You could say I was destined to be a musician the moment I popped out of my Mom. I grew up surrounded by music my entire life. My parents actually met auditioning for a band, years before I was even an idea. After I was born I was on the road before I could even walk and was always around during rehearsals, studio sessions, and live performances. Most of my extended family were players in which ever band my parents were in at the time. So you could say I was destined to be a musician, but I just did!
I got serious about music at 12 years old… 7 th grade band class. Yeah, I was a band geek. What of it?! The middle school and high school band was OK, and served its educational purpose for the time, but my favorite thing was coming home from school, sitting down at my drum set, slappin’ one of my favorite records on with headphones, and losing myself for an hour or two. I’m basically a self-taught drummer and consequently I have many influences, from many styles of music. Of course I have my favorites like Dave Weckl, Vinnie Colaiuta, Alex Van Halen, and Tommy Lee, just to name a few, but all in all I simply appreciate a drummer who holds a passionate and fluid ability of his/her craft. A common question I’m asked is, “Who is my favorite drummer?” That’s an impossible question to answer. There are so many different styles and approaches. My favorite drummer one day could be Neil Peart and the guy practicing in his garage across the street on the day after.
I earned a music scholarship to college. The college experience gave me a more complete knowledge of reading and writing rhythms and also happens to be the time I met Eric and Mario. Through some curves and hills we eventually evolved into “Convicted Innocence”… my first band. We had a great run locally for about 6 years. We became one of the more popular bands in Reno and had the pleasure of making wonderful friendships with fans and other bands along the way. After CI had run it’s coarse, we all scattered onto other projects, which also proved to be a wealth of knowledge and experience. But for some reason we always seem to gravitate back to each other. It’s just a matter of time really. I honestly believe it’s the chemistry we all felt the first time we played together. Chemistry isn’t an illusion and there’s no denying its magnetic power.
So to make a long story longer, the three of us crossed paths with Andy… an extremely talented young ball of loving energy, and … voilá… Audioboxx was born. My musical life truly is a circle. Just the same as my childhood, these 3 monster players, once again, are my extended family, and instead of watching them play and rehearse, I happen to be privileged enough to be sharing the stage with them. Every one of us brings a unique and personal potluck dish to the musical buffet (how about that for a metaphor)! Its all a result of the musical experiences we’ve had up to the present moment.
If you haven’t seen us yet, I look forward to seeing and meeting you at an upcoming show. If you have seen us and we’ve seen you, I look forward to seeing you again.
Peace, Love, and Balance to you
Beau Melia
P.S. ROCK ON!