TY DENNIS
~ this guy has been in the coveted Doors drum seat since February 2003
~ many people preferred him over Stewart Copeland
~ so, what's HIS story?
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Ty was born January 19, 1971 and raised in Orange County, California ... he lived very close to Disneyland before he moved to L.A.
He has been established as a studio musician in Los Angeles since 1995, and has played rock, jazz, fusion, etc. - just about every style - at one time or another with MANY different bands and played on more than 40 CDs.
For awhile he played in the band 'The Motels.' Ty also had a record deal with his own band 'Insulated', and played with the band 'Elephant Ride' on Sony Workgroup records. Currently, he has been playing around L. A. and New York with the L. A. band 'Firebug' and just finished their upcoming record.
Ty began drumming in the Robby Krieger Band in 2001. His friend Angelo Barbera, the bass player in the Robby Krieger Band (and now The Doors 21st Century) recommended him for the drum seat, so he got to meet Robby and the rest of the band when he auditioned (and got the gig!).
Ty's favorite music is fusion jazz (especially from the 70's), and great classic rock like 'The Doors' and 'Led Zeppelin.’ He is a HUGE fan of Herbie Hancock, his favorite musician.
When the Robby Krieger Band went on hiatus while Robby worked with Ray Manzarek and Ian Astbury on the new Doors 21st Century band project, Ty still kept busy with Robby and the other musicians.
He filled in for Stewart Copeland at rehearsals while Stewart's broken arm mended from his late November accident. While that arm injury healed, Ty was privileged to be in the drum seat on national television with The Doors 21st Century on the Late Late Show With Craig Kilborn on January 30th.
Ty was in the drum seat again the following morning at the L.A. House of Blues when the band did a live concert for local radio station KLOS, which was also broadcast live over many affiliate stations.
It was a major thrill to be drumming at the tremendous sold-out show at Universal Amphitheater in Los Angeles on February 7. The following week, he was sitting in the drum seat again when the band appeared on 'Last Call With Carson Daly.' It became clear that Stewart was being replaced with Ty, and Ty has been the drummer with The Doors of the 21st Century ever since. In 2003 they played shows in Arizona, Texas, NYC, Boston, Philly, Connecticut, and Florida and many others, including Europe in December and Hollywood's Kodak Theater on New Years Eve. There have been many more tour dates scheduled for 2004, including a return trip to Europe in July.
When he is not playing in bands or listening to music, Ty loves spending time with his wife Sondra, going to movies, playing around on his computer, and playing games on his new XBox.
An update to Ty's leisure time is the addition of Noah Colin Dennis born on May 25, 2006.
Ty also plays with another band called 'Three From None' ... watch his website for show dates.
Check back for more personal insights on Ty Dennis!
visit Ty Dennis' website at: http://www.tydennis.com
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by Ida 2/9/03
updated 9/5/04