Meet Arturo Saucedo III

Today we’d like to introduce you to the owner of the Texas based drum apparel and soon to be utility company Destroy A Drum, Arturo Saucedo III.

Hi Arturo, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Destroy A Drum got started in the laundry room of my grandparent’s house when I was a senior in college. It was six months before graduation and I was going through one of the hardest times of my life with the loss of my grandfather. I started playing drums in the craziest of places no one would dare take drums for the sake of being where no one would be and disappearing into the sounds. Apparel was never the plan, it was what came from feeling lost and drums being the only way out. I wanted something to embody that depth of pain and represent the realest emotions coming out while performing; playing so hard it takes every last breath out of you – pouring your soul out on stage no matter if there’s 1 or 1,000 people watching. Destroy A Drum is an entity that speaks volumes for those with a daring, different, and distinctive personality. We strive to create pieces that can represent individuality and character for every style of drummer.

After the initial release of the first few pieces, we found a problem in the drum world. Everyone was tired of going to marching competitions or drum events and seeing the same cheesy drum tees or goofy sayings. We wanted something to represent the passion, heart, and soul we devote to each performance and designs that could speak for it. Our products solve that problem for any and every type of performer; from the wild and crazy artwork to the subtle and clean-cut styles. We provide the solution every artist and drummer has ever wanted, apparel that personifies their identity on and off the stage.

Where we are today is making apparel not only for drummers but for people that don’t even play drums. The range of designs and styles of clothing has taken on an identity of its own with non-drummers believing in our Destroy Motto and becoming some of our biggest supporters. We consistently make custom apparel for drummers on the biggest stages and develop utility products for drummers to use like drumsticks, drum pads, and drum muffles.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Destroy A Drum was created from a sense of loss and emptiness. Playing drums took me out of this deep void and lingering pain but I wanted to create something tangible to represent the depth of these emotions that so many related to. Letting these feelings out while performing live was a sense of relief due to playing to the point of no return but there was something deeper to be shown through a physical idea, product, and solution. Coming up with the idea for Destroy A Drum came from representing the pain, anger, hate, frustration, and never-ending disappointment in myself all those years ago when it first started through apparel that had crazy designs and clean-cut styles. Pouring these feelings out into this entity allows for a healthy outlet of expression and continues to be a source of using these emotions to create a positive impact amongst myself and the people in my life.

Going through covid was a breaking point for the company. What was supposed to be our biggest year with going to the world’s biggest marching competition and having a pop-up shop there and releasing our utility products all of that had to be put on hold. The struggle to wait on releasing new pieces and not being sure what direction the world was going in had to have been the toughest part. While being patient helped with not releasing new apparel, we used that time to develop better collections and more diverse products.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
The question I get most is if I play drums and that is a big yes, I wouldn’t be alive or who I am without constantly having a drum in front of me. I am a full-time hired gun for 5-7 bands in Austin, Texas and take on most gigs without needing a rehearsal. I just recently went on a 3 week east Coast tour with an artist that put together a brand new band and we had less than a month to learn an entire set to perform in sold-out halls and theatres. That had to have been one of the proudest moments of my professional drum career. I also work remotely full-time for two companies, one is in the solar industry and the other for the electronic drum company Roland.

Destroy A Drum is in the process of launching our most anticipated utility product, our very own drum muffle/dampener. This is the biggest step we have ever taken as a company since releasing apparel products, drumsticks, and practice pads. With this step we are planning on changing the industry and the process of dealing with cheap, impractical, and the same old muffles drummers are used to. They will be launched fall of 2023.

Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Risk taking is all about passion. If you’re passionate about the risk then take it. I’ve based most of my hardest decisions leveraging taking a passion-driven risk vs staying in the safe zone. Sometimes you don’t want to take the risk because of fear of failing and I used to go through that until I found my life motto, Live To Fail: set the bar so high that even if you “fail” at what you’re working towards you are still accomplishing goals that are paramount to your success and what you love. Some don’t want to fail because of fear of disappointing their friends and family, another feeling I went through for so long in my life until I implemented a mantra my father instilled in me: Tomorrow Is Never Guaranteed. Live for today, if it’s a risk for something you love never hesitate to try and give it your all no matter who might judge you.

There was so much risk involved with investing my own money to get the very first pieces made for Destroy A Drum but none of it mattered. Whether 1 item, everything, or nothing sold, I wanted to create for the sake of feeling alive and representing a moment in time that impacted me more than anything in the world. There was a risk every single time we created a piece that was borderline drum related like creating a female-driven collection titled She Destroys. This was done not only for representing female drummers but also for those that didn’t play drums. While there was a huge financial risk, we were also unsure whether it would be accepted in the industry we’re in. None of this mattered since we wanted it to be known from the very beginning that we are the type of company to stand up for others and create a collection of apparel with designs that had nothing to do with drums to show the extent of our passion and love for others. We wanted to be at the forefront of showing other drum companies and all drummers it is our responsibility to create gear that can motivate, inspire others to change the world, and Destroy for the better; therefore we created the She Destroys collection to empower women and give them a voice in the drum industry where they are not represented as equally. Regardless of the risk factor, we always make decisions based on if it’s the right thing to do as a company that stands up for others.

This is your 7th year in business, what is the secret to being able to stick around for so long and what’s the future of Destroy A Drum?

Destroy A Drum has been able to stick around due to the love and support from our closest followers/customers who we like to call “Destroyers”. We strive to be consistent with all collections including high quality material and being diverse within the industry by creating borderline drum-related designs. Keeping our target market on their toes is always the most fun with new releases and the artwork will continue to push the envelope. The changes that come with Destroy include having one particular apparel collection instock at all times (every item released in the past has never been restocked) and releasing a product that solidifies our place in the drum industry as a utility product company. The first apparel collection released this year will be the one that will always be restocked: 5 pieces – black on black puff print – brand new logos. The muffle product will allow us to provide a new type of solution that we’ve never done before, giving drummers a dampener that comes in 3 different thicknesses, is fully customizable, can fit in your pocket, and lasts longer than the drumheads. The secret to our success is the strong relationships we’ve built over the years with our artists, dedicated Destroyers, and all the people working behind Destroy A Drum. I 100% could not have done this without the people who believed in it since day 1 and those who have continued to have our back no matter the products we release. Forever and always grateful for those that have stuck with us throughout the highs and lows. This year we celebrate 7 crazy years of destruction, I wouldn’t be alive if it wasn’t for Destroy A Drum and for that I thank anyone who’s ever supported us with buying a shirt, following us on our socials, or has simply been inspired to Destroy for the better on and off the stage.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://destroyadrum.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/destroyadrum/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/destroyadrum/

Image Credits
@Dreamthorp