Hoboken's Drum Den sends a second student to 'School of Rock'

When Hoboken High’s all-district production of “School of Rock” hits the stage on May 15, there will be a familiar echo behind the drum kit.

Sagan Cross, cast as the wild stick-slinging “Spazzy McGee,” becomes the second student from Hoboken’s Drum Den to land the role - following in the footsteps of Michael Cascetta, who took the same part all the way to Broadway.

“Michael was first; he took drum lessons with me when the Drum Den was pretty new, and his talent was evident from the start,” recalls Drum Den owner Pete Martinez. “Then he started to take some piano lessons too, and his parents got wind of Broadway’s ‘School of Rock’ looking for musicians, and they decided to audition.”

“One thing led to another, and sure enough, he got the part,” Martinez says. “This was fairly late in the play’s run, but he was in the show for quite some time and still loves to perform.”“I’d say the Drum Den played a crucial role in providing me the skills and confidence I needed to fulfill the roles I played on Broadway,” adds Cascetta, who started lessons at only four years old.

Now it’s happening again, a little closer to home.

When the Hoboken school district opened auditions for its all-schools production of “School of Rock,” Drum Den students turned out in force. Sagan – a 5^th grader at Connors Elementary who studies with instructors Ramsey Norman and Milo Venter—stood out.

“I was excited—Sagan is incredibly talented—so I was glad to hear he was auditioning, and I wasn’t at all surprised that he got the part,” Martinez notes.“He’s been in the district musicals before, but I’m sure his skill on the instrument is what really set him apart in the audition.”

For Martinez, there’s a sense of déjà vu in hearing Cross rehearse.

“It’s wild listening to him practice and get ready for the role, because it’s the same music I heard years ago when I was preparing Michael—so it’s been a lot of fun,” Martinez says.

The production has effectively turned the Drum Den into a satellite hub for “School of Rock,” with students involved both onstage and behind the scenes. It’s created a scheduling crunch — lessons competing with rehearsals — but Martinez isn’t complaining.

“Sometimes it’s challenging to get our students in for their regular lessons because they’re busy with school, play practice, and soccer, but that’s understandable,” Martinez adds. “We’re all really excited for them.”

Fifteen years in, the Drum Den has evolved from a retail shop into one of Hoboken’s most reliable incubators for young musicians. Tucked inside the Neumann Leathers building, it’s produced players who’ve gone on to touring bands, local standouts, and just about every corner of the regional scene.

Among them: Christian Conte, now touring with Philadelphia’s Dogpark after his early success in Hoboken teen phenoms Elevator Pitch; Ben Kamel of Three Dollars (who’ll perform at Hoboken’s Spring Arts & Music Festival on May 17) and is heading to Ramapo College in the fall; and Joaquin Narucki, who balances Montclair State with drumming duties in Bist, Zalerno, and a Superchunk tribute band.

Even fifth grader Sagan Cross now qualifies as an old timer. “I see little kids who can play really well with Milo and Ramsey, because they’re really good teachers,” he enthuses. “The teachers are really nice, is one thing, and they’re so good at teaching, they take it step by step.”Michael Cascetta agrees. “Of course I would recommend Drum Den to other people,” he says. “It remains a special part of my childhood that helped me shape the musician I am today, and Pete is one of the best mentors I have ever met.”

As a mentor, Martinez, who’s been playing in bands since his teens, is candid when students ask him about making a life in music. He doesn’t sugarcoat it.

“It’s a tough question because, of course, I want to see them follow their dreams, but I also want them to be safe and have a roof over their heads,” Martinez says. “The unfortunate reality for artists today is that you have to make a decent wage to even be in a position to enjoy your art. If you're struggling financially, it's hard to find the money for drumsticks or to set up your guitar. All that costs money, so it's really important to have some stability in your life, and a good backup plan.”

“For me, when I started the Drum Den, I hoped to establish a stable stream of income so I could have the flexibility to play whenever I wanted,” Martinez says. “When I first started my music career, I made pretty nice paychecks on certain gigs, and then awful paychecks on others. I realized that it was not sustainable for me. The finances were too volatile, and it was too hard to have the life that I wanted.”

“You know, I came up in a scene with so many successful musicians that, at one point or another, we had this idea that we were going to strike gold,” Martinez recalls. “Yeah, this next album, we’ll sign with a major label… I don’t know how seriously we ever took it, but there was always a thought in the back of our heads that somehow it might just work out, and, of course, it never did, not that way.”

“But I would never change any of it, because the journey has been so incredible,” he continues. “From the dive bars to the big stages, every bit of it was fun and led me to the next thing.”

Which brings things back to Sagan Cross, counting off the beat as Spazzy McGee, stepping into a role that’s already part of Drum Den lore. Different kid, same songs, same show - and, if Martinez has anything to say about it, the same spark.

Hoboken High will present “School of Rock” on Friday, May 15, at 7 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, May 16-17, at 2 p.m. For tickets, visit https://hhsnj.booktix.com/dept/TD/e/SOR.

For more information about The Drum Den, located in the Neumann Leather Building (333 Newark St., Hoboken) visit www.thedrumden.com.
Email: contact@thedrumden.com.