Dave DiCenso
Dave DiCenso is a drummer known for his big sound, deep pocket and soulful style - oh yeah....and some blazing chops. He has honed his style by touring and recording with a long and very diverse list of world renowned artists including pop legends Duran Duran, prog-rock icon Steve Morse, contemporary prog-rock master John Petrucci, NYC's hardcore pioneers Cro-Mags, blues-rock master Johnny A., fusion guru David Fiuczynski and contemporary-jazz virtuoso Hiromi.

dave dicenso.com

Along the way, he's worked with a host of incredible bass players including Anthony Jackson, Stu Hamm, and Dave LaRue. Dave has also been a featured performer at major percussion industry events including the Montreal Drum Festival, the Percussive Arts Society Convention, N.A.M.M., and Music MESA.

Growing up in the Boston area with a drumming father, Dave has been living drums since he was a toddler. After banging on his dad's drums for a couple of years, Dave began asking him for lessons at the ripe old age of four. It wasn't until a year later that he actually began studying. He quickly realized that "playing" drums was more fun then studying them. Though he tended to prefer playing football and baseball to practicing drums, Dave kept up his lessons for five years. Despite his father's large collection of jazz records, during this time period, Dave's ears and heart migrated to the backbeat music he was hearing on the radio. He particularly enjoyed the sounds of artists such as America, the Little River band, Bread, Stevie Wonder, Roberta Flack, James Taylor, the Commodores, Earth Wind & Fire, Chicago, and Steely Dan.

At the age of ten, Dave decided to satisfy a long-standing craving to play the guitar. He took guitar lessons for the next five years while exploring heavier types of rock music. At this time, he began listening to artists such as Kiss, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, AC/DC, Van Halen, Yes, Rush, Pink Floyd and Jimi Hendrix. Dave's first several public performances were as a guitar player in rock bands at local schools and VFW halls.

At the age of fifteen, Dave decided to pursue a professional drumming career. He began performing immediately at local schools, halls, clubs, and hotels. At seventeen, he began taking lessons again from his father and this time took his studying seriously. He was simultaneously learning music theory through private instruction on the piano. His listening pleasures were now including bands like Mötley Crue, Saxon, Queensryche, Michael Schenker Group, Metallica, and Slayer.

After high school, Dave went to New York City to study privately at the Drummer's Collective. During this three-month period, he was able to pick the minds of people like Rod Morganstein, Kim Plainfield, Frankie Malabe, Zach Danziger, Ricky Sabastian, and Pete Zeldman. At this point, Dave began exploring fusion music from people like Chick Corea, Michel Camilo, John Scofield, and Mike Stern.  Upon returning to Boston, he continued working with the area's top rock bands and began a one-year study program with renowned teacher Gary Chaffee.  Dave now included people like John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Wes Montgomery, and Jimmy Smith to his listening library.

These days Dave finds himself listening to a wide variety of mostly backbeat music from artists such as Beck, Jeff Buckley, Mary J. Blige, D'Angelo, Foo Fighters, the Fugees, Meshell NdegeOcello, Radiohead, Jill Scott, Soundgarden, Tool, and U2 as well as lots of backbeat music from the 70's.  Needless to say, Dave draws from a very deep well of influences and he is guaranteed to bring a sensitivity, potency, and originality into whatever music he is playing.