Backstory: Rhythmist Jerz Durkin
Somehow, we convinced (multi-instrumentalist and songwriter) Jeremy “Jerz” Durkin to open up and talk about his journey. In his own words:
“I am a Philly-born Baltimore drummer. Beginning at age 12 on a neighbor’s 1970s Fibes kit, I quit lessons after 2 months and forged my own journey in drumming over the next 20 years.
As a child of the 90’s raised on classic rock, my first heroes were the usual suspects in that pantheon. The two drummers whose playing I probably heard the most at that age were Mitch Mitchell and Larry Mullen Jr. Having broadened my horizons somewhat since then, here are a handful of others that have inspired me, in no particular order: Dave King, Sput Searight, Claude Coleman Jr, Thomas Pridgen, Kendrick Scott, Stanton Moore, George Gray, Ilan Rubin.
Beyond drums I have also endeavored to become proficient at bass, guitar and mandolin. It’s been helpful to better communicate musically, and on occasion I play bass and drums simultaneously. I have performed as a stage musician in several productions with Single Carrot Theatre and was the drummer for the [Baltimore Rock Opera Society] run of Electric Pharaoh, where I first met DVB.
The sound of Patterson Trash has evolved in a truly organic way from each of our musical sensibilities brought together and blended. By playing as a trio without ego or pretense we allowed our ‘sound’ to come forward on its own, unforced. Also unhurried, it may have taken us a few extra years to find it. We enjoy what we are doing and have resisted compromising any part of that enjoyment.
Drumming in PTrash allows me to play in a huge dynamic range. We rock mega hard intensity, dance grooves, and play really musically sometimes all within the same song. It is great fun to play in this band.”
“We enjoy what we are doing and have resisted compromising any part of that enjoyment.”
Aside from Patterson Trash, Jerz Durkin is involved in a number of musical projects, including the entrancing White Wing Dove and especially JerzDrums.com, where you can catch easy listening at its finest.
