Joe's hitting the perfect beat

COLIN SMITH/Nelson Mail

FLAT STICK: Former Nelson College head boy Joe McElhinney is now the drummer for rock band Luger Boa.

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Nelson's Joe McElhinney began listening to New Zealand rockers the D4 and Sommerset while he was learning how to pound a drum kit. Now, years later, he's drumming alongside his former heroes.

McElhinney, the head boy of Nelson College in 2003, recently scored the job of his dreams, playing for Auckland-based rock band Luger Boa.

"I couldn't have hoped for a better position to get into. All the guys have already established themselves within the industry and know how the game is played. I have managed to step into it, this whole thing which has a huge momentum of its own."

That momentum has already carried McElhinney up and down the country several times since he started playing for Luger Boa last May.

The band features Jimmy Christmas from the D4 and former Sommerset member Ryan Thomas.

"When I heard those guys were involved, I was absolutely sold. They were the bands I was into when I was in the full throes of arrested rock'n'roll development," McElhinney said.

But if it had not been for his love of another band, Nine Inch Nails, he might never have heard about the opportunity.

Early last year, he travelled to Auckland to see the American rockers, and paid a visit to the city's Drum Shop. He found a "drummer wanted" advertisement and applied.

However, his musical journey began much earlier, when he was eight years old and saw a drumming demonstration at school.

"It really moved me. I walked out of it and I thought it was wicked. I told my mum I wanted to learn the drums, and instead of saying `Yeah, right', she was, like, `OK, let's get you a couple of lessons'."

McElhinney started his first band when he was 12, and joined another soon afterwards. He worked in Nelson after finishing school, before heading to Wellington to study for a Bachelor of Music degree at the New Zealand School of Music.

Before auditioning for Luger Boa, he was rehearsing up to eight hours a day, six days a week at home. "It was the closest thing I had to a job, but it didn't really pay."

His technique was good enough to impress the Luger Boa band members, who had seen a video of him performing with a punk band in Wellington. "I guess they just liked the way the band interacted and what I offered."

Since then, he has played alongside bands like the Living End and Shihad. He said Luger Boa were writing a new album and had their eyes on touring overseas in the near future.

"But I am sure the guys have some sort of rock'n'roll world domination planned."

- © Fairfax NZ News