Blog — Liz Aponte I Drum Lessons for Female Drummers

THE TOP STAGES I’VE BEEN ABLE TO PLAY

I’ve had the opportunity to tour with different bands and get a huge array of experiences. From staying in towns I’ve never heard of, to learning about new cultures, to playing some incredible venues, all of the miles driven, gear stolen and hours practiced are well worth it.

Here’s a list of my top 10 venues I’ve personally played (in no particular order)

1. THE WHISKEY A GO GO (HOLLYWOOD, CA)

Arguably the most iconic venue on the Hollywood strip, I was able to play The Whiskey when I was just a teenager with my band at the time, Bloodshot. It was an experience of a lifetime but I remember the bouncers just throwing my gear out of the side door right after we played, and having to tear down on the busy sidewalk while my cases were in the green room. It was worth it, though!

2. THE ROXY (HOLLYWOOD, CA)

In keeping with the Hollywood theme, another venue I had the privilege of playing multiple times is the Roxy. This is one of my favorite venues in Los Angeles due to the sheer fact that I grew up seeing some of my favorite bands here, then getting to play the stage multiple times in multiple bands was a blast. One of the bands I played this venue with was Down For the Count. Nothing but good times here!

3. ROSE WAGNER THEATER (SALT LAKE CITY, UT)

In almost a 180 degree turn from the Hollywood venues, playing The Rose Wagner Theater in Utah was incredible. Talk about a prestigious, professional venue! This venue is a performing arts center and typically used for plays and other fancy, talented things. I was able to play here with my church, Ekklesia Salt Lake City

4. THE KNITTING FACTORY (HOLLYWOOD, CA)

*The Knitting Factory closed in 2009, it was hard to find a legit pic!*

Ok, let’s go back to the grungy Hollywood scene for a bit (which has a special place in my heart). The Knitting Factory was definitely my favorite venue in Hollywood - it is now no longer open :( but I had MANY a good time there. I played with my high school band Bloodshot here a few times. I also saw a ton of incredible bands here, and even delivered a drum kit I had made for Jon from A Change of Pace here and he played it at their show. Great times.

5. THE VENTURA THEATER (VENTURA, CA)

I love Ventura. It’s where I was born and also where I went to a lot of shows at venues like Skate Street and Ventura Theater. I played with my band Loveless here and it was an absolutely blast - I remember us feeling like rock stars after. I’ve also seen bands like Thrice, My Chemical Romance, Yellowcard, Darkest Hour, Strung Out, Gatsby’s American Dream - pretty much all of my favorite bands here. This venue felt more “local” to me than the Hollywood venues and is right by the beach, so you know it’s a special one.

6. THE SOCIAL (ORLANDO, FL)

Florida! The Social was so fun to play (and headline) and I absolutely loved downtown. I played here in the summertime so it was ridiculously hot, but the folks were so welcoming. Definitely felt the southern hospitality. I played here with the pop punk band Down For The Count. Fun fact: I ended up marrying a guy from Orlando. Not related to me playing there at the time, but still a coincidence!

7. KILBY COURT (SALT LAKE CITY, UT)

Did you ever have a friend who lived in a fancy area who had a community pool? Did said friend ever have a birthday party in the poolhouse? If you know what I’m talking about, you know exactly what Kilby Court looks like. It’s like a poolhouse, without the pool. A tiny venue, but honestly some of the best times. So many bands got their start here, including Death Cab for Cutie. I played here with Down For The Count and Swans of Never.

8. WARPED TOUR (VENTURA, CA)

Ok ok, I know I talked about Ventura already, but this is known as the best Warped Tour date because of the California climate and that it’s right by the beach! Seriously, nothing but good times at this venue, especially on Warped Tour. It’s fun to walk backstage and pass by your heroes and try to play it cool. I played here with Down For The Count.

9. WARPED TOUR (SAN ANTONIO, TX)

To be honest, most of Warped Tour was quite the blur, but one of the more memorable dates was when we as Down For The Count played San Antonio, TX. We got to rock an acoustic set too and I just remember the fans being super pumped! It totally made those long drives through Texas worth it.

10. EVERY HOUSE PARTY, PEAR FIELD, PARK, OR IMPROMPTU SET (LITERALLY ALL OVER THE US)

Ok, all of these venues are cool and all, but I say NOTHING beats those “random” shows. You know, the ones in high school when someone’s parents are out of town and you play a set at midnight and get the cops called on you, or when you play an off day in someone’s backyard (once it happened to be a pear field in Ukiah - talk about wild!), or a random bar, or a park, etc. YOU GET IT! Nothing beats the people you meet and the memories you get the remember through music.

HI, I’M LIZ APONTE

Thanks for checking out my drum blog. I help female drummers reach the next level and totally crush it in their playing.

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WHEN QUESTLOVE REPOSTED MY VIDEO

There I was, waking up the day after Christmas, grateful to sleep in a bit and get some much needed rest. After I was awake, I opened my phone to check emails and social channels, not thinking or expecting much. Oh, was I wrong! I first noticed that Questlove himself (you know, from The Roots, The Late Night with Jimmy Fallon show, the Obama’s BFF, etc) had commented on a video I had posted on Christmas of my drum student getting her first drumkit.

My husband Alex said, “Liz, he didn’t just comment on your video, HE REPOSTED!” I couldn’t believe it. Questlove, one of THE biggest drummers out there right now, shared a video of MY drum student to his 1.5 million followers? Yes, he did. Let’s backtrack a bit…

This video now has over 800,000 views!

IT ALL STARTED WITH MY 6 YEAR OLD DRUM STUDENT, LYLA

I have been teaching drums to Lyla for 9 months where she’s learned over 10 songs, drum beats, drum fills, rudiments - all with a smile on her face. The only time she played on a full drum kit was once a week when she would come over for lessons. The rest of the time, she practiced on a practice pad and literally airdrummed. Never once did she complain or say it wasn’t fun - she was having a blast!

Her parents wanted to get her a drumkit for Christmas, so I recommended a few options, one of them being the Ludwig Questlove Pocket Kit. I noticed that when Lyla played on my full kit at my studio, she would struggle to try and move the drums to get comfortable - you could just tell they weren’t her size. I knew Ludwig is a trustworthy brand and after listening to some videos of the kit in action, I knew it was the perfect kit for her. It was a bit more expensive then other introductory kits, but I’m glad her parents went with it :)

Her parents bought the drumkit and shipped it to my house where I put it together and tuned it up. We made plans for me to drop off the kit on Christmas Eve since Lyla had absolutely no idea she was about to be gifted her first ever drumkit. I asked her Mom to take a video of her response to see if she would be excited or not.

UH, YEAH - SHE WAS PRETTY EXCITED!

Her Mom sent me the video and I teared up! It was such a sweet moment, and knowing how hard Lyla worked for it - it was so touching. I almost didn’t share the video because it was a personal moment. But with her parents blessing, I decided to share it on my Instagram feed and tagged Questlove and Ludwig Drums hoping they would see it just so they can see the impact they have on people.

When I opened my phone and realized what was happening - I was in shock. I was excited, then nervous because we didn’t expect this and I know how people on the internet can be (not so nice). Had I just subjected this 6 year old to humiliation? But the response was overwhelmingly positive! The things that Questlove shared about his own first drumkit, the encouragement people commented to Lyla, and the amount of people who reached out to ME to thank me for teaching drums was insane. I couldn’t believe it! It was so inspiring. There were even a few people who anonymously donated drum gear for Lyla! Incredible.

All this to say - you never know how you might encourage others and what might catch on - so keep creating, pouring into others and sharing! It may just bring a lot of joy to people.