Kevin Jahoda - Percussion

Kevin has been playing drums since the age of 7. As Kevin puts it “I started by playing with my hands on my knees, pencils on books... the refrigerator...and eventually using silverware on my mom's china. That's when I got my first practice pad.” Drums were part of his family history beginning with his Great Uncle as the original drummer for the Tonight Show Band. “He lost the gig because he could not read music, so my parents insisted that if I wanted to play music I had to study it though and through. I thank them for that almost every day.”

Jahoda eventually started going to competitions and being placed in Regional and State Wind Ensembles and Orchestras. Kevin decided to audition for college and was accepted to a small conservatory in Virginia. The scholarship he received was because of a piece he performed on tambourine!

Kevin received a scholarship to the Percussive Arts Society's International Convention. He was the student representative to the Board of Directors for the US and seventeen foreign nations. It was here that he met Mike Balter (Mike Balter Mallets), Alan and Ron Vater (Vater Percussion) and Andy Zildjian (Sabian Cymbals). “They took the time to talk to me about the music industry and took a real interest in who I was and why I was there. They are true artisans who stand behind their craftsmanship-something that does not exist too much in today's market....”

Kevin met Tom while performing at the Bottom Line and, as he puts it, “it was an instant friendship”. Jahoda was performing with the popular Indie group, Surrey Lane. ‘We shared the bill numerous times and it was always great.” Jahoda eventually toured the US with Surrey Lane, notching a top 100 hit with their song “Some Days”.

Like all good things, Surrey Lane came to an end in 2006.

"I got a call from Tom to attend a DCT concert at the Luna stage. I took some pictures for him and that led to doing it for the rest of the summer concert series. As a coincidence I was looking for the next musical opportunity, and Tom asked if would be interested in laying percussion with Friday’s Child. I jumped at the chance.”

After the departure of Rob Grosso in June of '07, it was the natural progression for Kevin to assume the drum duties for Friday's Child.