When Lucas Gillan sits down to play drums at a Chicago jazz club, his musical tracks might be a bit different from the person who sat there before him.
Like most, he is a well-trained jazz musician with a music degree.
It's unlikely the others can say they've played a punk-rock show in a tree house with a crowd below on a trampoline or belonged to a Christian hard-core band (Sanctify).
"Not many professional musicians grew up with that," said Gillan, 25. "All of their experiences were in a band room and I have a totally different relationship because of the whole CDO scene."
Gillan graduated from Canyon Del Oro high school in 2004 and North Illinois University School of Music in 2007 with a degree in percussion studies and a minor in journalism.
There's been no shortage of music in his life. In fact, it is his life.
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During the day he works as the program director of the jazz brand of AccuRadio - a personalized online radio station, similar to Pandora - and gives drum lessons in the suburbs of Chicago.
At night he's an active member of the Chicago jazz scene - playing in an original band (Callalooor Lucas Gillan's Many Blessings) backing Nina Ferraro, a 16-year-old Chicago pop-folk artist, or sitting in as a freelance drummer.
Gillan said he considers himself part of the young creative Chicago jazz scene, which he says is not as fast paced as in New York City, but just as competitive.
"People are starting to recognize my face," Gillan said. "But I'm still working on getting called to play over other drummers."
Gillan learned to play the drums from his mom, a church drummer. He formed his first band, Lucky the Rabbit, and played his first show at Skrappy's Youth Collective in the seventh grade.
Throughout high school he juggled various punk-rock projects, the Arizona Jazz Academy, gigs at McMahon's Steakhouse and taking music courses at the University of Arizona.
His interest in punk-rock music "was something that was a part of the social life of CDO. People were in to the underground; it was the punk-rock vibe," he said.
He was introduced to the CDO music culture when he was 10 years old watching his brother Grady's blues band at Dorado Stock, the annual concert put together by the student government that features CDO bands.
In 2000, he played in his first Dorado Stock when he was in eighth grade at Wilson Middle School. Gillan was asked to play in the band by Holy Rolling Empire's Dave Mertz. The band played all Misfits covers and were even called The Misfits.
The entire Gillan family contributed to the CDO music scene.
His oldest brother, Grady, played with Mike Pedicone and Noah Harmon in the band the Dishwashers. Cooper, the middle brother, played in the metal band Thorsh with Orin Shochat and Dave Mertz from Holy Rolling Empire. Cooper's twin sister, Kelly, played in the Hi-Tops, an all-girl band.
Grady works for an audiovisual company in Honolulu, Hawaii and is also a photographer. Cooper lives in Chicago and works at a financial firm as a data system analyst.
"I saw this older generation with my brothers, Noah Harmon and Mike Pedicone with all these bands," said Gillan. "It was already in place when I got to high school, and I wanted to be a part of it."
Gillan said he'll always be a jazz drummer, but wants to pursue a long-time passion.
"It's kind of an unrealistic fantasy, but I've always wanted to be a successful indy singer-songwriter."
