Ravinia 2022, Issue 6

I F, IN 2013, you had ap- proached Too Many Zooz drummer Dave Parks on the L train platform at 14th Street in New York City, where he was busk- ing with saxophonist Leo Pellegrino and trumpeter Matt Muirhead, and told him that 10 years later, the band would parlay their success as street musicians to play on stages around the world—and at one point even be asked to back Beyoncé on her album Lemonade — Parks would have looked at you and said, “Sounds about right.” This is not ego. “We came to New York for this experience,” he explains in a phone interview. “We were living the New York dream; to find our way as artists and musicians. We didn’t know how or what it was going to be, but we all came with that attitude that we were going to make moves. We are very fortunate to have had all the things that have happened to us. But we each came to NY for that intended purpose: To win.” Parks (a.k.a. King of Sludge) grew up in Indianapolis. Between radio sta- tion WTLC, which played R&B, funk, soul, jazz, and gospel, and the albums in his parents’ and siblings’ record col- lections, he became steeped in rhythm and big beats. His musical tastes are “all over the place,” he says, “anywhere from traditional West African music to John Coltrane; Polynesian music to salsa and hip hop. I’ve been listening to Hall & Oates lately.” By the time Parks got to New York, the streets were his stage. He and Leo P (the reed man’s moniker) were part of another street outfit, the Drumadics, but to earn some extra money, they broke off to play together on their own, often joined by Parks’ then teenage son. One fateful day, Leo invited Matt, with whom he attended the Manhattan School of Music, to join them. RAVINIA.ORG • RAVINIA MAGAZINE 7