Our staff is a family. Strong personalities, differing points of view, and of course a deep love of music! Come with us as we go behind the sales counter and meet the folks who make the Chuck Levin’s Drum Department a destination!
We went beyond the usual gear questions and asked our staff the really hard-hitting stuff - like who they would have at their side during a zombie apocalypse!
Who is the Drum Department, anyway?
The Drum Department is where you'll find acoustic and electronic drum sets, cymbals, drum hardware, drum sticks, drum heads, drum parts and accessories, and a staggering variety of percussion instruments.
Staffed by experts from top to bottom, no matter who you talk to in the department you can be sure you're talking to someone who speaks drumming!
What is your most used emoji?
Like eyes, fingerprints, and DNA, we feel a person's favorite emoji is a unique window into their world!
Luke (Sales) - Monkey covering its eyes.
Spencer (Stock) - Skull (for laughing, “I’m dead”).
Sam (Sales) - Shrugging.
Darren (Manager) - Zombies or the New Wave couple.
Paul (Sales) - Crying laughing.
Josh (Stock) - Probably the guy with sunglasses. "Cool."
If you were a wrestler, what would your entrance music be, and stage name?
Paul is renowned as a walking encyclopedia on several topics (including drums, of course), but his passion for pro wrestling led to us asking what would happen when the entire department entered the ring!
Luke - "Walk" by Pantera / The Lad
Spencer - "Live Wire" by Motley Crue / Young Potential
Sam - "Hold The Line" by Toto
Paul - "Who’s Crying Now" by Journey / The Yacht Rocker (bonus - his finishing move would be a Power Bomb)
Josh - "Win" by Jay Rock / No name yet, but open to suggestions
A Little Bit Of Everything
While it's not a requirement to play an instrument to work at Chuck Levin's, it certainly helps - perhaps most of all in the Drum Department. Unique in the store, the Drum Department sells and supports everything in the category - from the drum sets themselves down to the smallest accessories and spare parts.
On top of that, our Drum Experts also handle the repair, service, and setup of the instruments they sell - all at one counter! It gives them a phenomenal perspective on what gear works, what doesn't, and what would be best for every customer!
Are you a windows down, or A/C person?
We all have that friend who rolls around town with the windows down during the winter. But even normal people seem to have strong preferences whether they will use air conditioning or windows to enjoy their day!
Luke - A/C, I set it to 72 degrees year-round!
Spencer - Windows down and A/C blasting.
Sam - Windows down, all day!
Darren - Sometimes both…
Josh - It depends on the weather!
Ocean or lake?
Surf's up or gone fishin'? When it comes to enjoying one of nature's natural pools, are you an ocean-goer or lake enjoyer?
Luke - Lake. Lake. Lake. Lake. Lake.
Spencer - I like lakes. Don’t even get me started on [ocean] sand.
Sam - I associate the ocean with gross, dirty beaches. Kids crying, seagulls. You can’t go to the ocean and not get covered in sand. So lakes. They just feel more zen.
Paul - Ocean.
Josh - Definitely ocean. It's wide open. Plus, I like sand on my toes.
If you could go on a date with the personified version of any food, what food is it, and why?
Maybe we should ask the guitar department which one of their guitars they'd take on a date...
Luke - I would say like a stir-fry or curry, just because there’s a lot going on, and there’s a lot to unpack.
Spencer - Quesadilla because it’s solid, it’s reliable, and you can never go wrong with a quesadilla!
Sam - Along the same lines [as Spencer], grilled cheese. It’s always going to be good.
Darren - [thinking for a second] Lasagna. It’s deep, it’s got layers.
Paul - Something that’s, you know, spicy, but that’s cooled down with a sauce…
Josh - I have two. Salmon because it's so versatile. You can eat or cook it any way. And wagu beef because... yeah, it's just the best.
What do you like about your favorite band?
This goes beyond who your favorite band is, but more specifically why are they your favorite. Could be how they make you feel, or that they seem to still write albums instead of singles. Let's see what the Drum Department likes best about some of their favorite artists!
Luke - Right now my favorite band is Boygenius, because it’s taking three very popular musicians and blending them together so there’s lots of interesting perspectives and harmonies and whatnot.
Spencer - Algernon Cadwallader. They’re like screamo midwest emo-type math rock, they’re kind of like everything thrown into one and they’re really unpredictable but the songwriting is so good.
Sam - Toto, because they’re all the greatest session musicians ever.
Darren - XTC, because [they’ve written] some of the best pop songs ever written that nobody ever listens to.
Paul - Musica Cubana. [I like] that they cover the full range of the diaspora.
Josh - Somebody like Kendrick Lamar, Thundercat, or Radiohead. Being relatable and still musically experimental.
Sometimes You Have To Share
Despite what many of our customers believe, the layout of the store has in fact changed over the years, and at one point both the Drum Department and Microphones shared a sales space! You would purchase an SM57 microphone at the same counter that you would a cowbell or pair of drumsticks!
At this time the Drum Department also didn't have much in the way of showroom space. There may have been a drum set and a few snare drums nearby, but nothing like they have now! Because of our wonderful customers and expert staff, the store's success led to an expansion of our floor space, moving the Keyboard Department back into a new addition and giving the Drum Department their own space to expand into!
What was a musical experience that made you feel warm and fuzzy inside?
The first concert, your band's sold-out show, a favorite festival. We hope everyone has an experience with music they can point to that makes them feel warm and happy!
Luke - When my dad took me to a Rush concert as like one of my first concert ever. [I was] probably like 10. Clockwork Angels.
Spencer - I played this show at Songbyrd and we had a decent amount of people there and we did this crowd work part where we had one part of the crowd sing one thing, and another part of the crowd sing another thing, and it ended up working really good!
Sam - Writing and recording an album in its entirety.
Darren - There were a few shows I played in Japan where people were singing along, which was really cool.
Paul - Mine would be Lenny White at Blues Alley. It was an intimate setting, he was playing a holy grail vintage drum set and he made them sound really good.
Josh - One of my friends, she plays bass, showed me this live Parliament Funkadelic record for the first time. I think it was Live at the Hollywood Bowl. My favorite drummer was on the drums, Dennis Chambers, and I was just blown away with how musical they were, how they stretched songs out, the solos, and especially the energy of the crowd.
If you could be in any film or TV show, what would it be and what character would you play?
Luke - So I recently watched Daisy Jones and the Six, and the drummer guy is very unproblematic and he doesn’t get involved with any of the drama of the show, but there’s a scene where it cuts to [present day] and he’s in a mansion and has an attractive girlfriend…
Spencer - Family Feud, as Steve Harvey.
Sam - The Bachelor or Survivor, the host. To stir the tea. I love reality TV.
Paul - I’d say the husband in a sitcom akin to The Brady Bunch or Step By Step, where it’s the combined families.
Josh - I wouldn’t particularly want to be his character, but Jordan Belfort from Wolf of Wall Street. I just want to be in that environment once and see what it’s like.
The zombie apocalypse is here, who are 3 people that you would want on your team?
Assemble the dream team, get the band back together, turn on the Bat Signal! If you could see it coming, who are you teaming up with for the end of the world?
Luke - A doctor, any doctor. Who’s a famous doctor?
Spencer - Steve Irwin, Bear Grylls, and Bill Burr.
Sam - Gengis Khan, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Rick Grimes.
Josh - Young Muhammad Ali for fighting and Dave Chappelle to keep me laughing.
We're glad you stopped by and made it to the end! At Chuck Levin's, our staff is our best asset, and we want to share them with everyone whether they can make it to the store in person or not! So the next time you swing by the Drum Department (or reach out to them via phone, email or fax) to pick up some sticks or shop for a new kit, be sure to let them know what your wrestling name would be!
