About Piuma
Biography
Piuma (py-ooma) is the moniker of David Small, native Los Angeles musician and producer. David spent his teenage years writing songs and exploring Southern California's mountains and beaches—in the snow, surf, and with his rucksack. He found a spot at the top of Piuma Road, where on full moons a crowd would form—bringing drums and jamming under the moonlight—overlooking Santa Monica Bay. That combination between nature, free-form music making, and the reflective view of city life inspired him to form the band, Piuma.
The Band
David Small (Vocals & Guitar)
Since he was 16, David has been writing music and performing throughout Los Angeles. After studying musicology and sociology at the University of Colorado, Boulder he enlisted in Teach for America, dedicating two years to teach sixth grade literacy intervention at Markham Middle School in Watts, California. After, he freelanced as a session guitarist, producer, and film composer—writing music for projects such as Surfrider’s documentary trailer, The Twenty, helping the nonprofit raise over $80,000 to protect the last twenty miles of unprotected and undeveloped Southern California coastline. All the while, David studied the music of his favorite artists: Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, and Bob Marley and the Wailers.
Charles Wiley (Drums)
Charles plays drums for many bands/projects throughout Los Angeles, but with his background in music theory—and as a multi-instrumentalists—he also composes for film and TV, having received many placements. Charles tours as a drummer throughout the United States and Europe, while also developing his music/graphic novel project Corn Man, which sheds light on challenges in today's food industry. Charles volunteers to support environmental sustainability projects.
Lamar "Thunderstix" Little (Drums)
From Chicago, and son of the blues and jazz trumpet legend and band leader, King Kolax, Lamar Little has been playing the drums, reading, writing, and performing live music since a very young age. His life experiences have given him the ability to incorporate a wide range of musical styles from funk-based and jazz rhythms to intricate, heavy “math" metal. He’s opened for the great Robert Plant and shared the stage with the legends like Al Green, Clarence Carter, Bobby Womack, and The Marshall Tucker Band. Lamar’s precise drum style has been referred to as thunderous.
Max Butler (Keys)
Since age nine, Max has been tracing the hands of artists as diverse as Steve Winwood, Dr. John, Scott Joplin, Claude Debussy, and Jimi Hendrix—later sharing the stage with artists like Danny Kortchmar, B.B. King, and Carly Simon. His blend of rhythmic ragtime stride with an Impressionist modality, through vintage keyboard sonics, creates a standout sound as a keys player. Max also has a slightly unhealthy knowledge of the Hammond organ and Leslie speaker—culminating in his custom built Leslie cabinet microphone system, built with strategically placed condenser microphones, partly made out of shotgun shell casings.
Mike Roberts (Bass)
The way music brings people together and communicates a wide variety of thoughts and feelings—and can never by mastered, gives Mike something to look forward to every day. Flea was a big influence when he first started playing, then expanding to artists like Jaco Pastorius, Squarepusher, and Wes Montgomery, which reflect the combination of funk, jazz, and punk that blend into Mike's style. All he cares about though is that music is played with conviction and soul; genres really don't matter. Spending five years in long term projects, with G-Funk and The Rudies, taught Mike collaboration and fine-tuned is milky-smooth yet fast paced and percussive bass style.
