It’s been eight years since Kevin Goren first picked up a pair of drumsticks and he doesn’t plan on putting them down any time soon.
As he moved his drumsticks across the drums and cymbals, Goren’s Mohawk-topped head bobbed along to the beats. His eyes closed, his facial muscles scrunched up, and soon Goren was one with the music.
Goren, a sophomore at Towson University, explained that he became interested in drumming when his elementary school introduced his class to different instruments. After fumbling with a violin, trumpet, and flute, he eventually settled on a snare drum.
“I hit it, I executed the sound that I wanted to get out of it, and I’m like ‘This is easy. I guess I’ll just do this,’” he said.
Goren, who is originally from Reisterstown, MD, played percussion in his school’s band and has continued playing ever since. It wasn’t until taking lessons, however, that drumming turned into a passion.
He explained that one of his teachers, Matt Halpern, has been one of the biggest influence on his drumming.
“I basically kind of want to do what he does in the sense of being a touring musician, teach, and do clinics,” Goren said.
He also pointed to his parents as being a huge support system for his music career.
“My mom actually, she can fall asleep to my drumming late at night,” Goren said. “They’re very supportive of me practicing as much as I can. They see how much passion I have towards it and how much I really want to become successful in this.”
Since arriving at Towson, where he is Pre-Business major and Music minor, Goren has learned how to stay true to himself and what he is passionate about.
“I don’t really have a lot of time to hang out with a lot of people or I never felt acquainted because every time they would go to a football game or just something fun and I wouldn’t really be there,” he said. “But at the same time, just thinking about what I do and what my passion is, I don’t really have any regrets and I enjoy doing my own thing than following the crowd.”
Tim Houston, a Towson junior and Goren’s friend since high school, attested to the passion for drumming that Goren shows on a daily basis.“He’s like all in about it, more than anyone I know,” said Houston, a Jazz Studies major. “And it throws some people off sometimes almost because he’s so into it. But I think that’s important as a musician and especially if you want to make a living that’s also super important.”
From playing with a band called The Upstarters to playing drums for local artist Cecilia Grace to even filling in for a band at Warped Tour, Goren has played just about every genre of music at countless venues.
Drawing from so many different influences, Goren described his own personal style as “relatable.”
“It’s such a great feeling of being able to have some knowledge or some connection to different cultures or different people,” he said. “And that’s what it’s all about, too, just connecting with others. I wouldn’t want to limit myself to one type of crowd.”
No matter the gig, Goren enjoys being able to share his passion with whatever crowd he’s playing for.
“I always tell myself ‘I’d rather be a mediocre drummer but like playing in a band and touring the world and doing that, making a living making music, than just be the best drummer in the world but just stuck in my basement and have a regular time job,” he said.
For Goren, drumming isn’t just another hobby; it’s part of his identity.
“There was time I didn’t get to play, like this semester for maybe a week or two weeks, and I was completely miserable for like no reason,” he said. “It sort of made me acknowledge how much playing the drums is actually a staple in who I am.”
Marcus Dieterle 