Nashville Voyager
Today we’d like to introduce you to Dru Marshall.
Dru, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I was 8 years old when I first heard a drum solo. It was in a song called “Thinking of You” by Hanson. (Anyone remember “MMMbop?”) Suddenly I was hit with this feeling that I HAD to play drums. That day, I asked my dad to teach me a drum beat and from there, I had pure tunnel vision. All I wanted to do was drum!
I joined my first band in high school. We were a punk/ska band called Lithium and we played clubs, bars, and backyards all over South Florida. We even got to open for Lit! And speaking of South Florida here’s a fun fact: Joe Bart, the drummer for Priscilla Block used to come to Lithium shows back in the day. We grew up in the same scene and it’s really cool to see South Florida musicians are here in Nashville doing great things.
I spent many years playing in different bands, touring the country, and developing my skill set. In 2014, I was living in Los Angeles and started a band called Hotstop. We eventually inked a deal with Blue Élan Records and that was an amazing experience. We got to make a record with Dave Darling (Mötley Crüe, Def Leppard, Jack Johnson), toured for two years straight, and eventually ended up here in Nashville.
After giving the band our best shot, we split up and I decided to pivot and refocus my efforts. I realized that I would rather be a working drummer for multiple artists as opposed to a drummer playing with a single band.
In 2018, I began studying very closely with Mark Poiesz, a world-class drummer & coach and since then, I’ve played with dozens of artists here in Nashville and on the road. And here’s another fun fact: Mark used to work at my local drum shop in South Florida and our bands once played a show together before we knew each other!
I currently play with 5 primary artists: AJ Smith, Joshua Micah, Emily Blackbird, Christina Taylor, and Sykamore. I just completed a two-week East Coast tour with AJ and will be playing shows in California and Canada with Sykamore this summer.
I very much subscribe to the “no days off” mentality so if anyone needs a drummer in town or on the road, hit me up! drumarshall1@gmail.com or on Instagram @drumarshall1
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