Iain Watt
Iain Watt was born July 7th, 1986 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, the same date as Ringo Starr was born. It was literally written in the stars that Iain would follow in Ringo’s footsteps and become a drummer. Starting off with theory and piano lessons from his father at age 4, and born into a musical family, it was pre-destined that Iain would become a musician also, and all of his childhood he dreamed of becoming a world-class musician. He then followed up with singing and clarinet lessons, but knew that creating melodies wasn’t his main interest.
Around his 14th birthday, he discovered the wonder and art of playing drums. Initially inspired by the likes of Travis Barker, Abe Cunningham and Jimmy Chamberlin, he thrived for something more challenging, and it was here around age 17 that he discovered his love of Progressive and Heavy Metal music. The big kits, pulsating and technical rhythms and solid musicality, this was exactly what Iain was looking for his whole life. He started playing in a local high school band that he stuck with for around 4 years, playing some of the best venues in Northern Ireland.
In 2005, he was accepted into the University of Ulster, Magee, where he studied Music; with a primary focus on drum kit performance. It was here where he began to musically grow even more. Meeting some like-minded musicians and friends, he then started to play in an instrumental guitar virtuoso progressive-metal band, with a guitarist who wore nothing but spandex! He also was one of the drummers and percussionists for the University’s jazz band, which gained him some valuable experience in playing jazz, but also with some legendary local jazz musicians, including one gig with the famous saxophonist Andy Sheppard, who has played with the likes of Herbie Hancock.
He briefly played with a band called The Summer Experiment in summer of 2008, a literal summer experiment, which, after only 3 months of making music, played a final gig to a near sold-out crowd in a popular venue in Belfast.
After graduating in 2008, he moved to the United States to live with his now wife and he also instantly wanted to do something great musically within the US, as opportunities were lacking back home. That process took a little longer than expected, but he obtained a sponsorship from Shine Drums in April of 2008, and is now drummer for Minor Stars, who are about to embark on an East Coast tour this fall and winter of 2010, carrying on into spring of 2011. Check out their music at http://www.minorstars.com . He is now glad to be part of the Soultone cymbal family, and cannot wait to let the masses hear how great these cymbals are.
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