ACTUAL PROOF:
Eric Mullis (Vibes and MalletKat),
Philip Berkley (Bass),
Scott Brower (Drums),
Silas Aldridge (Keys),
Clint Presley (Guitar),
Bryan Osborne (Trumpet)
THE PRESLEY BROTHERS QUARTET:
Eric Mullis (Drums),
Kroy Presley (Bass),
Clint Presley (Guitar),
Silas Aldridge (Keys)
THE BILL HANNAH QUINTET:
Eric Mullis (Drums),
Bill Hannah (Keys),
Tony Hayes (Tenor Sax),
Kroy Presley (Bass),
Clint Presley (Guitar)
Influences
Galactic, Medeski, Martin, and Wood, Brian Eno, Tortoise, Isotope 217, The Sea and Cake, Charles Mingus, Lionel Hampton, Davin Lail, Djoliba Don, Joe Locke, Milt Jackson, Gary Burton, Morphine, Radian, Herbie Hancock, Tito Puente, The Mercury Program, Ray Manzurek, Trans Am, John Scofield, Soulive, The Meters, Stanton Moore, Chicago Underground Duo, June of 44, The Dylan Group, Mice Parade, Stereolab.
Sounds Like
My solo CD "Traditions" is now available @ CDBaby. It captures the rich traditions that have influenced me personally and musically. The CD includes world-fusion, West-African drumming, and ambient tracks.
I began studying percussion early on and don't see any end in sight. I began with drum set, playing along with whatever was popular at the time. In high school I went on to learn the basics of jazz drumming and was introduced to mallet percussion as well (vibes and marimba). In college I played in various groups in the Charlotte area. While doing graduate work in philosophy, I played and performed with Djoliba Don, a West African drum ensemble based in Columbia SC. West African rhythms opened my eyes to many things; to poly-rhythms as well as playing with a close-knit group of drummers and dancers. I've recently released a CD that includes West African drum tracks, some Latin jazz, and a few ambient/experimental tracks. The three tracks on my player are unmixed versions of the songs that appear on the CD.
Currently, I'm playing jazz drums in Charlotte with two groups. I play with the Bill Hannah Quintet on Tuesday nights at Big Ben British pub and with the Presley Brothers Quartet on Saturday nights at Blue. I had the pleasure of playing with these two groups in a Jazz festival (Festival Eclats d'Email) in Limoges France in 2006 and 2007. It was a blast to see and meet French Jazz musicians and see where they are taking the art form. See my pics for some images from the trips.
My original fusion/funk quartet, Actual Proof, is currently playing in and around the Charlotte area. I've returned to mallet percussion--playing vibraphone and MalletKat. This is giving me the opportunity to write more comprehensive music and collaborate with three deft musicians--Phillip Berkley III, Scott Brower, Silas Aldridge, and Clint Presley. Check out Actual Proof's myspace for more mp3s, videos, pics, and current schedule.