By Faye-Chantelle Mondesir

Finding one’s self isn’t exactly an easy feat in a world complete with diverse personalities, a fair share of life prospects, topped up with sometimes unavoidable perplexities. Young, zealous and extremely high-spirited Caleb McDowell somehow at the ripe age of sweet sixteen discovered ‘PURPOSE‘! With this being by far one of life’s pivotal sought-after treasures, the brutal reality is that most youth progress into adulthood — still on a quest to establish themselves within their own, authentic niches.

It is certainly no surprise McDowell answers to the name ‘Drum Ninja‘, expressing his manual fortitude and ability to glide effortlessly across the surface of his most treasured drum set, with a little help from a basic tool — his drum sticks. This remarkable flexibility is an astounding talent many who genuinely appreciate the artform marvel at — a refined skill which the ‘Musical Ninja’ often makes seem oh so simple!

A self-motivated, disciplined musician and very determined drummer, he also discovered he could sing and with these combined skills plummeted deeply into the professional music world head-on — with the aim of embracing whatever great opportunities lay ahead for him to explore within the industry.

So what really inspires Caleb? He shared a bit of his core identity with In The SpotLyght Feature Magazine, “I am the 26-year-old bandleader of the OV Band.” For those who for the first time are discovering this emerging creative group, OV represents Ocean View. The in-depth story behind the unit and the name which gave birth to it, will later unfold in an upcoming ‘Centre Stage’ feature.

Caleb continues to tell us, “I come from a religious background, where I grew up playing in church and at local gigs from a tender age.” This all makes sense, considering the vast amount of worldwide talent which has blossomed to the point of global fame out of humble spiritual beginnings.

The intriguing conversation rolled on with In The SpotLyght, “Music has been my career choice for as far as I can remember and is still one of the key driving forces behind my passion and purpose,” he went on to disclose. “Eventually throughout the years — I decided to expand my musical vocabulary. I ventured into secular music with mainstream genres such as Dancehall, Soca, Reggae, Funk, Soul among others.”

The daring drummer concluded, “Along my musical journey, I’ve had the honour of being part of several bands both locally and regionally, including DYP, Evalucian, Black Sheep and Envoice Band to single out a few.” For those wondering how a young man short of three decades has successfully collaborated with more than a few handfuls of musicians and creatives, the answer he resounds is very simple,”Music is my purpose!”

Those of you who may have marvelled at some of the greats within the industry — we can confidently say that Caleb McDowell, a real Drum Ninja — is living proof of how passion propels no matter the age. He, like other young men before him, is a musical mentor for young aspiring male and female drummers alike.

Caleb has passed the musical litmus test for maturity, steadfast discipline and commitment and has effectively demonstrated how to relentlessly press toward one’s musical mark, no matter the hurdles which may arise along the journey. This is surely a lesson every musician in the making needs to know!

The goal for Caleb can be encapsulated in this seven letter word ‘SUCCESS‘. For this gifted guy, average just won’t suffice — he aims for the heights of success and has ‘purposed‘ that he won’t lay his drum sticks down until his mission is accomplished!