Local drummer goes national by Kiara Tringali

It is an incredible feat for a solo drummer to be praised by The New York Times, Jazz Times, and Downbeat Magazine. It is an even more incredible event when that drummer is from Windham.
Mike Pride began his music career much like any other child of Windham: in the Manchester School band conducted by Betty McIntire. He excelled in the program all the way through middle school, where David Kent urged him to play percussion instead of the saxophone. Through music lessons, classes and activities, Pride discovered his love for music. He credits supportive parents, especially his mother (who bought well-loved instruments from yard sales so her sons could become musically adept) with his earliest successes.

When he was in college, Pride considered several different career paths before ultimately choosing music. He began with a major in visual arts with the intention of becoming a filmmaker. But after playing with the Smithsonian jazz musician David Baker in Rockport, Pride changed his mind and his major.

He’s not the only thankful one. Pride’s journey to New York brought him an immensely successful career, and a diverse one at that. He has played everything from jazz to rock to metal, including film soundtracks and video games. His diversity is evident in his two latest albums: Birthing Days and Drummer’s Corpse, both released this past May.

Birthing Days, released with Pride’s band “From Bacteria to Boys,” was written in the month after Pride’s first child was born. Pride says he spent a large amount of time at home and his landlord’s empty apartment contained a piano. Pride wrote in his free time and the music unintentionally shaped itself around the joy felt by being a parent. It is a positive record with a beautiful and warm sound.
Drummer’s Corpse is two longer compositions, almost like a classical record, with one composition at 33 minutes and the other at 26 minutes. Pride released this record with a 7-drummer band under the same name. When asked, Pride said that the first composition from Drummer’s Corpse was written after an apartment fire, while the second was written after a close friend’s death. The raw, emotional music was written from 2005 to 2007, but Pride never had any intention of releasing it on a record. As a spontaneous idea, Pride started a Kickstarter, a funding platform for creative projects, to fund the project in 2012, and the record was released in 2013.

It is unusual that a record company would release two records on the same date, let alone two records produced by the same artist. But Pride said that this made publicity much easier, especially because he can publicize both records simultaneously. Pride said that this project, specifically the one with “From Bacteria to Boys,” is his favorite project so far (although he said that he has spent long enough paying his dues and now only plays gigs he thoroughly enjoys).

Mike Pride is someone whose love for music goes beyond the recording studio and into his own personal compositions.

If you’re interested in buying Pride’s records or finding out more information about him, visit www.mikepride.com.