This Saturday, January 14th, 2017, Guitar Center's Annual Drum Off kicks off for the 28th(!) time. Hosted by famed session drummer Gregg Bissonette, the night will showcase the top five undiscovered drummers - read on to see who they are- as they compete for the DrumOff crown, a RockWalk induction honoring the two drummers behind James Brown's most celebrated grooves John "Jab'o" Starks and Clyde Stubblefield, and a special collaboration between GRAMMY award-winning drummer Larnell Lewis (Snarky Puppy) and Rashid Williams (John Legend). In addition, Sheila E. and Pete Escovedo will perform at the Drum Off as well.
The finalists Guitar Center's Drum-Off Finalists come from 5 regions in the US:
South East - Hilario Bell (Miami, FL)
South Central - Fred Boswell Jr. (Avondale, AZ)
Northeast - Kwesi Robinson (Lawrenceville, NJ)
West - Mark Pacpaco (West Covina, CA)
North Central - Anthony Burns (Saginaw, MI)
Finals Grand Prize
$25,000 Cash
Roland Electronic Drum Kit and the SPD-SX
GoPro Music Bundle Deluxe Pack
High-End Drum Kit by DW, Tama, Pearl, Gretsch or Yamaha (Winner's Choice)
Full set up of drum sticks, cymbals, and drumheads (Winner's Choice)
Cymbals, Sticks, Drumhead, and Drum Kit Endorsement Deals (Winner's Choice, *Subject to vendor's terms)
$500 Guitar Center Gift Card
VIP Experience at NAMM 2017
Appearance + Performance on Drum Channel
Guitar Center Clinic at Winner's Local GC
Write Up in Modern Drummer Magazine
Tickets Tickets are on sale now for the drum event of the year. Join the event on Saturday, Jan. 14 at 7pm at Club Novo in LA LIVE, downtown Los Angeles.
For tickets visit: axs.com/events/28th-annual-drum-off-finals
The Jury The 5 finalists performances will be evaluated by a panel of diverse and accomplished drummers representing a variety of different styles and backgrounds:
Steve Ferrone (Tom Petty, Average White Band)
Queen Cora Dunham (Dave Chapelle, Prince)
Thomas Lang (Paul Gilbert, Award-winning educator & clinician)
Gil Sharone (Marilyn Manson, Team Sleep, Stolen Babies)
Venzella Joy (Beyoncé)
Tony Royster Jr. (Charlie Puth, Jay Z)
Aaron Spears (Ariana Grande, Usher)
Rich Redmond (Jason Aldean)
Gerald Heyward (Chris Brown)
Dave Elitch (Antemasque, The Mars Volta)
Hannah Welton (Prince)
Eric Leiderman (Producer for Late Night With Seth Meyers)
