Darren was born and raised in California, and currently lives in Los Angeles, CA. He previously resided in San Francisco, Fresno, and San Diego, where he graduated from SDSU! As a kid, his father religiously played Pink Floyd, Santana, and Miles Davis around the house. These artists played a huge role in his musical career. As time progressed, his influences stretched out to artists like Led Zeppelin, James Brown, Herbie Hancock, Aquarium Rescue Unit, The Meters, etc. Soon the styles of Afro beat, Acid Jazz and Electronica fed into his soul. He currently works as an original member of the band Particle.
Like many musicians these days, Darren is involved with numerous side projects.
A Halloween 2004 collaboration with Rob Wasserman(Lou Reed, Ratdog), and John Popper(Blues Traveler) opened two consecutive Halloween shows for Particle, under the name Trick or Treat. Another 2004 side project with Rob Wasserman and Eric Gould called R.E.D., is about free form jamming. It started when Rob Wasserman was opening Particle's 2004 winter tour. Each night, Darren and Eric came up to back Rob during his opening performance! The significance of this project was all about deep improvisation and later transformed into the band R.E.D.!!!
The most extensive side project to date is the collaboration between Mickey Hart(Grateful Dead, The Other Ones, Planet Drum) and Particle, called Hydra. It came together very quickly, yet Darren feels that some of his best work has come out of it. It started when Mickey Hart invited Particle to his San Francisco studio. They wrote an incredible amount of material that led to a tour in April and May of 2005. Hydra allowed each artist to step outside of the box and explore groundbreaking territory. The music is a departure from Particle and The Grateful Dead. It's a completely different vehicle. Hart calls it "extreme music."
Bonnaroo 2005 spawned an incredible project with Marco Benevento(Beneventoo-Russo Duo), Brendan Bayliss(Umphrey's McGee), and Jake Cinninger(Umphrey's McGee). The group played the late night Bonnaroo Masquerade Super Jam in 05'. They dressed up as Mexican Wrestlers and played two-hour set of completely improvised music.
Some of the other artists and musicians Darren has played with include:
Joe Satriani, John Medeski, Stephan Lessard(Dave Mathews Band), Marc Ford(Black Crowes), Robby Kreiger(The Doors), DJ Logic, Trey Anastasio(Phish), Ivan Neville, Phil Lesh(Grateful Dead), Blackalicious, Page McConnel(Phish), Walter Cronkite, and Bill Walton.
When Darren isn't playing with Particle or working on a side project, he can be found surfing, reading a book, exercising, watching a movie, practicing or drinking a beer on the beach.
Some of his favorite places to travel include Cinque Terre, Italy, Costa Rica (for surfing), Japan, and San Sebastian, Spain.
THE GEAR
Darren is endorsed by the following companies:
Yamaha Drum Co.
Evans Drumheads
Sabian Cymbal Co.
Vater Drumsticks
Allegra Snare drums
Gear list:
Yamaha Oak Custom drums:
8" tom tom
10" tom tom
12" tom tom
14" floor tom
20" Bassdrum
10" Subkick
Yamaha Drum Hardware
Allegra Maple
14" Wood hoop snare drum
Sabian Cymbals:
21" Groove Ride
18" Crystal Flat Ride
16" HH Meduim Thin Crash
14" HH Thin Crash
15" HH Xplosion Crash
10" Paragon Splash
Vater Sticks:
5A Wood Tip
DW 5000 pedals
Roland SPD-S
Boss Dr. Rythm
INTERVIEWS
BREAKING THE GLASS CEILING
HYDRA: STRIVING FOR THAT ZONE
Clairvoyant Voyages with Particle
*** PARTICLE - Transformations Live: DVD & CD (In stores nationwide July 18) will release its first full-length DVD and double live CD featuring special performances by DJ Logic, Robby Kreiger(The Doors), Joe Satriani, and Blackalicious.***
