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ericraptosh.com
updated 04/03/04
Drummer
Drumming is only one thing in life I’ve done longer than weight lifting. Playing professionally since age 10, drumming seemed to come naturally for me. Both of my parents are retired professional musicians, and my brother Danny is one of the best bassists in the New York/New Jersey area. I remember at age 10, my father came to me and said that I’d have to play in his band that night because their drummer was sick and they couldn’t get a replacement in time. I could always play the fast rock stuff, but Rumbas, Cha-Chas, etc. I had to learn in a few hours before the gig that night. My dad used wooden spoons to show me how to play those beats and said, “Just follow me and you’ll do fine.” After doing that show, one night he took me to a restaurant/club and had me sit in with the band and they had me play “Wipe Out!” A standing ovation when you’re 10 is something you never forget. From that moment, I was hooked.
I played and recorded with every type of band imaginable during the famous New Jersey rock club scene during the 1980’s that produced musical acts like Bruce Springsteen and Bon Jovi. In 1980, I even had the honor of becoming a finalist in the tryouts for the band KISS. My musical dreams brought me here to the Pacific Northwest 15 years ago as a drummer for the band Triathlon. The last 7 years I’ve played for Nightshade, a monster traditional heavy metal band currently doing well in Europe and Japan. During August of 2001, our latest CD, “Men of Iron” reached the #23 position on the European Heavy Metal charts. For more information on Nightshade, check out www.hellionrecords.de.
This past July 03 we toured Germany, headlining their open air heavy metal festival.
