Old Man Joins Group! Took twelve years off, now making a comeback!

My name's Verge. I used to play in a funk-punk-rock band called Quaker Youth Ensemble back in the early '90s in Chicago. We were nominated as Best Local Band in the 1991 Chicago Musician Awards alongside the Smashing Pumpkins, so we did pretty well on the local scene, and had a blast!

I learned to play blues while working security at Buddy Guy's Legends in Chicago; they used to make me go up and play on open mic night, and that's how I learned blues shuffles!

I also taught myself to play traditional grip, Gene Krupa-style big band swing music, and have played with the Michigan Technological University Research & Development Big Band. This was after having two surgeries on a severed Achilles tendon in my right leg (re-severed it after the first surgery!), and being away from the drums for seven years!

Now, five years later, I'm back playing drums in a Madison-based funk/bop/jazz/rock group called Four Lakes Five. You can check us out at www.fourlakesfive.wordpress.com, or just look up Four Lakes Five on Facebook or ReverbNation.

Looking forward to talking with you!

Verge