He used to watch her practice and perform on a regular basis, on many instruments and for a fleeting moment, he also found himself drawn to the piano…………. but despite her initial efforts to teach him the piano, he had already decided that drums were more suited to his skill set. Not only did it look cooler (of course!) but he also liked the physicality of the instrument and somehow found it easier to adapt to.
I was already able to play a basic Rock/Pop groove and a Shuffle groove with my hands and after I showed her what I had developed so far, she encouraged me to continue down this path and went on to show me how to incorporate the feet.
After watching and listening to as many bands and drummers as he could via the TV, radio, and his own record collection (There was no YouTube or Internet back then) he made the decision that he wanted to be in a band someday. Hopefully as a full-time occupation.
He would practice by playing along to records on his mother’s armchair (don’t tell her!) or on his bed with his foot on the floor to replicate playing the bass drum. He didn’t have practice pads OR a drum kit back then. His main influences to play along to being Phil Collins (Phil Collins & Genesis), Terry Williams (Dire Straits), Clem Burke (Blondie), Larry Mullen Jr (U2), Frank Beard (ZZ Top) and Denny Carmassi (Heart)
By this time, Andy’s older brother auditioned and had been accepted to join with a top-class local rock band called ‘Never Amber.’
Andy would frequently go to his band’s gigs to pick up whatever hints/tips he could, at first-hand about being in a band.
Once he had left school and managed to save enough money from working as an apprentice draughtsman/civil engineer (bearing in mind, he was only on £50 a week back then), he bought his first drum kit. A second hand, black ‘Premier Royale’ from his brother for £200.
The next problem was finding somewhere to practice (on an actual drum kit and not just the household furniture) without disturbing the neighbours.
This has been an obstacle ever since, especially for practicing on an acoustic drum kit. They are just too loud in a domestic setting.
Nowadays, unless he’s rehearsing with a band, he will still practice on pads or an electronic kit in his teaching studio.
It wasn’t long after obtaining this first drum kit that Andy managed to work his way into his first band. An outfit based in Ellon called ‘Subtle Contrast’. This allowed him to get his first few gigs under his belt, most of them unpaid but the experience proved invaluable.
A couple of years later, in 1986, Andy got into his first working band, ‘Bigfoot’. A local cover band who played gigs in pubs, clubs, and private venues. A band that had already been on the circuit for several years beforehand, so their experience certainly proved invaluable for assisting his initial development.
This was ideal for supplementing his meagre income from his daytime apprenticeship job and all the gigs took place over the weekend.
It paved the way for him to invest in his first brand new drum kit. A 7-piece Pearl Export with a mix of Sabian and Zildjian cymbals.
In 1988, Andy’s brother left ‘Never Amber’ and he was approached to take his place.
This was a dream come true for Andy and the timing could not have been better, as he had only just parted company with ‘Bigfoot’ and his draughtsman apprenticeship had also been completed.
It also gave him the opportunity to increase his actual gigging time and maybe be a step towards making music his full-time occupation, as they would be playing 5-6 nights every week.
Although the ‘full-time’ work only lasted a couple of years, due to the reduction in demand for gigs in the local music scene, Andy went on to consistently perform gigs on a part-time basis over the next 30+ years.
