Big Drum Thump

[Press Release]

Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Chad Smith, Phil Collins, Sting, and Iron Maiden’s Nicko McBrain Join a Host of Musicians in a Charitable Drum Donation for Teenage Cancer Trust

Some of the world’s greatest drummers have stepped forward in the fight to beat teenage cancer. Iconic musicians including Phil Collins, Sting, and members from Iron Maiden and Red Hot Chili Peppers have donated a signed drum kit to an exclusive auction raising money for the charity Teenage Cancer Trust, which helps teenagers and young people fight cancer. Now’s your chance to take home a piece of pop culture memorabilia.

From December 8 to December 15, the drums will be under auction and open for bids via the online auction site www.buyoncegivetwice.com.

Collectibles include:

• Remo 50th Anniversary snare signed by the 16 artists at Remo’s Drummer Night, including Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Mark Schulman (Cher, Pink), Steve White (Paul Weller), and Ian Matthews (Kasabian).
• Remo drumhead signed by Sting, Stewart Copeland, and Andy Summers.
• Gretsch Catalina series snare drum signed “Thanks for your support” by Phil Collins.
• Paiste 22″ Bell ride cymbal signed by Iron Maiden drummer Nicko McBrain.
• Remo 14″ DW snare drum signed by Elton John’s drummer Nigel Olsen.
• Remo 14″ Emperor drumhead signed by Iron Maiden’s Nicko McBrain, Steve Harris, Bruce Dickinson, Adrian Smith, and Janick Gers.

For your chance to bid, visit www.buyoncegivetwice.co.uk/event/drummerlive.

Mark Schulman, backing drummer for Pink, said: “I’m delighted to be supporting Teenage Cancer Trust’s Drummer Night auction and hope it will raise as much cash as possible for the charity. I am a cancer survivor myself, as is my ex-wife, Kelly. I understand the challenges that patients go through, and I want to use my credibility as a drummer to raise awareness about such issues. I hope the auction can help raise enough money so that teenagers and young people going through cancer have access to specialised treatment centres, like those provided by Teenage Cancer Trust.”

There’s never a good time to get cancer, but for a teenager the timing seems particularly cruel. Young people can get some of the most rare and aggressive forms of cancer. This plus the emotional upheaval of adolescence can make a cancer diagnosis even harder to cope with.

Every day in the UK, six young people will have to face that diagnosis. Teenage Cancer Trust understands that teenage cancer requires specialist care and in fact, that young people have a much better chance in their fight against cancer if they are treated by teenage cancer experts, in an environment tailored to their needs.

Teenage Cancer Trust builds units in NHS hospitals which improve the quality of life and chances of survival for young people with cancer. But as we receive no government funding, we rely on voluntary donations from people like you. It costs around £2million to build and equip a new unit.

We estimate that with the units we currently have around the UK, only half of the teenagers diagnosed with cancer now have access to this dedicated, specialist support. Our aim is build enough units so that, by 2012, every single teenager with cancer will be treated on one.

Most importantly, the units provide an environment where teenagers and young adults with cancer can meet others their age who are going through the same experience and provide support for one another.

For more information, visit www.teenagecancertrust.org.

[Press Release]

KASABIAN’S IAN MATTHEWS AT ICMP

Incredible Kasabian drummer Ian Matthews recently took time out from completing their latest album in LA to deliver an exclusive drum masterclass at the Institute of Contemporary Music Performance (ICMP).

Ian’s diverse musical background began from the age of four, spanning from jazz to orchestral music, noted to be one of the reasons it was so easy for him to step into the music world of British rockers Kasabian. After forming in 1999, by 2000 they had already taken Britain by storm and their eponymous 2004 debut shifted 700,000 copies in the UK alone and their success since then has simply rocketed. Kasabian have gone on to win awards nothing short of NME’s Best Live Act award and are currently putting the finishing touches to their much anticipated third album, due for release by the end of this year.

The chance to get up close and personal with Ian at this exclusive event was an opportunity that couldn’t be missed and was reflected with the masterclass room being packed wall-to-wall with excited students. Ian was open and honest and showed real passion and dynamism, as he played along to Kasabian hits such as “Club Foot” and “Empire.” Ian even invited Institute bass student Hugh Richardson on stage to join him in an impromptu jam session to exhibit how an effective rhythm section functions. That’s one performance Hugh is certain to never forget!

Drummer Talk hooked all of us up pretty well with photos from PASIC, but if you’ve been eye slobbering for some more, click on over to Meinl’s blog. There are some good shots of Derek Roddy, including the one below:

Ain’t this a wretched bitch? Here I am about to catch a flight to testicle-freezing Seattle, and the Drummer Talk dudes are hanging at PASIC in Austin. Thankfully, Dave is live blogging as many clinics as he can squeeze into a day and uploading bunches of pics for everyone’s viewing pleasure. Click the PASIC tag on DT to follow along.

Even if you watched the Buddy Rich Memorial Concert on the Drum Channel, you still need to check out these cool pics from Michael Lowe, owner of the equally cool website Neil Peart Drumsticks. Our favorite is the shot below of Neil and his cymbal-spankin’ face.

Meinl has posted a super shiteload of photos from last weekend’s Superdrumming festival in Australia. Check out this overhead shot of the Teutonic titan: