| Walt Francis started his
pursuit as a percussionist at the age of 9 with the
John L. Edwards Elementary School Band in Hudson, N.Y.
(The highlights of his career included being the glockenspielist
(is that a word??) in the Percussion Ensemble and a
Tympani Drum soloist in the (NYS) 1976 All Columbia
County Orchestra.
He joined the band in 2008 after becoming tired of
making two trips every Wednesday night to drop off and
pick up his piper son (Connor). He also saw this as
an opportunity on his part to save gas and minimize
emissions in an effort to reduce global warming after
viewing Al Gore in "An Inconvenient Truth".
(What better way to honor the creator of the internet!!)
He is currently studying pipe band drumming under the
direction of Bob Mulligan, who is presented with the
challenge of transforming Walt from his concert band
drumming experience into becoming a respectable pipe
band drummer. Walt's favorite pipe bands are The Pipes
and Drums of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards and Field
Marshal Montgomery. His favorite drummers include
Jim
Kilpatrick and
The
Hip Pickles.
His primary influences are
Tom Curry and Dan Hart from Columbia & District
Pipe Band, and his son,
Connor ACPB).
Walt plays a Premier HTS 700 snare drum (one of the
CURSED BLUE DRUMS) with a set of Jim Kilpatrick KP2
sticks. His most outstanding memories with the band
are his 1st NYC St Patrick's Day Parade and seeing Scott
and Pat "attempt" to be drummers. OH YEAH,
and watching Scott become airborne on the bus ride home
from Montauk.
Walt lives in Babylon with his wife Deborah, and two
sons Kyle and Connor.
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