PRESCOTT -- Live music from three bars and street buskers on Whiskey Row (Montezuma Street) competes for the attention – and tips – of club-goers on Friday and Saturday nights in this mile-high city 90 miles northwest of Phoenix.
However, competition for their ears and eyes also comes from loud drumbeats across from Whiskey Row at the north side of the Yavapai County Courthouse Plaza. The drummer is Dylan Farnsworth, a sophomore at Chino Valley High School who is 16 and stands 5 feet 1 inch tall.
Dylan, the youngest of five children of Ty and Wendy Farnsworth of Chino Valley, is a member of the school’s marching band and began practicing at the plaza at an arts and crafts fair during the Memorial Day weekend. He started playing Friday and Saturday evenings a few months ago.
Dylan acknowledged he could be watching videogames at home or hanging out with his friends instead of banging his drums at the plaza. However, both he and his father cite the benefits of playing the drums at the plaza—and for an audience.
Ty Farnsworth said Dylan would face distractions at home, such as from a television set.
“It keeps him out of trouble,” said Ty Farnsworth, adding Bob Dylan was his favorite musician when he attended high school in Mesa and subconsciously named his son for the legendary singer/songwriter.
Dylan said playing drums at the plaza makes him happy, adding he enjoys the adulation of people who drop by to listen. He lets other children play his drums. His father said Dylan occasionally receives tips.
“The audience, they love me,” Dylan said on a recent Saturday night at the plaza. “They cheer.”
More than 10 people gathered at a time that night on the sidewalk to listen to his high-energy, fast-paced drumming.
From a distance at a bench, Sister Holly Hays, a missionary with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from South Jordan, Utah, said she enjoys listening to Dylan play. She also takes pride that he is a member of the Mormon faith and belongs to the Chino Valley ward.
“He is a sweet kid and he is the most talented person I ever heard,” Hays said. “I love about the way he drums. He always has a big smile on his face and he always includes other people” by letting them play his drums.
Dylan also drew praise from a professional musician: Prescott drummer Carlos B. Jones, who plays in three bands and gives private lessons to 20 students.
“When Dylan plays the drums, in my eyes he is in a state of euphoria,” Jones said during a break from a gig at a bar a block south of Whiskey Row. “And when people see this kid drumming, they are overwhelmed with happiness.”
Jones, 67, said Ringo Starr of the Beatles inspired him to start playing the drums during the 1960s.
Dylan said he likes the drumming of Starr and the late Keith Moon of the Who, but his favorite drummer is the late John Bonham of Led Zeppelin.
“He has a really good beat,” Dylan said of Bonham, “I love his drum solos.”
Dylan’s brother Brandon, 22, encouraged him to take up drumming and Dylan started playing about five years ago, his father said. Dylan started with a “cheap, kid drum set” bought at Walmart and now plays with a Yamaha set from a mid-price range bought used on Craigslist.
Playing the drums can be “pretty challenging,” Dylan said.
“I just like trying to get the beat down,” he said. “If you start on a new beat that you haven’t played before, it just can get challenging.”
Dylan said band is his favorite subject at school. He also enjoys science classes, saying, “Science is pretty fun.” He likes to ride his bicycle as well.
Ty Farnsworth said Dylan does not have any classes on Fridays, and will continue to drive him 15 miles to Prescott on Fridays and Saturday evenings unless he has homework or the weather is inclement. He said Dylan generally plays for three hours, but he let his son play until midnight on his birthday July 2.
With three years of high school to go, Dylan has not made definite plans yet for college.
However, he is serious about becoming a professional drummer: playing in a rock band or perhaps a house band on late-night TV shows.
Does he want to become famous, like his idols?
“I guess,” Dylan said. “It’s just (entertaining) the people, just seeing them watch me play.”