Meet the five finalists for Guitar Center\'s Drum-Off 2009. Beating out more than 4,000 other drummers in several rounds of regional competitions over the past several months, these five drummers are still battling for the Drum-Off championship crown:All five finalists will travel to Los Angeles’ Wiltern to perform in front of a celebrity panel on January 8, 2010.
Jury panel
The panel includes an eclectic range of renown professional artists: Peter Erskine (Steely Dan), Taylor Hawkins (Foo Fighters), Drew Hester (Foo Fighters/Joe Walsh), Thomas Lang (independent), Jason Sutter (Chris Cornell), Kenny Aronoff (John Mellencamp/sessions legend), John Tempesta (The Cult), Tony Royster Jr. (Jay-Z), Nisan Stewart (Jamie Foxx/50 Cent) and Ray Luzier (Korn).
In addition, the evening will feature a performance by “Bezerk,” an exclusive project presented by Tommy Lee (Mötley Crüe) and the Street Drum Corps’ Frank Zummo, featuring Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Matt Sorum (Velvet Revolver), José Pasillas (Incubus), Abe Cunningham (Deftones), DJ Aero, Sully Erna (Godsmack), Jay Weinberg (Bruce Springsteen\'s E Street Band), BANG! and others.
Tribute to John Bonham
Jane’s Addiction/Banyan drummer Stephen Perkins will once again host the evening. The night will also feature a tribute to Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham by his son Jason, along with an exclusive collaborative performance by Danny Carey (Tool) and Brann Dailor (Mastodon).
Order your tickets for the grand finale via LiveNation.
About the Drum-Off competition
Drum-Off are America\'s largest and longest running search to find the nation\'s top undiscovered drummer. The competition is broken down into three store preliminary competitions: Store Finals (store prelims and store finals take place in 214 Guitar Center stores); 24 District Finals; 5 Regional Finals and 1 Grand Final. All stages of the competition take place at a Guitar Center store with the exception of the grand finals.
