Gareth found his love of music at an early age, taking to drums when he was five.
He studied jazz and improvised music at the Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne, and scored a scholarship to travel to the U.S. and train under drumming masters Mark Guiliana, Jim Black, Dave Elitch, Chris Johnson, John Riley and more.
With his breadth and depth of skills, including 25+ years of experience as a drummer, Gareth has been an active presence in the Australian music scene - primarily in the worlds of pop, hip hop, funk, and jazz.
He has had the pleasure to perform with established and emerging artists including Sex On Toast, Eliott, Minh, Kylie Auldist, Lakyn, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Victorian Opera, Kate Kelsey-Sugg, Horns Of Leroy, Lior and Au Dre.
As a musical director, Gareth has developed and directed live shows for Eliott, Lakyn and Essie Holt.
Gareth is a proud endorsee of Yamaha Drums, Evans Drumheads, and Promark Drumsticks.
"Gareth has played a huge and vital part in building my live set. His discipline, knowledge and passion for music is so strong I wholeheartedly felt safe in sharing the reigns with what I have poured my life into. Throughout the process Gareth really has helped me understand myself more, purely because he wanted to understand me fully so that he can assist in supporting my goals with my live performance. I think that is a huge reason as to why we have naturally continued to tour all over Australia together for many years. I’ll always be grateful for his help."
- Lakyn Heperi
"Gareth is a total pro. He has filled in for my live band on a number of occasions and if I didn’t turn around during the set I wouldn’t have known it wasn’t my regular drummer. He learns the songs inside out, is able to trigger tracks and play live, and executes at a ridiculously high level. He's also done some drum programming work for some tracks on my last album which were stylistically on point. The man is a beast."
- Kylie Auldist
"Gareth is one of the most enterprising musicians I have ever known. I worked with Gareth on at least two occasions in Victorian Opera productions as part of Victorian Opera's main stage seasons. The first was at The Malthouse in which he played an immensely complex percussion score with great flair and commitment. The second was at Her Majesty's Theatre in which he demonstrated yet again that he is a master of his craft. On both occasions Gareth was more than prepared. He has examined the parts in great detail and came to the first rehearsal with a full and complete knowledge of the music."
- Richard Gill
Artistic Director of Victorian Opera (2006 - 2012)
