The Druid Drummer, a singular musical entity hailing from Kalamazoo, Michigan, captivates audiences with his innovative and primal soundscapes that transcend conventional music. In this episode, we delve into the artistry and inspiration behind his unique performances, which serve as both a powerful form of self-expression and a conduit for audience connection to their inner rhythms. The Druid Drummer illustrates how his Celtic roots and profound reverence for nature inform his creative process, culminating in immersive experiences that blur the boundaries between sound and emotion. We explore the significance of his signature piece, "Call of the Forest," which embodies his artistic essence and resonates deeply with listeners. Join us as we unpack the intricate layers of his musical journey and the philosophies that drive his captivating performances.

The Druid Drummer on Facebook

The Druid Drummer on Spotify

Welcome to Front Row, Backstage, the show that takes you behind the velvet ropes of the media world.

I'm LCC student Greg Trimmer, and each week we'll explore the stars you see on screen, stage and radio, and the tech and talent making the magic happen behind it. From unsung heroes to spotlight sensations, we've got the stories you won't hear anywhere else. So grab your popcorn and let's dive in.

Welcome to Front Row, Backstage. Today we have the pleasure of introducing the Druid Drummer, an unorthodox solo musical act. Hailing from Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Known for his mesmerizing performances, the Druid Drummer creates primal soundscapes and transcends traditional music. His work serves as both powerful form of self expression and an invitation for audiences to connect with their own inner rhythm.

Each performance is an immersive experience where the boundaries between sound and emotional blur. Embodying the raw essence of human spirit.

With a style that is deeply personal, yet universally resonant, the Druid Drummer's artistry leaves a lasting impression, drawing listeners into a space where rhythm becomes a shared language. Let's explore this creativity and inspiration behind this extraordinary musical journey. Welcome.

Hey, Greg, how are you?

Great. Oh, and by the way, he happens to be a friend of mine named Colin, and he's an amazing dude. Go back.

Just so you guys are aware, Colin, tell us a little bit about where this all started, where your passion came from. What all of a sudden was like, hey, I'm gonna make a musical drumming act. That or I'm a Druid.

Yeah, well, I started drumming around the age of 16, so it's been about years now. This is a new act for me. It's only a couple years old now.

I guess where that came from is I love to spend time in nature and I have Celtic roots, and everything seemed to kind of blend together. So this is kind of my first time with an act that is 100% me.

You know, in the past, I've been in bands where you're collaborating and finding the middle ground to mesh with other musicians. First time that I can just be me and not really think about how is this going to work with somebody else. And so, yeah, so before we dive.

In too far, I want to give listeners a little bit of a sample of what exactly it is you do so that they can kind of understand a little bit about it.

I mean, we can go on and on about how you design things and where it comes from and the fact that you're like a Druid based kind of Celtic style, drummer. Ish. But, like, it's really its own kind of thing, and I want to give people a little sample of that.

All right, perfect.

So that was just a little bit of a taste of exactly kind of what Colin does. That's just a short clip of the song. But that song specifically is called the Call of the Forest, correct? Yep.

So tell us a little bit about what inspired that song. I've seen you, like, at tons of different ren fairs and stuff, and that's, like, kind of a staple song that I hear you play quite a bit.

So, like, what. What inspired that? Because it seems to be a rather, like, pinnacle song for you.

Yeah. So I think it's kind of the heart of the idea of the music mixed with who I am. I've always felt drawn to the forest.

I always tell people that's where I feel most at home to me. You know, nature and the elements, that's all real life. And this kind of safety of society is more of a little game to me, a fun one.

But to me, going out in nature has always been a great teacher. You know, just being out there and listening, observing, and taking in what it has to offer.

And that song, to me, is kind of the energy that pulls me in. And through that song, there's a part where the drums kind of fade out and come back in. And to me, artistically, that represents.

You know, sometimes you get caught up in the busyness of life and job and friendships, relationships, all of that. But even if that fades out, to me, it always comes back. It always kind of draws me back into the woods.

That's amazing. You play it quite often at your shows, and, like, I. I can tell, like, it's a very meaningful song for you.

And honestly, it's probably one of my favorite songs that I get to hear you. Hear you play because there's just so much variation and so much. When I listen to that song, I feel the artistry that you put into it.

Thank you.

Yeah, obviously, I mentioned that you play it a lot of Ren Faires. That's where I met you. Through Magical Realm Fantasy Fair.

Was that, like, your first inclination was to just play at Ren Faires when you were creating this sound? Like, what got you started in that scene?

So, gosh, when I. When I started the project, it was originally mostly for me. And then once I had enough songs where I thought, hey, this is a.

This is long enough for a set, and I started brainstorming where I could go. And locally, there was a mead hall called Valhalla in Kalamazoo, and I found out that they had open mics. So one night I, you know, brought all the.

All the drums and did an open mic.

And it just so happened that Bunny, who is a person that puts on Royal Stag, they were there and encouraged me to get into the whole Renaissance Fair, Fantasy Fair scene. So kind of hit the ground running there and had a nice first year where I was lucky enough to get into a few of them.

And over my second year this summer, I've built a longer list of events that I've been at and very lucky to have gotten into so many great places.

This is only your second year doing the circuit.

Yes. Yeah, that's.

That's incredible. I actually didn't even know that. That's, like, incredible considering.

Like, considering you were able to actually get a couple weeks as a performer at Murph this year. And for those of you that don't know what Murph is, it's the Michigan Renaissance Festival. It's like the biggest one in Michigan in Holly.

I'm sure a lot of you have heard of it. Yeah. And not only that, but one of the weeks you were able to be playing at the Guinness.

Yes.

With Plethora, right?

Yes, Plethora and Coal Black Rose. Yes. Were a couple of staples there. So that was. That was fun.

Yeah. I mean, I didn't even know this was only your second year. It's extremely impressive that you were able to get into such a, like, coveted spot.

Yeah, no, that was very fortunate. So I guess a little more about that. Gosh, it would have been two winters ago was when I started building the kit and started writing songs.

Made that debut open mic in the spring. Played a season, just finished up my second season. So that's just a little baby, you know.

That's wild. Yeah. For those of you that don't know what Plethora is or Cole Black Rose, they are other bands that play at ren fairs.

Oh, check them out.

Yes, Check them out for sure. What inspired the name Druid Drummer?

I know, like, it's this whole act, like, where it's, like, nature esque and, like, Call of the Forest is the name of this main song. Right. And, like, is that really just the core of what inspired this name or what brought you to that?

So I guess it's a blend of, you know, respecting nature, learning from nature. And I have cultic roots. My grandmother actually spoke Gaelic.

And if you say my first and last name five times fast enough, you might see a leprechaun scurry By. So it's kind of an homage to that. And Colin McKinnon.

Colin Mc.

Just a little one. Yeah.

So I'm not kidding, guys. It was running through the studio.

I'm just saying, like, buckle shoes and everything. Left a. Left a trail of glittering shamrocks.

A couple little gold pieces fell out of his. Out of his cauldron as he was.

Running by those chocolate coins. But, yeah, it's inspired from my Celtic roots. And, you know, it's funny, the Druids, we don't know a whole lot about them.

It was kind of an ancient culture. Some people think that it was a religion, but it was more of a title that you earn, similar to these days, you know, Dr.

Something like that, where they would train 12 to 20 years to earn the title and they didn't write anything down. Everything was oral tradition.

So the accounts that we have of the ancient Druids are actually all from the Roman Catholics and Caesar, which they kind of had a reputation for propaganda against anyone with differing views. So there's the whole human sacrifice thing, which that was probably not a thing.

One thing that is known about the Druids was they were actually not into capital punishment. So, you know, it doesn't mix.

So what you're telling me is that if I create a Druid character in D and D, I should not make them chaotic? Evil.

Yes. Make them probably neutral. Good. Yeah. So. Well, I'm not a historian, but.

No, but that's the.

Like, knowing that, you know, that history is important because I think it shows the listeners that you didn't just, like, come up with this name because you're a D and D nerd and you wanted to be called a Druid. Like, you. You really took care in the naming process and the formulation of this musical act, which I think is.

I think is a hugely important part of artistry. I feel like people. People start something and people get into some form of artistry and they're developing their form of artistry, and it's.

Sometimes it's a bit clumsy, you know, but, like, I think. I think talking about the history behind it and showing the listeners that, you know, that stuff, it just.

It shows that you took care in forming your artistry.

Yes. Yeah. And there were. It was. It took a while to arrive at that name.

I had a couple other ones in my head, and I believe the first one was something along the lines of, like, the shaman drummer, but it didn't feel like me, you know, if that. If that makes sense.

Yes. It also feels a lot more not that the druids were not, like, good people or anything, but, like, it just feels for a drummer.

And being a shaman, I feel like the style just doesn't match that name. Like, it's. It's like shamans are more like pacifists, like Goody Two Shoes, like. Like apothecary, spiritual, like.

And Druids are a lot more like, hey, we're in tune with nature, but we still drink. We do. Like, you know, they're still, like.

They're like the ancient hippies that have been forgotten.

That's interesting to know about that process, though. A lot of people don't understand what can go into the process of, like, naming your act.

Yes.

So it's hugely important part, not only from a marketing standpoint, but from just from a, like, artistry standpoint in trying to be true to what you do and what you are. And I think that's important.

Yeah. I think art needs to be authentic.

I think listeners can immediately see when, you know, I won't name any artists out there, but I think people can kind of feel when they're not doing it for the music, they have other motives.

Yeah, for sure. I mean, like, and this whole AI craze is killing me, and I hate it so much. And not just with music.

Like, artistry as a whole is definitely suffering because of this whole AI craze. Because people think, oh, I'm just gonna, you know, create a logo and just have chatgpt do it. And that's like. That's soulless.

And the thing is, a lot of times when people are doing that, it may not be, like, stealing the whole thing from that, but. But it's dissecting things from other people's work to create what it creates. That's kind of, to me, that's theft.

Yeah.

But moving on a little bit, one of the things you've mentioned before as a way to describe your act is that you're crafting primal soundscapes.

Yes.

So when you're writing a song, because obviously it's very interesting, it's only drums and some little bit of cymbals and some bells, but it's all just percussion. And you say it's primal.

So what gets you into that headspace, and what is that process you go through in trying to create what you're calling a primal soundscape?

Right. Well, for the listeners out there, I play the drums standing up.

I've got five drums and a cymbal, but then I have a tambourine on one knee and a shaker on the other, so I can stomp around and make noise that way. So, yeah, I try to get out of a mind space that is thinking in words and is thinking more in rhythms or patterns that comes out many different ways.

I think a lot of this music more comes to me rather than. I'm kind of like, I created this music. It's more of. I feel like more of a conduit to music. Kind of uses me to express itself in a way.

For example, dawn, the first track on my demo was kind of one of those moments where the brain was turned off and my hands were just kind of doing what they do and they found a pretty melodic rhythm and just went with that. So there's also. I take pride in having my pieces be as melodic as possible while being percussive.

You know, I don't have a xylophone or a guitar or anything like that. So letting the drums be the melody has been an interesting thing to explore as well.

Yeah. Yeah. That's amazing. I think the first time I heard.

You play the Naughty Gnome Tavern, the.

Naughty Gnome Tavern at the Magical Realm Fantasy Fair, again, Shout out, I sat there and.

Well, actually, I kind of met you earlier in the day because I, for those of you don't know, I'm on staff for Magical Realm Fantasy Fair and I work in the kitchen feeding all of our entertainers and volunteers and vendors and such.

Thank you, by the way.

And I had met Colin when he came in to get food, and I instantly thought he was one of the coolest people I ever met. Oh, gosh. And so I'm like, all right.

I turned to my friend Alex and I said, all right, we have to make sure we catch his act in the Naughty Gnome Tavern at some point today. So after lunch was over and things had calmed down, we went out to enjoy the festival a little bit. And we went in there to see one of his acts.

And I was just sitting there honestly captivated.

And one of the things that really impressed me, and I didn't even know that this is one of the things that he used to describe his act specifically was his.

And I don't know if I really described it as human spirit at that point, but, like, I could just tell the spirit that you had behind behind it was incredible and passionate and true artistry. And I could just tell that what you were putting into those drums was you.

And then come to find out later down the road, one of the things you use to describe your act is that it embodies human spirit as sound.

Yes.

Tell us A little bit about how you think that happens and that comes to you. And how do you hope, I guess, that your music impacts listeners on a personal level?

I personally believe that music is one of the most powerful forms of magic. And I don't mean that in a. I cast Fireball kind of way, but I. I mean it in a way that if you look at it physically and when.

What it really is, you know, sound is just vibration. So it's wiggly air, right?

I mean, yeah, it's air particles hitting other air particles that create. Then create vibrations through the air. And it's.

Yeah. And so there's different combinations of sound can make you feel just a wide variety of emotions.

And one of the listeners at a show came up to me after and said, you know, their. Their daughter described music as emotion put into sound. And I like that. That kind of resonated with me.

But I think the fact that we have wiggly air that can make you cry, that. That's just like, one of the most amazing things to me.

You know, there's so many songs that have, you know, just brought me to tears or just bring such elation, or they. They strike a nerve with, you know, touching on the darker sides, you know, anger and sadness, and it's a powerful force. And I.

I think, in turn, musicians, whether they know it or not, they're some form of magician.

And I kind of want to use that as a way to bring people not necessarily specific emotions, but kind of help them connect to, you know, that more primitive thing of where we came from as humans, and hopefully remind them to slow down, take a breath. You know, there's more to life than work and the busy and everything like that.

So I hope that what I can bring to the listeners is more peace or allow them to use my music as a tool. I've had some people tell me they. They use it for D and D sessions, for ambience. I've heard some people, they.

They'll have it as background music while playing Civilization, if you're familiar with that game.

Yes, Specifically, friend of mine, Alex, that you also know. Yes, he. Him and I have land parties once a month for Civ 6.

Yes. Yeah. So, you know, play the druid next time. You're in the beginning stages of that game. So I think it'd be very fitting.

Too, because I usually. Me, personally, I usually play Montezuma, so.

Yes. Yes. Well, he. Yeah, well, we won't get in too much into Civ. But Montezuma is a very overpowered late. Late in the game.

But, yeah, some people have used it for meditative purposes, and I don't know. So there's a wide variety. But I think my music is very much my own. And what I say sometimes is I've created a fire.

And this fire cannot be seen, but it can be felt if you listen very closely. You know, I made. I made the fire to keep myself warm.

But if it keeps you warm, there's plenty of space around my fire for anybody that wants to stand around. So if you dig it, that's really awesome. If you don't, that's all right. So gonna keep being me and, you know, just unapologetically my spirit.

So I love that. So I have one more quick question. What advice would you give to aspiring solo musicians that are looking to create something unique like you have?

That's a good question. Be you and don't. Don't consider, you know, oh, what are people going to think about this?

Because I would never have imagined if you told me when I was 20 years old that I was going to be playing at fantasy fairs and renaissance fairs, dressed up and in garb with this unorthodox drums, I would not have believed you. So follow your own path and it will lead you to where you need to be and it will attract the people that you belong with.

And if I can have a solo act as a percussionist, anybody can do it.

All right, well, Colin, AKA the druid drummer, thank you so much for joining us on front row backstage today.

Yeah, thanks. Thank you for having me.

And he does not have any upcoming shows quite yet. He is on a little bit of a break right now.

However. However, Yes, I will be in the studio recording my first full album, hoping to release that next April.

Yeah, look out for that, guys. And then after that, you can catch him on multiple Michigan wide Renfrey circuit. Thank you for joining and have an amazing day.

Thanks for tuning in to front row backstage. We hope you enjoyed this week behind the curtains of the media world.

Don't forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram for more information. And join us next week for more stories from the front lines of entertainment.

Until then, stay tuned because whether it's on stage, behind the scenes, or over the airwaves, the real action is everywhere.