Josh Kirk

Final Cry Artist Drum Specs

Select Series™ Maple Drums in Silver Glass Glitter Wrap Finish and Chrome Hardware.

22 x 20 Bass Drum - 6 Ply
14 x 8 Snare Drum - 10 Ply
12 x 8 Rack Tom - 6 Ply
16 x 14 Floor Tom - 6 Ply

Josh Kirk - Final Cry Custom Drums Set-Up

Final Cry Artist Biography

My name is Josh Kirk and I play in a band called The Museum. I was born and raised in Atlanta, GA, which is where I still live with my wife, Katy.

I started playing drums when I was a kid by dragging out all of my mom's pots and pans and setting them up like the coolest drum set ever! I modeled it after Louie Weaver's drums, at the time he was the drummer for Petra. I began playing in my first band in high school, which I'm sure was awful. I played in a few bands in college before starting to play with the members that would form The Museum in 2006.

The band officially formed in 2008. Since then we have continued to grow and expand as a band that now plays about 160 dates a year. The most rewarding thing about what I get to do is meeting all the different people around the country/world that I wouldn't normally have a chance to meet.

Final Cry Artist Q & A

When did you start playing drums?
I started playing drums when I was really little. I would just bang on anything that would make noise, including all of my mom's pots and pans. I started "officially" learning the drums in middle school and picked up drum kit around that time as well.
What was your first drum set?
My first drum set was a JC Penney special, which I got when I was about 10 years old. My first "real" drum set was a Pearl Export. Since then I have played a Tama Starclassic kit, a vintage 70's Slingerland kit, and now a Final Cry kit.
What is it that drew you to Final Cry Custom Drums?
We were on tour with a band, Rapture Ruckus, that was playing a Final Cry drum set, and I loved the sound instantly. They had nothing but good things to say about Final Cry, so I decided to look into it further. This was the first I'd heard of them. What drew me to Final Cry more than even the drums themselves were my conversations with Todd from Final Cry. The first conversation I had with him I could tell his heart was after far more than just building drums. This is a company that wants to see God move in and through their artists, and I think that's awesome!
In addition to touring, do you do any session work, or clinics?
I do session work mainly when we are recording new songs/albums. I don't do much freelance session work or clinics simply because I don't have a ton of free time. I wish I had more time to do some of those things.
Who has been the biggest influence on your style, technique or musical career?
I've had many influences musically over the years with both bands as a whole and individual drummers. A few of my drummer influences were Rick Woolstenhulme (Lifehouse), Chad Gracey (Live), and Matt Chamberlain (who's played on virtually everything). Some bands that I learned to play drums to were Goo Goo Dolls, DC Talk, Audio Adrenaline, Tonic, Wallflowers, Newsboys, and Lifehouse. These bands were big in and around the time I was learning the drums, so I would just put in headphones and play along.
Who is your favorite drummer and why?
My favorite drummer to listen to is probably Matt Chamberlain. The reason being he is extremely tasteful and knows how to play to a song. There are several songs that he's tracked where he doesn't his a crash cymbal the entire song, and it still feels right. I think it's awesome when somebody has such a good feel for a song.
What is your favorite type of music to play?
My favorite style of music to play is probably rock or pop/rock. I just like the feel of a simple groove that supports the song instead of taking over the song. The same could be said for country music. I also play a lot of worship music with The Museum, and I enjoy that a ton!
How did The Museum get it's name?
The band name came from a mission trip that I went on at the end of 2007. I went to the country of Romania to play a worship conference. Going to Romania, I didn't know much about the country, but while I was there I heard the story of how they were communist until 1989, when they had a revolution that overthrew communism. The story of how that happened was pretty amazing. The revolution started with a small group of Christians praying publicly and protesting in the center of the city, Timisoara. This led to a riot that in 10 days overthrew Communism in the country of Romania. While I was there in 2007 a guy showed me a place called "The Revolution Museum". This place held all the things left behind from the revolution of 1989 and told the story of how these few Christians had changed the course of their nation by standing up for what they believed in. In the same way, hopefully what we accomplish as a band is far more significant that a few songs that one day people will stop listening to. We want the things we leave behind in the places we go to be evidence that a revolution has taken place in our own hearts. So, we decided to be called The Museum.
I understand in addition to recording and touring, you also play quite a few Church camps. Tell us about that.
It's funny, but I'm actually at a camp at the moment while doing this interview. We do a lot of camps, especially in the summer, where we will lead worship for the week, or weekend, or whatever it may be. We love doing these sorts of events because it allows us to spend more time with the students than just coming in to play a one day event or concert. The camp I'm at currently, called Camp Electric, is a camp for musicians. So, we actually are teaching classes during the day in addition to playing twice a day. Needless to say, we get pretty worn out, but we love doing it and it's definitely worth it.
Talk about your faith in Christ. Who is Jesus to you and what does He mean to you? Has trusting and following Christ made a difference in your life? If so, how?
My faith in Christ is the main reason I love doing this. I know that everything I have, including my drumming ability, is from God, and so with that I want to give it back to Him and use it to point people to Him. Without Christ this would just be a job that I did and at the end of the day would have very little purpose or fulfillment. I could be the best drummer in the world, which I'm clearly not, but if I wasn't using it to glorify Christ then it would be a wasted talent. I was fortunate to come to know Christ at a young age and have continually been seeking after more of Him in everything I do. He definitely has changed my life in the fact that while I was still a sinner, He died for me.
What’s your most memorable moment as an artist?
My most memorable moment as an artist would have probably been on that trip to Romania in 2007. I got to play drums in the same square where communism was overthrown in 1989, and it was only the 2nd time a Christian band had played in this area since 1989. It was a really cool moment.
Open Mic
Music is one of my passions, but I have many. I don't hold anything too tightly, realizing everyday that God may have other plans. I love getting to play drums for a living, but if that changed tomorrow I would willingly accept where God leads me. He's too good not to follow.