drumFantasy.11 August 11-15,
2011
Hyatt Regency Hotel
Cleveland, OH
2011 saw the Drum Fantasy Camp grow in every way
with more campers from more countries enjoying a profound lineup of teachers and performers.
77 full-time campers joined 25 partial-camp
attendees travelled from 16 countries for classes,
jams, and two incredible concerts!
The camp opened on August 11, 2011, with an
afternoon clinic. This followed several hours of
setup and sound checking. More than a dozen campers
came early to help with the load-in and to also get
an inside view of how a large concert comes
together.
It was a fun team effort! Thanks to everyone who
took part!
At Noon, Chris Coleman, Peter Erskine,
Gavin
Harrison, Steve Smith, and
Dave Weckl walked
on-stage and performed individual solos followed by
a roundtable discussion.
The instructors covered a wide-range of topics, but
Chris Coleman made perhaps the most profound
contribution when he introduced his driving
philosophy: "I AM my business." Chris painted a very
real picture of a musician's career and the work
ethic needed to be successful.
Chris' point was that every part of what we do:
rehearsing, arriving to practice on-time, being a
good listener, serving the music, and being
professional in every facet of our careers, is what
drives success. When we take full responsibility, we
ARE our business. This resonated with everyone in
the room.
The three-hour clinic ended with an incredible drum
piece performed by all five instructors. Steve Smith
charted out a phrase that all the drummers played
together. This was followed by a solo. At the end of
the solo, the phrase repeated, followed by the next
soloist. This repeated as the intensity of the piece
grew. The syncopated ending brought down the house!
At 7:30 p.m., guitarist Mike Stern, bassist
Tom
Kennedy, and saxophonist Bob Franceschini
took the stage for an eclectic and powerful concert
at Cleveland's House of Blues.
Dave Weckl played the first set, as he is a regular
contributor to tours and projects with Mike Stern.
Dave and the band jammed to recent and classic Stern
tunes. The set closed with an epic drum solo.
After a short intermission, each instructor came out
to play a few songs and solo with the band. Steve
Smith wowed the audience with his version of "Mr.
Hi-hat," while Gavin Harrison lit it up on the
classic "Chromazone."
Peter Erskine delivered some of the tastiest and
most dynamic grooves, while Chris Coleman lit up
room with his power, finesse, and personality!
The next four days featured two master classes per
day with the drumming instructors. With 15
drummers to a room, topics and discussions were
intimate and interactive. Most classes included
lecturing, playing, and plenty of intense
discussion.
On the three of the days, we offered bonus classes
in the late afternoon.
Day one saw Los Angeles sound engineer Dennis Moody
teaching a class about getting a great drum sound
live and in the studio. Day 2 had a class devoted to
best practices when performing with a band. The
third day featured the great Bill Platt (retired
form the Cincinnati Symphony) teaching practical
hand techniques. It was an honor having him there.
During three of the evenings, campers attended our
legendary jam nights! For the fifth consecutive
year, bassist Baron Browne, Singer/keyboardist
Chrissi Poland, and guitarist
Vinny Valentino formed
the jam night band.
Each night, campers were called up to play a tune by
MC William Wolkoff. The band and campers locked in
on all kinds of music; including funk, jazz, and
rock tunes. Each ofour instructors took turns
playing with the band either on drums or percussion
- and a camp highlight was the explosive duet
between Dave Weckl and Chris Coleman! We're pretty
sure the entire hotel shook!
Another highlight was the appearance of legendary
Indian drummer Sivamani, who joined Steve Smith
during the jams. Sivamani's contribution was
inspiring and eye-opening for everyone - and he's
just a fantastic person!
Vinny, Baron, and Chrissi were joined by Dave Weckl
for a concert at Cleveland's Nighttown restaurant on
the last night of the camp. The band jammed to cover
tunes, plus original material from Chrissi, and
brand new project from Vinny and Baron.
With little rehearsal, the band brought down the
house song-after-song. Guest performer Claire Weckl
made her father very proud when she joined the band
for a tune! Dad responded with an inspired solo at
the end - bringing everyone to their feet (with jaws
on the ground).