drumFantasy.12 August 9-13,
2012
Hyatt Regency Hotel
Cleveland, OH
2012 was another great year for Drum Fantasy Camp!
Campers came from 15 countries, including India,
Australia, Brazil, the UK, and many more! We also
welcomed several new faces to our lineup of
instructors and performers!
The camp opened on August 9, 2013, 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. Event
coordinator Paul Kelly did an amazing job of pulling
everyone together - setting up in record time!
At Noon, Keith Carlock, Peter Erskine,
Will Kennedy,
Steve Smith, and Dave Weckl walked on-stage and
performed individual solos followed by a group
piece, and then a roundtable discussion. Keith and
Will were new to the camp - and they added so much
to the conversation and performance!
Will is a very inspiring person. He puts so much
passion into everything he does! Everyone in the
audience responded to his enthusiasm and sage
advice!
Keith's unique style was especially compelling to
the audience. His groove and dynamics are amazing.
When asked about his dedication to healthy eating
and exercise, Keith touched the audience by
explaining how being a new father has been such an
inspiration. The camp crew can vouch for that; we
caught him coming out of the hotel gym shortly after
arriving, despite a hectic trip by way of Japan!
One highlight of the day: an appearance from the
legendary Vic Firth! Vic attended the whole first
day and also some classes and the jam on our second
day.
Accompanied by Joe Testa, director of artist
relations, Vic inspired everyone with wisdom, humor,
and class. Thanks so much to Vic for attending!
The three-hour clinic ended with an incredible drum
piece performed by all five instructors.
At 7:30 p.m., guitarist and music director Vinny
Valentino brought out an all-star band featurnig
John Benitez (bass), Josh Dion (vocals/keys/drums),
and Oli Rockberger (keys/vocals). The band proceeded
to put on an amazing and diverse concert for a
nearly-full House of Blues, right across from the
hotel.
Each drummer took a turn jamming with the band and
also soloing for the enthusiastic crowd. A highlight
of the evening: the closing piece, Steely Dan's
"Aja," featuring the duo of Steely Dan Alumni Keith
Carlock and Peter Erskine! The band didn't miss a
hit, and neither did these drummers - trading drum
fills and bringing the audience to its feet! A video
of the song will appear on this page soon.
The next four days featured two master classes per
day with the drumming instructors. With 15 attendees to a room, topics and discussions were
intimate and interactive. Most classes included
lecturing, playing, and plenty of intense
discussion.
Retired percussionist Bill Platt (the Cincinnati
Symphony) joined Peter Erskine's class, focusing on
hand technique. As always, he and Peter made a great
team!
Will Kennedy kept spirits high - getting each of his
students grooving and focusing on serious dynamics!
He also kept everyone laughing! When an attendee did
something he liked, he would run to the door of his
room, push it open, and yell into the hallway: "IT'S
GETTIN' FUNKY IN HERE!!"
Of course, Will's class was right next to Dave
Weckl's class. So, after Will ran back into his
room, Dave would emerge from his room trying to
figure out what happened! Will eventually took his
class down to Dave's room, opened the door, and
yelled this for Dave in person! It was one of the
funnier moments we've seen at the camp!
During three of the evenings, campers attended our
legendary jam nights! Bassist John Benitez,
singer/keyboardist/drummer Josh Dion, and guitarist
Vinny Valentino formed the jam night band. Armed
with dozens of rock, jazz, and funk tunes, the band
and our attendees jammed for hours!
Each night, campers were called to the stage by MC
William Wolkoff. Each of our instructors took turns
playing with the band either on drums and
percussion. Some highlights of the jams included an
ambient Indian piece that featured Will Kennedy,
Arun Kumar, and Steve Smith (right). Dave Weckl did
duets with Will, Peter Erskine, Keith Carlock, and
Steve Smith!
Campers had an amazing time playing with pro
musicians and also watching their instructors take
the stage!
On the last night, campers went to Cleveland's
Nighttown restaurant for a very special performance
of the Jeff Coffin band. The band featured drummer
"Futureman" Roy Wooten (Bela Fleck) and
Felix Pastorius (The
Yellowjackets).
Everyone had a great time and Felix was kind enought
to pose for a photo with our campers! A great
closing to another amazing week at Drum Fantasy
Camp...
