Winter NAMM 2011 Recap

It was an incredibly successful, enjoyable and generally busy winter NAMM show this year! We had all sorts of artists visiting the booth to hang out and sign autographs. Everyone from Steve Gorman (Black Crowes) to Chris Pennie (Coheed & Cambria), Giovanni Hidalgo to Jojo Mayer, and Peter Erskine to John Dolmayan (System of a Down) came by.

D’Addario booth, which featured individual brands including Evans Drumheads, Rico Reeds, Planet Waves Cables & Accessories and D’Addario Strings, was based around a club layout- complete with a stage full of instruments and accessories. Jojo Mayer’s drum set was showcased on the stage with his Evans G Plus coated white tom heads and Hybrid Coated snare head.

Evans artist Mark Guiliana and his group Beat Music put on a fantastic performance at the Sabian Live evening party during the show. Jojo Mayer came up to double drum with Mark Guiliana at the end of the set- quite the cool thing to witness!

Evans Drumheads was pleased to announce several new products and expansions in addition to a decrease in the price of drum set heads!

The long awaited 26” EMAD
You’ve asked for it and now you’ve got it! In addition to the 18, 20, 22 and 24” sizes, Evans Drumheads will now offer a 26” EMAD. The 26” EMAD offers a powerfully unbeatable BOOM that is sure to shake the stage.

Inked by Evans Collectible Heads
In addition to ordering custom Inked bass drum resonant heads, you can now order either a custom 12” collectible drumhead or a 12” collectible drumhead clock! Both make great gifts and/or items for your merchandise table at a show.

Inked by Evans Upgrades:
•18” and 26” sizes now available
•Use of certain drum brand logos
•Logo color options (Evans and drum brand)

VOTE: Modern Drummer Readers Poll

It’s that time of year again; time to vote in the Modern Drummer Readers Poll! We’re not telling you who to vote for, but we thought you might want to know which Evans artists have been nominated to the categories. Help us show them some love and vote!

Hall of Fame:
Richie Hayward

Mainstream Rock:
Phil Rudd

Alternative:
Glenn Kotche
Chris Pennie

Metal:
Brann Dailor
Gene Hoglan

Prog:
Marco Minnemann
Aquiles Priester

R&B:
Chris Coleman

Fusion:
Billy Cobham

Up & Coming:
Ulysses Owens Jr.
Billy Rymer

Educational Book:
Intro to Polyrhythms by Ari Hoenig
Rock Solid: Drums by Liberty DeVitto and Sean J. Kennedy

Educational DVD:
Great Hands for a Lifetime by Tommy Igoe
The Infallible Reason of My Freak Drumming by Aquiles Priester

Recorded Performance:
Dethalbum II (Dethklok) with Gene Hoglan

Voting ends on February 15th!

NYC Winter Jazz Fest Recap

It was a fantastic weekend for live Jazz in New York City. On January 7th and 8th, the Boom Collective presented the NYC Winter Jazzfest. Among the many musicians performing were Evans artists Mark Guiliana, Dafnis Prieto, Eric Kalb and Ari Hoenig.

Each put on fine performances with their own percussive flavor. Mark Guiliana took home award for most sets performed throughout the festival, playing with Nguyen Le, Donny McCaslin Trio and Now vs. Now over the course of both nights.

Check out some photos from the festival below:

Mark Guiliana performing with Nguyen Le at Zinc Bar

Dafnis Prieto performing with Proverb Trio at Zinc Bar

Eric Kalb performing with Charlie Hunter at Le Poisson Rouge

Mark Guiliana performing with the Donny McCaslin Trio at Kenny's Castaways

Ari Hoenig performing with Pilc/Moutin/Hoenig at Zinc Bar

The festival was sold soon after starting, with throngs of musicians and music enthusiasts piling into various venues in Greenwich Village. With Jazz music coming from both sides of the street, around the corner and down the block, there was something for everyone.

Perfecting Your Snare Drum Sound

The following factors should be considered when perfecting the sound of your snare drum.

Head Choice
This is the most obvious factor that comes to mind when people consider the sound of their snare drum. It makes perfect sense that the type of head used (single ply vs. double ply, reinforced vs. unreinforced, etc.) would have a strong impact on the sound of the drum.

Visit the Evans Player Profiles to find the best snare head for you.

Snare Wires
Choice of snare wires is the most often overlooked factor in achieving a certain sound from a snare drum. There are a wide variety of options available; 12 strand through 30 strand, twisted vs. individual strands, brass vs. steel. Here are some general rules to help you in your quest for the perfect set of snare wires:

Tuning
Your choice of tuning will not only affect the overall pitch of the drum but the resonance and timbre as well. Check out Bob Gatzen’s video on tuning your snare drum: Snare Tuning

Muffling
Use of muffling such as the Min-EMAD, E-Rings and other modifiers affects not only the sustain/resonance of the drum but the overtones present in the sound of the drum. The Min-EMAD helps to suppress unwanted overtones while retaining the desired attack and tone. The variable application allows you to fine tune the amount of damping taking place. The E-Rings simply “float” on the surface of the drumhead. The rings round out the sound of the drum by minimizing high-frequency resonance. This, in turn, shortens the sustain of the drum.