DANNY BATTEN

    Music was always a part of my family since my earliest memories. My mother played the piano at church for more than 40 years and filled the house with music. She strongly encouraged (forced) me to take piano lessons while I was young; however, it was when I joined the band in Middle School that I really found my passion for music.     

     Learning percussion instruments introduced me to different types of musical genres. During my early teens, I would drum for local garage bands. Like many kids from my generation, it was the playing style of Eddie Van Halen that sparked my interest in guitar. At first my mother would drive me to Fayetteville, NC, for guitar lessons. Once several friends became interested, we would all carpool together listening to music, talking about guitars and drums and coming up with crazy names for our garage band. These truly were my best memories as a teenager.  

     Now as an adult, sitting around talking music, banjos and guitars with George, Doug and the rest, gives me the same passion for music that I had as a teenager. This is our adult version of a garage band, which isn’t much different than the teenage version except the instruments are more expensive.