Liz Aponte & Respira Collective: “Marching To The Beat Of Their Own Drum”
by Kim Croswhite
God often uses one small event as a catalyst for changing lives. What began as a young drummer’s attempt at doing something unique, turned into a booming company, and also led to her life being forever transformed.
Liz Aponte of Respira Drums
Fifteen-year-old Liz Machlitt (Aponte) was a young drummer who wanted a fancy, custom kit. Not having sufficient funds, however, the tenacious drummer and a friend decided to make their own. “We took the current drum sets we had completely apart, figured out how to put them back together, and then tried it on our own shells and parts we had purchased,” explains Aponte. The kits turned out more than sufficient, and Aponte’s ingenuity soon turned into an obsession. She began her own drum making company while still in high school, which quickly became her life. “All my satisfaction and worth came from drums and music,” she admits. But eventually the company “was not going where I wanted it to go,” so Aponte bitterly gave up drum making and went to college instead.
“But,” she muses, “little did I know, my selfishness would lead to God’s faithfulness;” because it was in college, away from her old life of drums, music, and greed, where Aponte heard and received the gospel of Jesus Christ. This heart change also altered her entire outlook on music. She still loved music, but began to see it as a tool God uses, rather than a god in and of itself. As she left behind the desires of the world, she “quickly learned music is not everything and worship is not just music.” While continuing to let God grow her and soften her heart, her two loves came full-circle. During this time, “slowly but surely, God planted the idea of Respira Collective into my head and breathed it into what it is today.” She wanted to fuse her love of Jesus into her passion for music, art, and drumming. As stated on the Respira Collective website, “We make snare drums built with love and labor.” She is open about her faith and love for community with her clients; seeks personal relationships rather than making big money; and portions of all profits are donated to charities with similar visions.
Matt Greiner of August Burns Red
The Respira Collective began as a grass-roots company. Aponte made her first Respira Collective drum for a friend in 2008, and the word and spirit behind Respira began to spread. Her clientele includes: Matt Greiner of August Burns Red, Morgan Wright of I, The Breather, Cody Carrier of Fallstar, Kenny Bozich & RK Topper of The Rock Music, Brian Schiedeman of Abandon Kansas, Evan Shubrooks of Free The Fallen, Sammy Vaughan of Forevermore, and so on. “The best part,” explains Aponte, “is that a friendship has grown with each one of these drummers, and they understand Respira is not just about drums.”
It was also during the early phases of Respira where she met her now-husband, who introduced her to The Rock Church, as well as The Rock Music. A friendship and partnership for life was formed here, as the young couple has joined The Rock Music to continue their mission to “love God, bless the saints, and win the lost,” through the local church.
Kenny Bozich and RK Topper of The Rock Music
“In a world where people take music and use it as a pedestal for their own fame, satisfaction, and worth, I appreciate that The Rock Music does exactly the opposite. Every single musician loves God, and they know music is just a vessel to bless the saints and win the lost. Using a powerful and emotional thing like music for God’s glory – amazing!”
The name Respira refers to the Spanish verb meaning “to breathe.” Aponte latched onto the idea that God breathes new life into His children once they are saved. This is certainly true in her life, in the lives of the musicians of The Rock Music, and prayerfully, the lives they touch.
