drumFantasy.13: Turkey February
6-10, 2013
Bilkent Hotel
Ankara, Turkey
drumFantasy.13: USA August 9-13, 2013
Hyatt Regency Hotel
Cleveland, OH
2013 was a busy and exciting year at Drum
Fantasy Camp!
In February, the crew headed over to Ankara, Turkey,
for one of the most rewarding camps we have ever
done. 55 attendees were treated to an incredible
educational experience experience!
Drummers Thomas Lang, Jojo Mayer, and
Steve Smith
joined Turkish percussionist/educator Teymuralp
Merter Fosforoglu for concerts, jams, and classes!
Our amazing Jam Night Band, featuring Baron Browne
(bass), Chrissi Poland, (vocals), and
Vinny
Valentino (guitar), also made the trip. An added
bonus: keyboard legend Tom Coster (Vital
Information/Santana/Billy Cobham) sat in for the
jams! An awesome experience for our attendees!
The opening concert featured Baron, Chrissi, and
Vinny. The closing concert featured legendary fusion
group Steve Smith and Vital Information. The room
was packed and the band "killed it!"
The drum instructors ran two three-hours classes per
day for four days. Several lucky guitar players took
classes with Vinny, and Chrissi taught vocal classes
to some talented young singers. This was the first
time we integrated otherinstruments into the camp -
and it worked great. Each of the guitarists and
vocalists had the opportunity to sit in with the Jam
Night Band!
Drum Fantasy Camp would like to thank the many
amazing staff members who helped us in Turkey:
Teymuralp Merter Fosforoglu, Damla Elif Hanasoglu,
Tolga Erelmali, Meslina Kibar, Melisa Turkay, and so
many more! We experienced wonderful food, culture,
musicians, and hospitality in this wonderful
country.
In August, DFC returned to the beautiful Hyatt
Regency at the Arcade in Cleveland. Drummers Joe
Goretti, Thomas Lang,
Aaron Spears, Steve Smith, and
Dave Weckl inspired and educated drummers from all
over the world!
The camp opened with a blow-out concert featuring
Baron, Chrissi, and Vinny performing with out
drumming instructors individually. Legendary
keyboardist Russell Ferrante (The Yellowjackets) sat
in and inspired everyone. All the drummers joined
the band at end for an epic jam!
The next four days featured two three-hour master
classes per day. Limited to just 15 per class, there
was some very personal and intense learning going
on! Of course, Dave doesn't own a watch, so his
afternoon classes tended to go more than one hour
over the time limit. No one complained! Joe Goretti
ran his "Career Course," helping younger drummers
and their parents understand the music industry -
and the strategies that can help support a music
career.
Our legendary Jam Nights were truly legendary - with
great performances by all of our campers (beginner to
professional)! We also had some classic jams
featuring out instructors: Joe Goretti rocking out
to Michael Jackson, Thomas Lang jamming with Dave
Weckl and Aaron Spears, and much more!
The camp wrapped up on August 8 with a concert at
Cleveland's Nighttown restaurant. Steve Smith tore
it up with and organ trio featuring Tony Monaco (B3)
and Vinny Valentino (guitar). Our attendees sat
back, relaxed, had a great meal, and saw an amazing
show!
.jpg "Teymuralp Merter Fosforoglu")
.jpg "Camper with Thomas Lang and Jojo Mayer")
.jpg "Chrissi Poland and a Camper on Jam Night")
