Young Musician Following in His Famous Father’s Footsteps Making Key West Debut

Phil Collins’ teenage son to play at Sloppy Joe’s with his band What You Know

They say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. And that certainly seems to be the case for Nic Collins.

The 14-year-old son of legendary singer, songwriter, and drummer Phil Collins is proving to have musical chops of his own as the drummer for What You Know (WYK). The Miami-based rock band is making its Key West debut at Sloppy Joe’s on April 23rd and 24th from 5:30pm to 9:30pm. The band also features Nick Aquilino on vocals, Joey Rodriguez on guitar, and Yannick Waingarten on bass.

“Our sound is very alternative and funky,” says Aquilino.  “Nic, Yannick, Joey and I are fans of so many different genres and we try to incorporate elements of the music we love into the music we play.” The band cites artists such as Red Hot Chili Peppers, Victor Wooten, Same Cooke, and Stevie Ray Vaughn as some of their major influences. “And obviously my dad,” says Collins.

Although WYK has only been together for less than a year, this extremely talented group of teenagers (ranging in age from 13 to 18) has already created buzz at home and abroad with recent performances at Gramps, American Airlines Arena, the Fillmore in Miami and on The Voice Switzerland. And they’ve done it despite being full-time middle school and high school students.  “We don’t have a lot of time for anything other than school or music, but we wouldn’t want it any other way,” says Weingarten. “We’re really lucky to be playing at such iconic venues so early on. We’re even scheduled to play at the Montreux Jazz Fest this summer.”

WYK strives to create music that pays homage to their heroes, but is unmistakably their own.  They currently play a mix of covers and original songs. They are also in the process of recording their first EP, but they say putting on a good live show is what matters most.

“We’re really excited about playing at Sloppy Joe’s,” says Rodriguez. “We’ve been practicing non-stop after school and on the weekends and gig whenever we can to make sure we put on the best show possible.”

[livemarket market_name="KONK Life LiveMarket" limit=3 category=“” show_signup=0 show_more=0]