St. Charles, IL – Okay, so you may be asking yourself, what is Gbase doing at an all Drum-based show. Welp, as I walk thru the show floor, as a guitarist of over 40 years, I asked myself that very question. Imagine if you will, being abducted from your home, being placed in a very ecomonical, commerical airline flight to Chicago and then driven to a small suburb outside Chicago. Yet when you land there, it’s a foreign land. You don’t speak the language. You don’t understand the language. Trust me, it’s as strange as it sounds. I’m sure drummers probably experience the same thing at a guitar show but it was an entirely new experience for me.

Our goal at the Chicag0 show was to speak to some new dealers and introduce them to the world of Gbase. We’ve been seeing and hearing from more and more drummers, asking for drum gear, so we’re starting to market to the wild-world of drums and percussion.

The show actually turned out to be quite cool. I got my big thrill for the summer. I met Bun E. Carlos, drummer extrodinaire from Cheap Trick.

As a long time Cheap Trick fan, it was too cool to meet the man behind the kit and see him in his element, even without his trademark cigarette. He was surrounded by more Ludwig Drums than you’d ever want to see and he seemed totally at home, not to mention we were in Illinois. Cheap Trick will be touring their asses off this summer as part of a triple-bill with Def Leppard and Poison. Certainly an interesting bill for all you 80′s fans.

And although there wasn’t a guitarist within what seemed like a million miles (there was another “show” just down the street that I unfortunately missed -  Chicago GUITAR Show – only 10 miles away), the clinics were an interesting mix of  jazz, funk, fusion, rock and free-form – something for everyone so to speak. Zoro (known best for his work with Lenny Kravitz) did an amazing clinic that was jam packed. Not unlike any guitar clinic I’ve had the pleasure to attend, attendees were riveted to his fluid style. I’ve seen Lenny many times and have to admit, I’ve taken the drummer for granted. Zoro can groove with the best of them. This was followed by a Will Calhoun clinic that was beyond jaw dropping. All you Living Colors fans know what a slamming rhythm section they have but this took that up a notch (although I would have like to see Wishbash show up for this).

Fluke Holland, longtime musicial director for Johnny Cash (he was the only drummer Johnny ever had, cranking it out for over 40 years), did a day-ending clinic and also brought along a Gretsch drum kit that was truly awe-inspiring. It was the first drum kit used on the Grand Ole’ Opry.

If you’re not familiar with the Grand Ole Opry and Ryman Auditorium, you’ve got a little homework to do, as you need to know your music history. The Opry is where bluegrass music began its journey into homes across the region via radio. It’s a long story and one you should get acquainted with, as it’s a fascinating tale. However, the current official Grand Ole’ Opry isn’t located where it all started. It all started in the Ryman, home to the radio show as well as the legendary performances, which then moved out to its currently location. Drums weren’t originally allowed on the program. But I digress, Fluke’s drum set was used on the infamous Carl Perkins Track “Blue Suede Shoes” and was part of the Sun Recording legacy. This guy was nothing short of a living legend.

All drummer jokes aside, drummers aren’t that much different from guitarists, as least from a “gear” standpoint. A few of the drummers I spoke with owned in excess of 40 snares, 20 drum kits, over 100 cymbals, hardware you could build a city with – my question is, “where do you store all of that gear?” I mean a few amps, a couple of guitars – that’s a few closets and under the bed. 20 drum kits? Egads, that’s a lot of real estate. Not to mention if you own a kit with one of these….

This is a bass drum manufactured by a company called Rock Custom Drums. It’s a monster. I don’t know how it sounds but it looked like a weapon. Drummers certainly have stretched the boundaries of the traditional look, feel and sound. And in the truest sense of tradition, how much more traditional can you get that this…

Ludwig is celebrating 100 years of drum making. They have an amazing DVD that they played on a loop. They played a segment on the Ringo kit and how it basically put Ludwig on the map in the world of rock ‘n roll drums. A fascinating DVD if you get a chance, check it out.

Other than that, it was a loud weekend of drum chops, flams and paradiddles.  We met some interesting characters, a few interested dealers and hopefully a few interested gbase visitors.

Until next time….