Boy drumming washing machine goes viral

Seattle, Wash. — For Jonathan Carollo, it's all about the beat. The beat in his head, the beat on his drums, even the beat he feels as he taps his own leg.

Everywhere he goes he sets out to explore the undiscovered rhythms of everyday objects.

That is where this story begins.

The 11-year-old Seattle boy began taking drum lessons over a year ago, first on a drum set, then on a chair, and like any good sibling, eventually on his brother's head.

From one place to the next Jonathan practiced different beats on different things.

And as you might imagine, his recent fame didn't come from the jams he pounded on his Pearl drum kit; it came when his wild curiosity for different beats led him into the family  laundry room.

Jonathan Carollo has become known worldwide as the boy who drums a washing machine. Yes, you read that correctly, a washing machine.

This self-taught, washing-machine-drumming-magician has turned a curious moment wandering the house into a youtube hit that has been viewed over 1.5 million times.

http://youtu.be/_viuM_sEOOU

So when I first heard about Jonathan's story I thought, how on earth do I tell this kids story?

Everyone will go to his house for an interview. Everyone wants to see him playing in the aforementioned laundry room.

So why not showcase him giving a public performance? Why not bring the action to the viewer?...literally.

And what better place than Seattle's iconic Pike Place Market?

But then I got to thinking, how was I ever going to get washing machine to the market?

After a call with Jonathan's father Dan, I would quickly learn that his son is most comfortable playing on a Speed Queen, super-capacity plus, 14-cycle washer with a stainless steel drum.

And the most important thing? The "fabric softener hole in the middle of the agitator."

This 11 year-old knows just what works!

It became immediately clear that I needed the help of true professionals.

A few conversations with Albert Lee Appliance yielded the washing machine in question, and before I knew it they had agreed to deliver the washing machine to any location that I could possibly drum up (yes...sadly enough, pun intended).

Next on the list was reaching out to the famous Pike Place Market about a possible washing machine drumming performance venue.

Feeling like it was right up their alley, we agreed that Sunday, January 27 at 2 pm was the perfect time to bring a washing machine and a young boy together at last for an unprecedented public performance.

As for me, I was all set with my camera and a genuine desire to share a truly remarkable story with our viewers at KIROtv.com.

The day came and the boy drummed. His hands danced across the washing machine,  people stared in amazement as the beats of that Speed Queen 14-cycle  washing machine bounced off the walls of one of Seattle's most iconic locations.

The camera rolled, sending the live performance out to the world wide web; the boy didn't flinch. For him, it was all about the beat.

This local boy's story is truly one of a kind. It's proof that a little dedication, a lot of imagination and one lonely washing machine can turn one boy's beats into a magical musical adventure.

For more stories and slideshows, visit the SeattleInsider page on KIROtv.com.

KIRO