#424 Trevor Lawrence Jr.- Drummer, Composer, Inventor and More!
Trevor Lawrence Jr. was born to Lynda Laurence (formerly of the Supremes) and Trevor Lawrence (Writer/Producer/ Saxophonist). Both of Trevor’s parents were original members of Stevie Wonder’s Wonderland band which brought you: Songs in The Key Of Life, Inner Visions and other Classic American Music History. After Stevie Wonder, Lynda Laurence went on to become a Supreme on Motown. She joined the group when Diana Ross left and Jean Terrell took the lead spot. (Floy Joy)
Trevor comes from a musical family. Trevor’s grandfather Ira Tucker is credited as one of the forefathers of gospel music and has won a Grammy (1974) with the group, which he was with for over 60 years, The Dixie Hummingbirds. Trevor’s aunt Sundray Tucker aka “aunt Sandra” also sang with Stevie Wonder and countless others including Patti LaBelle.
“TrevBeats” (a name given to Trevor when he shot the pilot to his cooking & music show Beats & Eats w/ Cedric the Entertainer) began playing the drums at age 2. “I couldn’t sit and play so I had to stand up for the first couple of years,” says Trev.” Music is all I know, and a little about cooking.”
By the age of 18 and a senior Trevor graduated from Hamilton with two scholarships one from Capitol Records (the Nat King Cole Scholarship) and the other the Lieber and Stoller Award from ASCAP. Trevor attended USC for 2 and half years and then transferred to Cal Arts and then transferred to the real world.
“The most important thing that happened to me in my first year of college was that producer Greg Porree’ (father of Justin poree’ of Ozomatli, Trevor used to give Justin Drum lessons) called me for my first real record date with an artist named Vinx on Sting’s Pangea record label. I played on two or three songs and that really changed my life. I decided that I really wanted to get into the art of recording. I started collecting snares and before I really had a set of decent recording drums Harvey Mason used to let me use his drumset to record, which was awesome.”
Trevor went on to record with artists like “Macy Gray, Boys II Men, Dr. Dre, Peter Himmelman and a host of others before getting a very interesting call. “One Day I was at my Dad’s studio working with him on a movie(To Sir With Love II with Sidney Portier) and I got a call from at the time A&R at A&m records Junior Regisford I picked up the phone and he said “Hi Trev hold on someone wants to speak to you” he clicked over and on three-way he had Terri Lewis from Jimmy Jam and Terri Lewis. I nearly fell over. I had played on a record for Jimmy and Terri and they liked it and had a new group coming out named SOLO that was going on tour so in 24 hours I left warm Los Angeles in February and flew to Freezing Minneapolis where I rehearsed and learned about being on the road for the first time. We opened for Michael Bolton in Europe for a month and then we hit America with R. Kelly, LL Cool J and Xscape. It was an introduction to Sheds(large concert venues) crowds, tour busses, and everything I ever dreamed Touring would be.
I worked and worked and tried to build up my body of work and my name and here I am today still learning a lot. In 2004 I went on tour to Europe with Macy Gray, played on Stevie Wonders A Time To Love Album, played on Ashanti’s 3rd album (I also played on her first album) and went To Africa back to back with Stevie wonder and Stanley Clarke a week apart. It’s weird how life is. I have pictures of Stevie holding me as a Baby and I worked with him 30 years later than my parents did.
In 2001 I met super producer 7 Aurelius who is responsible for a great number of hits with artists like Ashanti, JaRule, Eve, and Jennifer Lopez. I worked with 7 for several years and we did Lionel Richie’s album Just For You(2004) together and I co- wrote 4 songs on that one. And 7 is also the reason I met and co-wrote a song on Mariah Carey’s album Charmbracelet. “We had a Sound” together and also we have a great chemistry in the studio.
After touring the world with Stevie wonder and doing the Live 8 concert for over a Million people in Philadelphia, I continued doing studio work with Scott Storch, Mike Elizondo and many others in Los Angeles. I got a call from a friend of mine, Terrace Martin who put me in touch with Snoop’s camp. I toured the world with Snoop and now my drum kits from those tours are on display at Hard Rock in Las Vegas and India.
In 2008, after Snoop I began doing more session with Dr. Dre. I started with him on and off in ’94 and did SNL with him in ’96 and ’98. Those sessions ended up with me joining the Aftermath Family and Production Team. I went on to have over 30 releases with Dre and we are still working strong today with some great things in store. Along the way I have been fortunate to work with Hans Zimmer on “Man of Steel” as well as many other Producers on records and Movies like “American Hustle” and even the most recent “Halo 5” video game.
I ended up getting involved in the Music Software business with a great company called MVP Loops. We successfully launched several software titles and have many more to come. Now in 2016 I have become co-owner of the Parent Company VIP Loops. The journey has been long and it still feels like it has just begun. I thank all of the companies that support me.”
Most recently I have been apart of several projects and releases such as: The Big Short, Anthony Hamilton's newest album as well as Lianne La Havas, Euge Groove's Latest album, Leann Rimes latest upcoming Album, Herbie Hancock's upcoming album, rapper YG's upcoming album as well as newcomers: Banks, Charlotte OC, and Daye Jack.
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday to Chris Smith! Chief Musician Chris Smith, joined the United States Coast Guard Band in February 2005. Originally from Danbury, Connecticut, MUC Smith did his undergraduate studies at the Hartt School in Hartford, Connecticut. He studied percussion with Benjamin Toth, orchestral percussion with Mike Werner of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, hand drumming with Glen Velez, Latin percussion with Johnny Almendra, and timpani with Alexander Lepak. MUC Smith has performed regularly with the New Haven Symphony, Orchestra New England, Bridgeport Symphony, Waterbury Symphony, and Ridgefield Symphony, as well as freelancing on the steel drums throughout the Northeast.
Happy Birthday to Brendan Mason! Brendan is an active teacher, performer, composer, and clinician in the New England area. He currently teaches general and instrumental music at East Shoreline Catholic Academy in Branford, CT (previously Saint Mary School) and serves as the Assistant Marching Band Director for Jonathon Law High School in Milford, CT. He provides private lessons to many students of all ages in the New England Area. Brendan also has served as caption head or technician to several area drum lines and percussion sections including the Cheshire High School Marching Band, Col. John Chester Drum Corps, Connecticut Patriots Drum Corps, The Stony Creek Drum Corps and the 7th Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps. He has provided clinics and workshops all over the United States and Europe, including a 2014 presentation for the Percussive Arts Society International Convention in Indianapolis, a series of performances throughout China, a week of clinics in Singapore for the Singapore Armed Forces Band and for The Royal Marine School of Music in Portsmouth, UK.
Brendan is a student of Ed Rhodes, Bob Rush, Paul Cormier, Mike Gagnon, Matt Mayotte, Tim Cecil and later studied under Ken Green while attending Northwestern State University of Louisiana where he pursued a degree in music education and percussion performance. Brendan started playing rudimental snare drum at the age of 6 as a member of the Col. John Chester Drum Corps. He soon began competing individually through the Corps, winning honors at the Connecticut, Massachusetts, Hudson Valley, and Northeastern States Championships. At age 9, Brendan became the youngest drummer to hold The Dan English Trophy as the Connecticut State Junior Snare Drum Champion, a distinction he has won more times than any other individual. In addition to teaching, Brendan is a member of the Connecticut Patriots Drum Corps. He has also performed with the Middlesex County Volunteers and The Top Secret Drum Corps of Basel, Switzerland. Through these groups, Brendan has toured both nationally and internationally, performing in Switzerland, France, Germany, and Australia. He has individually performed with notable musicians, such as Shania Twain, and was featured on an ESPN recording. Brendan is a proud member of The Company of Fifers and Drummers, USARD and NARD. He is also an endorsee of The Cooperman Drum Company, Innovative Percussion, ProLogix Percussion, and Loyal Drums.
Happy Birthday to Juels Thomas! Juels Thomas has never lived in a house without a drumset. She thinks this is normal. Her father was a drummer and started teaching her to play at the age of five. From there, she went on to march snare all four years of high school, graduate with a BA in Professional Music Business from Berklee College of Music in Boston and is currently the Director of Marketing and Artist Relations for Drum Workshop, Inc., which includes DW Drums, DWe, Gretsch Drums, Latin Percussion, Pacific Drums & Percussion and Slingerland. Juels is involved in the marketing strategy, planning and budgeting for all DW brands as well as overseeing artist and industry relations globally. She also manages the company’s trade show presence, clinic tours, artist sessions and participation at music festivals all over the world. Juels has been an active Advisory Member of the Percussive Arts Society’s Drumset Committee since 2008 and currently serves on PAS’s Board of Directors.
Happy Birthday to Fausto Cuevas III! Fausto Cuevas is a native of Brownsville, Texas, where he began playing drums at the age of 11. He continued throughout grade and high school, making his way to Boston's Berklee College of Music, where he discovered his love for percussion and studied with Giovanni Hidalgo and Horacio "El Negro" Hernandez.
From Boston, Fausto traveled to Los Angeles where he currently resides.
In addition to performances at the famed Playboy Jazz Festival and The Blue Note in New York City, Fausto has recorded, performed and toured with artists & projects ranging from Latin to Legend, including Julio Iglesias, Celia Cruz, Teena Marie, Cheo Feliciano, Al Jarreau, Tito Nieves, Nestor Torres, Roy Hargrove, and Britney Spears (who he joined for her Onyx Hotel 2004 World Tour).
Fausto recently completed the Sugarwater Festival with Queen Latifah and the High School Musical - The Concert Tour; performed at the World Music and Lady of Soul Music Awards with Sheila E and Amerie; the City of Hope Benefit with Rickey Minor Band and Taylor Hicks; and the Tobago Jazz Festival with Natalie Cole, Vanessa Williams, Patti LaBelle, Najee, and Johnny Gil.
Happy Birthday to Diego Alvarez! Diego "El Negro" Alvarez, is a master cajón player born in Venezuela. He lived 16 years in Spain where he developed his career alongside the most prestigious flamenco dance companies such as Joaquin Cortez, Antonio Canales, Sara Baras, Nuevo Ballet Español and Paco Peña among others. With more than 12 nominations to the Latin Grammys, winner of a Latin Grammy in 2010 for best Rock album of the year for "Sera" by La Vida Boheme. Promoting El Cajon as a universal instrument, showing its main roots the Peruvian and the flamenco. Now lives in Los Angeles California, where he continues working with different musical projects between flamenco and jazz.
Happy Birthday to Dr. Andy Bliss! Andy is a solo artist, conductor, curator, and educator who maintains a dynamic career of musical collaboration. Residing in Knoxville, TN, his performances have been heard locally at the Tennessee Theatre and the Knoxville Museum of Art, and abroad in locations such as the Darmstadt Summer Course for New Music (Germany), the Banff Centre for the Arts (Canada), the Patagonia Percussion Festival (Argentina), the LiveWire Festival in Baltimore, and Stanford’s Cantor Center for Visual Arts.
Andy is the Artistic Director of Nief-Norf, whose summer festival is now in its tenth year; there he performs, teaches, and conducts while curating a dozen concerts annually. Additionally, since 2011, Andy has served as the Director of Percussion Studies at the University of Tennessee. He is proud to be a Yamaha Performing Artist and thanks Zildjian, Innovative Percussion, Evans, Black Swamp, and Meinl Percussion for their generous support.
Happy Birthday to Tom Rarick! Master Sgt. Tom Rarick who is a percussionist with the Ceremonial Brass, The United States Air Force Band, Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington, D.C. A native of Carlisle, Pennsylvania, his Air Force career began in 1997. A graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Rarick earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in percussion performance in 1996. His former teachers include Dr. Gary Olmstead, Dr. Jack Stamp and Mr. Ron Horner. Tom is also the percussion arranger for the Bluecoats Drum Corps.
Happy Birthday to Kai Stensgaard! Kai is internationally recognized as a leading concert marimba artist and composer from Denmark. KS specialized on marimba and studied at CSUN in Los Angels with Karen Ervin and in New York City with Leigh Stevens. KS is one of the pioneers in six mallet playing, and he has composed several works for six mallets. Amoung those a concerto for Marimba and Orchestra called “Concierto Mexicano” Many of his compositions and arrangements have been performed by marimba players all over the world. He has been giving concerts and clinics in Europe, USA, Puerto Rico, Argentina, Chile and Mexico.
He is the auther of the method for six mallet playing called “The Six mallet Grip” and has published 7 CDs and a DVD displaying his compositions and personal marimba style. He also premiered many works for marimba, among those a concerto for marimba and orchestra “Ballet in Dark” by Martin Knakkergaard. This piece was later choreographed for performance on the stage by a dancer from the Royal Danish Ballet. The project “Marimbas on Tour” is a concert tour he has done several times in Denmark and Mexico together with Marimba Nandayapa, Mexico. These concerts had focus on the modern marimba and the traditional Mexican marimba. -More
Happy Birthday to Nate Werth! Nate is one of today's most innovative and versatile percussionists. Hailing from Dyer, Indiana, his approach to diverse musical styles, as well as an inventive use of traditional and non-traditional percussion, defines his unique sound. Nate's musical career began at age 8 while taking orchestral percussion lessons. Soon after, he developed a love for all worlds of percussion. After years of practice, Nate decided to pursue a career in music. He subsequently attended the prestigious University of North Texas from 2001 to 2006, where he refined his technical skills and studied with legendary musicians and educators, including Poovalur Sriji, Jose Aponte, Gideon Alorwoyie, Paul Rennick, Christopher Deane, and Mark Ford.
After his formal studies, Nate quickly became a staple in the Dallas-Fort Worth R&B and Gospel music scene. Over the next 11 years, he formed intimate musical relationships with Grammy Award Winners Robert "Sput" Searight, Shaun Martin, and Bernard Wright. In 2013, Nate moved to New York City to further immerse himself in a wide array of musical cultures.
A Meinl Percussion, Meinl Cymbals, Tama Drums, and Vic Firth endorser, Nate has been actively recording and touring world wide for the past decade. He has worked with internationally acclaimed artists such as Snarky Puppy, Screaming Headless Torsos, David Crosby, Q-Tip, Lalah Hathaway, Susana Baca, The Lee Boys, Turkuaz, Myron Butler and Levi, Jamison Ross, and The Metropole Orchestra.
And Happy Birthday to this week’s guest Trevor Lawrence Jr.!
Gig Alerts
Blue Note’s Hollywood Bowl Jazz Festival will take place in Los Angeles, CA on June 14th and 15th. Friend of the show, Weedie Braimah and his group Hands of Time will be one of the participants.
Blue Note’s Black Radio Experience will happen again in Napa, CA on August 29th-31st.
The Oceans Calling Festival will take place in Ocean City, MD from September 26th-28th. Friend of the show Mike Bennett will be there performing with Natasha Bedingfield.
Summerfest is happening in Milwaukee, WI from June 19th-21st, 26th-28th and July 3rd-5th. Friend of the show J.J. Johnson will be there with Gary Clark Jr. Also, J.J, has joined instagram!!!
Despite hearing loss, legendary singer-songwriter Paul Simon is embarking on a spring and summer US tour, ‘A Quiet Celebration.’ -Read More
Friend of the show, Jamey Haddad will be joining him on percussion. Drummers Steve Gadd and Matt Chamberlain will be alternating tour dates on drums.
Educational Spotlight
Drumeo and Kenny Aronoff are hosting a drum chart writing course that starts on Feburary 17th.
The Drum Fantasy Camp is back in Los Angeles, CA from August 2nd-6th. The episode announced Dave Weckl and Dennis Chambers. As of posting, Peter Erskine has been added. One more drum legend will be announced soon!
Iconic Recording
Trevor picked the iconic recording for the week. It is “Moving on and Getting Over” by John Mayer, from the album, ‘The Search for Everything’. Here is the personnel listing.
Music News
President Trump is the new chair of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, following through on a promise the president made last week. He posted the following on the social media platform Truth Social on Wednesday afternoon. -Read More
The potential nominees for the 2025 class of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame have been announced. Friend of the show, Shawn Pelton has played in the house band for the induction ceremony in previous years.
Boyz II Men Deliver Letter Signed by Over 300 Major Recording Artists to Capitol Hill Lawmakers, Asking for Passage of American Music Fairness Act -Read More
Trevor Lawrence Jr. Interview
The song leading into the interview is “Kamala” by the BAT Trio from the ‘Honest Emotions’ album.
The interview starts with a checkup on Trevor and his family in the wake of the wildfires.
Damon and Trevor talk about musical instrument insurance and also shout-out to the guitar center foundation for the assistance they’re giving. The two most popular musical instrument insurance companies are Music Pro Insurance and Clarion Musical Instrument Insurance.
Trevor talks about being in college in 1994 during the Northridge Earthquake.
Trevor talks about being an entertainer and a citizen and how he balances that. He talks about being civically engaged in the community and current events.
Since the recording of this episode, the Fire Aid Festival has raised over $100 Million and is distributing the first $50 Million
Trevor presented at PASIC for the first time this past November.
Trevor was roomates with Gordon Campbell.
Trevor and Damon talk about vocabulary and genres. Specifically Gospel drumming and “Gospel Chops”.
Trevor talks about his sound and control over it, which was part of the clinic he presented.
Shout-out to Dave Weckl.
Damon brings up some of the beats Trevor created and produced.
Trevor kept his gear at Drum Paradise at one point.
Trevor is working on a documentary right now.
Trevor talks about his passive income. You can order his book on endorsements HERE.
Trevor attended USC.
Trevor also has a Splice pack and helped with the development of the DWe drums.
Multi-hyphenate = “Put some slashes behind your title” - Dr. Dre.
Trevor is an amateur photographer.
Trevor is also a Certified Chief Range Safety Officer and Firearms Instructor.
Trevor can cook (having gone to culinary school) as well as being a sneakerhead.
Damon and Trevor talk about timing and commonalities.
Trevor picks the iconic recording for the week. With some more research, this might be the first song Trevor references.
Shout-out to Manny Marroquin.
Trevor mentions his album “Relationships”
Shout-out to Ralph Penland, and Lance Lee.
Trevor uses DW Drums/DWe, Istanbul Agop Cymbals, Remo Drumheads, Warm Audio, Audix Mics, QSC, Lauten Audio, Big Fat Snare Drum, Latin Percussion Instruments, Splice, Native Instruments, Output, UVI, Vater Drumsticks, and Sensaphonics (and anyone else Trevor missed).
You can follow Trevor on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
The song leading out of the interview is “Blues for Russell” from the album ‘Honest Emotions’ by the BAT trio.
