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BiographyThird "History" paragraph updated 04-27-06 Name: Stephanie Ellison
Styles/Influences: 80's Electronic/Techno/Pop, some Rock, OMD, Pet Shop Boys, Yello, English Beat, Modern English, New Order, Berlin, Bananarama, The Cure, Ministry, Dead or Alive, Satcom 101, Drastic, Caliente!, The GMOFF Crew, Dark UFO, Neural Man, Icebird, Utopik, Johannes Roussel, The Cars, Stanley Clarke, Right Said Fred, and Gina G. My more recent influences include rock bands like Nickleback, Aerosmith (I know they've been around a long time), Godsmack, 7 Mary 3, Bush, the Excies, 3 Doors Down, Creed, Foo Fighters, and many more. History: A bit about myself; I am a drummer/percussionist who happens to be deaf. I lost my hearing when I was a baby, but I went ahead into music to everyone's surprise. I played percussion and drum set for about nine years in school, and five of those last years with the bass guitar as well. I even sang a little bit in choir (low alto range). When I was in high school, I toured Western Europe twice, once with America's Youth in Concert and once with US Collegiate Wind Band. I also competed in UIL competition throughout grade school and high school, up to the state level. I did very well at the state level as well. After my first year in college, I laid down my instrument for fair periods of time because of my studies, and eventually, my job responsibilities. I always ended up picking up my sticks and bass guitar for short periods of time. From time to time, I thought about trying music professionally, but I was scared away by the "hardship of a musician's life" (my percussion instructor was a borderline example - he did okay, but the family of two kids and a wife made things VERY difficult, financially). The second thing was my fascination with computers, which I wish I had recognized as a passing fancy at the time. I struggled through college doing other things BUT music, and I had from time to time picked up my drumsticks and practiced maybe a few weeks at a time; same thing with the bass guitar. I was disillusioned with the idea that I might not ever make it in music because of my deafness (look where Evelyn Glennie is today - she is a deaf master percussionist in the U.K.). In July 2004, I moved to Houston to be with the hard-rock band, Gurlfriendz, and to find a better work environment that would allow me to have more time for music. Gurlfriendz did cover songs from Bush, The Exies, Audioslave, Weezer, 7 Mary 3, Godsmack, 3 Doors Down, Nickleback, Stone Temple Pilots, Matthew Sweet, Incubus, Foo Fighters, Aerosmith, The Toadies, etc., which is all more recent hard-rock music that I love to learn now! We made our first CD, an LP, "To The end," just in time for the Houston Pride Festival in June 2005. At this time, we have disbanded, and I am using the time to work on bringing my playing technique to another level while looking for another rock band to play in. For more on how I got started on drums, and what it's like to be a profoundly deaf drummer, read my article below! ArticlesStephanie has written the following articles for Handidrummed.com: GearAcoustic/Electronic Setup & Heads updated 02-18-05 • Acoustic/Electronic Setup Stephanie's acoustic drums intergrated with the electronic setup below
Drums: Yamaha Stage Custom (older model) in Green Finish
Cymbals: Various
Hardware & Misc:
I also use Yamaha & Pacific boom stands, a Yamaha clamp, a Gibraltar Rack, a Vater Stick Cup, and an LP Gajate bracket (for the jam block). Heads:
Sticks: Vater Los Angeles 5A • Complete Electronic Setup 
Drums: Yamaha DTXpress II DS9XPSII (except where noted)
Hardware & Misc:
I also use a Yamaha RS65S Drum Rack Stand, a Tama HS10 Snare Drum Stand, and a KX-1200 Behringer Keyboard Amp. Sticks: Vic Firth American Classic 5B |
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