From the sandbox, I already knew I wanted to play the drums , and I also thought dancing was awesome at a young age. The energy that music gives remains a miracle to me.
It is "only" sound, and yet, in my opinion, this is the most beautiful art form that exists. It sets things in motion, challenges the imagination, and can convey emotions like nothing else.

After nagging for a while, I was finally allowed to take drum lessons.
I was hooked immediately. After a few years of practicing and fun, crazy times with youth bands, I was accepted into the Conservatory in Rotterdam. After completing that program, I played in various bands, from traditional pubs to seaside festivals in Italy.
I don't like boasting, but for me, Lowlands, Paradiso, and Ahoy were highlights.
Of which Paradiso was absolutely the most important; that is hallowed ground to me, so to speak.

Not that those were the best concerts, oh no, actually they were the strangest.
For example, a gig in a dodgy punk den where the power went out and I was forced to play a long drum solo while fixing the technical problem (while people were going completely wild).
The flying hay bales during a local festival, and a performance on Queen's Night on the first floor (where the singer was hanging halfway out of the window) have also stuck in my memory.
Either the gig in the dome church for KLM, or in Ostia where we first had to thank the local mobsters, or the gig in Turkey where the sound system had to be soldered while 'waiting' in the 24-hour bar, or... Playing is so much fun, and what craziness you can experience.

Making music is truly the best . It never gets boring, you always have something new to discover, the playing together, and the loss of time when everything falls into place. It is an endless source of joy .
And I would like to pass that on to others!