The Holy Grail for most country music performers is a chance to play at The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tenn.
“I’ve dreamed about it all my life, says East Irondequoit native Mike Catone. And on Wednesday, July 25, 2012, Catone’s dream came true when he appeared onstage at the famed concert hall, as the drummer for the nationally renowned country duo, Steel Magnolia.
Catone, a 1988 graduate of Eastridge High School, termed the evening “beyond exciting,” and says “It was a truly surreal experience that went by in the blink of an eye. I will always feel honored to be a part of the incredible history that surrounds the Grand Ole Opry”.
For Catone, the road to Nashville was full of twists and turns. Playing at the Opry, he says, was a satisfying culmination of years of hard work.
“My big brother played drums, and when I was 3 years old I just fell in love with the sound and movement of playing,” he says. As the years went on drumming became a huge part of Catone’s life. ”As a teenager, whenever I didn’t have my drum kit around, I would imagine playing to tunes in my head.”
Catone, who grew up on Avondale Road, credits his music instructor, from elementary to high school, Russell Thomas, with teaching him technique, meter and rhythm and pushing him to succeed.
By age 14, Catone was gigging in local clubs.
At 18, he formed Private Drive, a 7-piece horn band. “We were voted best party band in Rochester for 8 years in a row.”
During those years Catone considered moving to Nashville but he never felt the timing was right. “I was playing my music and making money and I didn’t want to start from zero and try to make a name for myself in one of the most competitive music markets in the world.”
In 2009, however, Catone took the plunge, moving his wife and three children to the country music Mecca.
“It’s a different ballgame here,” says Catone. “Everybody is talented and everybody is out there trying to make it.” He got some help from friends David Northrup, drummer for Travis Tritt, and Jim Riley, drummer for Rascal Flatts. “I was asked to sit in on a couple of gigs. Then one thing led to another and I was out on the road for weeks at a time.”
Catone describes being on the road as a test of personality as much as talent. “When you are in a van with four other musicians, day in and day out, for six weeks, you have to get along or you’re out.”
The Holy Grail for most country music performers is a chance to play at The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tenn.
“I’ve dreamed about it all my life, says East Irondequoit native Mike Catone. And on Wednesday, July 25, 2012, Catone’s dream came true when he appeared onstage at the famed concert hall, as the drummer for the nationally renowned country duo, Steel Magnolia.
Catone, a 1988 graduate of Eastridge High School, termed the evening “beyond exciting,” and says “It was a truly surreal experience that went by in the blink of an eye. I will always feel honored to be a part of the incredible history that surrounds the Grand Ole Opry”.
For Catone, the road to Nashville was full of twists and turns. Playing at the Opry, he says, was a satisfying culmination of years of hard work.
“My big brother played drums, and when I was 3 years old I just fell in love with the sound and movement of playing,” he says. As the years went on drumming became a huge part of Catone’s life. ”As a teenager, whenever I didn’t have my drum kit around, I would imagine playing to tunes in my head.”
Catone, who grew up on Avondale Road, credits his music instructor, from elementary to high school, Russell Thomas, with teaching him technique, meter and rhythm and pushing him to succeed.
By age 14, Catone was gigging in local clubs.
At 18, he formed Private Drive, a 7-piece horn band. “We were voted best party band in Rochester for 8 years in a row.”
During those years Catone considered moving to Nashville but he never felt the timing was right. “I was playing my music and making money and I didn’t want to start from zero and try to make a name for myself in one of the most competitive music markets in the world.”
In 2009, however, Catone took the plunge, moving his wife and three children to the country music Mecca.
“It’s a different ballgame here,” says Catone. “Everybody is talented and everybody is out there trying to make it.” He got some help from friends David Northrup, drummer for Travis Tritt, and Jim Riley, drummer for Rascal Flatts. “I was asked to sit in on a couple of gigs. Then one thing led to another and I was out on the road for weeks at a time.”
Catone describes being on the road as a test of personality as much as talent. “When you are in a van with four other musicians, day in and day out, for six weeks, you have to get along or you’re out.”
After a couple of years of “road-doggin’ it,” as Catone terms it, he was asked to play with Steel Magnolia, a contemporary country group whose songs regularly appear on the Billboard charts of top hits.
”It is really sweet to play with a major band, I finally feel like I have arrived,” Catone said.
It was especially sweet for Catone when, in May, Steel Magnolia headlined at the Lilac Festival here in Rochester.
“My family and friends from high school and all my old bands came to watch us play and it was a great time,” he said.
Catone admits that his career is riding high right now but he doesn’t plan on being complacent.
“I’m going to keep hustling because this business is very unpredictable and you can never relax.”
His advice to young musicians is to “Go for it. Be flexible, open-minded and persistent at your craft.”
