Shane Graham has been playing the drums for over 22 years. He was initially self-taught and learned by playing along to Alternative and Classic Rock albums. In high school, he played in the Marching Band and Drumline and also formed his first rock band. Shane’s first formal drum lessons were after graduating High school, with the great Jack LeCompte, concentrating on the fundamentals of Jazz.
Shane completed his undergraduate work at California State University, Northridge, where he received his BA in Music Industry Studies, graduating with Honors on the Dean’s List with an accumulative GPA of 3.6. While at CSUN he studied percussion under Aaron Smith, John Roscigno, and Jerry Steinholtz. It was at CSUN that his technical knowledge of music was developed, including fluency in reading music, music theory/harmony, and musicianship. He also learned how to play the piano and developed a passion for composing. In addition, he studied the drums outside of school with Jason Harnell and Gene Coye, focusing on improvising and Jazz. After graduating he studied with Bruce Becker, a master of technique, who studied under the drumming guru Freddie Gruber. From these lessons, Shane became inspired to become a teacher himself.
Shane has been providing drum lessons for over 14 years, teaching all over Los Angeles as well as virtually during the pandemic. He has taught all ages from kids to adults in both private and group settings. He also created a YouTube channel during the pandemic that offers a ton of free drum lessons that were warmly received.
Shane has an outstanding reputation as a session drummer and is constantly requested to work with bands in the Los Angeles music scene. His credits include performances and recordings with Jeff Schroeder, Peter Hook, Mark Lanegan, supergloom, Dream Phases, and many more. He has performed all across the United States, Mexico, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Europe. He has shared the stage with artists such as The Growlers, Luna, Frankie & the Witchfingers, Wooden Shjips, Sugar Candy Mountain, and Levitation Room.
In addition to drumming, Shane is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, and mixing engineer. Shane is currently active with his two bands Dream Phases and supergloom.
His goal is to continue to learn and grow daily as a human being and a musician. Through his teaching, he hopes to inspire his students to develop a deep passion for music and their instruments.
