My family isn’t posh; they’re musicians.

My daughter, Gracie, is seven and she’s a lovely singer and dancer. She loves to play the piano. She’s a whole bundle of fun. Nothing’s certain in show business, so you have to be determined and dedicated. But as long as she’s happy, that’s all I can wish for her.

Drumming is my middle name.

People who are more privileged might have a history of violinists in their heritage. I’m the only musician in my family, which makes it a little difficult with questions like: “What College should I go to?” or “Where should I be playing?” It is difficult, and there are a lot people telling you not to [pursue it] because it’s so hard. Sometimes it can feel discouraging, but I’m someone who’s very driven all the time, especially in the face of negativity. It’s rare, in theatre, to see someone who looks like me and writes music, so that also drives me.

There ain't a note that I play on stage that can’t be traced back directly to my mother and father.

…The first girl I ever saw playing drums on television was Karen Carpenter, so I thought I play drums how come I don't have a television show?

My dad wrote a song about the people in the slides. I started playing harmonica. I was only six.

The musicians play their instruments. I play the orchestra.

For the longest time, I didn't know the name of anyone in Led Zeppelin. I didn't care about what they looked like or ate. I wanted to listen, not read about them. I've always had that philosophy. I never started playing drums to get chicks or money or anything else. Long before I had concepts of those things, I wanted to be a drummer. That's the basic concept of what I do. I'm a drummer. I play drums. We are artists as drummers, and people should realize that. Not everyone can sit down and use all four of your limbs simultaneously to create something out of wood and plastic. We're creating something beautiful, and it may not sound pretty, but if you listen with the right ear, it sounds very pretty. If you try and listen to a song without drums, you haven't got anything.

"I'm calm," Rachel insisted. "Every time I'm around you, some monsters attack us. What's to be nervous about?"
"Look," I said. "I'm sorry about the band room. I hope they didn't kick you our or anything."
"Nah. They asked me a lot of questions about you. I played dumb."
"Was it hard?" Annabeth asked.

When I tell my daughter, Wallace the story of the place she's from — when I play Muddy Waters or Son House or Skip James — I want her to see the complete picture. I want her to hear that music and know that people like us — planters and landowners, which we are — often caused the pain these musicians turned into beauty,

Musicians play their instruments. I play the orchestra.

I can count to four and repeat. I'm a drummer.

I’m just an autodidact who would like to be part of the family of artists.