Bruno Mars Plays Drums Behind Janelle Monae at The 53rd Annual Grammys
Just thought I would throw up a picture of Bruno Mars playing drums. He just played at The Grammys behind Janelle Monae. I’m pretty sure he wasn’t actually being heard, and that he was just playing the same stuff as his drummer (who was in the house speakers) but he sold it! It looked to me like he can actually hold it down though, so he gets my respect!
My Favorite Drum Kits and New Products From the 2011 NAMM Show
I was lucky enough to get a pass for the NAMM show this year, and thought I would take some pictures of my favorite new products and kits from the show.
As you might know, NAMM is a trade show where all companies music come to display their latest and greatest products. Buyers come to check out these products, and potentially purchase them. Each company wants their booth to stand out, so drum companies usually have one huge, overly elaborate kit set up. I decided to take pics of my favorites so check them out!
The Kits
TAMA
This kit wrapped 360 degrees, and it was the largest kit at the show from what I saw
LUDWIG
Check out that suspended bass drum! It was hanging from wires attached to the ceiling.
DRUM WORKSHOP – DW
In case you didn’t know this is the latest Neil Peart kit. Keep in mind they endorse Terry Bozzio as well. How do they keep up!?
GRETCH
Speaking of Terry Bozzio, this is reminiscent of his cymbal set up. This rack was incredible.
PEARL
This kit was the hardest to capture in a picture. It was so tall I couldn’t seem to get it all in frame.
TRICK DRUMS
This kit was tiny but so cool! That metal wheel on the resonant bass drum head was slowly spinning, and their was smoke billowing from some of the metal tubing.
And now for my favorite new products from the show. Fyi I wanted to take more pictures but I ran out of room on my memory card! 
Its cool though, I still got some good ones.
The Products
Chad Smith’s Holy China: Sabian
This is Chad Smith’s signature china from Sabian. I haven’t tried it personally, but I definitely trust Chad Smith to put his name on great sounding stuff.
Corey Miller: Remo / Ludwig
As you may know, Corey Miller is first and foremost a tattoo artist. He does, however, play drums and designs killer artwork for them. Here is a picture of his signature snare drum through Ludwig, and his signature head by Remo.
Jarrah Snare Drums: Brady Drums / Chris Brady
As I said in my previous NAMM post, Chris Brady went on another one of his “walkabout” tours in the Australian wilderness to find all kinds of amazing woods to make drums out of. Pictured is one of his Ply snare drums made from Jarrah.
“Triple Bass Pedal”: Dualist
Dualist has been making these pedals for a while, but I didn’t even know about them until this year. In a nutshell, the right pedal control the two right beaters so both the upstroke, and the downstroke of the pedal trigger a stroke by a different beater. The left pedal controls the far left beater like a normal double pedal. Kind of a dumb concept if you ask me, but who am I to judge.
The Vari-Tone and Qube Shakers: Latin Percussion – LP
Here is something I am genuinely excited about. These shakers are both awesome in their own ways. The Vari-tone shaker is spring loaded and has a tiny opening in the center that can be closed if you squeeze it. Closing the shaker provides a different tone than if it’s open, so you can change while you’re playing!
The Qube might be the most original, and ingenious shaker I’v ever seen. You can use it like a regular shaker with a back and forth motion, BUT, you can also shake it side to side. Furthermore, if you shake it in a circle you can achieve steady 16th notes as all four walls trigger a sound! Once you get the hang of it you can play ruffs, and other patterns in the midst of your playing. Awesome.
Twenty Masters Series Cymbals: Paiste
My favorite new product from NAMM had to be the new line of Paiste Cymbals. These are an extension of the Twenty series, and every new piece sounds incredible. The line is called “Masters” and rightly so. The tones range from elegantly dirty, to bright and washy, but stay true to Paiste’s amazing craftsmanship, and tonal options.
I hope you enjoyed my NAMM show 2011 wrap up! As I said previously, I am going to try to post more as time goes on. Thanks for reading!
