From Jazz To Serial Joe

Dan Stadnicki, who just turned fifteen, has been playing drums for two and a half years. His grandfather introduced him to jazz, which led Dan down the musical path trodden by such drumming champions as Buddy Rich and Gene Krupa. Now his interests lie with pop bands. While reading a previous issue of Drum Etc, Dan was inspired by an article on GLUELEG'S Christian Simpson who, like Dan, is a self-taught drummer. Dan came to the realization that he ought to be seeing beyond the drums, and he set about learning to play saxophone, guitar, and bass, as well as percussion. Meanwhile, he kept up serious drum studies with Rick Gratton, and he credits instructional books suck as Rick's Licks and Ted Reed's Syncopation.

Last summer, Dan's band Serial Joe performed at the now infamous Woodstock festival. Although they welcomed this, their first Stateside gig, the fun happened during their performance at Edgefest. Dan and the band got to hang out with some of their favorite bands: Silverchair, Finger 11, Gob, and Vertical Horizon. Once their initial jitters subsided - imagin the pressure of performing in front of their idols! - a great time was had by all. On Dan's fifteenth birthday, the band entered the studio to shoot a new video for the song "Deep," then performed in Montreal alongside Live, Edwin, and Moist. Serial Joe is looking forward to more touring this year and is grateful for the support they have received from family, fans, and especially their label, Aquarius Records.

Listening to Seiral Joe's CD, you will imagine they are seasoned veterans. It comes as a suprise that these musicians are in their mis-teens! Even their lyrics drip with maturity. The band's debut CD Fave Down has just gond Gold in Canada - not bad for a fledgling band just out of the gate!