Todd "The Rocket" Richard

Todd “The Rocket” Richard is a musician who has never cared much for genre tags and preconceived notions. An acclaimed, award-winning, and in-demand drummer/percussionist both live and in the studio, the Rocket has 15 years in professional music with artists and projects as diverse as his own record collection. Portland Magazine has declared him “Maine’s Most Sought-After Drummer.â€?

Since childhood, he has been enamored with, and driven by, contemporary music of all shades. This passion is evident in the environments he immerses himself in. the Rocket is equally comfortable in crunk and country, house and hip hop, latin and lounge, rock and reggae, pop to R&B, dance club to dance hall

When asked by the Portland Press Herald about the diversity of his projects and his approach, his reply was simple, “…despite differences, everyone expects me to know the music front to back and keep great time… I have to make sure I bring everyone the best I have… (I) combine those experiences, because they all go in to the same bag that I draw from, no matter which gig I’m at or which artist I’m working with.â€?

The Rocket started his career as a singer and began playing drums later on in high school. Living in the small resort town of Nantucket Island, he was a self-taught drummer for the entirety of his high school years, relying on countless cassettes and “on-the-job� experience to take the place of lessons. This offered him experience in jazz combos, pit orchestras, accompanying choirs, and playing heavy metal covers.

He entered college as a voice major, studying Elizabethan and Baroque period music, operetta, and musical theater. After his first semester, he switched to drums as a major, and then shortly thereafter, left school to try and cure himself of the insatiable urge to “make it� in the music business. While this path has not been straight or well-paved, it has provided a richness of experience that no prescribed plan could have ever offered.

From tours to local clubs, the Rocket is an active road and session player, logging in well over 120 live dates a year and studio sessions as his travel schedule permits.

the Rocket resides in Portland, Maine and travels to his hometown of Nantucket, Massachusetts as often as possible.

Drummer for The Miss Fairchild Show