The career in music started while in high school after drumming with the Fullerton High School Marching Band, Orchestra and Jazz Band. Derek joined forces with a little Known punk band called Social Distortion to become the group’s first full time Recording and Touring Drummer and is featured on the album “Mommy’s Little Monster”, EP “1945”, other singles, songs on compilations, and the documentary film “Another State Of Mind”.

From there, Derek went on to drum and sing back up vocals Touring and Recording with groups like DI, Agent Orange, The Adolescents, Extra Fancy, Punk Rock Karaoke, and many others.

After graduating from UCLA’s Music Production and Audio Engineering Program in 2000, he started D.O’B. Sound Studios Recording, Mixing and Mastering while continuing to play drums on recordings, Tour and play local shows. In 2010, he finished a certificate degree at Video Symphony in Burbank, CA for Post Production Sound Editing and Pro Tools Certification. Derek then taught Pro Tools based Audio Engineering accredited courses for The Recording Connection for the next 4 years.

Some of the Musicians / Recording Artists Derek has worked with over the years include:

Meat Puppets, Down By Law, Lucinda Williams, Flogging Molly, Social Distortion, Fishbone, The Adicts, Agent Orange, DI, Miss Derringer, Punk Rock Karaoke -(Members of Bad Religion, NOFX, The Dickies), The Adolescents, The Briggs, Extra Fancy, The Chealsea Smiles, Tony Gilkynson -(Lone Justice, X), Pulley, Mike Herrera -(MxPx), Clem Burke -(Blondie), Joey Castillo -(Queens Of The Stone Age), Mark Ford -(Black Crows), Matt Skiba -(Alkaline Trio, Blink 182), Ted Russel Kamp -(Shooter Jennings, Duff McKagan), Bob Woodruff (Nashville Artist), Go Betty Go, The Slanderin', The Henchmen, Unit F, Charmaine Clamore (Jazz Singer), The Generators, Surf Instrumental Band - Par Avion, Co-Wrote / Produced “Silver Bullet - A Rock Opera with Stan DeWitt, Outlaw Country Band - Andrew Browning and the 9 Pound Hammers and many others.

Projects for various Record Labels include: Warner Brothers, Atlantic, Fat Wreck Chords, Sideone Dummy, Finger Records, Sympathy For The Record Industry, Loaded Bomb Records, DC Jam, Commercials for: Saturn, Comcast, T.V. Series': Men In Trees, Other Producers: Micky Patralia (Beck, Zack De Laroche), Ted Hut (Flogging Molly) and many others.