanely jealous of your access to all the top artists that seem to tour at will and just the sheer amount of culture that''s available within a few hours'' drive. Australia is a bit of a backwater in that regard.

Kudos to Mike and Gerry for producing and maintaining such a fantastic website and forum. Thanks for letting me have this opportunity to introduce myself! Thanks also to everyone who posts regularly. You''re a great bunch of guys and friendly enough (tolerant?) to an antipodean git. It''s been said time after time, but the drumming community is one of the most welcoming and encouraging places to be. Let''s keep it that way! Cheers!