Barnwell, SC native Sean Bing was first introduced to the drums in church, at just three years old. “I started right beside my uncle — I would do whatever he did,” says Bing. “I had a little baby drum set.” When his uncle went to college his family moved to a different church, where he continued to play on Sundays. It was also there that he met piano player and rock drummer Clyde Frazier, who took him under his wing.
Bing played brass in his school band throughout middle and high school, starting with trombone, baritone, and eventually settling on tuba. However, he was still playing drums all along at church on the weekends. He was an avid football player, though come junior year he stopped playing football to focus more fully on music.
After high school, Bing moved to Charleston. “It was the music and job opportunity that brought me here,” he says. “And just looking for something new.” Through Clyde Frazier he made connections that ultimately led to the formation of the band Villanova, with whom he toured up and down the east coast as well as throughout the Carolinas and Georgia for about five years. Villanova opened for many well-known acts including Panic at the Disco, Steel Pulse, Tantric, Drowning Pool, and Chase Rice.
Of the music scene in Charleston, Bing says, “I love it. It’s definitely made me grow. You’ve got some jazzy cats here that’ll play some licks.” He also notes that among the more established, “highly ranked” musicians, there is room for young talent to break into the scene. “You’ve got some nineteen-year-olds,” he says, “that’ll play like they’ve been playing for thirty years.”
Sean Bing is playing at Forte Jazz Lounge on Friday, October 9th. To contact the artist, find him on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/sean.bing.9.