Nic Marcy "I look at the drum kit like it's a chess board," says drummer, author and

instructor Nic Marcy. "It has infinite possibilities." Drumming has also provided many possibilities, opportunities and learning experiences for Marcy throughout his life and more than !"year professional music career# $riting five instructional books, playing hundreds of performances and recording sessions, touring $ith a variety of bands, and lessons from masterful teachers. %oday he's an accomplished drum instructor $ith his o$n teaching studio in the &ustin, %' area. Nic's playing as $ell mentoring as a teacher and author merge the best of master drum and percussion techni(ues $ith the art of creating music on the drum kit, )ust as he's done since his first gigs as a youngster and then as an )ourneyman musician playing rock, )a**, soul and pop. +is $ell"taught chops learned from talents like ,erklee -ollege of Music )a** legend &lan Da$son and others $ere honed the dependable old school $ay# long nights of multiple sets to packed clubs and venues in top regional groups. +is skills at transcribing and $riting drum parts enable Marcy to illuminate ho$ great drumming $orks and further educate drummers at every skill level. %o $it, Modern Drummer dubbed him "a .rankenstein of your favorite drummers." ,orn in /ueens, N0, Nic $as exposed to the beat early on by an uncle $ho drummed as a $eekend professional, and first played as a preschooler standing at the snare. &fter his family moved upstate to 1ndicott, N0, he $as up on the drum stool and taking lessons at age seven, and gigging $ith a )a** trio by the next year. "I played professionally $ith other musicians before I $as 2! years old," Marcy explains. ",y the time I started doing other styles of music $ith different musicians, I really had a natural feel." 1arly rock'n'roll and %op 3! hit radio further fired Nic's musical passions, and by his teens he $as drumming in a variety of groups and combos in the %riple -ities area of upstate Ne$ 0ork $here he lived. &t 24 years old he started visiting Ne$ 0ork -ity )a** clubs like the legendary ,irdland to hear master drummers like 1lvin 5ones, &rt ,lakey and Max 6oach. ,y the age of 23 he first hit the road to play clubs and nightspots throughout upstate. Nic studied $hile a teenaged $orking professional $ith %ony Montforte, the premier drum instructor in the %ri"-ities region. 7ater drum and percussion studies at ,erklee $ith Da$son 8 $ho $orked $ith such )a** giants as 7ionel +ampton, Dave ,rubeck, 9onny 6ollins, /uincy 5ones, -harles Mingus and ,ill 1vans, among others, and mentored future stars like %ony :illiams 8 intermingled $ith gigging throughout Ne$ 1ngland. ;ver the years, Marcy had his share of brushes $ith the big time as he played $ith bands and $orked on pro)ects in Ne$ 0ork, 7os &ngeles, <hiladelphia and the Mid$est and recorded at top studios like %he 6ecord <lant. In 2=>2, his band ,eggars ;pera hit ?2 on a number of upstate N0 %op 3! radio stations $ith their single "9hady 6osie." +e $as a member of a band called ,lack &ngus that became .ranke @ %he Anockouts, later managed a recording studio in his hometo$n area, and after moving to &ustin, %' drummed $ith blues guitar progeny and indie and ma)or label recording artist -hris %homas Aing. In 2==3 Marcy opened Nic's Drum 9tudio in the &ustin suburb of 6ound 6ock to offer

individuali*ed one"on"one lessons in a creative space to drummers at every skill level, from beginners to $orking professionals. +e also became friends $ith and took advanced lessons from contemporary drum icon %erry ,o**io, $ho $as living in &ustin at the time. &nd he began $orking on his long"held goal of sharing all the skills, techni(ues, insights and $isdom he gained over his many years as a professional drummer plus the many drum transcriptions he'd $ritten through a series of instructional books. In 4!!4, Nic self"published his first book, "1xotic -oordinations," follo$ed by "1xotic Interdependence," both positively revie$ed in Modern Drummer as "educational texts outlining the modern drummers' need to be $ell"rounded and challenged." +is next, "9olo Drumset," $as praised by fello$ drummer and author 1lliot .ine praised as "a springboard for the drumset soloist." &fter authoring the guide "Drumset for Musicians %hat Don't :ant to be Dummies," Marcy $rote his ne$est book, "%he <ulse of 5a**," for leading drum instruction publishers :i*dom Media. +undreds of drummers have by no$ passed through Nic's Drum 9tudio to become better players. Marcy also happily shares his transcriptions, tips and video mini"lessons on the Internet to help foster drum education. &nd he continues to further discover and explore the limitless rhythmic and musical possibilities of drums and percussion.