The Guitar Center’s Drum Off Grand Championship
There are only two people in the world. Adam and Eve. Gronka and Onka. It doesn’t matter. Suddenly one of them is in peril and the mate is nowhere to be found. For the purposes of our story, let us say that the female half of the population has a headache. She wants her temples rubbed. Onka, or is it Gronka, picks up a stick and bangs on the boulder beside her. Even picks up a sheep’s bone and bangs on the hide of an animal that has been stretched taut around a crude wooden frame.
Adam hears the pounding and comes running. Gronka (Onka?) does the same. Gentle fingers are applied, headache vanishes, and six million years later we’re here writing about that same concept – no, not massaging a lover’s forehead. Banging on something to make a noise, to communicate.
Here, on Saturday, January 5th, at the Music Box in Hollywood, Guitar Center hosted the Drum-Off Grand Championship. Three months ago, droves of drummers were driven to sign up for the preliminaries of this event. Two hundred and thirteen Guitar Center stores played host to the bangers, knockers, kickers, thumpers, bumpers, and beaters. Winners advanced from store preliminaries to store finals; store finalists went on to compete at the district level at one of twenty-four GC outlets. This whittled down selection of players proceeded to one of four regional events held at the Guitar Center stores in New York City, Hollywood, Chicago, and Houston. And the final four winners of these drum-offs advanced to the heads-up battle on January 5th.
The four finalists included Paul Stoot, Sherman Arnold, Daniel Marple, and Ivan Garcia. Each of the four contestants played a 5-minute solo spot before a judging panel that included: Steve Smith (ex-Journey); Kenny Aronoff (studio man extraordinaire); Vinny Appice (Heaven and Hell); Joey Castillo (Queens of the Stone Age); Alan White (former Yes); David Garibaldi (Tower Of Power); Ray Luzer (Army Of Anyone and Korn); John Tempesta (Rob Zombie); Thomas Lang (Queens of the Stone Age); and several other hip stickmen.
Prior to the four-way battle, drummers Steve Smith and David Garibaldi were singled out and presented with the “Drum Legends Award.” Named one of the top 25 drummers of all time by Modern Drummer in 2001, Steve Smith, occupied the drum chair for the rock band Journey from 1978-1985. He returned to the band in 1995 for their 1996 comeback, Trial By Fire. And David’s stickmanship with Oakland’s Tower Of Power truly set the standard and style of what a funk drummer needed to sound like.
After these special commendations, rhythmist Paul Stoot was up first. He worked a lot of patterns off his bass drum and was not tremendously engaging. Though he admitted, “I can’t go anywhere without a beat in my head,” he must have left his pattern book at home because he truly didn’t make much of an impression.
He was followed by Sherman Arnold, a musician with 16 years of experience. There was a little more show in his solo outing but his use of a double bass pedal provided for some strange transitions between passages and the overall effect was weak. A better player than Stoot, his stick twirling would not be enough to save him.
From the moment Daniel Marple sat down and announced, “Let’s get rad,” there was no question about the level of his technique, the execution, and simply his overall presence. His fills and rhythms were more technical than the previous two competitors, and he fused everything together with a real sense of imagination. During one wonderful passage, he held two sticks in his right hand so that one stick hit the top of his hi-hat while the other one caught the bottom of the cymbals. Very unique. Audience and judge response was loud and long.
Closing the evening’s competition was Ivan Garcia. He embodied a very funky/Latin feel and while he was superior to the first two combatants, he was not at the same level as Marple.
The judges took a few minutes to tabulate their votes and, not surprisingly, chose Keyser, West Virginia Daniel Marple as the winner. Coming in first place, the young drummer received money/prizes totaling about $50,000. This is a far cry from the first Drum-Off held 19 years when the competition was held in the parking lot of a Guitar Center and the winner walked away with a t-shirt and three pairs of drum sticks (or some suitably under whelming prize).
In fact, the winner took home a Toyota FJ Cruiser, $10,000 cash; a feature in a Guitar Center ad campaign; a $2,500 Levi’s shopping spree; a custom designed drum kit from DW, Pearl, Tama or Gretsch; a Roland TD20 electronic drum-set;a set of cymbals custom printed with the winner’s signature; a one year drum, cymbal, stick and head endorsement deal; and a write up in Modern Drummer magazine.
Marple is a gifted player and deserved the prize. Given a couple years in the trenches as a studio player and serious touring sideman, he may well go on to make a real name for himself.
Daniel made a few comments after scoring first place.
“These guys (his other competitors) are awesome. I truly felt honored to be on the same stage with these guys. I want to thank Guitar Center, my friends. I want to thank God.”
Some of the previous Drum-Off winners have become real mainstays in the world of rhythm. Cora Coleman, first place taker in the 2002 battle now plays with Prince, appeared on his recent 3121 album, and was part of the purple one’s performance at Super Bowl XLI.
Coleman was present this night and, in fact, was the sole female drummer represented. After appearing on a sort of makeshift red carpet where all the arriving drummers/judges stood for a couple minutes in order to field questions and pose for shots, she stopped for a few comments.
XS BS: Obviously Prince could play with any drummer he wanted to. That must be a real compliment to be playing with him?
Coleman: “I’ve learned a lot working with him. He’s definitely a genius. My experience with Prince has helped cultivate my musicianship. It is a treat to see him navigate through so many realms of performance, recording, marketing, and business. He has totally maximized his life with knowledge of everything from engineering, to gear, musical content…. pretty much every aspect of his musicianship is so on point! So it demands that everyone around bring it up a notch! Sometimes he will suggest things that he hears already and sometimes we just vibe or it can be a combination of his groove and my lil’ thing on top. He may even come in and just sit on the kit and play what he feels. I wouldn’t generalize it as demanding (though, sometimes it can be) but pretty awesome to make tangible history with such a timeless music icon!”
XS BS: What were your feelings about the Drum Off? What did you think of the winner (Daniel)? How did you like his performance?
Coleman: “I’m really in awe of the evolution of the Drum-Off as an event most looked forward to by, not just aspiring drummers but now the general public. The way GC has incorporated the video interviews and the killer bands that performed, it really has grown tremendously! I was glad to be a part of the event! Daniel really represents the winner’s chair! He had a very versatile solo that spoke volumes. The other competitors were fierce but he really left his mark!
XS BS: You were the only female in attendance at the Drum Off - how does that feel? The reality is, I can only think of a few female drummers/percussionists. Do you in any way feel like you have to carry the banner/mantle for female drummers? Or do you just go out there and do your thing?
Coleman: “I guess being the only female around does sort of stand out, huh? I totally recognize that my visibility in the music world and especially in the community of drumming is a banner for female drummers. I think everyone on all levels is a role model whether they play in a small band or in a large arena simply because there is always SOMEONE watching and to whatever that degree is, that is your influence. So I do “my thing”, but I try to do it well and enjoy myself and the experience! (smile”)
XS BS: And finally, what are you final observations about the word of drummers?
Coleman: “I think there is an endless realm of possibilities with drumming, music and life in general!! On whatever level, I exhort folks to dream, pursue and enjoy!!!”She’s a remarkable player and just the way she handles and presents herself is completely engaging.
You must be a great player to make your bones at this highest level. But many times, it comes down to the personality – does this person draw you in while they’re playing? Does this drummer really appear to be having fun?
Coleman, though only present on the red carpet for a few minutes, conveyed all these elements. You can read between her words and understand that this individual is the same Cora whether she’s back there mixing it up with Prince or simply taking a few minutes to answer some not-tremendously-profound questions at a local Drum-Off. She has passion for everything.
She also mentioned that winning the 2002 competition earned her endorsements with dozens of companies. Another benefit of being the best.
So, winning this award is no small achievement for a player. It is a real kick start for an up-and-coming musician. There is no guarantee of continuing on and landing a gig with Prince or scoring major endorsement deals. But the doors have been opened and now it is up to the player himself to mark out his own territory.
Jane’s Addiction drummer Stephen Perkins was the evening’s host. When he first walked onto the abbreviated red carpet, he said:
“I’m so happy to be flashed (referring to the cameras). Tonight we’re gonna be plastered by rhythms and paradiddles. Just tell me … I look great! The drummers will be judged on stage presence, creativity, and chops.”
XS BS: Tell us just a little bit about your own playing?
Perkins: “My first influences were Gene Krupa, Keith Moon, and John Bonham. Then there was African tribal music, the tiger drummers of Japan … I wanted to play in between the beat.”
Later, he introduced the Street Drum Corps with Adam Alt, Bobby Alt, and Frank Zummo, as they beat the hit out of everything on the stage. Then, Perkins brought up the various celebrity judges and as each judge took the stage, an accompanying video was flashed on huge side screens.
Perkins indulged in a brief marimba segment that was a little too strange to be taken seriously. But he was having fun and the audience acknowledged that.
Following his marimba thing and the competition proper, he brought out uestlove for a set uestlove has certainly stamped his unique funk/rock style on the music he creates. The band, Go Get a Late Pass!!! and the Roots took the stage for a set that combined the weird musicality of Frank Zappa with the psychedelic pulse of Jimi Hendrix with just a soupcon of Archie Bell/Drells and Buddy Miles tossed in. With Tuba Gooding on sousaphone and Capt. Kirk Douglas on electric guitar, they ran through a list that included bits and pieces of Hendrix’s “Machine Gun,” Dylan’s “Masters of War,” and various segues held together with uest’s ultra-funky backbeat (he really is reminiscent of what Buddy Miles brings to the drums), Douglas’ distorted guitar, and Tuba’s sousaphone-as-bass guitar riffs. Truly, Tuba’s approach to the instrument is remarkably unique and at moments it was uncanny in the way that his brass instrument really sounded like and conveyed the punch and essence of a regular electric bass guitar.
Angels and Airwaves closed the evening. Tom DeLong did his sort of normal spastic dance routine and the band – David kennedy, Matt Wachter, and Adam Willard – ran through a number of songs. The U2 influence was especially heavy on this evening and the triggering of what sounded like auxiliary music loops and rhythm tracks didn’t do much but litter an already bass heavy and muddied sound.
As the band was running through its routine, drummer Nate Morton was seen walking down the aisle. Morton, the drummer for the House Band that backed the various singers on the Rock Star: INXS show, was certainly one of the most gifted players in attendance. He agreed 100% with the panel’s selection of Marple as competition winner. Morton is a remarkable player, versatile, a rock pocket locker like few others. He has recently played with Paul Stanley and Richard Marx and is one paradiddle away from becoming a monster presence in the world of drummers.
Leaving the building, he summed it all up:
”If the bass goes boom and the snare goes crack, I’m happy!”
And that’s the real truth. You can play behind the most expensive set available and have a dozen mics on your kit. But if you don’t have it in the hands – that sublime connection between the fingers and the stick – no amount of gear will make you a real drummer. Certainly not one to compete on a level with the likes of Smith and Garibaldi and Marco Minnemann (also present this evening) – and absolutely not with Nate Morton.
STEVEN ROSEN
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