Rat-a-tat, unpack and back

By Brendan Buhler

Friday, April 24, 2009 | 2 a.m.

Daniel de los Reyes is a drummer, a scion of a family of Cuban musicians, raised in Las Vegas as the son of a drummer and brother of a drummer. He’s invented percussion instruments and a practice kit sold by a high-end drum company. He’s played or toured with Jimmy Buffett, Yanni, Sheryl Crow, Gloria Estefan, Peter Frampton, the Killers and Sting.

But in his first professional gig, he followed the elephants.

It was 1980 and de los Reyes was 18 and fresh out of high school, playing drums for Ben Vereen at John Ascuaga’s Nugget in Sparks. And the act that used the stage before them had elephants. De los Reyes remembers the smell.

(Vereen had it worse. He danced barefoot.)

Growing up in the de los Reyes household in the 1970s was a musical education for Daniel. He says his mother encouraged all the drummers in her life. “It doesn’t make sense. Because if you’re hearing drums all day long — even if we were in the practice room, you can hear the drums outside — dum da-da dumdum dum — well, she must have been very patient.”

(Although perhaps not infinitely patient. De los Reyes says his original instrument was an accordion.)

De los Reyes went from life at home to life on the road, hopping between shows, studio gigs, tours and videos. For a while he lived in Los Angeles. At least that’s where his mail was sent. Mostly, he lived in hotel rooms. And when he did come home to his then-wife, he had grown so accustomed to motel living that he barely managed to live in more than one room, let alone unpack. And then the phone would ring.

“If people call, I have to go on the road. That’s what I do. My ex, she said it was like a muscle memory,” de los Reyes says.

And the one thing it’s always hard to fit in a suitcase is a life. De los Reyes says the road is one thing if you’re a headliner and can afford to bring your family with you, but if you’re just playing in the band, you can’t afford to bring your loved ones. Plus, it may not be good for the relationship.

Seven years ago, de los Reyes moved back to Las Vegas in search of a more stable life. He offers lessons and has his own company, Drum Jungle (drumjungle.com), which puts on elaborate drum, dance and music spectacles, like the world premiere galas for Cirque du Soleil’s “Ka” and “The Beatles: Love.” He’s considering putting a nightclub show together. And there’s always the lure of the road.

Speaking of the road, de los Reyes is an inveterate practicer and twitcher. Tapping his fingers, waggling pens and sticks, rolling golf balls — he says it helps keep his hands loose and strong. He even has a plastic practice pad on the dash of his car. He keeps a couple of drumsticks with him and works the steering wheel, too.

“Of course, you never practice while you’re driving. But at red lights — I go nuts,” de los Reyes says.

Well, maybe sometimes he used to drum, just with one stick, while he was driving.

“But if a cop sees you, he’s going to come after you,” de los Reyes says.

“Especially if he sees you using two hands.”