Jim Donovan (Photo By Sean McLeod)

We’re immersed in a culture which mass consumes manufactured tunes created by assembly lines. Highly refined formulas devised by the major record labels use near scientific precision to create virtually guaranteed hits, the mega money makers. Musical talent has become more than secondary to physical appearance and memorable refrains trump valuable messages.

But forcing yourself to peer away from the glitz and glamor of the near blinding spotlight they have created, reveals a subcultural underpinning of musicians that dedicate their lives to preserving a primal beat.

Enter the world of Jim Donovan.

The Student

Born March 1968 in the rural town of Rockwood PA, Jim Donovan has been a student of music since the age of 7, when his grandmother handed him a crude drum crafted from a recycled coffee can. His first gig would come four years later — official crash cymbalist for a baton twirling group called the Spinnettes.

Perhaps a testament to music’s ability to lock moments of time into our memories, Donovan’s earliest recollections go back to the tender age of 3, when he would have his mother play hits by Sly and The Family Stone for him; a group he still calls one of his major influences.

Jim Donovan would spend his high school years grabbing every opportunity possible to make music, including the student marching band, symphony orchestra, concert choir, and jazz band.

He says that music gave him a reason to enjoy school, and calls it “the reward for having to do some of the other classes I wasn’t as interested in”.

Jim Donovan's 11th Grade Notebook

After graduating from Rockwood Area High School in 1986, Donovan applied to attend the University of Pittsburgh. An application that was summarily rejected. But as with other crucial times in his life, it would be his music that would see him through. He was granted an opportunity to audition in front of Dr. Robert Lord, the chairman of the university’s music department.

“He was a kind man and even though I was nervous, he made me feel at ease. I prepared several months for the audition, so I felt confident in my playing which ultimately helped me pass” said Donovan.

He would become a student at the University of Pittsburgh after all.

One of his most important influences while attending Pitt was master drummer Elie Kihonia. Originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kihonia helped introduced Donovan to African Drumming, and instilled in him the value of music as an experience, an important form of expression rather than simply a commodity to be mass marketed.

“At first I was very intimidated by him. He spoke little English and was an incredibly intense presence. Once I got to know him, he turned out to be a warm and wonderful soul. I’ve learned a great deal from him” said Donovan.

The friendship that he formed with Kihonia would prove to be one that would extend far beyond his years at the University of Pittsburgh.

It was also while attending Pitt that he would meet fellow students Patrick Norman and Liz Berlin, setting the stage for what would become the next major phase of Donovan’s life.