Mr. Idenden

What kind of music do you do?

I pretty much do whatever kind of music someone is willing to pay me for. I did actually go to school for music and was trained as classically as a percussionist can be trained, and I play in a cover/ party band that does lots of stuff.

What is the name of the band you play with?

I currently play with Ready, Set, Go!

What is your favorite memory in the band?

I’ve been playing with my current one for only a month, so not really.

How many instruments do you play?

Like attempt to play or actually play? Well I can pretty much play any percussion instrument with the exception of piano. I have tried to play piano but fingers are really not piano player shaped. There are short and stumpy and sausage-y.  Basically percussion and voice.

How did you get into music?

My earliest memory of wanting to be involved with music, I was four years old. I grew up in North Jersey, and where I grew up there was a park where they would do concerts every summer and the Garden State Concert Band would perform as part of it. My parents took me to it and about halfway through I pointed to the conductor and said “I want to meet that guy.”  

They took me up to him at the intermission; he was a guy named Dominick Ferrara and my father told him I wanted to come meet him. We talked for a few minutes. At four years old, conversation isn’t a strong point. But we continued to go to the concerts every summer.

As I got older, I got more and more involved in music. In my freshman year in high school, he offered me a position in the community band he directed as well. I joined and spent six years with them. As a result of working in that band, I did some paid work with him with the Garden State Marching Band.

He was the first person I would consider a mentor as far as a music career goes. He actually passed away about a month or so ago. I stayed in touch with him over the years. He was an incredible person.

One of my favorite music memories was as a result of working with him. We got to perform and the John Philip Sousa Festival.  We were conducted by one of the more well known symphonic band conductors in the world...Frederick Fennell...he was only about yea tall and he was like a wizard. He kept imploring me and my friend Joe, the other percussionist, to play louder. If you’re a percussionist, you’ll know that’s not something you’ll usually hear.

What was your favorite music venue that you’ve played at?

That would probably have to be a place in Manville that isn’t open anymore. It was called Rhythms. It had a stage set up and good sound and the whole deal.

What’s your favorite band to cover?

Probably the Foo Fighters--they’re one of my top five favorites of all time.

What are your others favorites?

Number one is the Who. Number two would be a tie between the Beatles and the Beach Boys, Number three would be Queen, Number Four would be Stevie Wonder and Number Five would be the Foo Fighters.   I listen to pretty much everything. If you were to look through my music library, you would think it was probably combined from five or six people.

What are your favorite songs to play?

I’ll give you my top two, because I would otherwise go on forever. God Only Knows by the Beach Boys. Number two: I can’t Make You Love Me by Bonnie Raitt.

What are some of your favorite musical experiences?

Probably my senior year in high school when my high school marching band performed at the marching band organization’s championship. It used to be held at Giants Stadium and took first place at the competition.  My band director, who was also a drummer, decided that we needed to actually do the middle part of Scenes from an Italian Restaurant with the piano part and the whole deal. They had a piano and a drumset set up in the stadium for us.  Being able to do that in all my long haired glory in front of everyone at Giants Stadium was pretty cool.

You look really happy in this picture.  Why do you think this is?

I was really happy because it was an evening performance and it was really beautiful outside and we had a good crowd and they were into the song we were playing.

Random Questions:

What is your favorite type of cookie?

Peanut Butter

Do you consider a hot dog a sandwich?

No.

Do you think of peanut butter as a solid or a liquid?

Unless it’s gone bad, a solid.