Bio

Caitlin Moss is a drummer, percussionist,  music educator born and raised in Los Angeles. Her style is rooted in jazz, funk, hip hop, classical, West African, Afro-Cuban, Brazilian, 90’s grunge rock, electronic and experimental music. Some of her earliest influences were Max Roach, Elvin Jones, Art Blakey, Dannie Richmond, Bernard Purdie, and David Garibaldi. She has been noted for her strong groove, consistent sound, and versatility among genres; Wil-Dog, bassist of Ozomatli, has said she reminds him of the legendary James Gadson.

Aside from working as a freelance drummer and percussionist, she is the drummer for The Altons,  the Director of an after school art and music program for the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, a Dance Accompanist at the USC Glorya Kaufamn School of Dance. She has had the opportunity to work in the studio with producer Gabe Roth, co-founder of Daptone Records; Wayne Gordon, producer and engineer at Daptone subsidiary Wick Records; and Tommy Brenneck, guitarist for Budos Band and founder of Dunham Records. 

Caitlin has been studying, performing and teaching drum set, congas, timbales and bata drums for over 15 years. In 2009,  she completed a Master of Music degree in Afro-Latin music. She studied Afro-Cuban bata drums with master Cuban drummer and singer Lazaro Galarraga for over ten years, and her teachers include world-class drum set players Chris Coleman and Phillip “Fish” Fisher. 

Some of her most notable experiences include national and international tours with Grammy-winning bands La Santa Cecilia and Quetzal. She has also had the opportunity to play with artists such as Lazaro Galarraga, Angel Luis Figueroa, Ceci Bastida, Chuck D, Maya Jupiter, Marisa Ronstadt, Aloe Blacc, Joey Dosik, and Dexter Story. A song she recorded drums on, The Altons "When You Go," was recently sampled on the first track on Mary J Blige's new album. Her percussion can be heard on the soundtrack for "Blood Brothers," a documentary about the relationship between Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X, and on the soundtrack for  "Benkyodo," a documentary about the closing of the famous mochi shop in San Francisco.

Caitlin is currently on tour with The Altons. They are working on completing their LP, to be released later in 2024 on Daptone Records subsidiary, Penrose Records.

Sign up to her mailing list for updates, or fill out the form in the contact section of this site for studio, performance, or education inquiries.

 

Jazz in downtown LA. Photo by Farah Sosa