Rick Landwehr grew up listening to a wide variety of music that his parents and older sisters played at dinnertime. He was in the school choir from the first grade and began playing the cornet while in the sixth grade. After two years, he decided that the cornet was not the right instrument for him.



Almost two years later Rick Landwehr was introduced to the drum set by a friend and immediately fell in love with the instrument. Lessons followed shortly after.



After his freshmen year in high school, Rick Landwehr moved to Tokyo Japan for three and a half years with his parents and one of his sisters. While in Japan he had his first performing experiences with the Ikeda Band and The Wound.



After graduating from Saint Mary’s International School in Tokyo, Rick Landwehr returned to the United States to attend Heidelberg College where he obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Environmental Biology. Rick had a few lessons and some jam sessions during his college years, but for the most part his playing was set aside.



After working for a couple of years for the certification company NSF International in Ann Arbor, Michigan Rick Landwehr became intensely inspired to pursue music again. This resulted from an unplanned jam session with a co-worker. Shortly thereafter, Rick began placing and answering ads for musicians.



This led to the surprisingly quick formation of the experimental rock band Ape 7. Within a year the group had a cd recorded and was playing around the Metropolitan Detroit area. The band garnered critical acclaim for its recording over the next two years and was nominated for a Best Band of ’97 award in Detroit’s Jam Rag magazine.



After a few years of performing with Ape 7 and the local Community Jazz Orchestra and attending several music camps, Rick Landwehr decided to attend the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Ma. While at Berklee, Rick studied composition, arranging and drum set performance with many talented musicians including composer/arrangers Dennis Grillo and Richard Evans and drumming legend Casey Scheuerell. Rick graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Diploma in Professional Music in May, 2002.



Rick Landwehr is currently performing and composing with Tamandua, Daniel Bennett Group, Ra Quintet, Colin Stack and Novelty Act and The Boston Jazz Trio and has recently performed with Cirkestra, Third Nipple, Elena Zoubareva and various Boston area rock acts as well as recording all the percussion parts on the soundtrack to the film Darkon. He also teaches at National Guitar Workshop, Brookline Music School and Page Music Lessons.



Rick Landwehr is the author of the book Drummer’s Guide to Odd Time Signatures (Alfred/National Guitar Workshop).