Drumming up business for session musician

Musician Jonathon “Jonno” Lodge has been a drummer since he was four years old and has played with a vast array of bands in venues throughout Europe.

Now, after attaining a First in BSc(Hons) Music Technology with Management at Staffordshire University, he hopes to take his career to new heights.

Jonno, 21, from Doncaster, said: “It’s what I always wanted to do since I was four years old. When I was ten I had my first show, in the Millennium Dome, in London, and I’ve been teaching since I was 15.”

Before going to University, at the age of 18, Jonno toured with metal band Biomechanical throughout the UK and Europe and played with ex-Iron Maiden frontman Paul Di'Anno.

“Basically, I came to University because I wanted to expand on the technical and strategic side of things,” he said. “I wanted to produce a marketing strategy for my business so I did this as my dissertation project and, so far, I’ve received a fair amount of work from it.”

Jonno now plans to continue as a session drummer, playing live and in the studio, as well as teaching.

He added: “It’s very hard to start up a band and make it, but as a session player there’s always options and there is a constant demand for it. I only have to rely on myself and I can have as much or as little work as I need.

“There have been times when, in a single day, I’ve been doing a sound check for TV and then driven to Birmingham and played with a band live. In short, I’m never out of work. I plan on doing it for the rest of my life.