Drumming up good vibes in Asheville, Skinny Beats soothes the soul with sound
At Skinny Beats on Eagle Street in Asheville
By Meghan Danahey
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ASHEVILLE, North Carolina (WLOS) — When Billy Zanski picked up drumming at age 18, his whole world changed.
“Originally it was drums, and specifically west African drums,” he says. “So, I traveled to West Africa, and I met a really great man who taught me a lot about the drums of West Africa. He ended up coming to Asheville and he told the people who brought him about me. I’m from Wisconsin, so I just dropped everything and came to Asheville. That was 2004.”
He found a space on Eagle Street where he could settle in, sell equipment and teach.
From there, his passion for sound expanded to include crystal bowls, gongs, harps, flute and more. Then, he ventured into sound healing and meditation.
It is referred to as meditation because Zanski says, “Whenever we just get still, we get quiet, let our thoughts just drift by. We start to become more aware of things or maybe some emotions might come up, whatever happens for individuals, it’s a process. Sound can help that happen.”
“Musicians have been around for so long and music and sound; it’s now just being dialed in a little more for that specific purpose,” he continues. “Your brain waves can change when certain frequencies are combining.”
“Asheville is a cool place to do this type of work,” Zanski says.
He credits the Friday night drum circle in Pritchard Park that attracts residents and tourists alike.
“That’s just a such a nice thing to be grateful for,” he says, “that I get to have all these new people show up and I show them things that they aren’t aware of and then they might get into it, and it will benefit them.”
The benefit Zanski believes in is both in the sound that resonates through your body by playing drums and the quiet perspective you can gain by just taking in sound.
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