Crazy Texas Drummer
Questions and answers
Every question anybody has actually asked, answered plainly. 37 of them. If yours is not here, ask on any form and Brian answers it himself.
Booking
How does booking actually work?
Four steps and about a minute. You pick what you want and send the short form. You pay on Venmo on the next screen, which holds the slot. Brian texts you back to confirm the time and tells you exactly where to meet. Then you play. There is no portal, no account to make and nothing to install.
How long until Brian replies?
He answers these himself, within 24 to 48 hours. If you have paid to hold a slot and he has not confirmed the time within 24 hours, you get the whole amount back on Venmo, no argument.
Do I have to pick an exact day and time?
No. Tell him roughly when suits you - weekday evenings, Saturday mornings, whatever is true - and he will come back with two specific options. Most people sort a time out in one message each way.
What if I need to move or cancel a lesson?
Give 24 hours notice and it moves, free. Less than that and the lesson is charged, except for genuine illness, which is always waived. Rain or extreme heat move it free as well, no notice needed.
Can you teach my child?
Yes. Book it on the same form as everybody else and tick "I'm booking for someone under 18" - it asks for the parent or guardian's name and number, and Brian calls you before the first lesson. A parent or guardian stays for the whole lesson. Same prices as everyone else; for a very young child say so in the note and Brian will tell you what he would do.
What happens if I turn up late?
Text him and he will wait. The lesson still ends at the agreed time if someone is booked after you, but nobody loses a lesson over traffic.
Paying
How does paying work?
You pay Brian directly on Venmo. After the form you get a booking reference that looks like CTD-4KJ2, and a button that opens Venmo with the amount and that reference on it - and the reference printed large on screen with a copy button, so you can type it in yourself if Venmo does not prefill. Send it, and he matches the payment to your booking in seconds. This is a Venmo payment to Brian with a reference on it - not a card checkout, and nothing is stored on this site.
Why pay before the lesson?
Because it holds the slot. He hauls a full kit to a park for one person, so a paid booking is what stops a Saturday morning disappearing on a no-show. It also means there is nothing to sort out at the end - you just play, and then you go home.
What if he never confirms?
Full refund on Venmo. If Brian has not confirmed your time by text within 24 hours of your payment, the money comes straight back. That promise applies to every prepaid item on this site.
I do not use Venmo. What then?
Say so in the form and he will sort it out with you directly. Card payments are being set up and will appear on this page when they are working.
Can I get money back on an unused pack?
Yes. Unused lessons in a pack are refundable pro-rata at the single-lesson rate, minus the lessons you have already taken.
Can I just tip him?
Yes, and plenty of people do. There is a tip page with a few suggested amounts and an open field, and the money goes to the same Venmo account written on the drumhead. No obligation attached to it, in either direction.
Does this site take a cut?
No. There is no processor, no platform fee and no middleman. The money goes straight into Brian's own Venmo account.
Lessons
I have never touched a drum kit. Is that a problem?
It is the normal starting point here, not the exception. Most people who book have never played, and plenty of them are in their forties and fifties and have wanted to do this since they were twelve. The first hour is built for exactly that person: you leave having played a beat that sounds like music.
I do not own a kit. Can I still take a lesson?
Yes. He brings one. You bring nothing at all, and you do not need to own a drum before, during or after the lesson.
What do I need to bring?
Water, and shoes you can work a pedal in. That is the list. Kit, sticks, throne and cymbals are all provided. Sunscreen and a hat are a good idea most of the year here.
Where do lessons happen?
Outdoors, in a public park in central Austin. When you pick a time he names two options, and you get the exact spot as soon as the time is set. Outside central Austin there is a travel fee, quoted before you book.
Is it safe meeting someone in a park?
It is always a public, busy park with parking and people around, and you get the exact spot before you leave the house. Bring someone with you if you would rather - plenty of people do the first one that way, and it changes nothing about the lesson.
What happens if it rains, or it is 105 degrees?
It moves, free. An outdoor lesson is never lost to weather - rain, lightning or a heat index over 105 and it is rescheduled at no cost, with a covered backup spot as the alternative.
What actually happens in the first hour?
You warm up, then you learn the rock beat, then the reggaeton beat, then the reggae feel, then you play something all the way through. Brian teaches the beats that carry the most music first, deliberately, rather than starting on a practice pad.
“I would start them with the rock beat, and then I would take them from there to the most popular beat in the world now: the reggaeton beat.”
Do you teach online?
Yes. Online coaching is 60 minutes for $100, and you will need a kit of your own - he sends you a video link. It is the same teaching, minus the kit being carried to a park, and it is how people outside Austin work with him.
How often should I have a lesson?
Once a week is the usual rhythm, and it is what the 4-lesson pack is shaped around. Once a fortnight works if you practise in between. Less than that and you spend each lesson remembering the last one.
Can a few of us learn together?
Yes. A group lesson is a flat $200 for the whole group, split however you like among 2 to 4 people, prepaid. Popular with friends, families and teams.
Session drums
What do I send him?
A rough mix as an audio file or a link, the tempo if you know it, and one track that sounds like the feel you are after. If you have a chart or a programmed drum idea, send that too. If you have none of it, send the song and say what you want the drums to do.
What do I get back?
Every individual drum stem plus a stereo drum submix, as 24-bit WAV at your session's sample rate, tempo-aligned so they drop straight onto your timeline. You own 100 percent of the performance the moment you pay - no royalty, no points, and credit is requested rather than required.
How long does it take, and can I ask for changes?
Two weeks is standard, and two revisions are included. Extra revisions after that are $50 each. A revision is a change to the performance; re-recording to a different arrangement or tempo is a new song. Need it sooner? Rush delivery is available: 5 business days for an extra $300, or 3 business days for an extra $450.
What does a song cost?
$200 a song, all in - full kit, 10 microphones, stems and a comp mix, two revisions, a two-week turnaround, 50 percent deposit up front. Five songs sent together are $900. Albums, attended sessions and unusual asks are quoted after a short call.
Events
What do you need from me to quote an event?
The date, roughly how many people, where in Austin, indoors or outdoors, how long you want music or drumming for, and whether there is power and a way to get a kit in. Six lines is enough and the number comes back within 24 to 48 hours.
Roughly what do events cost?
Most drum circles and parties land between a few hundred dollars and about a thousand, depending on how long it runs, how many people are playing, and how far a kit has to be carried. Tell him the date and he will give you the real number rather than a range.
What kinds of events do you do?
Drum circles, corporate team days, school workshops, private parties and festival sets. Some of those are Brian on a kit, some are everybody playing something, and the two are priced differently - say which one you had in mind, or describe the room and he will tell you.
About Brian
Who is Brian Foster?
An Austin drummer who plays in public most days, records session drums from his own studio, and teaches. He started at 10 after a Doobie Brothers concert, came up through rock, progressive rock, heavy metal, jazz fusion and reggae, and KUT Radio profiled him in 2025.
“I was 10. They took me to the Doobie Brothers concert. They had three drummers. It was amazing!”
Is he in a band I can go and see?
Yes - Motorheadhunters, with Brian and Scott Doyle featuring local talent who sit in with them. The quickest way to hear about a show is to leave your email here.
Where can I see him playing on the street?
He moves around Austin and posts where he is on Instagram rather than keeping a fixed spot. If you want the next one in your inbox, leave your email and you will get a message when there is something to see.
Why play on the street at all?
He has answered this publicly, and the honest answer is about how music gets paid for in this town rather than about novelty.
“In Austin, you need to be in a tribute band or a cover band, typically, to get a well-paying gig.”
Your details
What happens to the details I put in the form?
They go to Brian by email so he can reply to you, and they are stored privately. They are never sold, never shared with anyone else, and never used to advertise anything to you elsewhere.
Will I get emails I did not ask for?
No. You get a reply from Brian, and the free guides only if you ticked the box asking for them. Every one of those has an unsubscribe link and one click is the end of it.
Can you delete my details?
Yes. Reply to any email from Brian and ask, and it is done. You do not have to give a reason.
Still not answered?
Ask on any form on the site and it reaches Brian directly - he answers his own comments on his own videos, and he will answer this one too.
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