The Official Site of Teddy Young and The Aces

Neil Longo: Drums

Born and raised in Hazelton PA, Neil Longo is the drummer and the only band member without a complicated or long last name, even if it makes reference to wanting to be such. Longo also has more years of playing experience than his band leader has known life. Longo started cruising around the local scene during the late 60’s, while he was still in high school. Upon graduating in 1972, he took the same road as co-rhythm maker, Fenstermaker.

He honed his skills under the direction of Al Maumaw for several years and then studied with Joe Cusatis at the Modern Drum Shop in NYC. After kicking around on the local scene for approximately ten years he joined the busy touring rock act Jay & the Americans. He kept busy with that outfit from 1978-1981. After the music scene took a turn toward supporting karaoke over that of live music, Longo was finding more time to kick around. When that came to be, he decided to try something most musicians don’t even consider. He tried building his own drum. This was something that Longo had wanted to do for a while, but it was not until 1992 that he found the time and opportunity to give it whirl.

Today Longo snare drums are recognized internationally and have a reputation of superior quality and craftsmanship. This was simply a desire that Longo harbored throughout much his time as an active musician but never had the time to experiment until the lull of the music scene came to call in the early 90’s. Not long after he made his first, came a second and before long this hobby turned into his full time gig. Today his company makes between 300-500 drums annually. That is a great increase from his startup in 1992 when he manufactured ten drums and gave most of those away.

Today Longo ships them overseas, where they are being sold in Sweden, Germany, Switzerland and several other countries. Of course, his largest distribution is here in the States. What sets Longo snares apart from most others is the fact that his hands touch each and every drum that is manufactured. Each is custom crafted, sanded, scraped, bent and painted via his hands and hard work. To have a look at this finely made instruments have a look at his website. www.longodrums.com

Having been on board with the Aces for the past five years, Longo said that he truly enjoys playing with this band as it offers him a lot of creative freedoms. He is dedicated to the music and gives 110% effort to each gig. It is an attitude such as that which has kept him behind the kit for Young; as such effort is a must, for it is the only way to deliver their sound with such fiery exuberance and natural grace.

Written by: Tracey Stones