Bradenton drummer joins Nick Carter's Band

Back - Index - Submissions - - What is RSS? Date: Sep 13, 2002 Source: Bradenton Herald Submitted By: Gina Cates He likes it that way Twice a day every Sunday, Jason Leiter mans the drum kit at First Church of God in Bradenton and provides the beat for the congregation's worship services. This fall, he'll make a giant leap from the sanctuary stage to 20,000-seat arenas. Leiter, 22, has been picked by Backstreet Boy Nick Carter to drum for him on an upcoming solo tour. Carter's management confirmed the decision this week. "It's a really cool opportunity," Leiter said. "We'll be performing brand-new stuff. It's more rock than the Backstreet Boys, with a pop influence." Leiter has been playing drums for about 10 years, picking up the sticks for the first time in fifth grade. (He originally tried the saxophone, but found the drums more fun.) Like most musicians, the bulk of his education came from playing along to CDs and copying the style of Carter Beauford of the Dave Matthews Band and Chad Gracey of Live. The Carter gig has taught him an early lesson: Networking can be just as important as talent. Leiter was in a Christian rock group called the Daniel B. Marshall Band, whose bass player, Alicia Crawford, was an old friend of Carter's. When Carter decided to embark on his first solo endeavor from the Backstreet Boys, he called Crawford, who in turn got Leiter involved. After auditions in Tampa and Los Angeles, Leiter got the job. Ironically, he's never really been a fan of the Backstreet Boys. "I never really got into them because I'm more into rock," he said. "I don't not like them, I just never listened to them other than what I heard on the radio." According to Pollstar, Carter will play Rosemont, Ill., tonight, but no other dates have been announced. In the meantime, Leiter is backing the Backstreet Boy on a promotional junket for radio, television and other media outlets. He doesn't play on Carter's new CD, which is due for release in late October. Although he's excited to get the chance to pursue his dream, Leiter admits it will be hard leaving his wife, Shelly, and 4-month-old son, Carter Ethan. (Just for the record, the baby was not named after Leiter's new boss.) "It's gonna be tough. I'm going to miss them a whole bunch," Leiter said. "But my wife is very supportive of me, and that makes it easier. We'll call each other as much as we can to make it as easy as we can." Eventually, Leiter would like to drum full-time in his own rock band. The Carter tour will reunite him with guitarist Andy Pardue, a childhood chum who was in a Christian band with Leiter called Broken Veil. Leiterhopes they can work on something together when the tour is over. "We would like to do something on our own, because we've written so much music together," he said. "But right now, we're focusing our energies on this tour." Comment on this item. Recent Comments Submitted by: markus http://imrdsoacha.gov.co/silvitra-120mg-qrms Submitted by: me suba 6dLKWY Way cool! Some extremely valid points! I appreciate you writing this article and also the rest of the website is also very good. Submitted by: barrycmster Submitted by: snymrik Submitted by: David Submitted by: Edd Submitted by: John Submitted by: James Submitted by: Halz Submitted by: Dirk Click here to see more comments. Comment on this item. Next Item: Letter's To The New York Times, RE:The Lost Boys Prev Item: Closet rocker