Last week, Talon hopped on Facebook and Instagram live to answer all of your burning questions!! Here’s a recap of what we learned about our favorite Fun DMC drummer, Mr. Talon Holmes. (You can also check out the full replay of both part 1 & part 2 of Talon’s live on Facebook).

How large are your mutton chops going to get?

• They are about due for a trim.  They are getting a little to large for me. 
• I am a bald man so any enjoyment I get out of hair comes from what is on my face, so I like to try different facial hair styles.
• Last year I had the curly mustache, which was kind of a pain, and this year I went with mutton chops to go with my hat. 

What kinds of facial hair have you done?

• I have done a mustache, full beard, goatee, mutton chops, the fu manchu, the chin strap (which I cannot recommend),  clean shaven, and probably more.

What inspired you to become a drummer?

• Where it all kind of started… I’ve been in music most of my life. 5th grade is when I started playing trumpet.  When I was in high school, this game called Guitar Hero came out and I got pretty good at it.  (More about Talon’s specific skill level at 3:00)
• There was another game called Rock Band that I played a lot in college. I believe I was home with my parents playing Rock Band 2 when an achievement popped up that said, “learn a real instrument already”. So I was like, I’ll try drums, why not!  And it’s worked out pretty well for me. 
• That’s what started me being a drummer and the rest is history. 

What is your favorite meme of all time?

• I’m going to go with the Me and the Boys meme which was created from old Spider Man comic book characters I believe.

Why is being bald best?

• Quite frankly, it’s just easier to maintain.  People have been complaining about haircuts recently and I don’t have to worry about that.  I give myself haircuts. 

How long have you been with the band?

• I think it’s going on 6 years.  
• I originally started as a fill-in for another drummer.  After a few months I was asked if I wanted to be the full-time drummer for Fun DMC.  I thought about it for a while and decided why not.  
• And to be completely honest, it’s probably one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life. 
• I’ve made a lot of really good friends, met a lot of cool people, been a lot of cool places (specifically mentioning the old asylum we played at).
• I’ve done some cool things for the band so I wouldn’t trade it for the world. 

How did you feel running sound for Katey’s first show? (7:55)

• When Katey sang her first show with the band, Talon ran sound. 
• What really made the night interesting was that there was: 
  • 1. a male review in the warehouse space behind the bar 
  • 2. I was asked if I wanted to wanted to play drums on a mashup I had never played or practiced before. 
• It was a rough one but it wasn’t a bad night.  I really can’t say there’s been any bad nights with the band. 

Do you prefer a bass player that plays with a pick or without?

• I gotta be honest, no pick, so you can slap the bass. 
• You get a lot of cool sounds without a pick

What is your favorite mashup or song to play during a show?

• “Mr Small Things” is a mashup of Blink 182’s “All the Small Things” and the Killers’ “Mr. Brightside”.  It’s a super fun, high-energy mashup.  Everyone knows it and everyone loves it. 
• I don’t know why “Mr. Brightside” is such a big song.  It’s a good song but I have no idea why it’s THAT popular.

How many instruments can you play?

• I play trumpet and baritone, I’ve picked up saxophone before, played a little piano, drums (of course), and I’m learning guitar from Robert Reynolds.  He’s the best teacher.  Look him up at Music Therapy Connections.   I lost count and I’m sure there’s other instruments I’ve played. 

What song have you loved learning the most on drums?

• “Boys of Summer” was a lot of fun because there’s a cool drum break at the bridge. 
• “Mr. Small Things” is a lot of fun because Travis Barker, the drummer for Blink 182, is a monster on drums. He’s almost too good. 
• The Rap Medley we do is a lot of fun because they drag me off of the drums to sing, like with just a microphone. 

Why don’t you play acoustic drums?

• I play an electronic drum kit.  It’s for the band.  I miss the acoustic kit because there’s an energy that can’t be matched with an electronic kit.  But the problem is that acoustic drums are really loud and it can cause a problem controlling sound in a smaller venue.  The band went to a silent stage so I went to an electronic kit. And it was hard for me, but I have an awesome electronic kit. The TD-50 is phenomenal. 

What’s a band that you’d love to play at a show that you don’t already.

• I’d love to play Alter Bridge. The small problem is that they are not super popular in the US and they don’t really work with what Fun DMC does. 

What was your favorite movie when you were a kid?

• The Goonies.  It was an old Steven Speilberg movie from 1985. It’s a lot of fun and it’s got a special place in my heart. 

What is your dream mashup, even if it wouldn’t be popular?

• There is a mashup on youtube by DJ Cummerbund that is between the band Rammstein and Beyonce.  It’s a mashup of Rammstein’s “Heil” with Beyonce’s “Crazy in Love”.  It is, perhaps, the greatest mashup of all time.  It’s super fun, plus German industrial metal.  It doesn’t get better than that, but it would kill the dance floor. 

Who is your favorite female artist?

• Evanescence. Amy Lee is without a doubt the greatest female rock singer. Evanescence is phenomenal.  I love her voice and I love listening to them.  
• Halestorm and Lizzy Hale would be a close second. 

What is the most complex time signature you’ve ever played in?

• I played drums with Robert at Central Baptist Church for years. There was a song that the Digital Age performed called “All the Poor and Powerless”.  There’s a lot of 3/4  into 4/4 and 2/4 split.  There are a lot of time signature transfers that happen in that song that make it really dynamic. It’s a phenomenal song. 

How much do you love your drum throne?

• A LOT. I’ll die on that hill. 

Favorite superhero?

• Captain America.  The Captain America movies are fantastic. He’s better than Iron Man. 

What videogame music is the most memorable for you?

• Final Fantasy VII.  It is one of my all time favorite games and the music in that game is absolutely phenomenal.  The composer is a genius (Check out 9:00 for favorite pieces.).  It’s a masterpiece and super catchy. 

Show us your signature dance moves. 

• I haven’t had nearly enough to drink for this. 
• Check out 10:15 for that gem.

What is your favorite restaurant?

• I can’t remember the name of it but there’s a seafood place in Boston where I had the best ling crab I’ve ever had.  I would almost fly out to Boston just for that…and to see my boy Ryan. 
• Also, Chipotle.  I love chipotle. 

What is your favorite high school memory?

• I have so many favorite high school memories. 
• I’m going to go with the Halo parties.  We’d be in my friend’s basement and we’d have 4 TVs set up playing Halo and Halo 2. 
• My friend would get angry because I would just throw grenades across the map. 

Who has the better chicken sandwich, Popeyes or Chick-fil-a?

• Chick-fil-a. I keep going back for it. Popeyes was good the first time I had it but the second time wasn’t as great.  Chick-fil-a is by for the more consistent spicy chicken sandwich. 

What is the best gas station snack?

• The bag of munchies. It’s a wonderful combination
• And Reese’s peanut cups.  Specifically, the Reese’s peanut butter egg.  It’s got the best chocolate to peanut butter ratio.  IT is the the superior Reese’s snack and that’s simply a fact. 

What’s with the hat?

• Why thanks! It’s a top hat and it’s kind of steampunk.  It’s got gears on it and I bought some goggles to go with it.  They are super fun.  With the mutton chops I wanted a hat that fit that dynamic.  I was looking for a new hat anyway and steampunk top hat won out. 
• I’ve actually got a whole steampunk outfit that I was going to wear, but I’m trying to stay more on theme with the band. (15:58)
• We’ll find a picture to share of the full steam punk outfit

Do you have any tattoos?

• I don’t have any tattoos, but I would like to get one.
•  The question is, where do I get one and what do I get?
  •  Probably, on my upper arm because I’m a wimp.  
  • I don’t really know what I would be. Maybe something with a black bird because that’s my favorite song by Alter Bridge. 
  • Really that’s my favorite song of all time. Listen to it! “Blackbird“ by Alter Bridge! Look it up.
  • If you I want to get a bunch of people to go onto our Instagram account and smash that follow button that would be awesome! Once we hit 10,000 followers we’ll all get band tattoos

What video game to find your childhood?

• Probably, Final Fantasy VII. That and Final Fantasy Tactics and Red Faction when that came out on PS2.

What is the ideal room temperature?

• The ideal room temperature is 68°, there’s no question about that.  it is what it is. Anything above that it’s too hot anything lower than that it’s just a little too cold.

What is your favorite alcoholic beverage?

• specifically Captain Morgan and Coke
• It has to be spiced rum and Coke

 What is your ideal Sunday?

• My ideal Sunday is just hanging out with my friends. It doesn’t matter what we are doing. They are pretty much a second family to me. Also, hanging out with my family, too. Really, just hanging out with friends is my ideal Sunday. It doesn’t get much better than that.

 Which is your favorite pet of Fun DMC?

• skip! That’s a dangerous question.

 Who is your Hollywood dream girl?

•  Alyson Hannigan and Mean Girls Lindsay Lohan.

What is the difference between the term literally and verbatim?

• They are used in different contexts
• So, literally means actually happening or actually going to do. No metaphor or anything. It is an actual thing.
• Verbatim means, and English people correct me if I’m wrong, verbatim is repeating what someone said like, literally, word for word.
• Verbatim is more for re-quoting people and literally is more for what you are doing or what someone did.
• I think that’s a pretty good way to describe the difference.

What is the velocity of an unladen swallow?

• And I only have to ask back, is it an African or European swallow? 

Did the final season of Game of Thrones ruin the entire series for you?

• No, it didn’t ruin the series, but they definitely had it ending on a terrible note.
• There was no character building within in it that led to that ending. They kind of jumped from one point to somewhere approximately 900 pages later in a different location.

Do you have a pool table?

• Yes, I do.
• You all can come over and play anytime.

What animal impressions can you do?

• I have a pretty decent elephant sound.
• Check out 23:40.

Who is an actor you absolutely can’t stand no matter what?

• Tom Cruise. Can’t do it. 

Would you rather deal with 100 murder hornets or 100 killer bunnies?

• Murder hornets. I would spray them. I don’t know if spray works on them, but I would rather deal with them. I’ve seen Monty Python.
• I’m not dealing with killer bunnies, no way!

How do you feel about your younger brother Max’s driving?

• The reason this is a question is because I was driving with them down to st. Louis because my dad was having a surgery.
• I had to pee, and my brother wouldn’t pull off the highway. 
• For the full story check out minute marker 27:15
• He was pretty upset about exit 4B

 Sci-fi or fantasy?

• Sci-fi. There’s one really good sci-fi show called The Expanse that everyone talks about. It’s fantastic
• People have explained it like it’s Game of Thrones in space except it’s better than Game of Thrones. Especially after that last season like we discussed. I would definitely say watch The Expanse.

Who is your favorite Sesame Street character?

• I’m going to have to say Big Bird.
• Big Bird is my man. He’s cool!

 Who is your favorite Fun DMC super fan? Mary or Mindy?

• You know I can’t answer that
• They both are wonderful

Were you rushing or dragging?

• I am a habitual rusher.

What is your favorite cartoon series for adults?

• Avatar. Wait… For adults?
• BoJack Horseman. It hits you right in the feels. I’m so impressed with what they do. It’s so well done. The stories that they tell. It’s phenomenal

Who would win in a fight, the sun or 10,000 lions?

• The sun. I would say that’s a pretty easy win for the sun. The sun will simply obliterate all of the lions. Instantly.

What is the food you despise the most?

• Brussels sprouts. They are awful. They are disgusting. I don’t like them. I don’t like the smell. Someone else can eat them. Just take them off my plate.
• I’ll try them again if somebody thinks they can make them super well.

What can you cook?

• I can cook macaroni and cheese out of a box. Spaghetti out of a box. Rice-A-Roni out of a box. I can make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I can cook frozen pizza.
• I can make little fried donuts have them in a cinnamon sugar dusting. 
• One time we accidentally use salt instead of sugar on the donuts, and it was awful. Don’t make that mistake.

What is the movie you hate that people love?

• I don’t know if there’s a movie that I hate. but as far as TV series go…overall, I’m not a huge fan of The Office.
• There are some funny parts, but I really can’t get into the office.

What color do you think you look best in?

• I tend to wear black a lot. Not necessarily because I look good because it’s what I am.
• I was told once that I had a light blue shirt that looked good.
• But I really don’t know.  I’m not good at the colors thing. 

What is your favorite movie trivia?

• I don’t know if it’s actually true or not but it’s always talked about as if it’s true.
• Check out minute marker 38:00 for the scoop

 Would you rather fight one unicorn sized squirrel or one hundred squirrel sized unicorns?

• What makes this question interesting is the unicorn horn. If it’s squirrel size horse you can just kick or step on them. The unicorn horn throws something new into that debate. You could step on the unicorn horn and pierce your foot… etc.
• I’m going to go with one of unicorn sized squirrel because of that dang horn.

If you could choose one song to sing on stage what would it be?

• “Black” by Pearl Jam
• It’s a fun song to sing and there’s a great acoustic cover of it that I love.

What is the nerdiest fact you know?

• I don’t know off the top of my head.

Knock, knock…

• Who’s there?
• Smell mop
• Smell mop who?
• 🤣🤣🤣 You said “smell my poo”!

Do you know any green lantern quotes?

• No but I really like the John Stewart portrayal of Green Lantern in the 90’s animated series.

How’s your chest set arrived yet?

• No, as far as I know it’s still in production.

The next AMA is with Robert Reynolds on May 28 at 8PM. Join us for an awesome night of asking Robert literally anything.