drumFantasy.18 August 10-14
Vic's Drum Shop
Chicago, IL
The 12th annual Drum Fantasy Camp saw the addition
of three new instructors and one new performer to
the Drum Fantasy Camp family! It also saw the return
of many of our friends.
Returning to Drum Fantasy Camp after his first year
(in 2017) was Styx drummer
Todd Sucherman. With just two days off
after the camp before he would head back out with
Styx, Todd brought his wit, incredible skills, and
straightforward and informative teaching style!
Also returning to the camp were longtime band
members Vinny Valentino (Music
Director/Guitar) and Chrissi Poland
(vocals). Bassist James Genus
returned for his third stint at the camp and also
brought his wife and daughter for the ride!
Keyboardist Stu Mindeman played one
of our nightly jams and also the closing concert!
New teachers/performers included a legend and two of
the hottest contemporary players out there. Drumming
icon Billy Cobham blew everyone
away with his concert performance and charming
manner! He was incredible in the classroom!
Robert "Sput" Searight and Matt
Garstka headlined an explosive closing
concert while inspriring everyone in their
classrooms. Keyboardist Paul Mutzabaugh
slayed the opening concert and first two jams! A
great hookup by Stu, who joined us after finishing
the Kurt Elling tour.
August 9th is when it all actually started. In the
afternoon, Todd Sucherman went straight from O'Hare
airport to Vic's Drum Shop where he put together his
kit and tuned it up. Attention to detail is a
hallmark of Todd's professionalism. He wasn't
leaving this task to soundcheck the next day.
Meanwhile, after spending some time at Vic's with
Todd, camp director Steven Orkin made his way over
to O'Hare to pick up Billy Cobham, who was coming
all the way in from Switzerland! Two hours after the
flight landed, Billy emerged from the customs area
in great spirits! But he was missing something...
The airline had lost his full personal set of Sabian
cymbals! Woudl they make it to the club the next
day? You'll find out in a minute! But the car ride
back to the hotel turned into a spirited drum lesson
for Steven. A real treat!
After an incredible staff dinner that night, it was
all business the next day - gearing up for the big
opening concert. Vic's Drum Shop
general manager John Maloney worked
with his incredible staff and the staff of Martyrs'
music club to bring the stage to life. Meanwhile,
Billy "went shopping" at Vic's, choosing from their
huge selection of Sabian cymbals because his set had
not yet reached Chicago. Billy found just what he
needed, and he and Steven made their way over to
Martyrs'.
The day was filled with soundchecking, rehearsal,
and plenty pizzas from the world-famous Lou
Malnati's (as demanded by longtime Lou Malnati's fan
Todd Sucherman!)
The opening concert delivered all the great moments
our attendees (and local Chicago music fans) have
come to expect over the years. It opened with Lee
Dorsey's "Everything I do Gohn Be Funky," featuring
all four drummers playing on snare! This eruped into
the usual snare drum duel between the instructors
and other shenanigans!
Todd Sucherman then stayed on to blow the crowd away
an eclectic mix of tunes! He was followed by Billy
Cobham, whose set featured a return to his roots
with the band performing "Stratus." He grooved hard
and jaws dropped. The intermission between sets
featured Steven Orkin and Mark Eldridge (Artisan
Customs) presenting performers with Mark's
hand-carved trophies. Todd and Billy closed out with
an amazing duet!
The next four days were the main days of the camp.
Full-time attendees ranged in age from 10 to 65 and
they came from all over the world, including:
Denmark, Germany, Brazil, Panama, England, Austria,
and Argentina!
Each day, attendees worked all day in a small group
with one drumming instructor. On Sunday, 13
attendees took the
"Groove/Swing Class" with Vinny and James as the
teachers! Each attendees got to play with the duo
and work on their time feel, groove, swing pulse,
and overall musicality.
During the evenings of the first three nights, we
ran our famous "Jam Nights." Hosted in the Vic's
Drum Shop Showcase Room, attendees were called up to
perform with James, Paul or Stu, Chrissi, and Vinny! Tunes
ranged from classic rock to straight-ahead jazz,
Indian fusion, and more. There was no pressure - but
several attendees found themselves being accompanies
by one or more of our drumming instructors! Only at
Drum Fantasy Camp...
On the final night, we ran a closing concert at
Martyrs' with our incredible band plus Matt Garstka
and Sput Searight. Matt highlighted his set with
Chick Corea's version of "CTA." He also wowed the
crowd with one of the most blistering solos we've
seen in 12 years of Drum Fantasy Camp!
Sput Searight closed out with a powerful set -
featuring the Brecker Brothers' "Some Skunk Funk."
At soundcheck, Sput introduced the band to horn
players Constantine Alexander and
David Ben Porat.
They blew everybody's hair back with their signature
parts to the Brecker Brothers' tune! The show
concluded with a crazy duet between with Matt and
Sput!
Completely drained from five days of learning and
great performances, attendees hugged and exchanged
contact information. And camp director Steven Orkin
held onto a drumhead signed by everyone who attended
the camp, courtesy of camper David Dadoun. It's a
moment he'll never forget...
