His earliest musical memories took place in his childhood home in Southbridge, Massachusetts. While barely a toddler, he adored playing his beginner drum kit and watching famous drummers appear on Sesame Street. Taking after his four cousins, he began taking drum lessons at the age of twelve, which became his favorite part of every week. John’s first performance was at his eighth-grade talent show, and he recounted how pivotal that moment was for his young career: “…It gave me a crazy feeling of connection to everyone in the room I’ve never had before.” It was not until high school, where John played in several bands, that he considered drumming as a sustainable career. He made his first fifty dollars as a drummer from a school choir gig. That small, hardly lucrative gesture influenced John to pursue his passion.

After a tour of the school, John was certain that Berklee was the right place for him. Starting in 2017, he spent five years networking, performing, and perfecting his craft. Berklee influenced him to focus on playing with a personal touch and practicing with virtuosity in mind. “I only cared about being a session guy and touring with an artist and then going home. After meeting peers at Berklee who had already toured with big artists, I was inspired to start practicing a lot to “catch up” to their levels.” His practicing shifted from a “getting the job done” mentality to working on proficiency. When asked how this affected his artistry, John responded, “I noticed that I was getting called for more projects. I was diversifying my repertoire and people were trusting me with their projects no matter the genre.” John is especially grateful for his private instruction courses at Berklee. Studying with mentors like Tony “Thunder” Smith and Jackie Santos helped him develop his time, technique, and flow at the kit. In his lessons at Berklee, he broke bad playing habits and was encouraged to learn every style of drumming.

John was certain that he would move to Los Angeles after graduation. His biggest worries were navigating a new city and avoiding car accidents given the unsafe traffic. In his words, “So far so good.” He moved the day after graduation and has since found success networking around LA. Talking about the opportunities he’s been granted, John said, “I was able to secure [gigs] just by being in the city and knowing people and MDs in town.”

John’s career certainly speaks to his “master every genre” approach. Performing with Jordanian hip-hop artist Emaan, opening for country artist Chris Lane with country-pop group Holiday State, and touring as Combichrists’ opener with metal band Curse are only a few impressive examples of his range. He is also featured on many records, including Arthur Gunn’s folk/Americana album Ojhel, hip-hop fusion record Almafi’s Drive by Don Dali, Flurdelis’ prog metal project Disconnect on tracks “Burning” and “Promise”, and fusion supergroup Roman G and the Odyssey’s single “Stained Glass.” Recently, John also began giving drum lessons at the Musicians Institute in Hollywood. To engage with artists and promote his projects, he posts shorts on YouTube as John Keyes and highlights on Instagram @_johnkeyes_. He has an EP coming out with Roman G and the Odyssey, as well as upcoming releases from metal to jazz music. “So, with all this going on I’m very much still growing as a musician and I don’t intend on stopping!”

When asked to give advice to future Berklee graduates, John stressed the importance of finding a balance between life and career. “Practice AND party. Even though I really enjoyed being busy with a lot of sessions and gigs, I should’ve taken more time to go see shows and go out just to meet people.”

John’s story is one of knowing what he wanted and working passionately to achieve it. It was my joy to write about his inspiring performing career. I’ll leave with a final statement from John:

“Enjoy your time at Berklee and make it last! Don’t rush, everything will happen in due time!”

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