Crazy Texas Drummer
Brian Foster
Drummer, Austin, TX. On street corners as Street Beats Austin, in the parks teaching, in the studio tracking other people's songs, and on stage with Motorheadhunters.
The start
Three drummers on one stage
He was ten years old when his family took him to see the Doobie Brothers. There were three drummers on the stage. Two years later there was a drum kit in the house.
“I was 10. They took me to the Doobie Brothers concert. They had three drummers. It was amazing!”
“Two years later, they bought me a drum set because I was like, "I want to play drums after seeing that concert."”
What followed was a long walk through genres rather than a straight line: rock and roll first, then progressive rock, then a lot of heavy metal, then jazz fusion and reggae.
“Oh, rock and roll, standard rock and roll. I moved on from basic rock and roll to progressive rock, like Rush, getting inspired by progressive rock bands, and then from there into heavy metal, playing a lot of heavy metal, and then from there into jazz fusion and reggae.”
“To play reggae correctly, you almost need to live the lifestyle for a minute at least. Really dig into the culture and listen.”
Why he plays
Closer to meditation than to practice
“The freedom! It washes away all my thoughts, and it's almost akin to meditation. It really clears my mind, and I just feel free and unbound by all the worries of the world. It just takes me to another place.”
“The ultimate freedom. That's what sums up why I busk; I've never felt so free.”
“I might literally have people with no money coming up and giving me their only dollar. It's the craziest thing, but the majority of them really appreciate what I do, because, you know, they don't get to go in a club and enjoy music.”
The question people ask most
Where can I see him play?
He does not publish an exact corner and time in advance, because a busker who announces a schedule gets moved along. The spot changes, and so does the day.
Instagram @streetbeatsaustin is where he posts, most days he is out. That is the real answer, and it is the fastest way to catch him.
@motorheadhunters.band
He plays in a band. Motorheadhunters is Brian Foster and Scott Doyle, featuring local players who sit in with them - and they are the backing band for Sierra Valles. The shows are posted on their Instagram.
Open Instagram
Want to see the band live? Follow @streetbeatsaustin and the band's own Instagram - that is where the shows go up.
Musical history
Bands he has played in
Now
Motorheadhunters - Brian Foster and Scott Doyle, featuring local talent who sit in with them. They are also the backing band for Sierra Valles.
Before
- Fosters Children - his jam band, with Todd Vendelay and Noah Blades.
- Force of Rage - his old metal band. Not active.
- Ancestor and Axis Unity - earlier projects, metal and reggae respectively, both on the channel and both finished.
Everything in the Before list is past work. The current act is Motorheadhunters.
Forty years of listening
The drummers he names when you ask who shaped him: Terry Bozzio, Bill Bruford, Neil Peart, Billy Cobham, Buddy Rich, Carlton Barrett and Chad Wackerman. Forty years of playing, and you can hear all seven of them in different clips.
The kit in the videos is a Yamaha Tour Custom, fully miked - a microphone on every drum plus two overheads for the cymbals. Ten in total, which is why the street recordings sound the way they do.
The short version
In a paragraph
Brian Foster is an Austin, Texas drummer. He started at 10, after his family took him to a Doobie Brothers concert with three drummers on stage, and got his first kit two years later. He came up through rock and roll, then progressive rock like Rush, then heavy metal, then jazz fusion and reggae. Today he busks Austin's street corners, medians and shopping centers, plays in Motorheadhunters, and tracks drums remotely for other people's songs from his studio in Austin. He teaches beginners outdoors, in parks and in nature. He calls himself the happiest drummer in the world, and the freedom is the reason: "It just takes me to another place."
Where to find him online
Two channels, one band, one street feed
YouTube
@BrianFosterdrummer
His main channel.
YouTube
@BrianFosterdrums
His second channel.
@streetbeatsaustin
Where he posts when he is out playing.
Want to work with him? Lessons, session drums, or events.