This past weekend, I was honored to learn that a feature article ran in our local paper with an interview I gave about Woodshed and my background as a drummer. (You can see the original digital version here, complete with several of our favorite projects.)

Garfield Heights drum maestro Dominic Tancredi designs the heads that brand musical acts
Chuck Yarborough, The Plain Dealer
Published: Friday, September 30, 2011

Drum machines will never replace real drummers. They have perfect meter, and then who would the rest of the band blame for going off-time? But mainly it’s because you can’t put a band name and logo on a drum machine.

Which is a good thing for Garfield Heights’ drummer, drum teacher and entrepreneur Dominic Tancredi, whose Woodshed Percussion has created a constellation of bass drumheads for some of the biggest stars in the music business. How big? Try Jason Aldean, Mary J. Blige, Elton John, Jay-Z, Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars, Justin Bieber, Blake Shelton . . . well, the list goes on and on. Not bad for a 30-year-old St. Edward High School grad who decided running his own business was better than studying how to run one at Baldwin-Wallace.

We got him to interrupt his typical 12-hour workday — spent designing drum heads and teaching drums — to answer a few questions:

Give us a brief description of the origin and mission of Woodshed Percussion.

We help musicians get to the next level by keeping their name in front of their audience. We do that through a variety of stage branding products. “Tell the world who you are” is more than just a slogan for us, it’s really the heart of what we do.

I was playing in a local band, and there hadn’t been an affordable way to keep our name in front of the audience. I was tired of hearing people say “You guys were great! What’s the band called again?” after our set, so I started experimenting. I walked in to our next show with our band name emblazoned on my drumhead.

Give us a little bio, including your musical background.

I grew up in a big Italian family that was always very supportive of my love of music. Our pots and pans were destroyed before I could walk. . . . My dad surprised me with my first real drum set when I was just 5 years old — a blue-sparkle vintage drum kit.

I’ve performed and/or recorded with some area musicians including Zach (singer/songwriter), Kristine Jackson (blues), Winslow (neo-soul), Lost State of Franklin (Americana) and many others. . . . I’ve been lucky enough to record 11 studio albums to date, something I really love doing. I’ve played everywhere from small clubs to packed arenas, opening for Earth Wind & Fire, Rod Stewart, Barenaked Ladies and Tower of Power.

When did you realize that products like drumheads can be a profitable business?

When I was able to quit my part-time job and focus on Woodshed. It hasn’t been easy, but I’m doing what I love.

Who was your first national client?

About six years ago, I reached out to Rich Redmond on MySpace, drummer for pop-country star Jason Aldean. . . . The timing was right — Jason was about to tour on a new album (“Hicktown” had just reached No. 1 and they were still playing clubs) and Rich was looking for a better-quality alternative for his tour drum head. . . . Rich has been a mentor to me as a musician and businessman as well as a good friend ever since.

What is the process for designing a kick drumhead?

Basically, the drummer emails us his logo, chooses his favorite drumhead brand, and then approves the final layout. The digital artwork file gets sent to a large-format specialty printer, and the image is printed in photo-quality resolution onto the drumhead. . . . Most projects are ready to ship in about one week.

Some projects aren’t as simple. Country artist Darryl Worley’s touring drummer, Tom Drennon, called me with a far-fetched idea for his drumhead. Darryl has a sun tattoo that he thought would match perfectly with Tom’s new orange drum set. Tom snapped a cellphone pic of the tattoo, sent it to me. I re-created it and printed it on a drumhead and he had it on his kit by the weekend. It was great to hear that Darryl himself said he wished his tat looked that good!

How many heads have you designed to date?

Too many to count, hundreds for sure. I’m more concerned with making sure this week’s heads make it to the show on time!

What’s the most expensive kick head you’ve ever made?

Some of the most elaborate creations can be over $500, with a variety of custom finishes and complex artwork designed from scratch. [The average head is about $150.]

Describe a typical day for you — lessons, designing, gigging, etc.

I have a home office where I do a lot of my day-to-day business, but I’m never lounging in my pajamas until noon. . . . I’m at my desk by 8:30 a.m. On a typical day, I do a little of everything: answering calls and emails, designing new band logos, creating artwork layout mock-ups, adding social media updates about our clients, and shipping items all over the country — all before 3 p.m.

Most afternoons and evenings during the week I’m traveling to one of my studios for about six hours of private drum lessons. A typical workday for me is rarely less than 12 hours. . . . I can’t complain — this beats a tie and a cubicle any day!

What’s the most difficult thing to teach a student?

For some people, it’s hard enough to count to four with sticks in their hand. But if they’re passionate enough and patient enough, the skills will come.

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Check out the original the digital version here.

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Tags: cleveland newspaper, dominic tancredi, plain dealer, woodshed percussion