Travis Barker

Travis Landon Barker was born on November 14, in Fontana, California. Travis began studying drums and took lessons at the age of four. He studied with a jazz teacher and was exposed to many different styles of music. While in High School, Travis played in the jazz ensemble and marching band. Gaining experience performing at competitions and festivals. His senior year, Travis passed up drum corps tryouts for touring with a rock band. Further experience would come as a rock drummer in a few early bands such as Feeble, The Suicide Machines, and The Aquabats.



Travis’s mother died when he was a kid, and his first tattoo was a tribute to her. Explaining his large number of tattoos, most of which appear on his torso, arms and upper body, Barker told media he did it so he would never be able to get a “9 to 5” job.



In 1998 Barker's band, The Aquabats, was opening for blink-182. On this tour blink-182 asked Barker to fill the drum stool until the end of the tour. Barker had to learn the entire blink-182 set of 24 songs in just a couple of hours. A few months later, he was asked to join the band full time, by accepting the offer - the rest is history. He has been the permanent drummer for Blink-182 up until February 2005, when the band decided to seek other opportunities. Since then he has released another album with his hip-hop induced punk band, The Transplants, recruited blink bassist Mark Hoppus and former vocalist of the all-female punk band Get the Girl, Carol Heller, to work on his electronically-tinged side project Plus 44.

Travis helped reinvent blink-182's style between the albums, Dude Ranch and Enema of The State, in my opinon. I did like Scott's style more, like what he did with the songs, 'Carousel' and 'Dammit' but I also think Travis is an all around better drummer. I find it very impressive that, he was able to put up with Mark and Tom's weirdness over the 7 years that he was with blink-182. The solo drumming that he did for the song 'I'm Lost Without You',off their last album, was amazing. In one show, during the song, 'Reckless Abandon' (off Take Off Your Pants And Jacket), he went into an about 2 minute solo, where he was on this platform that spung him upside down and he was still playing, perfectly! It was one of the most cool things that I have ever seen!



I just think that he is so cool!!!

Honestly, I can say that Travis isn't my favorite drummer on Blink-182, I liked more Scott's style, more punk, more direct. But I admit, Travis is 100 times the drummer that Scott is. He gave a new, refreshing sound to blink-182 latest albums (Since enema to untitled), his hip-hop oriented beats fitted like a glove in blink's style. He even "re-invented" old blink songs, like "Carousel" (where he is a speed demon) and Dammit (every time he does a little variation in the song, always different). And now, in Plus 44, even with one hand he still kick the a$$ of every drummer out there. As he said one time about blink's music "I may not sing, but in the band there's a third voice, and it is my drums!"

Tavis is so awesome! Not only a drummer, but a person. Imagine how tough you have to be to have that many tattos. WOW! Seriously awesome Travis. Really good drumming. Blink is such a cool band. He does such awesome work. Like HEre's Your Letter, or Feeling This he has really really super amazingly awesome parts! And he has done more. Like his belt lines. Or Meet the Barkers. He is so cool. And he was in Box Car Racer. Maybe Angels and Airwaves. Angels and Airwaves is a great band. Anyway, good job Travis, for someone that may not look like a millionare!

Here he is, Travis Landon Barker!!.. the greatest drummer ever (at least that\'s for me) it\'s been years since I\'ve been following his career and researching more and more about him everyday. He\'s a great dummer, husband, father, friend.. and everything he was to be, he\'s my idol!



Now he\'s preforming with DJ AM and he\'s doing just great, but soon Plus44 album will come out!.. I\'m looking forward to buy it, because I already heard \"No it isn\'t\" and YES IT IS: great!.



He has been really busy in this few years, because he\'s been doing everything that has to do with music!, he really loves his job and has put a lot of dedication to it, without leaving his family by a side. He knows how to keep everything under-control, lots of people could learn from him; At least I do, I\'m his number one fan. =)