Brad Butler - Drums

I began playing drums at the age of 5 when I was given a Tony the Tiger drum set for Christmas.  At that moment I knew I wanted to play drums forever.  When I was 12 I got a red white and blue set made by Ludwig.  I used that set for many years.  My mother played the piano and she taught me how to play which made me love music that much more.  My mom was my number 1 fan.  I was in choir and the marching band through out middle and high school.

In the late 70’s I joined a band Mondo Bando.  I also played in a Led Zeppelin tribute, a Doors tribute and a Kiss tribute bands. This led me to having my own band and Sabbatar was created.  We mostly played cover songs.  I have been lucky enough to have been able to work every aspect of the music industry; Concert promoting, sound and lights and managing the stage.  Working with other bands helped me know what I wanted to do with my band.  We played cover songs for many years and we were always booked each weekend.   We entered the Battle of the Bands in Lake Hills Roller Rink.  I had broke my ankle on a stage while we were practicing and I still competed with Sabbatar each round we had in the Battle.  We did win the competition that year. I promoted many local bands in the Seattle area and made many friends and connections over the years.

Eventually the rock scene changed in Seattle and some of the clubs closed down that I worked with.   I decided to move to Hawaii.  When I got there I had a friend who owned a bar and he asked me to help him with it.  I helped him get the place cleaned up, brought in some great entertainment every night and brought in some big bands to play there.  I still wanted to keep my dream of Sabbatar alive and found some great musicians while I was there.  We still played covers and played every weekend.  I played in the band, promoted at the club and also worked my day job at Navy Housing on the base.

I then relocated to Colorado where I still live.  I joined a local band here and played for a while with them, but I still had the desire for Sabbatar to thrive.  I met some people and we played the cover songs and we were again booked every weekend.  The music scene eventually died down and rooms that we always played started closing down.  I decided to take a break for a while.  Then in 2012 I searched for the right people and got Sabbatar going again and this time we decided to do original music.  Since then we have had member changes but I am very happy with the line up we currently have and know we can take this to the next level and then some.  I am also playing in a cover band called Decades which I put together so I can still play covers and meet more people.  I enjoy playing shows and seeing the crowd’s response.  My absolute favorite part of a show is giving the kids drumsticks and showing them how to spin them.

My influences  when I was younger was 3 Dog Night, Led Zeppelin, Judas Priest, and Iron Maiden.  I am now influenced by Yes, Dream Theater, Kamelot and bands many more progressive style bands.

My gear consists of:
Tama Imperial Star kit, Meinl Cymbals, D.W. Snare, North drums, Ludwig Timpani, Roto Toms, Chimes, Ludwig and Meinl Gongs, Woodblocks, Alesis Drum Pad, Variety of Cymbals, Audix Drum Mics, a Brass Bell etched with a dragon from a sunken ship and way too much more to write out. LOL!

I also use a Galaxy Audio As-1100 In Ear Monitoring System for all our shows and live streaming broadcast.

I would like to thank Ruth and all of the crew members that have helped us through the years!
Rock On!