Drums: Steve Vertriest

Steve Vertriest is the drummer in the popular New York cover band the Walker Dance Park Band. The band are well known around the city in large part because of their high level of skill and their professionalism. This has made them one of the very few cover bands that can actually make a full time living off of playing music.

Steve Vertriest has been playing the drums ever since he was ten years old when he harassed his parents until they got him a drum set for Christmas. From his parents perspective this proved to be a mistake as would beat on them all day every day. As he got older and moved into high school he was able to find some friends who were also musicians and they formed a band together. They never got to play for an actual audience but at least it got Vertiest to stop playing in his parents' house and to start playing in somebody else's garage.

After high school Vertriest really had no plans so he set off for New York just for the experience of living in the big city. He spent the first couple of years working at a variety of jobs until he eventually started working in a local pub. It was while working there that he got a chance to start working as a drummer. The pub would usually hire a band to play on the weekends and Vertriest would get to know the members. One night one of the bands mentioned to him that their drummer was leaving and they would need a replacement. Vertriest auditioned for the job and was hired.

The first band Vertriest played in was really just a part time job, they usually only played on weekends so it was still necessary to work other jobs to pay the bills. Eventually the band would break up and the members go their separate ways. However while playing in the band Vertiest had met Chris Ferguson who was the guitarist of another band that often played at the same clubs. Ferguson mentioned that he was starting a new band and he asked Vertriest to join.

The new band was called the Walker Dance Park Band, and they would become a well known cover band around New York. However in the early years they were mainly a struggling band that just played on weekends, if they were lucky. It took some time but over the years the Walker Dance Band would be able to build up a reputation that allowed them to find regular work. One of the big reasons for this is that they are one of the few truly professional cover bands out there. They have now reached the point where all the members earn their living from playing in the band so they take it very seriously.