BOULDER, COLORADO, USA
Taylor Friesth
Guerrilla Fanfare Brass Band | Author of "The Sly Hat"
Colorado native, Taylor Friesth, is a performer, author, and educator who has delved deeply into drumming since the age of 6 years. Since then he has performed on stages such as Red Rocks and Folsom Field, and festivals like Arise and The New West Fest. His drumming has led him to perform with various groups ranging from electronic to marching percussion, to New Orleans brass. This versatility has given him a wide range of musical ability that has resulted in his own unique sound.
In 2016, Taylor self-published his book "The Sly Hat", a 13 chapter book focused on how to use your hi-hat foot as a part of your grooves and fills, as opposed to having it keep a steady pulse under what you are playing. The book caught the attention of drummers like Gordy Knudtson (Steve Miller Band), Rod Morgenstein (Winger), and Skip Hadden (Weather Report), and even received a review in the 2018 November edition of Modern Drummer.
Today, Taylor plays 100+ shows a year for The Guerrilla Fanfare Brass Band as well as freelances with various local and non-local groups. On the side he continues to teach privately and holds local clinics for his book.
"Just like any other drummer, it took me YEARS to figure out how the heck to tune my drums and drumming on a poorly tuned kit can be nothing short of aggravating. This [WTS] system not only gives you the ability to tune the whole drum on the spot but also gives you an evenly tuned top and bottom head for a professional sound."
Notable Mentions
• Joined WTS in 2020
• Winner of the 2019 Rupp's Drums Drum Off
• "An involved look at some beyond the norm functions for the hi-hat." - Modern Drummer
• Performs 100 plus shows a year
• Taught drums since 8 years old
Other Gear
• Vic Firth
• Low Boy Custom Beaters
Artist Projects & More
DRUMMER | Guerrilla Fanfare has performed extensively at venues, private and public events, and festivals such as the ARISE Music Festival and New West Fest in Colorado. They have been invited to perform at Honk Fest West in Seattle in 2016, 2017 and 2018 and HONK!TX in 2017. In 2017, Guerrilla Fanfare won the ARISE Music Festival “Rock the Scene” contest, effectively winning an audition to perform at the festival as well. In 2018, Guerrilla Fanfare won the Westword Music Award in the Brass Band Category. In 2019, Guerrilla Fanfare again won the same award.
Written by Taylor Friesth, The Sly Hat is a unique book that will teach you how to incorporate your hi-hat foot into your drumming to add a whole new texture to your sound. This Idea allows you to make new and creative ideas while maintaining a musical approach to the drum set.
