BIOGRAPHY
Wylie Wirth is a professional Drummer and a seasoned Designer,Craftsman and Artisan.
He currently resides in Dumbo Brooklyn,NYC.
He's performed several thousands of shows Internationally as a Drummer/Percussionist,
been signed to Major record labels and been involved in hundreds of recording sessions making records.
DJ'ed at plenty of clubs,restaurants,bars,and private events.
He's also built permanent pieces of furniture for the Guggenheim NYC,Smithsonian Museum of the
American Indian
and numerous items for artists,galleries,TV,film,advertising,restaurants,bars and private residences.
Currently by day he's building custom items for clients out of his Sunset Park workshop and
playing shows and recording by night.
MISSION for MARBLE HOUSE June 2014 RESIDENCY
As a young musician in NYC I was in a modern band signed to Warner Brothers
that embraced and featured high tech equipment.
My specialty was running and playing all the electronics.
Gear was large,heavy and slow in comparison to todays equivalent.Since then I've found myself focusing
most on the acoustic side of my skill set.
My mission for the month of June at the Marble House is to re-integrate a modern,streamlined
version of digital drum technology into my current acoustic setup.
Equipment list includes a Mac running Ableton Live,M box digital interface,Drumkat midi trigger
controller,and
DDrum analog triggers attached to acoustic drums and percussive instruments.
I will experiment with various setups,sound creation and production,live performance techniques and
digital recording.
I will also be on a daily regimen of exercise and personal health,practice and learning material for upcoming
tour opportunities.
HISTORY
Wylie Wirth was born in Boston,Massachusetts on August 19,1968.
Raised by his parents Tom and Helene along with his four brothers and sisters in a barn his father
transformed into a house in Sherborn,Massachusetts.
His father,a Landscape Architect and his mother,a Painter exposed their children to a world where
hard work,creativity,beauty and personal expression were paramount.
Influenced greatly by his older brother and his peers,Wylie was exposed to many styles of music at an early age.
Wylie studied Violin,Mandolin,Drums,and Piano privately.Eventually he chose and stuck with the Drums.
As a teenager Wylie attended Extension Division night classes at The New England Conservatory.
This was an Ensemble atmosphere where students were coached by a faculty member and an
introduction to music education on a professional level.
Wylie graduated High School with honors and enrolled at The Berklee College of Music in Boston.
Three semesters as a Performance major proved to be long enough to join a band,drop out of school and
move to NYC.
He negotiated a deal with his parents to take a year off and then return to school.Pronto,one year
later,Wylie and his bandmates of the Sweet Lizard Illtet were signed to Warner Brothers.
Their record was released in 26 countries.He never returned to school.
The next four years consisted of non-stop music.Performing
Nationally,rehearsing,recording,producing,co-writing
and gigging with multiple side projects kept the days and nights full and payed the bills.
The atmospheres of the Downtown Underground Music,Art and Club scenes in the early nineties were stimulating and wide open.
When the Sweet Lizard Illtet dis-banded,Wylie moved to Amsterdam,Holland.
he was awarded an Artist in Residency at a Squat called the Silo in Amsterdam.
Again,living a full-time music filled existence,making new friends with some of the best players and doing
sessions around town.
Wylie put together a project group called HickHop Ink and made an EP featuring one of the hottest young
Dutch Rappers"Rock Attack 10".
Six months in Holland was enough to get the New York itch and he returned to the States.Back in NYC
the next challenge was making enough money to survive.Wylie was introduced to the owner of a Cabinet making shop in Soho,NYC.
He quickly learned the trade by devoting days to woodwork and nights to music.Wylie juggled 3-4 bands
steadily.
the Bands were Sexpod(opening act for Joan Jett)The Dope Pages(showcasing for David Byrne)and
Vaporhead(one of many featured bands at Squeezebox party at Don Hills)to name a few.
Meanwhile,the wood shop was doing tight work.Wylie shop-managed a crew on a six month project
building a replica of an original
Frank Loyyd Wright reception desk for the Guggenheim Museum NYC.
The whole key to this existence was cheap rent and ingenuity.
Wylie moved to Dumbo,Brooklyn to get more space and keep the bills low.
He also began DJing and making custom Leather items to supplement his income.
A combination of constant music projects,International travel,and extensive woodworking have ensued
since.
As Real Estate values,Rent and Development progress,along with the Music Industrys steady decline,its
been a struggle to keep the music alive.
Currently Wylie is pursuing Internationally acclaimed Artists to tour and record with and continuing to finance the
dream as a woodworker.