Rick Landwehr grew up listening to a wide variety of music that his parents and older sisters played at dinnertime. He was in the school choir from the first grade and began playing the cornet while in the sixth grade.  After two years, he decided that the cornet was not the right instrument for him. Almost two years later he was introduced to the drum set by a friend and immediately fell in love with the instrument. Lessons followed shortly after. After his freshmen year in high school, Rick moved to Tokyo Japan for three and a half years with his parents and one of his sisters. While in Japan he had his first performing experiences with the Ikeda Band and The Wound. After graduating from Saint Mary’s International School in Tokyo, Rick returned to the United States to attend Heidelberg College where he obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Environmental Biology. Rick had a few lessons and some jam sessions during his college years, but for the most part his playing was set aside.

After working for a couple of years for the certification company NSF International in Ann Arbor, Michigan Rick became intensely inspired to pursue music again. This resulted from an unplanned jam session with a co-worker. Shortly thereafter, Rick began placing and answering ads for musicians. This led to the surprisingly quick formation of the experimental rock band Ape 7. Within a year the group had a CD recorded and was playing around the Metropolitan Detroit area. The band garnered critical acclaim for its recording over the next two years and was nominated for a Best Band of 1997 award in Detroit’s Jam Rag magazine.

After a few years of performing with Ape 7, Rick decided to attend the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Ma. While at Berklee, Rick studied composition, arranging and drum set performance with many talented musicians including composer/arrangers Dennis Grillo and Richard Evans and drumming legend Casey Scheuerell. He graduated with high honors in May, 2002. He has performed with and/or composed for Tamandua, Daniel Bennett Group, Ra Quintet, Eccentric Orbit, Colin Stack and Novelty Act, The Boston Jazz Trio, Cirkestra, Third Nipple, Elena Zoubareva and various Boston area rock, jazz, and experimental music acts as well as recording all the percussion parts on the soundtrack to the film Darkon. He has taught at National Guitar Workshop, Brookline Music School and Page Music Lessons. He received a Master of Music degree in Modern American Music at Longy School of Music of Bard College in 2013.

Rick is the author of the book Drummer’s Guide to Odd Time Signatures (Alfred/National Guitar Workshop) and is a columnist for Modern Drummer magazine.

Rick proudly endorses  products,  cymbals,  drum heads, and  snare wires.

Discography:

Ape 7 “Undressed”,  Independent release (1997)

H “Junkyard” (I play on three tracks), Independent release (2002)

Third Nipple, Independent release (2002)

Micah Howeson “Nothing Here Makes Sense” (I play on two tracks), Independent release (2004)

Cirkestra “Alice”, Independent release (2004)

Darkon (film soundtrack), Independent release (released on itunes, 2007)

Tamandua “Eternal Anteater of the Universe” (Bennett Alliance Records, 2009) Also available at: CD Baby itunes and Rhapsody

Ra Quintet “Ra Quintet” (Bennett Alliance Records, 2009) Also available at: CD Baby, itunes and Rhapsody

Colin Stack “Futile Serenade” (Stack Tone Records, 2009) Available at CD Baby

Daniel Bennett Group “Live at the Theatre” (Bennett Alliance Records, 2009)

Hopeful Monsters “Inexhaustible West” (Bennett Alliance Records, 2010)

Daniel Bennett Group “Peace and Stability among Bears” (Bennett Alliance Records, 2011)

Brant Grieshaber + Company “Impressions of Brouwer, Vol. 2: Electrified Etudes”, Independent Release (2011)

John Copeland “Disguises and Compromises” (independent release, 2012)

Colin Stack “From Parlors to Stations” (Stacktone Records, 2014)

Eccentric Orbit “Attack of the Martians” re-issue (independent release, 2014) (I play on the bonus track The Day the Earth Stood Still)

Eccentric Orbit “Creation of the Humanoids” (independent release, 2014)

Damen Easton “Tonic” (independent release, 2014)

Hopeful Monsters “Travelers”(independent release, 2015)