Ben Runkel Drums
1. Who are you?Ben Runkel/Uncle Runkel
2. Birthday
April 24th
3. Where are you from?
Naperville, IL
4. Highschool?
Naperville Central HS
5. College?
NIU
6. Job?
I worked at Papa Johns for about 3 years during HS. I never got sick of that pizza and I still am not. Now I teach drumline and marching band at Naperville Central HS and Amos Alonzo Stagg HS as well as write music for them. Other than that, I teach privately to some students and take random gigs when they come up!
7. What do you play in Keslinger?
Flexitone/marimba/vibraphone/thundersheet/gongs/drums
8. How long have you been playing for?/ How did you get started?
I've been playing for 13 years and I started in 4th grade band. I've been in school music programs since then and I'm now a music major in college. I got started before that though when I was about 3 or 4, and I was drumming the Kit-Kat commercial theme-song on tubs with markers...
9. Who are/were your influences?
began with jazz, latin, and big band music. Then I went through a prog-rock phase in HS and listened to a lot of Dream Theater and transcribed a lot of Mike Portnoy's playing. I marched two summers of Drum and Bugle corps so I have a strong rudimental foundation and influence.
10. What living person who would like like to meet?
Ryan Seacrest...no seriously, I can't think of an answer now
11. What deceased person would you like to meet?
Dimitri Shostakovich
12. Top three favorite movies?
Cool Runnings, Back to the Future (I, II, and III), and all Harry Potters
13. Top three favorite TV shows?
The Office, Mythbusters, Scrubs
14. Favorite canceled TV show?
I don't watch enough TV...
15. Favorite band you've seen live?
Kenny Garrett Trio in Colorado...I can't remember the other musicians he played with, but that was a SICK concert!
16. Favorite band you've played with?
Company of Thieves
17. Favorite Keslinger show?
Last show at the House for the pre-realease. A lot of fans came out, and it was a blast playing our new stuff for everyone.
18. Worst Keslinger show?
Bobapalooza....I volunteered my drums to be the "house kit" for everyone to use, and by the time I got up to play, all my heads were completely shot, cymbal washers gone, and all my stands rearranged, that was just an awkward show too.
19. Gear?
5 piece Red Apple Yamaha Beech Custom (9" 12" 14" 14"x5/12" snare 16"x22" bass)
Evans G2 clear batter heads
Aquarian SuperKick II bass batter head
Zildjian A Custom cymbals (14" hats, 16" crash, 18" crash, 20" ride, 8" splash
Medium Wuhan china
DW7000 double bass
DW5000 hi hat
Vic Firth 85A sicks
20. Ambitions aside from Keslinger?
Music educator, composer, performer. Performing as a soloist, with orchestras, teaching privately, teaching as a band director...
21. Past bands you've been in?
I filled in with a band called Breakfast of Champions for a while and played in a great worship band through my old church for several years.
22. Favorite books?
When I don't Desire God, by John Piper
Bible
23. Favorite Actor?
Steve Carrell
Jim Carey
24. Favorite Actress?
That chick from pirates of the carribbean...oh yeah.
25. Pet peeves?
When people don't use their turn signal!!!!
26. Favorite food?
Seriously??? ANYTHING. I love eating. but if I had to pick, nothing like a steak burrito from Chipoltle.
27. Hobbies?
music, golf
28. Websites you frequent?
Facebook, Gmail, Keslinger Forum, Percussive Arts Society, Youtube
29. Favorite Shampoo?
Fructis shampoo+conditioner
30. Favorite Razor?
Power Mach 3, ya know, the green one that vibrates? pretty freaking sweet, even though it probably doesn't do much more than the regular one...
31. Favorite Magazine?
Percussive Notes
32. Do you read when you're in the bathroom?
I used to, not so much anymore though
33. Guilty pleasure tv show?
American Idol
34. Guilty pleasure movie?
Phantom of The Opera
35. Guilty pleasure band?
Anberlin, Mae
36. Do you talk to your self out loud when no one is around?
ALL THE TIME, in fact I just said, "all the time" and I'm alone in my apartment
37. First girl you had a crush on?
hmmmmm I think it was this girl named Molly in elementary school
38. Super power you wish you had?
Flying
39. Do you chew your nails?
yeah, bad habit, don't do it.
40. Do you drum on things that aren't drums?
hello...drummer here! i get called out on it all the time
41. Favorite TV show growing up?
home improvement
42. Most humiliating high school moment?
let me just change this to most humiliating "college" moment. So this was my first choir concert, ever, and I was given the pitch pipe to blow the pitch before both of our acapella tunes. The conductor gave it to me right before the concert so I only had a couple times to try it out. long story short, we get up on stage on the risers in front of a packed concert hall and i try and blow the note. I found out later that I was covering some of the other holes on the pipe and so the only noise that came out was that of a dying goat. So i tried it again...same thing...and again...and again!! until the whole audience and choir was laughing. then the conductor grabbed the pitch pipe from me and played the note perfectly....
good thing i was 21 and old enough to laugh it off!
43. Did you play sports in high school? If yes, what did you play?
yes, gymnastics, for about 10 years. I did every event and went to a couple state competitions. Looking back on it all I really didn't enjoy it that much so I'm glad I quit in High School. I can still do a back flip though!
44. What crowd were you a part of back then?
the cool one
45. Favorite subject in High School or College?
Math/music
46. Favorite invention in the last five years?
the Apple MacBook
47. Worst invention in the last five years?
...
48. Favorite quote?
"Healing hands of God have mercy on our unclean souls once again.
Jesus Christ, light of the world burning bright within our hearts forever.
Freedom means love without condition,
without a beginning or an end.
Here's my heart, let it be forever Your's,
Only You can make every new day seem so new
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah"
-Five Iron Frenzy, Every New Day
49. Are you a morning or a night person?
night person...i'm writing this at 1:30am
50. Meanest thing you've ever done to a sibling?
called the cops on them
51. What's playing on your ipod/cd player/8 track now?
Kepano Green: Breathe
