BON LOWE they/them

I asked them, “What do you like about being a drummer?”

Lowe: It's the only instrument where you get to smack things with sticks, really. It was very cathartic as a young angsty teenager with, you know, undiagnosed mental problems. It meant a lot of angry outbursts that drums were able to fix. It also requires, at least to get into it, a lot less skill than guitar or piano.

“What do you think has contributed most to you being here now and doing what you do as a drummer?”

Lowe: Keeping busy. A lot of mental health problems make it a bit tricky at times to not be busy. And drums, being both a hobby and a source of income for me. The more I can do it the better I enjoy doing it and it makes me hate my jobs a lot less.

“Can you think of any particular moments in your life where you thought ‘I really want to be a drummer’?”

Lowe: Yeah, yeah, definitely. First time I saw John Bonham play the Moby Dick drum solo. That was just a huge, formative moment, I guess, for my tiny little brain as a kid. Strangely, the animal from Muppets. That was a big one. It was only later I realised he was based off John Bonham as well. Watching Tommy Lee do a drum solo on roller skates around an arena on a roller coaster. That was pretty cool. But yeah, in terms of seeing, seeing drummers do that sort of stuff…

I never really saw any drummers playing live until I was maybe 15, but then I had already started playing drums… I didn't know it was drums particularly I wanted to get into. I did start with drums, but then took a bit of a break and tried out trumpet and guitar and piano and all that. Eventually I just found that the drums was the one I was, sort of, most naturally inclined towards.

When I asked Lowe about their role models or mentors, they went on to describe how they had joined a band alongside one of their role models which inspired them to continue playing and working to improve their skills on the drum kit:

Lowe: That was a big moment for me, where I realised that I'm in a band with someone that can really help me out in this craft and get better. It's like, you know, I saw [them] playing and I was like, “Oh sh*t, I want to be able to do those things.” That was a big one.”

They also spoke of their drum teacher at JMC Academy, Andy Horvath:

Lowe: Andy Horvath was another role model. He was one of my drum tutors at JMC. Great drummer, taught me lots of things. Never listened to him though. Which, you know, I don't really regret because I did still learn a lot from him. Because I wasn't really listening, I was able to sort of mould what he was teaching me into my own way of doing it.

 Lowe also felt represented and encouraged by their high school music teacher:

Lowe: Music class was one of sort of the only classes in the school where the teachers themselves were not pieces of sh*t. So, I guess that might also help contribute to sort of why I got so deeply into music was it was one of the only classes in that school where I ended up feeling a bit more accepted… So, the music teacher I remember the most, he was one of the only not-white people in the high school and he was on the back end of racism a lot from the students…

He taught me lots of things. He taught me about what the rhythm section is, what the standard band was. And he taught me about how to lock in with a bass player - because before then, I was locking in with the guitarist because to me, you know, I could hear the guitar, I could hear the drums. Back then I hadn’t really trained my head be able to hear what a bass is doing. And he told me that's, that's not what I should do. And he taught me a lot about about jazz stuff, which I never really got into. But it was nice to learn all of that. So I'd like to think that he spent a little bit of extra time on me.

But yeah, he was probably just as bullied as me.

Lowe has also become a role model to over 30 students, and at the time of this interview, they were preparing to lead a three-day drum workshop for their students.

Lowe: [I’m going to] run a three-day drum workshop where it's just sort of talking a lot about the history of the instrument, little tips and tricks on how the students themselves can get better. Things like sight reading, learning by ear and you know, techniques, ghost notes, quick kicks, things like that.

Not only are they a role model to young students but they are a role model to all of us, as they have overcome prejudices and have learnt to navigate the music industry as a non-binary drummer.

Lowe: I managed to get into the music industry sort of like a double agent. I didn't know I was non-binary at the time so I managed to get into a male-dominated industry as a male.

However, since coming out as non-binary, there has been support from, you know, the bands and the friends that I'm close with. But in the music industry - especially the metal industry that I'm currently in - there's a lot of prejudice in that scene... The metal scene as a whole is a pretty toxic place. Same with the punk scene as well… They're very homophobic, you know, your stereotypical alt-rights are just all over those sorts of scenes and music.

Picking where I wanted to be in music has changed that, you know... And the industrial noise scene is almost entirely covered by trans people and women I've noticed. Especially the bands that [I’ve] played with as well. There's been loads of sexually diverse and gender diverse people amongst those bands.

“You said you’re a double agent like, in your gender. Does that affect you at all? Or are you OK with it?”

Lowe: I kind of just… I'm pretty easy to pass as a male, so I kind of just go by that to make it easier on everyone else. And it's easier than explaining to people, “Oh, my pronouns are actually they/them.” Especially when the majority of people you're playing with are over the age of 50 and have never heard the term “pronoun” used in a positive light before… It's more just sort of the heavier scenes that I’ve been in that sort of, affect me.

I don't find it hard. I just find it tiring to try and explain to people the differences between genders and whatnot.

I don't really think about it anymore. Like when I first sort of started, you know, when I first realised I'm probably just going to have to just, you know, not clarify to people what my pronouns are. I guess it affected me a little bit then.  But I haven't really… It's not something that I really think about anymore. Like it's just kind of the way that scene is and the way it's probably going to be for a while. I doubt that it's going to get better.

Unfortunately, Lowe continues to face issues in the music industry relating to their gender identity.

Lowe: I guess dead naming is a bit of a problem. Like people that know me in the scene from before I changed my name… There have definitely been members of bands that know that I've changed my name and still deadname me.

And half the time they don't try to correct themselves. Every now and then you catch them correcting themselves, which is nice, but it doesn't always feel the greatest. It definitely doesn't bother me as much as someone who might have really negative connotations with their dead name. I can imagine that f*cking them up in a bad way…

I got kicked out of [a band]… and I'm fairly confident that those reasons were very related to the fact that I’m gender diverse – and sexually diverse as well. Because they were very open about their very conservative views and I offhandedly mentioned I was queer at one point and then the next week I got kicked out.

“The bands that you're in now, do you feel like you're safer there and respected there, or are you still facing difficulties?”

Lowe: Well, the worst thing that happens is, you know, sometimes a member still gets pronouns wrong. It's not really a big deal to me. To other people it might be.

I think everyone can try a little bit harder to sort of look past outward appearance. You know, I'm not deceived by how I look. I am a very masculine looking individual. But I think people can definitely try harder. If I cared more, then it would bother me more.

“So you mentioned you're about to run a drum workshop. Are there like any other types of programs that you'd like to see in your scene to better empower and inspire future drummers?”

Lowe: I'd like to have the sort of, you know, the metal scene, I guess, hurry up and get retained faster by the queers. It is happening, but it's a painful, slow process to watch. And I definitely, you know, I wouldn't mind it if - not necessarily maybe any events – but just I wouldn't mind if people in the scene would educate themselves a bit more before going into it. But of course, you know, when you're a white man in your 40s that lives out West, you know, living under every stereotype you possibly can, you're not going to do any research into the things that scare you. So, I don't really have much hope for it. But I'd like it if they - the fans of that scene or just general members in that scene - would do a bit more for themselves by looking into it.

“What's one thing you would like to tell young, gender diverse drummers that you wish you had heard when you were growing up?”

Lowe: Learn jazz first.

They responded quickly and confidently, like this thought has been brewing in the back of their mind for a while. I was taken aback. I know that Lowe is a fantastic drummer, having seen them play live in metal and punk bands across Sydney. I replied, “Learn jazz first! Why is that?”

Lowe: There's a lot more avenues to go down and you don't get stuck playing in a crowd that, you know, might not necessarily like you. You don't get stuck playing with bands that are closeted and like, scared of you being gender diverse and things like that. Start with the scenes that are entirely gender diverse people.

They emphasised that it’s important for gender-diverse musicians to find where they belong; to find music scenes and friends that are accepting of who you are, completely. Lowe’s experiences are evidence of this being possible. Sydney’s music industry is not perfect, by all means, but Lowe has been able to find their people, and you can too.

Bon Lowe has been a dedicated drummer for nearly a decade, with over six years of live performance experience in Sydney's hardcore music scene. Since graduating with a Bachelor in Music from JMC Academy, they have continually showcased their versatility, performing in multiple bands ranging from metal to jazz. Currently, Bon performs with the Sydney-based thrash/groove metal band DECIMATOR, embarking on Australian east coast tours annually. They also perform regularly with the experimental industrial punk group, ANGEL GRINDR, who are preparing to release their debut album in 2025. Bon’s newest project, HOUND, is set to make its debut in Sydney in mid-September.

Courtesy of Bon Lowe.