A Conversation With One of the Shore's Hardest-Hitting Drummers

In an area littered with musicians, great ones at that, you need to be a leader in the upper echelon to garner national or international attention. Chris Donofrio, one of our area's leading percussionists is of that very few.

Heavily regarded as one of New Jersey's top drummers, Donofrio has brought his act around the world. Having toured with Nicole Atkins supporting The Avett Brothers, playing in local standout act Sikamor Rooney, standing in for Atlantic Atlantic, and most recently found his home with The Sixty-Six as a permanent member.

With The Sixty-Six steadily building up steam, I wanted to pick the brain of The Sixty Six's most traveled member about growing up in New Jersey, the road and what the future holds.

You grew up in Shark River Hills. How has this area sculpted you as a musician?

I grew up around a ton of musicians. I was the 8-year-old kid riding the school bus home with a high school-aged Nicole Atkins and all of her friends. I was the only drummer in the neigborhood so I got to start playing  music with other people at an absurdly young age. There are pictures out there somewhere.

How did you transition from playing drums to being in a band? Was that always your desire, to become a musician in a band rather than just play drums for fun?

It wasn't. I always had childhood rockstar dreams, but my senior year in high school, the day I got an acceptance letter into college, I decided that playing the drums was the only thing that I had any desire to do, and that I was any good at. It makes me happy. 

How did you develop such a hard hitting, unique sound? Is there anyone in particular that has influenced your playing?

This is such a broad question I could fill an entire interview answering just this question.  I'll say that I always filled my head with rock drummers. All sorts of them. Nothing suprising in my influences. The standards— John Bonham, Dave Grohol, Stewart Copeland, Phil Collins, Phil Selway, Danny Carey, and on and on and on.

I loved watching someone pound the living hell out of the drums. I thought it looked cool. It also sounds better. Hitting the drums hard, but smart optimizes tone and resonance. These days one of my main influences is also one of my best friends, Sam Bey of the Parlor Mob. We constantly rip each other off, and are on a constant mission to look like we actually know what we're doing up there.  

You've been a member of numerous acts. A few of which were quite large. How do you feel your experience with these musicians is helping with your integral roll in The Sixty-Six?

I've been really priveleged over the years to work with some of the finest players and writers New Jersey has to offer. Being a member of a band is literally the equivalent to being in a relationship with a significant other. Same problems, same fights, same mistakes. I've learned a lot about being a band member, and my roll in the Sixty-Six is the summation of it all. I'm still making mistakes, and that will never stop.

With The Sixty Six, you guys have managed to assemble what may be the four most talented artists to play their respective instruments in this area. With four highly talented members, is the creative process an easy one? Or are you all on such a high level that its sometimes hard to mix?

A bit of both. The easy side? Rythmically, Gianni Scalise is not just an elite bass player, he might be the most talented musician I've ever played with. We dont even have to discuss. We just play. Creatively, it can be difficult because our music is Scott Liss' vision and that vision is generally complicated, beautiful, and  heavy— not something that we can take lightly when we get into that room. It's a precedent that he's set for himself, and that the band has adopted as a whole. Having capable players always helps the creative process though, for sure. 

 With the state that our music scene is in, why do you feel that what you guys are creating is becoming so relevant with fans?

I dont feel we've reached any relevancy yet. We're just gonna keep working.

I ask this question in every interview. Who do you feel are the more under rated artists/bands in our area?

Bradley York. Hands down. This is a guy who writes a song, records it in his bedroom, draws a storyboard, and creates a stop-motion animation video all by himself. So much talent in that guy.

Having been all over the world, have your travels helped you in being more appreciative of our area?

I definetly like experiencing other cities. There's so much culture out there beyond the tri-state bubble. But I will absolutley, positively, always make my home in Monmouth County, NJ. I'm(we all are) just too crazy for most other places. They cant even handle it. Too fast. I had a guy in Santa Fe actually ask me why I talk like "one 'dem Sopranos." I didnt even realize it. I apologized.

As of late, The Sixty-Six have began to branch out and play all over the states. How have the crowds that may have not heard of you guys accepted you?

We've been on a great run of out of state shows lately. Philly and Baltimore have been really receptive to us. We're an insanely loud band so you'll have to leave the venue to avoid us. It's been good for us to get out there, though.  A band before us announced to to a crowd recently before our set that it was "teeeeeshirt tiiiiime," which obviously ruled.

As for our region, your fan base is building rapidly. Do have a specific city/venue that you enjoy playing the most?

Ya know, I've really come around on Philadelphia recently. We've played three great shows there in the past six months. Our pals, Ruby the Hatchet always give us a great crowd out there. I really have to stop allowing my sports team loyalties dictate how I feel about where the band travels to. Seriously.

In your opinion as an integral part of the band, what do you feel as though you guys need to work on?

We need to create. Constantly. We can never create enough.

You joined the band about a year ago. How do you feel the sound has changed since you've joined? What do you feel you individually have brought to The Sixty-Six?

Maybe just a little experience with the industry. They were pretty green when I came around. And I'm still green myself. I always thought the world of Scott's songwriting. I just wanted an oppurtunity to be a part of it.

Lastly, what do you feel the future holds for yourself as well as The Sixty Six?

I can't really say. One thing is for certain, we'll be out there playing.