A Baltimore native, Mr. Millen studied trumpet at the Peabody Concervatory and worked as a music teacher before drifting off to the Caribbean for several years on a sailboat he built.

After returning, he constructed his dome house and made a living from crafting custom cabinetry and wooden bathtubs. He began making drums full time several years ago.

Last weekend, he brought some of his drums to an autumnal equinox festival held in a mine in Rosendale, N.Y. The event featured Layne Redmond, acclaimed drummer, mythologist and leader of the Mob of Angels group of female drummers.

A lifelong musician and singer, Mr. Millen finds the sound of drums inexplicably powerful. He tells the story of an American Indian who is asked whether he considers the sound of drumming to be beautiful. "His response was, 'We don't think of whether the music is beautiful or not beautiful, We ask, does it have a strong spirit?'"

"That's what intrigues me about the drums," he says, "I think a lot of Western music - and the ritual of going to concerts - is not about becoming empowered by the music's spirit, but about listening to its beauty. And beauty doesn't take us as far as we need to go".