Big Drum Thump

Drum and Drummer News and Photos

Category: Events

  • Tama Representing at WGI

    Have you gotten your yearly fix of marching-band and percussion-ensemble bad asses? Check out some performance vids below. Gear courtesy of Tama.

  • Evans Player Profile Campaign on Tour

    Evans is hitting the road to showcase its Player Profile drumhead selection system, which greatly simplifies the Evans product line—and drumheads in general—into four basic categories: Sensitive, Versatile, Controlled, and Durable. Each profile is based on specific musical applications and contains a bunch of products designed to deliver optimal performance attributes (attack, sustain, tone, and durability) for that genre, helping players to narrow down the choice of drumheads to those that will best suit their playing style.

    At Evans’ Player Profile events, Evans staff members and a guest artist will be on hand to help players find their ideal sound. There will be a 30- to 45-minute session on tuning and high-performance gear tips by an on-site Evans Product Specialist, as well as a one-hour clinic by top Evans artist Tommy Igoe.

    Evans will also hold an on-site raffle for over $1,000 in product, including custom-made Inked by Evans graphic front bass drum heads.

    Here are the current dates:

    May 5, 2010 – GC Studios, Woodland Hills, CA

    May 6, 2010 – Musician’s Institute, Hollywood, CA

    July 14, 2010 – Drums2Go, Orlando, FL

    July 15, 2010 – All Pro Percussion, Tampa, FL

    July 19, 2010 – Ken Stanton Music, Atlanta, GA

    July 20, 2010 – Bailey Brothers, Birmingham, AL

    July 21, 2010 – Fork’s Drum Closet, Nashville, TN

    July 22, 2010 – Memphis Drum Shop, Memphis, TN

    Also check the Evans Player Profile page for more upcoming tour dates and information.

  • Giovanni Hidalgo and Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez Are “Traveling Through Time”

    Get your passports ready, thumpers!

    [Press Release]

    The year is off to a bang with the announcement of two of the music world’s most innovative and exciting Latin percussionists touring Europe together for the first time. Giovanni Hidalgo, widely regarded as the greatest living conga player, will be performing a series of workshops and concerts with master of Latin drumming Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez.

    Called the “TRAVELING THROUGH TIME TOUR” after their critically acclaimed and ground-breaking DVD, they will be performing music from the DVD, which was described by Modern Drummer as “a percussion lover’s dream come true.”

    Prepare to experience some of the most incredible playing of drums and congas in history. Better still, these masters will be explaining how each duet was conceived, how they approach their individual parts, and their approach to improvising within each piece during a series of workshops across the continent. This is a unique and rare opportunity to get up close and personal with these incredible players and to explore the bold textures and rhythmic complexities of Latin percussion.

    The full lists of dates are as follows:

    Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez & Giovanni Hidalgo: TRAVELING THROUGH TIME 2009
    25 JANUARY – Vals-Tarragona/Spain – xQbeat Festival (concert)
    28 JANUARY – Valencia/Spain – Auditorium (concert)
    29 JANUARY – Milan/Italy (workshop)
    31 JANUARY – Verona/Italy (workshop)
    01 FEBRUARY – Brescia/Italy (workshop)
    02 FEBRUARY – Barcelona/Spain (workshop)
    03 FEBRUARY – Barcelona/Spain (workshop)
    04 FEBRUARY – Huesca/Spain – Theatre (concert)
    05 FEBRUARY – Zaragoza/Spain – Theatre (concert)
    07 FEBRUARY – Barcelona/Spain – Auditoriun Percussion Festival (concert)
    13 FEBRUARY – Cagliari/Italy (workshop)
    14 FEBRUARY – Roma/Italy – Auditorium (concert + workshop)
    16 FEBRUARY – Salerno/Italy – Il Moro Club (concert)
    19 FEBRUARY – Lecce/Italy (workshop at Conservatory)
    20 FEBRUARY – Larino/Italy (workshop)
    21 FEBRUARY – Urbania/Italy (workshop+concert)
    22 FEBRUARY – Udine/Italy (workshop)
    23 FEBRUARY – Amsterdam/Holland – Bimhius (concert) + Conservatory (workshop)
    25 FEBRUARY – Vienna/Austria – (workshop)
    26 FEBRUARY – Gmunden/Austria (workshop)

    For more information on tickets and venues, please see http://www.elnegro.com/ and http://www.myspace.com/horaciohernandez

    The Traveling Through Time DVD is available from Alfred Publishing.

  • Sabian’s Big Beat Earns Big Cash

    On November 2, 2008, Sabian sponsored the “Big Beat” event, held at nine Five-Star percussion shops across North America. With 1,286 drummers participating, the event raised a total of $45,503 for charity, $17,183 of which went to the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation for the purpose of supplying musical instruments to deserving children in Big Beat cities.

    Ain’t drummers just completely bloody awesome?

  • Cut to the Drummer

    ‘Tis the season for drummers to do good deeds.

    Cut to the Drummer is an art show and drumming event that supports the MS Society of Canada Scholarship Program. And it looks pretty friggin’ cool. The art show comprises 50 portraits of 50 drummers by 50 artists. Tony Williams, Chad Smith, John Bonham, and Neil Peart are just a couple of the greats represented (check out the complete list here). The drumming portion of the show—the Drum-o-Rama—showcases up-and-coming drummers and local stars soloing head to head.

    The event will take place on February 5, 2009, in Toronto, Canada. Tickets cost $150 for a VIP preview and silent auction, and $30 for the Public Reception and Drum-O-Rama.

  • Drummers Step Up for Teenage Cancer Trust

    [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.

  • Sabian’s APX “Show No Mercy” Tour

    In support of Sabian’s APX series of high-decibel cymbals, drummers Ray Luzier of Korn, Chris Pennie of Coheed and Cambria, and Seven Antonopoulos of Opiate for the Masses are going to hit the road for a mini-tour of the United States. The drummers will be demonstrating how the APX cymbals are designed to cut through hard rock and heavy metal music (i.e., you might be needing some ear plugs for this one). Scheduled stops include the following cities:

    • Percussive Arts Society International Convention in Austin, Texas – Nov. 8
    • Skip’s Music in Sacramento, Calif. – Nov. 9
    • Milano Music in Mesa, Ariz. – Nov. 10
    • Drum Pad in Palatine, Ill. – Nov. 11
    • Fork’s Drum Closet in Nashville, Tenn. – Nov. 12
    • Paradiddles in Spartanburg, S.C. – Nov. 13
    • Sam Ash in New York, N.Y. – Nov. 14

    For more info, be sure to check out the “Show No Mercy” tour page. It includes a handful of APX-related goodies.

  • Ian Matthews Masterclass

    Did you dust off your passport for the Fausto Cuevas masterclass a few days ago? If so, you might want to just stay in the U.K. because the Institute of Contemporary Music Performance is hosting another masterclass on October 23, this time with Kasabian drummer Ian Matthews. Doors open at 7 p.m.

  • Benny Greb at Meinl Drum Festival 2008

    Meinl has given the drummingverse a major treat by posting this new vid of the superbly grooving Benny Greb. The performance was captured at this year’s Meinl drum festival, and it features a tune from Greb’s upcoming CD. Two more videos will be released over the next few days. We’ll of course embed them all here at DC for your viewing pleasure.

  • Sabian Sponsors “The Big Beat” National Drumming Event

    MEDUCTIC, Canada (Sept. 24, 2008) – SABIAN announces it has teamed up with the Five-Star Drum Shops to bring together the largest gathering of drummers ever assembled for a simultaneous drumming experience. Nine Five-Star stores across North America will host “The Big Beat” on Sunday, Nov. 2, to celebrate the joy of drumming and raise money for the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation. The Five-Star Drum Shops group is an organization of 37 independently owned specialty percussion stores in North America.

    Each location is attempting to break the Guinness world record for the most drummers playing the same beat at one time (previously set by Donn Bennett Drum Studio, with 533) as well as set a record for drummers playing simultaneously in each location.

    As an official sponsor of The Big Beat, SABIAN will contribute the equivalent of $2,500 to each participating store in the form of artist support and/or giveaways.

    “It’s a privilege for SABIAN to be connected with ‘The Big Beat,’ this year,” said Stacey Montgomery-Clark, vice president of marketing at SABIAN. “We relish opportunities like this in which we can support the percussion industry and in particular the drummer consumer and independent retailer.”

    The Big Beat is the first attempt to coordinate large scale drumming efforts across North America in the hope of expanding each year until drummers across the globe are locked in on one worldwide beat.

    Each location will hold a raffle for participants with the overall winner getting an authentic autographed replica Beatles logo bass drum head. The first 200 participants in each city will receive a goody bag full of drum-related items and each location will also give away prizes donated by the biggest names in the drum industry.

    Drummers of all skill levels and experience are encouraged to participate and contact one of these participating Five-Star member locations for details:

  • Meinl Drum Festival Webcams

    Couldn’t make it to Germany for the Meinl Drum Festival that starts tomorrow? No, we couldn’t either, but thankfully the fine folks at Meinl have set up four webcams that snap a live picture every minute (no vid stream, alas). The drummer lineup includes Benny Greb (yes!) and Johnny Rabb.

    [Update: the cams are down.]

  • Countdown to Dixon’s “Drum Your Way to Hollywood” Contest

    No time to waste, thumpers. There’s less than a month left to enter Dixon’s “Drum Your Way to Hollywood” contest. All you have to do is haul ass to your nearest Dixon dealer, have a buddy record you playing your shreddingest 2-minute solo on a Demon kit, and then upload the vid to YouTube. Click on over here for the entry and prize details.

  • Sabian’s Dream Spot Contest

    There’s still plenty of time to enter Sabian’s second-annual Dream Spot contest. The winning band will get $10,000 in gear and the chance to play 10 dates on the 2008 Warped Tour. The band’s lucky-ass drummer will also land a one-year deal with Sabian (we’re not exactly sure how many free cymbals that translates to). The details:

    • The contest is open from April 1 to May 23.
    • You’ve got to be an undiscovered band (i.e., Next Great American Band finalists need not apply).
    • You must submit three original songs in the MP3 format, a video, and a brief bio about your band.
    • The winning group will be announced July 1.

  • Yamaha Drums Gets Its Groove on Euro-Style

    Oh, people with passports and ready spending cash. This is good, good shit. Yamaha is taking its Groove All Stars (aka Groove Night) to Musikmesse this year (March 13). The drummers scheduled to appear include Tommy Aldridge, Claes Antonsen, Pedro Barcelo, Tom Brechtlein, Bruno Castellucci, Dmitris Chistodoukas, Michal Dabrowka, Ralf Gustke, Wolfgang Haffner, Arthur Hnatek, Akira Jimbo, Oscar Kraal, Rick Marotta, Christian Meyer, Andy Newmark, Loic Pontieux, Volkan Oektem, John “JR” Robinson, Andrew Small, Erik Smith and Martin Valihora.

    In case you’ve never swindled your way into a Groove Night during winter NAMM, here’s a recent clip of Antonio Sanchez playing Zep’s “Good Times, Bad Times.” You can safely expect this caliber of drumming all night long.

  • Yamaha Drummers at the Grammys

    Never too early to start the back-patting.

    Yamaha has put together a list of its artists who played on Grammy-nominated albums this year. The award show will take place in Los Angeles on February 10, 2008 (assuming, that is, the on-going writers strike doesn’t somehow bring it down), but until then, the Yamaha hopefuls are:

    • Larry Mullen Jr. (U2)
    • Matt Flynn (Maroon 5)
    • Oliver Charles (Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals)
    • Mike Bordin (Ozzy Osbourne)
    • Paquito D’Rivera (Paquito D’Rivera Quintet)
    • Mark Walker (Paquito D’Rivera Quintet)
    • Ray Brinker (Tierney Sutton Band)