Sebastopol, CA native Dave Elitch grew up listening predominantly to Jazz and Big Band music – he lists Buddy Rich, Max Roach and Art Blakey as some of his very-early influences. At the age of 10 he began playing drums and started listening to more mainstream music, bands like Nirvana, Foo Fighters and Metallica. He first gained notice when he moved to Los Angeles and joined Virgin/Capitol artists Daughters of Mara. In 2007 the popular hard rock band recorded a highly-anticipated debut album with producer GGGarth Richardson. A cult following around that album continues to grow, as does its influence in the Metal community. Elitch’s incredible versatility as a player became very evident on the best-selling Gospel Chops drum DVD, “Shed Sessionz Vol. 2”, where he was featured alongside top Gospel and R&B drummers – players like Ron Bruner Jr, Justin Brown and Nikki Glaspie.

In 2010, Elitch was invited to join legendary progressive rock band The Mars Volta. He toured Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil and Chile with the Grammy Award winning band, sharing the stage with bands like Mastodon, Muse and Rage Against The Machine. His huge-pocket and restrained approach to playing with TMV soon gained him a significant following in the drum community, and Elitch finished out the year touring Canada and the US with Juliette Lewis.

Currently, Elitch is a highly-in-demand teacher in the LA area and remains busy with clinics and masterclasses for Guitar Center, Musicians Institute and The Collective NYC. He has also recently been devoting time to www.drumchannel.com developing content both solo and with Terry Bozzio. He continues to lend his incredible chops to sessions with artists as diverse as Justin Timberlake, September Mourning, Kill Corps and Brenda Radney.

Q & A

BORN IN: Santa Clara, CA

LIVES IN: Los Angeles, CA

DRUMMING SINCE: 1994

CURRENT BAND/PROJECT: Independent

BIGGEST INFLUENCE(S): Vinnie Colaiuta, Tomas Haake, Tony Williams, Abe Cunningham, Steve Jordan, Buddy Rich…TONS of others!

FAVOURITE ALBUM PLAYED ON: Impossible to choose only one.

FAVOURITE ALBUM DIDN’T PLAY ON: Way too many to list…

CAREER HIGHLIGHT(S): Anytime I’m onstage or in the studio.

FAVOURITE SABIAN CYMBAL: 15″ Artisan Hats