Travis Barker Discusses New Music + the ‘Animal’ That Influenced Him Early On in Life

Travis Barker is keeping himself plenty busy these days, with three new musical projects in the works. Besides the new Blink 182 album, and the still-in-planning fall tour with Kid Cudi, Barker has some side projects in the works.

"I'm working on a new Transplants album, and I'm finishing up my solo album," Barker tells Musician's Friend. "My solo album has a lot of cool people on it ... everyone from people like Lil Wayne, The Game, Swizz Beatz, Rick Ross, Pharrell, Lupe, Slash, Tom Morello, Raekwon, Eclipse, Slipknot, Slaughterhouse, Kid Cudi, Cypress Hill, Tech 9, Bumby and Beanie Sigel."

Barker's musical path started when he was a kid, intrigued by a childhood classic. "The very first influence I had was Animal from the Muppets," Barker reveals. "That was my first kind of introduction to a drummer. And then from there I saw Buddy Rich. I saw Alex Van Halen. I saw Billy Cobham, Dennis Chambers, Stewart Copeland, Tommy Lee, Dave Lombardo, Mikkey Dee, and Fish from Fishbone. There's so many [influences] ... to even marching bands! I grew up marching, and I loved it. So I was kind of influenced by everything. Even beats that were made by drum machines as a kid inspired me. When I would listen to my sister's Janet Jackson records or whatever it was, I would try to figure out the drum beats."

With all those influences and his own amazing talents, Barker's solo project is sure to be a fan favorite. Look for Barker on the road with Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj on the I Still Am Music tour, which runs through the end of April. Click here to see a complete list of dates where the tour will be stopping.