Parents who learned music in their 50s win Beatle, Bacon and … – Stuff

Ryan Stokes took it one stop further than teaching mum and dad how to set up their phones – he taught the Waikato council workers drums and bass in their 50s, and global rock legends took note.

Hamilton mum Andrea Stokes had always refused to get a drum kit for her son Ryan, thinking of the neighbours ears.

“I used to tell him, there’s no way I’m having that noise, what about the neighbours, and ‘it’s a waste, you won’t use it’,” she said.

Now Andrea has moved the lounge furniture to make room for her own drum kit, and her beats have caught the attention of Beatles drummer Ringo Starr, mega band Rolling Stones and Limp Bizkit, and even actor Kevin Bacon.

When Ryan Stokes was stuck at home in Hamilton with his parents in Covid-19 lockdown, he decided to teach his parents to play music.

“I told him there’s no way I can do that. I can’t even read music and have never played an instrument in my life.” said Andrea.

Undeterred, and with plenty of time together on their hands, Ryan got his mum and dad, Lyndon, to follow his lead on drums and bass.

“I was terrible at first. But he got me just to listen to the sounds and lengths and that’s the way I could do it, thinking of the bas and the booms,” said Andrea.

Ryan posted a video of them jamming the White Stripes song, The Hardest Button to Button, on his TikTok, and the family were blown away when Beatles drummer Ringo Starr loved it.

“I couldn’t believe it. I said oh that is not the real Ringo, but it was,” said Andrea.

Naming the trio, Momma’s Boy, Ryan shared more videos, and then the Rolling Stones’ official TikTok account reposted a photo of them saying that they had been listening to them play.

“Then we got a like from Fred Durst from Limp Bizkit, and actor Kevin Bacon commented – ‘Love a family band – keep it up!’ – and I replied, ‘we will’,” said Ryan.

Now the Waikato council workers can pick up a song from their son in an hour, and have released an album, aptly called Who Would Have Thought, of original songs.

Andrea, who used to spend her spare time gardening, now practises her beats in the front room, and they have even started to play live gigs.

“We did a garage party for the neighbours. They are very understanding. We’ve played at some birthdays and office gigs – my colleagues can’t believe it as I’d never done anything like this before, but they are big fans,” said Andrea.

Their son’s education in rock doesn’t extend to their clothing.

“We did have a laugh by starting to do covers and dressing like the band. We did a Pink Floyd cover wearing collars, and we recreated the Beatles’ rooftop concert and Lyndon put on a fur waistcoat. Though we didn’t risk getting on our roof,” said Andrea.

Andrea and Lyndon were spurred on by the nods from their icons.

“It goes to show that when you’re old, you can still learn new things. You can do it. Normally kids are telling parents that can’t do things, and all we needed was our son’s belief that we could,” she said.