Hansen: Church is salvation in that it’s a paying gig

Neal Daniels is devout but not in the way you’d think.

Daniels is Jewish but does not go to synagogue. He’s not Christian but can be seen nearly every Sunday in a Catholic, Protestant or other Christian church.

He’s devout because he’s the church drummer.

The 26-year-old West Hollywood resident drives to Orange County every week because that’s where the churches are — and the churches pay.

“Every musician I know in town has a church gig,” said Daniels. “Even guys that I idolize have church gigs. Guys that are playing with huge artists all come back and play in church because it’s a steady source of income. It’s the most steady income a musician can have. If you’re playing every Sunday, that’s your rent every month, depending on where you live.”

While he strives to make it big in Hollywood, he has to pay the bills. So far, he has only flirted with fame.

He landed as a wide-eyed 19-year-old from Illinois several years ago, attended the Los Angeles College of Music and immediately started trying to get gigs. His dad, a drummer, died when he was in high school. His mom is still in Chicago.

“Playing at a church was the first gig I ever had in L.A.,” he said. “At that point I had never been in a church before in my life. I’m a white, Jewish kid from the Chicago suburbs, and I was playing in an all-black church in Pasadena. And I was horrible at it. I was so new to town, I was just so happy to play. It was a crazy situation. I had no idea what church meant, especially the music.”

He’s learned how to adapt. After his dad died, he felt he needed a new environment, something to help him stand apart.

“I was ready for a change,” he said. “I don’t know, it was more like I just wanted to get out of my routine. I had big aspirations back then. Every day of my life from when I was about 10 until I moved was about playing in arenas. That was all I wanted to do.”

He looks back now on the last seven years and marvels at how fast it’s gone, but he also chuckles at how naive he was in the beginning.

“When I first moved here I didn’t have a car or a drum set, so I would rent a car for $40 and then I would borrow a friend’s drum set, and I would go to the gig and by the time I was done with the gig I’d owe money,” he said, laughing.

Still, he’s not too far removed from his roots. He is still paying his dues, hoping for the next big break. He plays gigs all over Los Angeles and Orange County, but they are usually small places where people don’t even know his name.

Come Sunday, he’s back in church — Garden Grove, San Juan Capistrano, Laguna Beach — humbled and making a living.

“I’m in Ladera Ranch right now,” he said, waiting for an afternoon service. “It’s like 70 miles from my house. I’m playing at church all day, but it’s what you have to do. It’s a job just like everyone else.”

It’s a job but he admits it’s the only job he wants. He finds an undeniable peace when he drums, a reprieve from his worries that taps into a confidence that keeps him going.

“It’s the life I chose,” he said. “I’ll do it forever. It’s the only thing I do that takes me out of life. When you’re playing on stage, it’s not that nothing else matters, but nothing possibly could matter in the middle of a song. When you’re playing you can’t physically think of anything else.”

Perhaps his biggest tour was with Darren Criss of “Glee.” He’s also played with Christina Grimmie (“The Voice”) and pop singers Bea Miller (Hollywood Records) and Katy Tiz (Atlantic Records).

He has his own fledgling rock band, Rathole (ratholeband.com), and believes that traditional rock is making a comeback. He also teaches drums to kids in his spare time (ladrumschool.com).

He keeps a good humor about his church gigs and an open mind. He knows he doesn’t always fit in, but he’s grateful that people accept him. Some of his biggest early hurdles were understanding the ceremonies.

“I didn’t know what Communion was,” Daniels said, “And one of the first times I played in a church I had to ask the band leader, ‘What’s that part of the song during the cracker ceremony?’ I had no idea what it was called.”

To this day he has to remind himself it’s not a “cracker service.”

“I guess there are some churches where they would only want a Christian guy playing in the church, but as long as you’re doing your job, I don’t see the problem,” he said. “They all know. I’m aesthetically Jewish, obviously.”

Daniels said his goal is to keep doing what he is doing but “on a bigger scale.”

“I want to play for the bigger artists instead of just the opening band,” he said. “It’s a constant hustle. I don’t think I’ll ever be satisfied. I’m always looking for the next best thing, which maybe isn’t the right thing to do. But I’m just constantly searching.”

DAVID HANSEN is a writer and Laguna Beach resident. He can be reached at hansen.dave@gmail.com.