The Story of Aunt June's Basement
You're probably wondering how I got started playing the drums and what is behind my naming my studio recording, Aunt June’s Basement. As a kid, I looked up to my cousin Greg Eicher, who was three years older than me and lived in Mt. Pleasant Pennsylvania, my mom’s hometown. I thought Greg was the coolest guy on Earth. When I was seven, I discovered his snare drum sitting in the corner of his bedroom. I was immediately drawn to the “snap and crack” the sticks made on the head of the drum. And of course anything Greg did, I wanted to do, including drinking milk straight from the carton - my Mom freaked out when I made that move in front of our fridge!
I was born in Pittsburgh, an hour from Mt. Pleasant, and eventually moved to Wilton Connecticut when my dad started a new job in New York City. Every summer, I would spend time with my Aunt June who was one of my mom’s seven older siblings and her husband Uncle Calvin, who were Greg’s parents, at their house on Spruce Street in Mt. Pleasant.
When I was ten years old, I came for my annual summer visit to Aunt June’s home. Greg had moved his set of drums into the basement of the house. He rigged up a seventy-five foot headphone cord that snaked from the stereo in the living room, through the kitchen and down the narrow stairs to the basement. I took one look at the set and was captivated. It took me a whole summer to figure out how to match the groove of the bass drum accenting with the snare. My love of R and B comes from the hundreds of 45’s my cousin got from the local bar, Goo’s, for twenty-five cents a piece. I was exposed to the incredible hits of the mid-sixties from Atlantic, Stax and Motown. I would stack as many 45’s as I could and one by one they would drop onto the turntable. Aunt June never questioned my going down into her basement and playing for hours. Every time I emerged from the basement, she was ready to bandage my blistered fingers. There aren't any photos or movies from those summers of me playing but, I fell in love with those drums and taught myself how to play. Thanks Aunt Junie for empowering me to express myself and allowing me to be me!
For more information contact me at: howiecortmusic@gmail.com
