Feel Like We Do
No, HollywoodDrum.com has not grown more gray and mellow, or less gaunt and pouty in that cool rockstar way; neither have we assumed a proper banker’s haircut over a golden blown-out mane, or gut-covering button-down in place of one seriously badass open kimono shirt. We are simply and officially one year more mature and fleshed-out since our debut post, Hollywood Drum Comes Alive!. We still rock a badass kimono. It’s our first anniversary. If gifting paper, make it cash.

In that introduction a trip-around-the-sun ago, I expressed a desire for the site to fulfill its newly minted slogan: L.A.’s Drum Community Has A Home. Based on the much appreciated feedback and contributions we’ve received from many of you, it’s well on its way. The opportunity and privilege of connecting the tribe has helped make this past year an exciting and satisfying journey.

Best Of
Some highlights (CUE “The Way We Were”): We bought Dan Konopka (OKGo) a scotch and assigned him to cover the Pro Drum 50th Anniversary Celebration—an early lesson in delegation. Q&As with Phil Maturato of Drummer Intensive Days, Peter Erskine, Alex Acuna, and Mike Clark heralded our support and coverage of local master classes and clinics of interest. Our video interview with Ashes Divide and Pusicifer drummer, Jeff Friedl, ushered our technical production capacity beyond the girlfriend-with-a-camcorder territory of debut interviews with Craig Macintyre and Elvy Brock. And so, Stanton Moore and Brian Blade features initiated full show reviews that culminated in our latest of Taylor Hawkins. A cheeky pictorial recounting of The Hollywood Drum Show presaged our most recent cheeky pictorial recounting of concurrent Guitar Center and Sam Ash parties on Sunset. Then there’s Steve Gadd—a video interview and show review. That was cool. Hehe. A Kneebody show downtown featuring Nate Wood on drums inspired a morning-after series of mini-reviews dubbed “Hittin’” and a subsequent full video feature with Nate. But a mere sampling of our debut year. You’ll find a more complete listing neatly organized in Features and the News Archive.

On Purpose
I’m not comfortable calling it a highlight, but when we lost Jake Hanna this February, Stan Keyawa of Pro Drum contacted me with the news; and I asked Stan to write the tribute. He did a lovely job. This was important to me because it seemed to best characterize the purpose of this site as a venue for L.A. drummers to connect and reach out. This truly is your website, and I felt pleased to turn it over to a rightful owner at that moment.

Now Playing
One of the most used and—according to you—appreciated resources has been the Calendar featuring dates listed by drummer. To enhance this feature and truly get it running up to potential, we need your help. Please feel free to submit any cool hits you know of—maybe yours, maybe not yours. A brief note on this: Some dates have been submitted that don’t actually make the Calendar. Please consider that they are timely and of wide appeal and interest. Not that I won’t show up at the Moose Lodge (a decent hang) on a Monday night, but it may not quite pass wide-appeal muster. Forward dates and info here. Also, please feel free to post any and all gigs, classifieds, and general musings on the Hollywood Drum Forum.

To Come
Big, exciting, informative, entertaining, super-awesome stuff to come in the year ahead. A revamped site update is on the way. Valued new partners are coming aboard. A new production team and an on-deck roster of some of L.A.’s best promise expanded and ever-evolving video content. We’ve got stuff. Don’t you worry about it. But, as ever, we need, welcome, and appreciate your involvement. All ideas, feedback, or submissions are always encouraged and solicited. Talk to us.

As HollywoodDrum.com evolves further, we’ll continue to focus our attention on improving and expanding the elements that best support our mission of being the online home for the L.A. drum community. Clink.

“You’re Invited: Hollywood Drum Shop GRAND OPENING April 10-11.” I received the over-sized postcard promotional mailer from Guitar Center and—against protocol—was compelled to give it a second look. Grand Opening? Capital letters?! Hasn’t this place been around since 1985? Indeed it has. It seemed conspicuously clear that this artificial grand opening (no capitals for you!) was inspired by the last authentic Grand Opening along the north side of the 7400 bock of Sunset Boulevard in December of 2008: G.C.’s newest next-door neighbor, Sam Ash Drum Shop.

Party Like It’s Yo Birthday
Promotional audacity and competitive mettle are hallmark qualities of the company. No surprise there. With over 200 retail stores nationwide, they are simply dancing with the one what brung ’em. Really, the one thing that saved that three-color little piece of cardboard from instant recycling, was the two-day list of events on the back. Clinics from Famularo, Roddy, Perkins and Erskine. A Sunday meet-and-greet with Aronoff, Lombardo, Blaine, Mangini, and about fifteen other profile L.A. drummers. A drum circle. In-store infomercial—sorry, “dialogue”—with John Good. It doesn’t necessarily need to be your birthday to throw a super party for yourself. This was to be an L.A. drum happening, and your online Home for L.A.’s Drum Community—that would be us—was going to be there.

A quick call to G.C. corporate in Westlake Village, CA, and we were officially credentialed for the event. In practice, this amounted to little more than talking our way past the marginally-invested security dude and heading up to the drum department in between the meet-and-greet and set-up for the evening clinics. Yeah, we missed the full-on flesh-pressing and shoulder-grazing of the early afternoon’s reception. Fine with me, but it does account for the dearth of party pics in our pictorial coverage. I knew when I passed Vinny Appice walking out on my way in that the last streamer had fallen.

_ _ _ _ Thy Neighbor
Minutes prior, I stopped by Sam Ash Drum Shop next door for their own little reactive fete they were calling, “Drumfest on Sunset.” It seems Vinny had been doing double duty—also billed for their contemporaneous meet-and-greet. Not only are these two neighbors not sharing their lawn tools, they’re walking their dogs without a leash and looking away with a wink. Good doggy.

The good news for us is that we have two competitive, well-inventoried, and inviting drum shops in our community for the price of one parking meter. It’s our gain. Ultimately, it’s hard to complain. And if they both want to throw a party on the same weekend, then call a cab and belly up.

As for this GRAND OPENING, it was a modest remodeling. New carpet; the percussion room is now the electronic room; some Hollywood-sign-type letters on a fake brick wall—that type of thing. Luckily, Moonie’s gold Tommy kit is still in the front window. All is well, if a bit tense, on Drummer’s Row. Party on.

For The Record
Shortly following the posting of this blog and accompanying feature, we were contacted by Glenn Noyes, national drum and percussion buyer for Guitar Center, requesting an opportunity to share additional information and the GC perspective regarding this event. We are happy to oblige. Please find his addendum here.