The first Drum Fantasy Camp was a doozy! It was highlighted by a diverse lineup of drumming instructors, three incredible bands headlining the opening concert, and an introduction to the DFC band. 109 drummers took part!

Drumming instructors included Steve Smith, Dave Weckl, Horacio "El Negro" Hernandez, Jason Bittner, Pat Petrillo, Jason Gianni and Glenn Weber.

Students arrived on Friday afternoon. They registered, and then hopped on a bus over to Seton Hall for a reception and kick-off concert with Steve Smith and Vital Information! The crowd was treated to a fantastic concert featuring Steve, Tom Coster, Baron Browne, and Vinny Valentino. Steve had a few surprises in his back pocket for the camp!

On flute, hand percussion, and konnokol, was the great Ravichandra Kulur. Steve also invited Israeli percussionist Gilad Dobrecky. It was an amazing lineup and the camp attendees saw a very rare and special performance.

Saturday morning saw the beginning of classes. Everyone was assigned to a group and that group went from class-to-class together.

It was amazing how people bonded so quickly. Drummers huddled around cafeteria tables talking drums and trading concepts with their sticks and practice pads. The instructors also ate in the cafeteria. This provided more time for questions and discussion - as did the the lawn right outside the classrooms. Steve Smith was seen leading impromptu lessons out there after lunch!

The second evening provided campers with another incredible concert. But this time, it was a double feature.

The first show was a band put together by Horacio Hernandez. He brought with him Turkish pianist Fahir Atakoglu and bassist Melik Yirimibir. The trio played an assortment of fascinating tunes.

One special treat: Horacio performed "Lullaby for Miles" on Mbira and invited Dave Weckl to accompany him on a snare drum with brushes.

Dave returned to the stage for the second show with a band he put together exclusively for this occasion. It featured Tom Kennedy on a 250-year-old upright bass, George Colligan on piano, and Ralph Bowen on saxophones.

Days three through five consisted of daytime master classes limited to just 15 campers per class. This gave everyone some quality time with the teachers.

The last two nights of the camp saw our original Jam Nights in which the campers got to sit in with an all-star band. The band was led by guitarist Vinny Valentino and featured bassist Baron Browne and singer Chrissi Poland.

This band had been performing on Monday night in New York city with a very great drummer - Joel Rosenblatt. But, on "jam night," it was the campers who were given the opportunity to contribute. The Jam Night tradition has continued ever-since and the band has become a main feature of Drum Fantasy Camp!

The tradition of instructors sitting during jams started here. When the band broke into Van Halen's "Hot for Teacher," campers were treated to Jason Bittner's blindingly fast version of the song's double-bass shuffle. Steve Smith also joined in on the song, showing a different side of his playing!

Dave Weckl and Horacio Hernandez spent most of the two nights on timbales and congas, accompanying campers during their turns on the drum kits. There were a lot smiles back and forth as campers realized who was backing them up!

All-in-all, a lot was learned and there was much fun to be had!