BIRDSALL

Legends often prophesize a chosen one who will rise from nothing to rescue the masses. Many times the chosen one will bear a mark or symbol, a way to reveal their true identity. Aaron Birdsall carries one such mark on his back. Non-believers may say it’s merely a tattoo procured in an impetuous moment, but it may very well be a sign Birdsall will become the rocker who was prophesied, destined for greatness.

- JONNY WATSON

“I have an Aerosmith logo tramp stamp tattooed on my ass,” he laughs. “[Classic rock] will always be a part of me. I just wanted to be ratchet for a minute and pretend I was a groupie.”

A tattoo might not quite be the mark carried by Harry Potter or Damien from “The Omen,” but Birdsall very literally wears his rock ‘n’ roll bonafides on his skin. Music has always been part of his life, starting when his father would be blasting Guns N Roses while pushing young Aaron around in a stroller. A hefty dose of Axl and Slash may have planted the seed in his head, but it was tagging along with his mother to concerts that made that seed grow. As a massage therapist, Birdsall’s mother often worked for touring musicians, introducing her son to the life he was destined to live.

When a toddler starts out on a musical journey they don’t begin by trying to pick up the guitar or harpsichord, they start beating whatever is around in an effort to express the rhythm they feel in their soul. This is how Birdsall found his way to the drums.