LBCC student Kyla Foster claimed to accidentally be living a double life when she referred to her pursuits in music as a touring rock drummer while also studying music, with an emphasis on jazz trumpet.
Foster is currently the drummer for Long Beach band The Anti Groupies, an all-girl rock band who have recently become a familiar face in the Long Beach rock music scene.
She was introduced to music at a very young age, with her first vivid memory of music being listening to the “Rubber Soul” album by The Beatles.
“I remember hearing that album in third grade and realizing (music) was something I could follow and understand, and I don’t understand much, so I kept pursuing it,” Foster said.
Foster began taking music electives in fifth grade and pursued trumpet and keys.
She has continued to study jazz trumpet through her days at LBCC with professor Patrick Sheng.
Foster joked about her double life being a result of her forgetfulness.
“I kind of just don’t realize that I don’t tell people that I play drums,” Foster said.
Sheng wasn’t surprised when he found out about Foster’s personal endeavors, but he seems to jokingly pester her about letting him see her perform.
“She won’t let me come see her perform because she always forgets to give me a flyer, and I forget the dates when she tells me,” Sheng said.
Despite not seeing her drumming capabilities, he chimed in on her trumpet skills.
“Jumping out of high school she was a really strong player, which not a lot of people are, and she’s a great feature soloist, so I always try to feature her when I can,” Sheng said.
Foster claimed to be a self-taught drummer and revealed that she chose to play trumpet when she was younger due to being able to read the sheet music more easily.
“I felt like I didn’t really have the chops to read the sheet music for drums properly and so I went with trumpet instead when I had to choose my instrument,” Foster said.
As a self-taught drummer, being unable to read sheet music didn’t stop her bandmate Isabella Broersma from sharing that Foster was a key part of the band.
“She makes a whole difference with the way she adds drums and harmonies to everything we write is special. If she were to ever be replaced, we would be a completely different band,” Broersma said.
The feeling was mutual as Foster shared that being in the band was a great experience for her.
“We all come from different musical backgrounds, even though they all went to the School of Rock, and so they all just make me want to become a better musician,” Foster said.
LBCC student Kyla Foster plays drums in her home studio where the band writes all of their music April 29. (Kay Pham-Nguyen)
Foster’s time in The Anti Groupies also created memorable moments for Broersma, such as Foster forgetting her drum kit for a live session performance.
“Kyla didn’t read the email and she forgot to bring her drums, and the entire music department was gone by this point so we had to make a makeshift drum kit out of random buckets we found around,” Broersma said.
Whether it’s playing trumpet or drums, being a drummer doesn’t stop Foster from being in the spotlight.
“They love letting me sing in every song. I’m not too big on being in the spotlight but they always give me my time to shine,” Foster said, regarding playing with The Anti-Groupies.
Foster will be performing with The Anti Groupies in Los Angeles on May 23 at 9 p.m. at The Viper Room.