DRUM! Magazine unleashed its 2008 readers poll awards today. No big Drummie! surprises here: Neil Peart still reigns as everyone’s favorite living drum god, Travis Barker is apparently the best punk drummer on the planet (but only when Tré Cool and Green Day haven’t released an album), and Chad Smith is the youngsters’ funkster of choice. Let the verbal fisticuffs begin.
Word of warning: under each category, the name presented in caps is the official winner; all the subsequent names under a category are considered by DRUM! to be “runners-up,” not necessarily “second,” “third,” “or “fourth” place winners. Why? We haven’t a clue…
I. DRUM SET CATEGORIES
Drummer of the Year
NEIL PEART
Stanton Moore
Mike Portnoy
Jimmy Sullivan
Rising Drum Star
THOMAS PRIDGEN
Cody Hanson
Matt Smith
Spencer Smith
Best Progressive Drummer
MIKE PORTNOY
Neil Peart
Gavin Harrison
Danny Carey
Best Metal Drummer
CHRIS ADLER
Jason Bittner
Joey Jordison
Brann Dailor
Best Jam Band Drummer
CARTER BEAUFORD
Stanton Moore
Matt Abts
Jim Donovan
Best Jazz Drummer
STEVE SMITH
Peter Erskine
Billy Hart
Billy Kilson
Best Funk Drummer
CHAD SMITH
Stanton Moore
Zoro
Aaron Spears
Best Urban Drummer
?UESTLOVE
Aaron Spears
Trevor Lawrence Jr.
Teddy Campbell
Best Mainstream Pop Drummer
TAYLOR HAWKINS
Neil Peart
Chad Smith
Travis Barker
Best Alternative Rock Drummer
SAM LOEFFLER
Brooks Wackerman
Atom Willard
Travis Barker
Best Punk Drummer
TRAVIS BARKER
Tré Cool
Brooks Wackerman
Bill Stevenson
Best R&B/Blues Drummer
ZORO
Stanton Moore
Aaron Spears
Teddy Campbell
Best Country Drummer
JIM RILEY
Paul Leim
Eddie Bayers
Ben Sesar
Best Drum Clinician
THOMAS LANG
Jojo Mayer
Stanton Moore
Mike Mangini
Best Studio Drummer
VINNIE COLAIUTA
Steve Gadd
Josh Freese
Rodney Holmes
Best Live Drumming Performer
NEIL PEART
Stanton Moore
Jimmy Sullivan
Mike Portnoy
II. PERCUSSIONIST CATEGORIES
Percussionist of the Year
LUIS CONTE
Giovanni Hidalgo
Fausto Cuevas
Taku Hirano
Rising Percussion Star
CESAR ESPINOZA
Carlos Maldonado
A.B. Bermudez
Eric Velez
Best Latin Percussionist
RICHIE FLORES
A.B. Bermudez
Giovanni Hidalgo
Poncho Sanchez
Best Jazz/Fusion Percussionist
SAMMY FIGUEROA
Richie Flores
A.B. Bermudez
Cyro Baptista
Best Percussion Clinician
JESUS DIAZ
Giovanni Hidalgo
Alex Acuña
Valerie Naranjo
Best Rock/Pop Percussionist
LUIS CONTE
Fausto Cuevas
Raul Rekow
Jim Donovan
Best Worldbeat Percussionist
VALERIE NARANJO
Zakir Hussain
Taku Hirano
Cyro Baptista
Best Percussion Ensemble
HIP PICKLES
Blue Man Group
San Jose Taiko
Blue Devils
Best Drum Circle Facilitator
JIM DONOVAN
Valerie Naranjo
John Scalici
Chet Doboe
Best Studio Percussionist
LUIS CONTE
Lenny Castro
Emil Richards
Robert Vilera
Best Live Percussion Performer
MARC QUIÑONES
Alex Acuña
Hip Pickles
Jim Donovan
III. INDUSTRY AND PRODUCT CATEGORIES
Best Drum Kit
DW COLLECTOR’S TWISTED EXOTICS
Pearl Masters MCX
Tama Starclassic Perfomer Bubinga/Birch
Ludwig Legacy
Best Snare Drum
BLACK PANTHER THICK FLAME MAPLE
Tama 13″ Warlord Limited Edition
Pro-Mark 50th Anniversary
Yamaha 14″ x 5.5″ Kabuto
Best Custom Drum Maker
SJC CUSTOM DRUMS
Pork Pie Percussion
The Craviotto Drum Company
Orange County Drum & Percussion
Best Cymbal
ZILDJIAN ARMAND SERIES
Sabian 20″ HHX Evolution O-Zone Crash
Paiste Twenty Series
Zildjian 22″ K Medium Dark Ride
Best Drumhead
EVANS EC1
Remo Powerstroke X snare head
Remo Vintage A snare head
Aquarian Super-2
Best Drum Stick
VIC FIRTH DANNY CAREY NYLON TIP SIGNATURE
Vater Limited Edition 2007 Stewart Copeland Standard
Zildjian Backbeat Series
Pro-Mark Chris Adler model
Best Hardware
DW 8000 SERIES PEDALS
Tama Iron Cobra Rolling Glide Pedals with Cobra Coil Speed Spring
Pearl 900 Series
Tama Stage Master
Best Percussion
LP JOHN DOLMAYAN MINI-TIMBALE
Pearl Travel Conga
LP More Cowbell Ridge Rider Bell Pack
Remo Key-Tuned Djembe
Best Drumming Accessory
ZILDJIAN TRAVIS BARKER ARTIST SERIES CYMBAL AND DRUMSTICK BAGS
Vater Safe ‘N Sound Earplugs
SKB Roto-X cases
Aquarian Super-Thin Kickpads
Best Electronic Percussion
ROLAND HD-1 V-DRUMS LITE
Yamaha DTXpress IV
Roland PM-01 Personal Monitor
Alesis DM5 Pro
IV. MEDIA CATEGORIES
Best DVD
SECRET WEAPONS FOR THE MODERN DRUMMER (Jojo Mayer)
In Constant Motion (Mike Portnoy)
Ultimate Realistic Rock (Carmine Appice)
Billy Cobham Live At 60 (Billy Cobham)
Best Drumming Book
ON THE BEATEN PATH (Rich Lackowski)
Drumming Out Of The Shadows (Jason Bittner)
Hands, Grooves and Fills (Pat Petrillo)
Jimi Hendrix: Smash Hits Drums Play-Along
Best Drumming Album
HELLYEAH (HellYeah)
Obzen (Meshuggah)
Avenged Sevenfold (Avenged Sevenfold)
Echos, Silence, Patience & Grace (Foo Fighters)
Best Hand Percussion Album
THE MAGICIAN (Sammy Figueroa)
Global Drum Project (Mickey Hart, Zakir Hussain, Sikiru Adepoju and Giovanni Hidalgo)
Con Alma (Mark Weinstein)
Raise Your Hand (Poncho Sanchez)
Marimbula (Luis Conte)
Best Web Site
DRUMMERWORLD.COM
Pearldrum.com
drumsmith.com
drumbum.com
Best Print Ad
PEARL’S “CHAD SMITH GRAMMY MAGNET / REFERENCE SERIES” AD
DW’s “My Name Is… And This Is My Custom DW Kit” campaign
Pro-Mark’s “Say It With Your Music” campaign
Tama’s “Uncharted Rhythmic Terrain / Blue Man Group” ad
