Today we’d like to introduce you to Evan Kline.
Hi Evan, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I was born in Brooklyn, NY, grew up on Long Island, where I studied clarinet for three years, as my father was once a professional clarinet, sax, and flute player for the US Army. We moved to South Florida in 1988 when I was 11. I immediately switched to drums and percussion and started taking private drum lessons. Later, I played drums in Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School’s drumline, jazz, concert, and marching band’s, was in the 1st 4-year graduating class and was even part of the committee, along with my parent’s, that picked the name, colors, and mascot, While in high school, I was touring the state with my metal band, Corrupted Minds, we were in many local magazines, and on local radio shows. During that time, I was playing in the Greater Miami Youth Symphony Orchestra, as well!
I studied drum sets intensely as well as traditional Latin, Brazilian, and African hand drums, double tenor steel drums, in addition to traditional mallet percussion such as marimba, glockenspiel and vibraphone. I studied Music Education at Broward Community College before finishing up at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music.
I was the General Manager and Head of Education at Resurrection Drums for over 25 years, pre-pandemic, as well as a part-time high school music teacher for 15 years, before leaving both to become the Southeast United States Regional Manager for Sabian Cymbals. Shortly after, Sabian ended up doing away with all of the Regional Manager positions and fortunately, I was able to get both of my jobs back at the high school and Resurrection Drums.
I am the sole-custodial parent to my now 13 years old daughter, but I ended up leaving the high school three years ago because I needed to be home to help more due to my mother falling and breaking her back. The good news is mom is ok, but she had to retire. This did end up allowing me to perform more and take on greater performing gigs.
I have been playing in countless rock, pop, reggae, samba, salsa, R&B/top 40 and country bands, playing countless corporate, bar, wedding, Bar/Bat Mitzvah gigs, and various studio sessions.
I have performed with artists such as: Tito Puente Jr, Wesley B Wright (Miami Sound Machine), Corrupted Minds, Stefan Vale (Rumba/Flamenco), Douglas Lloyd Ingle (Iron Butterfly), Miami Philharmonic Steel and Percussion Orchestra, and Gold Coast Opera. My old reggae band, Out of Order featuring Litez-Out even opened for reggae great, Gyptian! I have played in the pit orchestras for over 40 musicals, all over South Florida, including Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Danny Goggin’s premier of Nunsense 3.
I have performed in countless theaters, bars, resorts, convention centers, synagogues, churches, clubs, arenas and even stadiums from The Keys to Austin, Texas, Madison Square Garden, NY, Giants Stadium, to the Fleet Center in Boston!
I currently teach privately and can been seen performing all over South Florida with various groups such as: Haven Star, Evan Grushka, and That Band, to subbing in bands such as: Brothers of Others and AmeriKana!
Finally, I am also proud to say that my 19 years old son is serving in the United States Army as a Multi-Channel Transmission Systems Satellite Operator in South Korea!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Nothing for me has been smooth and easy, everything has been a struggle. The University of Miami lost my financial aid paperwork not once but twice and was forced to leave school the semester before my internship and graduation, with 40 + credits more than I needed, while struggling to pay rent, bills, child support for my son, and to even buy food. I had to work as a part-time employee, receiving part-time pay, with no benefits, while fighting for everything I had, including custody of my daughter because that situation went from bad to worse (not the same mother as my son’s), and trying to get back into school to finish my degree! While working at Resurrection Drums, teaching at the high school, and gigging, I eventually received sole-custody of my daughter and finally got back into the University of Miami after approximately 15 years, virtually! Then, they forced me to leave again due to a law that I had too many attempted college credits and was about to lose every college credit I worked my butt off for; However, they overruled it and I was finally able to graduate in 2018. It was glorious, I had both my parents and daughter with me to see me walk across the graduation stage!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Due to the pandemic, unfortunately, I am no longer at the drum store but found ways to continue being me. I expanded my teaching from home as many of my student’s and their parents wanted lessons to continue as no one knew when the world would reopen. I started buying more pro audio gear so I could work on recording various music tracks from home and ended up gigging more than ever! I had some students and other various musicians I have worked with throughout the years refer me for private lessons! As a result, I have taken on many new students in addition to the students I already had. I started to collaborate with a few friends that are quite knowledgeable with the music software and started making lots of new music, some locally with me, in the house, and some as far away as Jamaica and we just send our tracks digitally, back and forth to each other, putting pieces together!
I have been very fortunate to perform live more than ever, especially during these pandemic times. I am quite proud of the gigs I have been doing and the artists I have been working with. I have so much work that I can’t do it all, I need to be able to split myself in 2, sometimes, Lol!! Too much work is definitely better then not enough or none, at all, of course!! It can be frustrating to have to turn down work, but I am happy to give my friend’s work that I am unable to do, though!
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
I was fortunate that I was able to start most things the right way the 1st time, not always, but most, lol! My advice for anyone starting out at anything is to find a professional at whatever it is you are interested in, pick their brain’s by asking questions, take lessons, work hard and practice! You can’t learn something new, build anything, get better at, or improve anything if you never start!! If you want to do something, GO FOR IT, and it’s ok, to also learn in the process that something isn’t for you but you’ll never know unless you start in the 1st place!! If you find something isn’t for you, try something else, but don’t stop and don’t listen to any naysayers along the way! Most of them are just jealous that you are even trying to do something they don’t have the courage to try or stay with!
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @klineevan
