Tiger Bill's DrumBeat Festival 2004

Performers at DrumBeat Festival 2004 (from left to right)
Dom Famularo, Greg DiCarlo, Kevin Soffera, Tiger Bill

TigerMix.com, Inc. and Zims Cymbal Cleaner presented DrumBeat Festival 2004 on October 16, 2004, at the Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Performing Arts in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Greg DiCarlo (creator of Zims Cymbal Cleaner and my partner in this venture) opened with his original Christian rock group Savior Soul. We then presented a plaque to Modern Drummer senior editor Rick Van Horn in memory of MD founder Ron Spagnardi.

Kevin Soffera (formerly of Seether) impressed the audience with his deep-groove drumming and offered tips on what it takes to be a working drummer in the music business. During the intermission all DrumHeads in attendance enjoyed the action in the lobby, which included the opportunity to try out Futz Practice Pedals and test their skills against the Drumometer.

WFD Champ Art Verdi

World's Fastest Drummer (WFD) Champ Art Verdi took the stage to discuss his finger technique, explain the Drumometer, and to dispel common misconceptions regarding extreme sport drumming.

Jotan Afanador demonstrates his Shaking Vibrations technique

Jotan Afanador and his Shaking Vibrations!

Jotan Afanador then amazed the audience with his famous "Shaking Vibrations" technique.

I got into the action myself with a demonstration of tension-free drumming followed by an extended solo where I used a variety of techniques, including bare-handed drumming. Lots of fun!

Our special guest, Dom Famularo, topped off the proceedings by providing humor, motivation, and high-quality drum chops. Then, Dom called us all back on stage for a finale that brought the capacity crowd to its feet!

Check out out this brief video clip, which will give you a better idea of what was going on than I can describe in words alone.

Video of DrumBeat Festival 2004

Web Site Members and Friends Galore!
Take it from me, putting together an event like this is a lot of hard work but, from the positive responses of those who attended, I believe we achieved what we set out to do. That was, to put together a fun day of drum clinics that not only included entertaining performances but practical tips, tricks, and techniques that every DrumHead could take home. Not to mention the ton of valuable prizes we gave away, courtesy of our many generous sponsors (see the sidebar on the right).

In addition, DrumBeat Festival 2004 felt like old home week to me. Not only did I have the chance to meet many Web site members face to face for the first time, but many DrumHead friends that I hadn't seen in years came out to support the event as well!

I'd just like to say THANK YOU! to everyone who made this event possible and stay tuned for our next DrumBeat Festival, which will be even bigger and better!

Until then... Stay Loose!

Tiger Bill

Tiger Bill and friends

DrumHeads identified from left to right starting from the top: Eddie Slivka (former student and long time friend), Site Member Marisa, and 4 year old Zach after his run on the Drumometer!

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