Different Drummer

“Everybody thinks they’re going to ‘make it.’ But the truth of the matter is that very few have ‘it.’ And if they do, it’s not going to be like anything they ever imagined." This is what happens to a dream deferred. Set in 1979 New York City, Different Drummer chronicles Cara Funk (née Carol Finkelstein), a female drummer struggling to break out of the wedding music trade and succeed as a rock musician. Rapidly approaching 30, this is Cara’s self-imposed last chance and she’s willing to sacrifice everything to “make it.” Told through journal entries and running commentary from a colorful cast of supporting characters, Cara’s saga unfolds in a mad swirl of Sergio Valente jeans, drugs, song lyrics, decrepit rock clubs, cheesy bar mitzvahs, White Castle sliders, punk anthems and ruffled tuxedo shirts. Will Cara ultimately triumph, go out in a blaze of glory or just fade away?

“Everybody thinks they’re going to ‘make it.’ But the truth of the matter is that very few have ‘it.’ And if they do, it’s not going to be like anything they ever imagined." This is what happens to a dream deferred. Set in 1979 New York City, Different Drummer chronicles Cara Funk (née Carol Finkelstein), a female drummer struggling to break out of the wedding music trade and succeed as a rock musician. Rapidly approaching 30, this is Cara’s self-imposed last chance and she’s willing to sacrifice everything to “make it.” Told through journal entries and running commentary from a colorful cast of supporting characters, Cara’s saga unfolds in a mad swirl of Sergio Valente jeans, drugs, song lyrics, decrepit rock clubs, cheesy bar mitzvahs, White Castle sliders, punk anthems and ruffled tuxedo shirts. Will Cara ultimately triumph, go out in a blaze of glory or just fade away?

Catherine Gigante-Brown is writer of fiction, nonfiction and poetry. She was born in Brooklyn, where she still lives with her husband and son. Her first novel, The El, was published in 2012.