David was born into a musical family in upstate New York on December 26th, 1967. His father was a guitarist, and his two older brothers toured and recorded with organist Brother Jack McDuff. David met Brother Jack McDuff when he was just 10 years old where he got a signed autograph that read “HURRY UP!…” meaning grow up kid, so you can be part of my group. Since childhood, drummer David Hilliker had music all around him.  He studied early on with David Chitambar and Dick Howard back in New York, which led to studies later on in life with the legendary Ed Thigpen (Oscar Peterson, Ella Fitzgerald) and John Von Ohlen (Stan Kenton, Woody Herman).  He has spent his time performing all over the Midwest including the Odyssey Ship at Navy Pier; at well-known Jazz Clubs including the Jazz Showcase and Andy’s Jazz Club, and frequently at the Elkhart Jazz Festival. His attitude towards the music and his role as the drummer was to “lay the groove down, swing hard, and stay out of the way; yet be a cushion for the rest of the band to lean on, which in return makes the band sound better.”