60-Year-Old Dad and 55-Year-Old Mom Learn to Play Drums and Bass So They Could Jam with Son
What did you do during lockdown?
New Zealander Ryan Stokes started a band — with his parents!
Ryan, who plays guitar and sings, was frustrated by the isolation of the pandemic, like other musicians. He enjoys jamming with musical friends but lockdown curtailed that activity.
That’s when he had an idea.
The Good News Network describes what happened.
“Inspired by The White Stripes, a two-piece rock band, the 20-year-old guitarist initially taught his 55-year-old mom to play the drums. Two months later, his 60-year-old father picked up an electric bass for the first time.”
Neither his mom, Andrea, nor his dad, Lyndon, had ever played an instrument before. That didn’t stop the three from forming a band!
“Momma’s Boy” features Ryan laying down vocals and lead guitar. Andrea rocks the drums and Lyndon supports it all on the bass.
They practice two or three times a week and now have an album that dropped on Spotify in April called “Who Would Have Thought.” Exactly!
@mommasboyofficial Thankyou so much for all of your support so far! We hope you enjoy our new song. We think it’s alright 🙂 LINK IN BIO!#mommasboy #fyp #fypシ #newsong #viral #moms #momsoftiktok #dadsoftiktok #dads #newmusic #bass #drums ♬ It’s Alright – Mommas Boy
According to MSN, the independent band uses Ryan’s bedroom as a recording studio as well as free music editing software. This album took about a month to put together.
“Both of the middle-aged newbies adapted to the rockstar life very quickly, appearing in videos on TikTok hours after picking up instruments for the first time.”
“The group quickly won the hearts of the internet, accumulating 72,000 followers on TikTok since their formation— with 700,000 views.”
In an interview with Breakfast (posted on Facebook), the trio said their fans came up with the “Momma’s Boy” band name!
Ryan is a student and both parents work for local government. While they’re shocked by fans’ response, they are enjoying the music and the fun.
“An incidental benefit now is that the family gets to spend more time together, and derive even more out of the music they all love.”
“‘We always bonded over our shared love of music. Now we can bond over our shared love of making music,’ quipped Ryan.”
So, the Stokes family continues to make a joyful noise as they rock on together in New Zealand! What will their family togetherness inspire your family to enjoy together?
