Seven years ago, a punk tattooed drummer rushed to Seattle radio station 107.7 The End to accept a challenge by DJ No Name.

He later became character “Thibeault – the punk rock opera singer” of the station where he’d sing a rock or hip-hop song in a classical way.

Brandon Thibeault, 26, from Los Angeles is a City College music major with an emphasis in classical voice. He has overcome a destructive lifestyle and now hopes to become a better person.

“Drum sticks you hold, your fingers do some work, but [singing] is your body-producing sound, which is a bizarre concept,” said Thibeault.

He plays drums in the band Crying 4 Kafka with Robin Finck, former guitarist for Nine Inch Nails and Guns N Roses.

Marc Bobro, bassist for Crying 4 Kafka and City College philosophy assistant professor, described Thibeault’s drumming as “manic but controlled.” He said the faster the tempo goes, the more comfortable Thibealt becomes.

“When the environment gets crazy and weird, he settles down and he totally accepts it,” Bobro said. “Even though he’s not crazy himself, he welcomes the crazy element around.”

While drumming, Thibeault wears nothing but tight shorts and make-up, Bobro added.

He attended California State University, Northridge prior but dropped out because three family members, including his father, died. He moved to Seattle alone.

One night, while praying for the broken ankle of football player Shaun Alexander, DJ No Name challenged the radio listeners to come and join his prayer in a bathing suit.

Thibeault was the only one who dared to do it. He borrowed the suit from his girlfriend’s 12-year-old brother.

Through a talk with the drummer’s girlfriend, the DJ learned that Thibeault could sing and invited him to be a character on the radio program.

Everything seemed to go well for Thibeault, until an influential saxophonist publicly embarrassed him at a wedding party in 2006. The hot-tempered drummer started a fight leading to the end of his career in Seattle.

“I was 19,“ Thibeault said. “I was hot. I was dumb.”

So he left for Santa Barbara and hoped to make a living here. At the time, none of the City College bands knew of his musical talents.

“They kept putting me in very low groups,” Thibeault said. “I’ve gone to school where all these guys are trying to get into… so I got pretty burnt up about that.”

His vocal ability was finally discovered in a vocal technique class with Nathan Kreitzer, artistic director of the Quire of Voyces.

“He’s a tenor, and I would say he’s got a really nice focused sound, nice vibrato [and] really good diction,” Kreitzer said.

Thibeault’s singing and drumming are equally professional, he added.

“He’s just a very focused and driven individual,” said Kreitzer. “He’s a super hard worker, a go-getter.”

Thibeault’s father, also a drummer, had a brain tumor removal and open heart and lung surgeries. He had to take a lot of painkillers leading to an addiction.

At age 9, Thibeault’s parents split. The father soon became homeless and was in and out of prison for violent behavior.

However, Thibeault said he was an incredible father who always taught him to treat his mother right.

“He was two very different people… ” Thibeault said. “I remember I was 15… telling him to leave the family alone. I mean it got to that point when a little kid was telling his dad to f— off.”

Influenced by his father, Thibeault used to smoke and have drinking problems. He was arrested a few times for fighting in bars.

He said his goal was to change bad habits and be different from his father.

“I’m pretty happy with the way things are going right now…” Thibeault said. “I spent so many years passing out and calling that sleep, and now I’m healthy.”