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Arts & Entertainment
 

Drumming to a different beat

Musician hopes for a change of rhythm in the City of Brotherly Love

By Dusti Rhodes
The Daily Cougar

He sits behind the drums -- cool, calm, confident and comfortable. Through even the most intricate beats he appears relaxed and almost unfocused at the task at hand. A slight nod, a tilted head and an occasional smile let the audience know he is satisfied with what he hears and that he is in control. After all, it's just another night behind his kit doing what he loves and knows best.

But for Claudio De Pujadas, loving what he does is knowing what he has to do, even if it means abandoning familiar surroundings. 

"I just want to make a change," De Pujadas said.

The native Houston musician has decided to pack up his drums and sticks and head to Philadelphia with the hopes of expanding his already impressive skills.

De Pujadas joined his first band when he was 13 years old and a sophomore at Alief Hastings High School and played mostly covers of Red Hot Chili Peppers and Led Zeppelin songs.

When he was 15 years old, De Pujadas formed Adult Abuse with some friends.

"We were 15 and making this terrible hardcore music but I guess we thought it was good," De Pujadas said. 

Years later, De Pujadas would finally make his way into the Houston underground scene riding the third wave after responding to a flyer a friend found at the record shop Sound Exchange. A ska band called The Suspects was looking for a drummer and although De Pujadas was not entirely familiar with the style he went to audition anyway.

"I knew Operation Ivy and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, but I never played a ska beat in my life. It was like a whole new style that I was picking up as I was playing," De Pujadas said.

The setup seemed to work fine -- the band played outside of Texas and was popular in Houston for many years until they broke up in August of 2002. 

During and since playing with The Suspects, De Pujadas has played in an assortment of bands including Janitor and toured Europe while drumming for the surf-rock act Magnetic IV, which broke up last year. 

De Pujadas currently sits in various jazz clubs around Houston, and was nominated in this year's Houston Press Music Awards for best drummer and best musician for his work in lounge-exotica group Clouseaux. 

But even being nominated for the award didn't change De Pujadas' outlook on himself. He may play with his head slightly cocked up and appear confident, but like any good musician De Pujadas knows better than to let confidence get the best of him. 

"I'm always thinking about stuff I need to work on. People always tell me that I am good but I see how much further I need to go," De Pujadas said. He added that a major reason for heading to Philadelphia is to change the level of musicianship that surrounds him. 

"I just want to go up there and continue to get better ... I don't really have a set plan," De Pujadas said. He believes there is a greater opportunity in Philadelphia because the scene there is much more receptive to original music. 

Those musicians who have played with De Pujadas comment on his respectful disposition. A humble attitude has helped De Pujadas impress many fellow Houston musicians, including his current Clouseaux bandmate Jay Brooks.

"After having been in Middlefinger and having played with the Suspects countless times, not only was I aware of his skill as a drummer but more importantly I had gotten to know him as a person. He is very unpretentious ... a very low-maintenance musician. His ego is invisible behind his kindness," Brooks said.

As De Pujadas prepares to take off from the Space City, those he leaves behind realize the impact his presence has had.

"His departure may cause a few projects to flat-out implode. Those of us that plan to continue in his wake definitely have our work cut out for us. It will be difficult to find a replacement of Claudio's caliber," Brooks said.

De Pujadas is thankful for every experience he has had in Houston and said he could never completely leave Houston. 

"No matter want happens in Philly, this is what helped me be the musician I am today," De Pujadas said.

Brooks assured that De Pujadas will be missed, offering this final sentiment: "Don't go."

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