Dave Schoepke is a uniquely admired and respected drummer and percussionist whose wide-ranging approach always puts meaning and substance ahead of virtuosity. Whether holding down the groove in a prog rock or singer-songwriter band, composing layered avant-garde or meditational music, or letting loose in free and freewheeling improvisational settings, Dave is always hailed for his musicality, professionalism, and his thoughtfulness as an artist and a human.
A lifelong resident of the Greater Milwaukee area, Dave has been a drummer and collaborator with the Willy Porter Band since 2002. He has also had the pleasure of touring with legendary Jethro Tull guitarist Martin Barre, who says, “Dave is a wonderful musician, extremely diligent, caring and an amazing team player on and off the road.”
Dave’s first solo project, Drums On Low (2019), has received acclaimed reviews from Modern Drummer, Recording Magazine, and numerous global on-line music critics. The 400th issue of Recording Magazine featured Dave on the cover and includes a multi-page feature of Dave’s process of writing and recording Drums On Low. Since then Dave has released two more solo albums and numerous collaborations. A dedicated teacher, Dave has also recorded dozens of instructional CD’s for the Hal Leonard Corporation, and has just released a method book with a full year’s worth of daily style workouts called Drum Set 365. A new book, How to Play Rock Drums in 14 Days, was published in late 2022