photo by brittany long
About.
Leon Kechayas is a dedicated live touring and studio session Drummer based in Melbourne, Australia. With foundations through a family of musicians & studying with drumming legends such as; Dave Weckl, Gregg Bisonette, Virgil Donati, Daniel Glass, Dom Famularo, Frank Corniola, Damian Corniola & more - a career in the music industry was naturally forged.
In 2011 Leon won 'Australia’s Best Up & Coming Drummer Competition' in the Intermediate age category & gained notoriety amongst many local & international Drummers. This helped land his first endorsement deals with Zildjian Cymbals & VicFirth Drumsticks at 14 years old. Fast forward a few more years, Leon finished high school & went straight into teaching at multiple schools in Melbourne & touring around Australia with one of his first bands. These early years helped shape the Leon as a player & gained him experience as a live drummer in many different situations.
Leon has since gone onto tour with a variety of artists & bands, having privilege of shaping an incredible career to date. Performing across Australia & New Zealand multiple times a year, within the last 3 years alone Leon has performed at iconic venues including; Melbourne Cricket Ground (largest stadium in the southern hemisphere), Marvel Stadium, John Cain Arena, Palais Theatre, Athenaeum Theatre, Accor Stadium, State Theatre, Enmore Theatre, Her Majesty’s Theatre Adelaide, Thebarton Theatre, Astor Theatre, Eden Park Stadium in Auckland & many more.
In late 2023, Leon joined Reece Mastin (2011 X-Factor Australia Winner) & has already toured extensively throughout Australia & New Zealand on the 'Kick Up A Fuss' & 'One Night Stands' tours in 2024. This will continue into 2025 & beyond, with the introduction of a new tour, music & side projects such as 'The Great Big Beer Band'.
Leon also joined Emmanuel Kelly in late 2024, supporting Coldplay for 11 shows across Melbourne, Sydney & Auckland on their 'Music Of The Spheres' World Tour - one of the highest grossing tours in music history.
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Other notable artists Leon has toured & recorded with include Isaiah Firebrace (2016 X-Factor Australia Winner), Goanna, Colin Hay (Men At Work), James Johnston, Tones And I (x6 Platinum Artist & x5 Aria Award Winner), Conrad Sewell, Kennyon Brown (USA), Jordan Astra (CANADA), Fatai, Soli, Tanya George, Blush’Ko, Jackson Thomas, Barry Conrad, Harrison Craig (2013 The Voice Australia Winner), Darlinghurst, Big T & many more.
Leon is proud to exclusively endorse DW Drums, Promark Drumsticks, Evans Drumheads & Meinl Cymbals.
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