We had the good fortune of connecting with David Skidmore and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi David, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
My bandmates and I were definitely not thinking about starting a business, we just had music that we loved to make that was different than what most other people were making. Once we realized that we wanted to reach more people and dedicate more time to the music, it became a business out of necessity.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’m 1/4 of a classically-trained quartet called Third Coast Percussion. We’re classical musicians who use our chosen instrument family (percussion) and the incredible range of genres and cultures touched by this instrument family to expand the definition of classical music. We’ve collaborated with EDM artists, film composers, rock musicians, Hindustani classical musicians, choreographers, and experimental, open-minded artists of many backgrounds to create over a hundred new works for our ensemble in the past 20 years, and win the first GRAMMY Award for a classical percussion group.

The biggest challenge we faced early on was hearing from almost everyone—including those that we respected and admired the most—that pursuing a full-time career playing this kind of music wasn’t possible. The advice came from a place of caring, but it meant we had to be tenacious and more than a little hard-headed to stick it out.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
L.A. to me is a tremendous and still sometimes intimidating universe. I’ve gotten to visit many times over the years, and my favorite spots are the Baked Potato for live jazz, Guelaguetza for Oaxacan food and live marimba music, and the Broad Museum for contemporary art.

If you’re asking about my hometown of Chicago, here is an itinerary for a weekend trip, mostly in my neighborhood:

Friday — early-ish dinner at Gather, followed by live music in Uptown at the Green Mill, Aragon, or Riviera
Saturday — breakfast at Dollop Diner in Andersonville, followed by midday at Montrose Beach, dinner at Boonie’s Filipino followed by drinks at Victor Bar
Sunday — downtown brunch at Cindy’s Rooftop, followed by a visit to the modern wing at the Art Institute, a walk along the Chicago river with stops for drinks and snacks along the way, then dinner at the West Loop pretty much anywhere but perhaps Girl and the Goat or Monteverde, then live music at one of the smaller spots like Hideout, the Empty Bottle, or Constellation.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’d like to shout out every teacher I’ve ever had. There isn’t a more important and more under appreciated profession that I know of. To name just a few of the teachers who changed my life for the better: Ms. Astor, Lynn Gafford, Kelly Calloway, Craig McKinney, Cathy Koziatek, James Hannah, Michael Hernandez, Shawn Schietroma, Art Ruangtip, Gary Saul Morson, Michael Burritt, Robert Van Sice, and James Ross.

Website: www.thirdcoastpercussion.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thirdcoastpercussion/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-skidmore-37a0142a/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThirdCoastPerc

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thirdcoastpercussion

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thirdcoastpercussion

Image Credits
Carnegie – Stephanie Berger Grammys statue – Rich Polk Skidmore main head shot – Kirk Richard Smith TCP group hero shot – Saverio Truglia TCP performance shot – Marc Perlish

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