MARK BRUNDRETT:  CONNECTICUT MUSICIAN, MENTOR AND BUSINESS MAN

Mark Brundrett is a passionate and open-minded drummer with over twenty years of live performance experience and a decade of touring under his belt.  His journey as a musician has been fueled by a dedication to quality—from maintaining top-notch equipment to continuously refining his skills. Mark has had the privilege of recording on numerous albums across a wide range of musical styles. He is also a private drum instructor who owns Beats By Brundrett at Studio 19, which is both a rehearsal and instruction space.  Really enjoyed doing this interview. 

For those unaware, one of your occupational hats is being a teacher to children four years old and up. Please elaborate on the offerings you provide that set you apart from other educators. Further, would you advise a "typical or standard" age for someone to start playing an instrument? Also, LOVE that you offer the first lesson for free! 

Yes, of course, the first lesson is free! Kids can change their mind quickly so, as a parent, I like to give some wiggle room. As for the offerings, I let the students select the music as opposed to telling them what to play. I had a lot of teachers when I was younger saying “you need to play this, or you need to play that,” That is all well and good, but for beginners it's paramount that the interest level spikes each time they sit down to play. With their selections of music it keeps them engaged and also promotes “active listening.” Listening intently to what the drummer is doing during that song and maybe it sparks something in the mind of the student that they never heard before, or in the very least gets them familiar with different arrangement styles. I started playing around six years old, but I also had two older brothers and plenty of drums at my disposal (thanks Mom and Dad!). I encourage any child to get familiar with rhythm, tempo, and dynamics and that is the basis of what I teach to the younger students. 

My 21-year-old son is a drummer, so these questions can get me brownie points at home. First off, have you experimented, or can you advise on the new ecofriendly/hybrid drums? If not, do you have recommendations to others on what the best brands are to start on, or for long time drummers to experiment on? 

That's awesome! Tell him to keep playing no matter what, keep going! In every industry, eco-friendly options are always a good thing! My family and I are very much into anything that we can thrift, reclaim, or repurpose. Let's be honest, every industry has an extreme amount of waste no matter what it is. When I shop for drums or even put together kits for my students, I am always shopping second hand. Even drum shells that are on their last legs can be used for something, and it's up to us to make sure items have a second life so to speak. I haven't been exposed to ecofriendly or hybrid brands mainly because I am very content with what I currently own and what I play. It is certainly something to look into though. One of my main kits was refurbished and reconditioned from an entry level kit into something I can play anywhere. I cut the shells down, re-did the bearing edges (where the drum head meets the shell; an angled edge produces more consistent tone and resonance) and stained the wood underneath the wrap to make it more eye-catching. I use this kit now mainly on bar gigs where space is a premium and the other musicians I play with appreciate the extra space they now have lol.  

Also, have you heard of the practice of motivational drumming, and would you ever implement that into your instruction?

As far as motivational drumming is concerned, I believe that it is a great tool to develop your own sound and style behind the drum kit. The best brands to play or start on, are the ones that you can afford! I'm a firm believer experimenting with different brands, especially cymbals because they can be soooo expensive. Make your choices speak to you and not other people. Most of the time, brands will be quality made and you don't have to stick to the big name brands, in fact I encourage students to explore as best they can Tracks with no drums really open the door to endless possibilities to what you can do within the track you are playing. You are no longer tied to what you hear the drummer playing, you are free to come up with your own part. I host sessions where intermediate to advanced students take part in this exercise. We work together to come up with something cool or different to give the song a different vibe. It's a challenge sometimes but always very fun. 

You are the Owner of Beats by Brundrett in Clinton, CT, where one can get lessons, do session work or rent rehearsal space. I note you are closed on weekends - any particular reason for that? Also, please speak about the impact your business has had on the community to date.

Co- Owner. Yes, my wife plays a very important role in what we do. She keeps things organized on the administrative end and is always encouraging me to try different approaches with students. Her ideas are what have helped the popularity of our space grow to what it is in such a short time. She also built a large part of the studio and helps me keep it inviting and cozy. Beats By Brundrett is a program I am always developing and refining based on the skill set of the student. We take fundamental rudiments, demonstrate the technique and use of them, and apply them to the drum kit. Combine that with some theory and incorporate the history of the instruments along with world percussion and influential drummers, and you have Beats By Brundrett. Studio19 is where it all takes place, which at the time was closed on the weekends since I am involved in many different groups and am usually out playing shows most weekends. 

Demand has opened to include Saturdays, and they have quickly become one of my busiest days. At first, I wanted to reserve time exclusively for my family but with their blessing I have opened up Saturday mornings during the school year and am looking to do more during the summer months as well. I have students primarily from the shoreline area, but also people coming to me from as far as Waterford/New London. Our community impact has been based on some unfortunate circumstances we found ourselves in regarding the death of our youngest son Patrick, four days after he was born completely unresponsive. I swore that I would host any child or adult who had the slightest interest in drums. I wanted to be sure that they got a shot behind the kit because my son Patrick will never be able to. We have been advocates for child loss, mental health, and encouraging anyone regardless of who they might be, disability, or experience, to step into the studio and have a seat. 

You have been doing live performances for over twenty years and touring over a decade. A few questions relative to this: does one ever get burnout from being on the road? How have you learned to properly balance performing in person with being a business owner? Finally, tell me your impressions of today's drummers vs. when you first started - has the art form itself changed at all?

Burn out is real…very real. It happened to me about fifteen years ago when I was touring eleven months out of the year for about ten years with my band These Green Eyes. Between the physical, mental and emotional demand of playing every night, coupled with the stress added from an industry perspective, we crashed and burned. We recently got back together and played some amazing shows in CT and had a hell of a time doing so. Since then, I have become more of a regional musician. The shows I play mostly take place here in CT, but I have played all over New England recently and will soon be venturing back into the NYC area. Thankfully, most of the shows I agree to play take place on the weekend and there is never a night I am not home with my family in some capacity. That keeps me grounded and that keeps me within my means, especially mentally. The decisions are made as a family unit, we talk about what works for us in terms of shows and we try to make an appearance as a family at whatever shows are booked wherever it might be. That's very important to me. We honor our family first, and I try to involve my wife and my sons - both living and deceased in many different ways.  

Drummers today seem to be very much motivated by social media, and I think that's awesome. Whatever gets your name or band or brand out to people can only be a good thing. However, there is a huge difference between being an Instagram drummer and a musician. A lot of the content seen online is basically drum solos over a pre-existing song, and they can be very impressive. A lot of these drummers end up landing huge gigs which is the point, right? Or at least I think so. Playing with other musicians has always been the end goal for me and I have set my success as to the people I am playing with and the caliber of shows we are collectively playing. If that isn't the goal for a drummer, then I get confused as to what it might be. Today's drummers are collectively better at their age than I was at that same age, but when it comes time to sit down and serve the music, there lies the challenge of it all. If that's not happening, then you are just someone overplaying on a Dua Lipa song inside someone else's phone. Plus, the amount of time you have to dedicate to recording your social media posts and editing them, the lighting, and making sure you look good playing, all that takes an incredible amount of time. More power to the person who does all that for sure. 

One of the most traumatic events in life for a parent is the loss of their child. Your life story finds you having lost your youngest son, Patrick. What would you like all of us to know about him? Also, how are you keeping his memory alive? 

The loss of our son Patrick was by far the most traumatic event I could have ever imagined. He was born via emergency c-section and was delivered unresponsive after a “perfect pregnancy.” He was nearly nine pounds and was incredibly healthy throughout the pregnancy. He didn't breathe for nineteen minutes when he was born but was brought back to us. (That nineteen minutes along with his older brother's birthday falling on the nineteenth, lends its name to Studio19.) We believe it was just so we could hold him and spend some time with him. Our lives have completely changed, and I don't think we will ever feel “normal” again. I refer to my previous years touring as a “past life”, and I mean that 100%. I don't feel like I am the same person and that person who I was no longer exists. Patrick’s life was cut incredibly short and I believe that we will never fully recover from the impact he had on us. I like to think of our time with him as filled with so many different emotions that it felt like time stood still for so long after; still does at times. I remember holding him after we made the decision to take him off life support, and feeling this intense calmness, almost like when it's snowing in the dead of night. I try to chase the feeling, and the only thing that comes close is when I sit behind a drum kit. Studio19 was born out of his life. It is to honor him and the way he had shown me personally that nothing else matters in life besides what helps you get through the day. Drumming helps me get through the day. Like I mentioned before, I unfortunately can't teach him how to play, but I will teach whoever else wants to learn. 

You designed a shirt with profits going to the Sad Dads Club. What was the primary reason for selecting to support their endeavors?

We designed a shirt with proceeds to go to Sad Dads Club. Sad Dads Club is a peer-to-peer support group for bereaved fathers across the globe. I was searching for something specifically related to fathers and their experience with child loss because, well, I didn't know anyone who I could talk to about Patrick that would understand. I found them after searching online and came to find out, one of the founding members is a former touring musician as well. It seemed perfect and it has been. My longest tenure with a band is These Green Eyes. Basically, since high school I have been making music with these guys. We have gone through A LOT together and our band has always been advocates for mental health and especially suicide prevention as we unfortunately have experienced too much loss do to suicide. They came to me while we were getting ready for the reunion shows with an idea of an online exclusive t-shirt design. I got with the artist and designed something that I am very proud of and the proceeds were donated to Sad Dads Club. They have supported me through all this, and I feel like it's the least that I can do for their impact on my overall wellbeing. 

I realize that you have four showings coming up in March. What else can we expect from you in 2026?

I am always excited to play shows no matter where or for who, so there will be more events than just these. There will be new music released by almost every project I am involved in, and I am also accepting new students all the time. I am also in the beginning stages of organizing a showcase for my students locally here in CT so they can experience the thrill of performing for a crowd. They have worked so hard, and they deserve to show everyone how far they have come. To learn more, visit:  Beats by Brundrett | Drum lessons in Clinton CT | Clinton, CT, USA