Canadian Drummer Ric Guizzo | Inspirational Musician | Musicians with Disabilities

Ric Guizzo

Location: Winnipeg

Challenge: No Right Hand

Ric Guizzo is a drummer from Winnepeg Canada.

Ric says "I started playing drums when I was about 11-12 because my cousin Mike started playing. I would watch him play and after a while he would rearrange his kit and teach me a few things. He was the reason I play drums. Then my mom a couple years later bought me my first kit".

Ric is currently playing in a dance/pop band called Pop Vegas. He says "We do about 130-150 shows a year in and around Manitoba and Ontario Canada". He also plays in an 80's inspired band called Rogue out of his hometown of Sudbury Ontario with his 2 best friends.

When asked about Ric's worst gig, he says "I think the worst gig was a time when we played a full week with 2 matinees on Friday and Saturday and Saturday night our singer was really sick and couldn't finish the night. The manager fired us and kicked us out of the club and our rooms and didn't pay us".

When asked who inspires him, Ric says "Ugh! that's a long list. A buddy of mine who lives in Montreal, Danny Spallone. One of the most groovy, blues/funk/rock drummers I've ever watched and a friend. John Bohnam his grooves of course but some of his drum sounds (drum and cymbal sound in stairway to heaven). Beatles, The Eagles, The Band, U2, Whitesnake (Ansley Dunbar), Cozy Powell anyway. I can keep going".

Ric says his biggest challenge is playing a left handed kit. He adds "I had a teacher latter in my career that said if he met me when I started he would have thought me to play right handed. Opens more opportunities to jam and fill in at a moment's notice. I had to o create a brace to hold the stick in my right hand. It works well but I can’t do a press role. lol. But I seem to find a way around it".

"Rebel Yell (Billy Idol)" by Rogue