DWF 2010 - Vadrum

12:15 – 13:00

Biography

Born in 1983 near Lecce (Italy), Andrea began at a young age to strike objects that resembled drums: pots and cups became his first expression of an innate passion. Shortly after, he was given his first keyboard, which he naturally began playing like a drumkit, until he received a real drum set at age 10.

After a few months of practice, Andrea joined his first band (of many) with older musicians, gaining valuable live experience. During this time he also began taking lessons from local drummers. At age 15, Andrea set the instrument aside to pursue his other passion: radio. For six years he developed his skills as a Sound Engineer and DJ on several local radio stations, clubs, and public events across southern Italy.

In 2002, he earned a diploma in the arts from the Liceo Artistico Statale of Lecce. In 2003, Andrea returned wholeheartedly to his true passion: drums. In 2004, he began a musical adventure with Cosmica, an Italian rock band. Over four years, Cosmica performed hundreds of live shows, recorded three studio albums, won multiple band competitions, and appeared on numerous Italian TV and radio shows.

During this period, Andrea also explored various musical projects with other Italian bands, including Kaotica (nu-metal), The Wizard (classic rock covers), PDE (a drummer & percussion ensemble directed by Raffaello Murrone), and a Dream Theater cover band. He also collaborated with the theatrical company Erasmus International Musical and Theatre to record soundtracks for the musicals Footloose and Grease.

In 2007, Andrea’s personal drum performances — recorded in his home studio — attracted significant success on his YouTube channel. His drum arrangement of the Super Mario Bros theme exceeded 4 million views in less than a year, placing Andrea among the top ranked drumming musicians in the world and earning recognition in international press and media.

In November 2007, Andrea won the Italian “Drummer of Tomorrow” competition (Technical Section), presented by Mapex Drums and Casale Bauer, who became his official endorsers. He also won a scholarship and performed in the European final held in Frankfurt, Germany in March 2008.

In May 2008, Andrea joined the artist family of Meinl, becoming an endorser of their cymbals. In July 2008, he completed a bachelor’s degree in Communication Sciences at the University of Salento, where he also gained experience as a webmaster by creating and managing several websites, including the site for his degree program.

In September 2008 he moved to Los Angeles, California, to further his musical studies at the renowned Musicians Institute in Hollywood. Just one year later, he earned a Certificate in Performance with Honors.

In September 2009, Andrea performed in Spain on the prestigious stage of the La Rioja Drumming Festival, sharing the bill with legendary drummers such as Billy Cobham, Virgil Donati, Jojo Mayer, and Dom Famularo. In November 2009, he opened the winter edition of DreamHack (Sweden) with a special live set — the world’s largest computer festival, welcoming over 15,000 visitors from around the world.

Today, Andrea’s video channel has amassed over 35,000,000 views and remains the most subscribed YouTube channel of all time in Italy (since the inception of YouTube Italy). His video performances continue to travel globally through local media; among them, his arrangement of Rossini’s The Barber of Seville was recently featured on one of Brazil’s most popular TV shows, Programa do Jô (TV Globo).