To have Metallica’s Lars Ulrich as a dad might seem like a head start to some, and in some ways, it sure is. Yet, the drummer was indeed persistent in his decision to let his boys Myles and Layne discover their sound and learn their instruments on their own. Myles shared with Guitar World that their father didn’t teach him how to play the drums as he was adamant that they should find their paths in the industry without his influence.
“Honestly, when I started, he completely steered clear,” said Myles, referring to the early days he began drumming. “He was like, ‘Go do it with your friends or get a drum teacher!’ Not because he didn’t want to do it himself but because he wanted us to find our own paths musically, which is cool, and that’s what we’ve tried to do.” Lars wanted his sons to explore their musical taste on their own. He also hesitated to influence their band Taipei Houston’s sound, which ultimately turned out to be very different from Metallica.
He continued, “I don’t know if there’s a soundbite piece of advice he gave us. We both became interested in music our way, listening to bands like Arctic Monkeys and stuff like that.” The brothers created their sound based on what they liked and the bands they listened to, resulting in a fusion of alt-rock that ended up having barely anything in common with their father’s band Metallica’s sound and vibe.
The Ulrich brothers have been making music on and off for many years. However, they dove into the deep end to figure out their sound when the pandemic rolled around. During the pandemic, the brothers focused on their band Taipei Houston and worked on their craft. The pair released their debut project, ‘Once Bit Never Bored,’ on November 4.
