Born in Detroit in 1964, Will started gigging
in Detroit jazz clubs in 1979 (at age 15).
He later worked with jazz legends like Marcus
Belgrave, Faruq Z. Bey, and Rodney Whittaker.
With Detroit-based experimental rock band
Larval, he performed at New York's CBGB's
and Knitting Factory clubs, and recorded CDs
on John Zorn's Avant Records and on Knitting
Factory Records. Through the 80's and 90's,
Will has played in house bands at several
Detroit nightclubs including Alvin's, The
Music Menu, the Circa, and the Cadieux Cafe.
Will has toured recently with the Trinidad
Tripoli Steel Drum Band and with Jim Scott
(former Paul Winter Consort guitarist, vocalist,
and writer), in addition to recent gigs
with Detroit-based band Stunning Amazon
(including a recording session with ICP
engineer/manager Mike Clark). In Ann Arbor,
Will has worked with cult rock hero Frank
Allison, bluegrass faves K.C. Groves and
David Mosher, alt country singer-songwriters
Chris Buhalis and Jim Roll, funk/folk singer-guitarist
Lisa Hunter, prog rock group The Four Disgraces,
underground copoeiristas URBS Wizdom, dub/jungle
group
Ground.efx,
and is currently performing with roots reggae
band Reggae Ambassador (featuring Jamaican vocalist
Carlton Dawes, former Ziggy Marley sideman).
Also, in the Fall of 2001, Will did a two month
stint with Detroit Blues and Soul singer (and
Subpop recording artist) Thornetta Davis. In
addition to studying Garifuna drumming in coastal
Belize, Will also studied Cuban salsa
and Bata drumming in Havana, Cuba.
A longtime fan of the Grateful Dead, Will started
jamming with Deadheads in Detroit's Cass Corridor
in the mid-80s. He joined Detroit's "Assembly",
which became "Assembly Required" in
1990. A few years later, along with Assembly
Required guitarist Jules Ryan, and bassist Josh
Zalev, Will went to a New Year's Eve party (in
a downtown Detroit artist's studio), and jammed
with Steve and Sean......and Deep Space Six was
launched into orbit...
