René's Drum Studio

Short Version:

René Ormae-Jarmer has a long history of  making and teaching music in the Portland metropolitan area.  As the principle songwriter/keyboardist and sometimes drummer for the established piano-pop-rock NW Indie band, Here Comes Everybody, she has been actively performing since 1985. René has recorded countless albums with HCE and been a guest musician on the recordings of other artists as well.  With a music degree in percussion performance from Lewis and Clark College (1992) she has been an established and sought after private drum instructor in the Portland Metro and Clackamas areas for the past 20+ years.  Rene' is the director of the Rex Putnam KINGSMEN THUNDER Drum Line and a marching percussion clinician and specialist.  

Overall, she's a pretty cool gal.

Long Version:

Performance BIO for:  RENE’ ORMAE-JARMER 

Born in Milwaukie, OR, October of 1964, René Ormae-Jarmer has been playing music for as long as she can remember:  “Even as a toddler, I would sit at my friend’s piano and make up songs and explore thirds and harmonies using the percussive nature of the piano….my friends wanted to play dolls or house, and I just wanted to spend hours at their piano since I didn’t have one at home.”  René was asked in 5th grade what instrument she wanted to sign up for in band.  She enthusiastically chose the  “DRUMS!”   Imagine the disappointment, when she was handed a set of bells and a practice pad.  However, all through grade and middle school, René learned the basics of notation and rhythm. She found that she had a talent for playing standard school percussion instruments and reading rhythms.  During the middle school years, circa 1970’s and 80’s, there was a strong summer marching band program (no longer present in today’s climate of music cuts) and marched in many parades and later in high school marching band competitions.

Attending Rex Putnam High School in Milwaukie, OR,  René impressed the band director with her reading and versatility.  When asked if she played drum set, she said YES to get into the Pep Band, which was very cool at the time (playing 70’s funk tunes and standards).  In fact, René had only just gotten her new blue-sparkle Made-In-Japan Drum Set from Sears Roebuck Company as a gift from her dad.  She set about trying to learn by ear the entire Police album “Outlandos D’Amour”.  Since René didn’t know technically how to play drum set yet, there was a tough breaking in time of learning fast in school by “trial-by-fire”.  She studied and carefully watched the other advanced drummers at school (and got yelled at a lot for making a ton of mistakes).  However, she picked up quickly and finally, she got lessons from Portland, OR Punk-Rock legend Sam Henry.  He introduced her to rudiments, jazz, and funk.   Sophmore year, René joined her first progressive rock band with a fellow percussionist classmate Michael Jarmer.  The relatioship was a turning point and pivotal for René as Michael both personally and musically.   Marrying in 1986, the high school sweethearts embarked on a long and continuing career in producing orginal music under the band name Here Comes Everybody.  René and Michael live in married and musical bliss today and have a song, Emerson, born in 2005. 

In high school, René played in any and all bands she could:

Marching, Pep, Jazz , Jazz Chorale Rhythm Section, Symphonic, Orchestra Pit

“Fast Action” the progressive rock band formed with her high school sweetheart Michael, played original music inspired by Rush, Angel City, and the Beatles (covers included Beatles, Cheap Trick, XTC, AC/DC, Vapors)

Attending Clackamas Community, René began her music major and formal percussion studies with the famous Northwest percussion educator Don Worth Sr.  This brought mallets, rudiments, and reading to a new level.  It’s important to note that the entire time, René still continued to create music with Here Comes Everygody and be self-taught on piano, but here at CCC, formal lessons on the piano began.  After a 5-year hiatus from school (got married and put a spouse through school) René finished her music degree in 1992 at Lewis & Clark College studying with Mark Goodenberger.  In addition to playing piano at weddings and events, and gigging/touring heavily with her band, René has been teaching drums privately since 1992.  Since 2008, René has continued her higher education in percussion by taking advanced lessons from Brett Paschal (Lewis & Clark College Percussion Director), Joel Bluestone (Portland State University master percussionist), and Alan Jones, a well-known and established NW Jazz drummer with international credentials.  As recent as July, 2010, René enrolled herself in the NW Drum Camp and studied with drumline specialists.   The updated marching drumline techniques she learned are directly applied in her new position (January 2009) as the Drumline Director for Rex Putnam High School’s “KINGSMEN THUNDER” in Milwaukie, OR.  She is also on staff at the renowned Alan Keown Drum Camp (marching percussion).  Rene’ has been awarded status as a Vic Firth Educator (December 2009) and enjoys support from Vic Firth.  She currently studies with Matt Keown & Brett Paschal.  

René has taught private drum lessons for over 30 years at all levels, drumset, rudiments, reading and all styles:  orchestral, rock, jazz, latin, progressive, funk.  She has literally had hundreds of students of all ages study privately and conducted many clinics and master classes in percussion in Portland area schools.  She truly enjoys teaching and giving back to the community in the form of donated lessons for students who may not have the means to study percussion.  She continues to teach privately and perform her own original music.  René is a regular percussionist for musical theatre in the PDX area:  Stumptown Stages, Lakewood Theatre, Broadway Rose, and many other musical theatre in colleges/high schools/privately owned. 

René formed with her musical partner/husband in 1985, a band called HERE COMES EVERYBODY, who is still active and producing music today.  A unique piano-rock band that has recorded, toured and performed in the NW for over 20 years.  Freelancing and performing live with HERE COMES EVERYBODY has given René the bulk of her performing experience on so many different levels.  The following is a list of significant performance experiences:

• Won Apple Music Drum Solo Contest in 1983 (4^th Place)

• Performed in 1985 with Tex Beneke (Big Band Tenor Sax legend “Chattanooga Choo-Choo” and other big band hits) with Clackamas Community College Jazz Ensemble
• Received recognition by Willamette Week Magazine in 1991 with John Faddis (Dizzy Gillespie’s protégé and nationally acclaimed jazz trumpet player) with LC College Jazz Ensemble
• Performed in 1990 with NW trumpet favorite Gary Barone
• Played in Gamelan (LC College) for opera “King of Bali”, by Vincent McDermott
• Toured with Clackamas Community College Jazz Ensemble to Hawaii in 1985
• Taught drum lessons through Portland-based CHORDINATION from 1992-1993
• Played drums in various Top-40 and improvisational bands from 1992-1995
• Taught at Girls Rock-N-Roll Camp (Ladies Rock-N-Roll fundraiser camp) in 1994
• Given Drum Clinics from 1992 to present at the following schools:
  • Kraxberger Middle School
  • Sellwood Middle School
  • Canby Middle School
  • Rex Putnam High School  (directing drumline est. 2009)
  • Gladstone High School
  • Clackamas High School 
  • French American School (1993)
  • Oregon Episcopal School (Mallet instruction 2009/2010)

• As freelance drummer:
  • Played with Lea Krueger (NW Indie Song-writer/musician)
  • Played with Nicole Campbell (NW Indie Song-writer/musician)
  • Sophia Starlight (all-girl NW Indie band, recorded and performed live)
  • Canoofle (improv musical unit that performs in the Arts-In-Schools Program)
  • Soloist at the 2010 Oregon Big Beat, performed Steve Gadd’s “Crazy Army” s drum set solo. 
• Have recorded as a drummer and keyboardist at the following studios:
  • Big Trees Music
  • The Lab (with John Neff)
  • Whitehorse
  • Kung Fu Bakery
  • Funny Farm Recording Studio (my own studio) 
• Since 1985 member (mostly keyboards, but for a few years was the drummer) and manager of NW piano-based pop rock band Here Comes Everybody (indie Refrigerator Records)
  • Extensive experience performing at colleges, clubs, large and small concert venues, festivals including The Aladdin Theatre, The Seattle and Portland Bite, Silverton Arts Festival, Hawthorne & Belmont St. Fairs, NXNW, many record in-store performances, coffee shops.
  • Colleges:  Lewis & Clark, Univ. of Oregon, Oregon State Univ., Portland State Univ., Clackamas and Mt. Hood Comm. Colleges, Linfield, Reed, and others.
  • Have released over 15 products, toured West Coast over last 20 years, appeared on Good Day Oregon, and various NW cable TV shows.
  • Have appeared on FM and AM radio shows (KINK, the BUZZ, NPR’s Cartalk, KBOO, KNRK and smaller stations.
  • Have played with national acts:  the FIXX, Moxy Fruvous, Modern English.  Other notable NW acts:  The Decemberists, Kaitlyn Ni Donovan and too many NW Indie acts to mention…and SHE IS STILL PLAYING, RECORDING, AND TEACHING!
  • Sits in with the Tom Grant band once in awhile during 2011/2012, doing the swing thing just for fun!  (Tom Grant is a world reknown Jazz Pianist who resides in Portland, OR).
  • Member Immersion Composition Society, Veronica Lodge (Portland Chapter)

(this is a  power-songwriting group that writes, records, 6 songs in 24 hours every month…..Member since 2004)