About your drum coach

Evan stone is a professional musician, band leader and music producer. Evan is a drummer by trade and as an educator, he has taught over 400 private students since the age of 19. Evan has been in the entertainment industry performing for audiences from 13 years of age. After graduating Capistrano Valley High School in 1989, Evan enrolled in Saddleback College for Music Performance and composition where he was the drummer for the Saddleback college Big Band. Evan attended the Dick Grove School of Music in Los Angeles, Ca. for a brief time before being asked to go on the road with international jazz icon, Maynard Ferguson at the age of 21. Evan toured the United States with the Maynard Ferguson Big Bop Nouveau Band and helped Maynard with teaching improvisation clinics to high school bands across the nation. Evan has travelled the globe performing with world class artists such as Greg Adams (Tower of Power) Toni Childs, John Tesh, Aly & AJ; as well as his own original projects. Evan has been featured several times in the bible of drumming editorial, Modern Drummer Magazine where they have done features on his career and have also published some of his articles written about drummers and the future of modern drumming. Evan has performed on radio and television around the world and has released solo albums/music videos that have received airplay globally. As a private instructor, Evan has taught several professional drummers from popular groups such as The Offspring, Lit, Breland, Kim Gordon, Hayley Kiyoko and Mickey Mouse (Disneyland drummers) Evan has been invited on several occasions as a guest speaker at San Diego State University to discuss with the students the subject of politics in music. As a bandleader, Evan has led a 20-piece improvisational group called the ‘Translucent Ham Sandwich Band’, and have been performing with the group throughout Southern California for over a decade. Evan has studied drums privately with world class drummers who include, Vinnie Colaiuta (Sting Frank Zappa, Herbie Hancock, Joni Mitchell), Peter Erskine (Steely Dan, Joni Mitchell, Weather Report, Diana Krall), Jeff Hamilton, (Oscar Peterson, Barbara Streisand, Diana Krall), Roy Burns (Benny Goodman) and many others. Musician/Drummer - 10+ years Bandleader – 10+ years Educator - 10+ years Music Writer/Producer - 10+ years Music Video Producer - 10+ years Chess Educator - 10+ years Public Speaker – 5+ years By the age of 12, Stone was certain he was going to be a professional musician, already playing trumpet in the school band, as well as drums in a neighborhood trio, inspired by the recent emergence of MTV. By the following year, they were playing in local clubs and for their high school events, but by his sophomore year, the family moved to the west coast. Stone instantly became friends with the neighborhood musician Gannin Arnold with whom he formed a trio called Minimum Three while Arnold turned him on to new artists with whom he was not familiar, including Frank Zappa, Allan Holdsworth and Al Di Meola. While still in high school, a demo of eight tunes procured them an opening slot at the Coach House performance venue in front of an audience of 500. At 16, it was a sink or swim moment. The following year they became the house band at the Coach House, lasting about five years, during which time they opened up for such acts as the Yellowjackets and even Chick Corea’s Elektric Band with Dave Weckl. As a senior in high school Stone won the Guitar Center Drum Off in Santa Ana and was one of the 5 finalists out of thousands of entrants nationwide in the Buddy Rich Memorial Contest. Before he knew it, Stone’s network grew and he formed his own band, became a drummer for hire and realized his goal to “play music as much as I possibly could and on as many different projects as I possibly could.” He played in a country band, a reggae band, a top 40 band, a fusion band, jazz bands, singer-songwriter projects and a funk band, working all day long. And practicing when he wasn’t performing. “I was immersed in learning, the experience of performing and I began the idea of wanting to share my knowledge, too, so I started teaching,” Stone says. Stone enjoyed some road and performance gigs with Toni Childs, Aly & AJ, Maynard Ferguson, John Tesh, as well as Tower of Power’s trumpeter Greg Adams, which parlayed into a project called East Bay Soul where Stone relished playing Tower of Power songs with such musicians as Phil Perry, Eric Marienthal, Tom Scott and Lenny Williams. At the same time, Stone began to write his own music and produce other artists. After releasing a straight-ahead jazz album, Sticks and Stone, Vol. 1, Stone reached a crossroads. Did he want to do a second volume of standards or create an outlet for his true calling – Avant Garde music and performance? Stone decided on the latter and thus, the Translucent Ham Sandwich Band was born. After many years of concentrating on his band and recording Music from the Future in 2016, Stone has diversified once again, working with other projects and producing others in his home studio. Throughout his career, Stone has thus far had the honor to perform music with world class artists in the entertainment industry such as: Greg Adams (Tower Of Power) Maynard Ferguson Toni Childs Kei Akagi (Miles Davis) Gerald Albright (Anita Baker, Phil Collins, Rick James) Aly and AJ; Justo Almario, (Cachao, Mongo Santamaria, Poncho Sanchez) John Beasley (Miles Davis) Brian Bromberg, (Michael Buble, Shirly Horn, Stan Getz, Tony Williams) Max Bennett (Joni Mitchell) Chris Botti (Sting) Paul Carman(Frank Zappa) Lenny Castro; (Neil Diamond, Eagles, Stevie Wonder, Eric Clapton, Rolling Stones) Nathan East (Eric Clapton) Ron Eschete (Gene Harris, Ray Anthony) Wilton Felder (The Crusaders) Brandon Fields (Tower Of Power) Mike Garson (David Bowie) Grant Geissman (Chuck Mangione) Tony Guerrero John Tesh, Arturo Sandoval) Everette Harp; (Alicia Keys, Billy Joel, Chaka Kahn, Natalie Cole) Lonnie Jordan (War) Larry Koonse (Mel Torme, Rod Stewart) Tim Landers (Al Dimeola, Billy Cobham, Vital Information) Alex Ligertwood (Santana) Jeff Lorber Eric Marienthal (Chick Corea) Llew Matthews (Nancy Wilson) Rob Mullins (Bruce Willis, Crusaders) Phil Perry (Lee Ritenour) Jimmy Roberts (Rod Stewart) Otmaro Ruiz (John Mclaughlin,Arturo Sandoval) Joe Sample (Crusaders) Diane Schuur Plas Johnson (Legend) Putter Smith (Thelonius Monk; Art Blakey) Tom Scott (Joni Mitchell, George Harrison, Blues Bros., Steely Dan) Bob Sheppard, (Joni Mitchell, Steely Dan) Lee Thornburg, (Etta James, Little Feat, Tower Of Power, Tom Petty) Doug Webb, (Freddie Hubbard, Rod Stewart, Carly Simon) Deniece Williams John B. Williams (Nancy Wilson, Dizzy Gillespie, Count Basie, Duke Ellington) As a solo artist, Stone has received world-wide radio play for his albums; ‘Sticks & Stone’ and ‘Music from The Future’, from his Translucent Ham Sandwich Band. Stone has also been featured numerous times in the drumming Bible, ‘Modern Drummer’ magazine. He is currently working on his next solo album scheduled to be released in 2024 Endorsements: Canopus Drums; Aquarian Drumheads; Murat Diril Cymbals; Rhythm Tech Percussion