When recounting his musical background, Spencer Allan Patrick always begins in the same place- with his dad. When SAP was just a baby, his father regularly listened to vinyls with him and Spencer's brother. As a toddler, SAP remembers laying on the carpet alongside his dad, singing along to the Beatles and Beach Boys and taking in what his dad had to say about the music. As he got older, the conversations Spencer Allan Patrick had with his dad as they listened to the records began to include the why of the music; they included the history behind the words and the sound. It was then that SAP realized that music wasn't just fun... it mattered. 

...but my dad also really loves the Backstreet Boys. -SAP

Always a Drummer

Spencer Allan Patrick has always been that kid- that kid who could always be counted on to make extra noise at the dinner table by using his fork to make music, that kid who tapped incessantly on his desk at school with his pencil, that kid who tested the sound of every floor by pitter-pattering away at them with his feet. After years of being that kid, Spencer Allan Patrick was gifted his first full drum set at just ten years old. Though he channeled his creativity into making music on the drums, he still carried the gift of music wherever he went and is still, to this day, that kid. ​

At twelve years of age, SAP committed himself to private drum lessons and continued this instruction until he graduated from high school. He coupled his intrinsic skill for making percussive music with what he was learning during his lessons and brought a distinctive sound to The Quotes, a band comprised of SAP's close high school friends. During his sophomore, junior, and senior year of high school, Spencer Allan Patrick also brought his talents to Hopewell's band where he was the Drumline Section Leader.

After graduating from Clarion University, SAP went on to teach Civics at a high school in Florida. Needless to say, his love of percussion followed him, and he became the school's Drum Instructor in addition to his work within the classroom and as a Track and Field Coach.

Self Taught Guitarist

Always one to seek out a challenge, Spencer Allan Patrick worked to teach himself to play the guitar beginning in sixth grade. For years, he worked to master this art form by committing his time to growing and learning.

​His family consistently supported his love of music and gifted him books on chords so that he could master the basics of the guitar. His connection to the drums was intertwined throughout his study of guitar, providing him with a well rounded scope for understanding the instrument early on.

SAP was especially driven to succeed when he began looking up tabs to replicate the guitar parts to his favorite songs. He grew up with an appreciation for all of the classics that he listened to with his dad, but he also respected the work of Death Cab for Cutie, AFI, and Hey Mercedes. ​

I did whatever I had to do
​in order
​to learn how.
-SAP

Spencer Allan Patrick also made a habit of collaborating with his friends in order to become a better guitar player. He practiced his work on the drums and guitar nearly every day, and with every practice, he became more invested in his craft.  

Vocals

Along with the desire to learn how to play the guitar came the drive for SAP to learn to sing. He began practicing his sound with an old school video camera (with the lens cap on) the first time he picked up his guitar, and he experimented with different vocals until he understood his range.

Recently

While he was in Florida, SAP was inspired by Shaky Graves and crafted his own suitcase drum to accompany him as he played the guitar and sang at various establishments throughout the area.

In Florida and Pennsylvania, he has been trusted by numerous couples to bring his one manned band to play at their weddings. For a number of years, he used his talents at Mr. Smalls Funhouse in Pittsburgh to provide drums and guitar as needed for local artists as part of the House Band; this required him to learn songs on the spot in order to fill out the sound as they were being played. In 2016, he accompanied the local prog band, Brash Teeth, on the drums as they promoted their album, Heavy Lungs. Spencer Allan Patrick has also regularly taken his music into bars and restaurants throughout Pittsburgh, Clarion, and Cannonsburg. He practices his craft every day, and he's working to put together an EP.

For over a decade now, SAP has shared his solo music, which displays an interwoven passion and talent for singing, playing the guitar, and syncopating percussive rhythms simultaneously. 



If you're interested in working with Spencer Allan Patrick, check out the services he offers and reach out to him here.