Seven-year-old Jaxon Smith showcases his drumming on NBC’s “Today”
Move over Travis Barker and Tommy Lee, there's a new drummer in town and he's a seven-year-old prodigy.
His family calls him "Action Jaxon" and Calgary, Alta., native Jaxon Smith has been turning heads with his drumming ability from an early age. A clip featuring him drumming recently went viral after his dad began posting clips of his skills on YouTube.
See more: Two-year-old sings Adele's 'Rolling in the Deep'
Appearing this morning on NBC's "Today" with his dad Kevin Smith, a seasoned Global Calgary sports broadcaster, Jaxon performed the Foo Fighters' 2007 track "The Pretender" while his dad recounted how the youngster began.
"From a young age, I'd say from the age of one, he took spoons on our coffee table and put about -- to my wife's horror -- about 500 dents in a brand new coffee table," Kevin said. "I thought, 'What's going on here?'"
Jaxon was born prematurely in 2005 weighing only one pound. However, beginning his life with the odds stacked against him didn't stop him from continuing to develop his craft.
"At the age of two, (he played) on the sinks, with toothbrushes every morning," Kevin told NBC. "It just evolved to chopsticks on the couch. We probably got him his first kit when he was three years old. He was a bit sloppy on it for a while, (but) he's totally taught himself. It's like 100 percent Jax. I don't know how he did it. Just watching live concerts of bands that I like on TV."
See more: Eight-year-old girl shreds guitar
"I don't know, I just feel really good at it. I practice every day," Jaxon said. Adding, "I have like 30 years more of drumming and then I can be a hockey player."
His dad hopes that seeing Jaxon on YouTube will brighten the spirits of those watching, saying, "There are parents out there who have preemie babies, I've been through it, it's daunting, you think there's no light at the end of the tunnel," Kevin said. "If for three minutes they can have a smile on their face watching my son, I think it's a gift, I think it's fantastic."
Check out Jaxon jamming to tracks by The Who, Rage Against The Machine, Heart, Pearl Jam, Rush and many more by heading to his YouTube channel here.
Follow me on Facebook and Twitter @GraceS35
More Up Beat stories
Girl creates Aaron Carter music video time capsule
