August 5-9, 2022
Musician’s Institute
Los Angeles, CA

Drum Fantasy Camp triumphantly returned after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic! The sold out event took place August 5-9, 2022, at Musicians Institute and the Loews Hollywood Hotel in Los Angeles.

Drumming instructors included Mark Guiliana (David Bowie/Avishai Cohen), Simon Phillips (The Who/Jeff Beck), Steve Smith (Journey/Vital Information), and Dave Weckl (Chick Corea/Michel Camilo). The band featured bassist Hagar Ben Ari (The Late Late Show with James Corden), pianist Mike Garson (David Bowie), keyboardist Stu Mindeman (Kurt Elling), singer Chrissi Poland (Michael Bolton/Moby), and guitarist Vinny Valentino (George Benson/Vital Information).

As always, Drum Fantasy Camp opened with an incredible concert. Held in the Musicians Institute auditorium, the concert featured some great moments: an opening tribute to the drummers we've lost since 2019 (video in the right column of this page), Dave Weckl paying tribute to Jeff Porcaro with Toto's "Rosanna," Simon Phillips playing "Who Are You," and David Bowie's piano man Mike Garson sitting in with the band and Mark Guiliana to perform Bowie's "Young Americans."

The next four days included four days of classes with each of the drumming instructors. Mark Guiliana's class included a groove element with Hagar Ben Ari on bass, Mike Garson on keys, Stu Mindeman on keys, and Vinny Valentino on guitar.

At night, the band ran jams with the attendees. Keyboard phenom Jesus Molina stopped by with guitarist Leo Amuedo and Jesus' band! They joined Dave Weckl on stage for a jam that brought down the house.

The camp ended with a special day in the studio with veteran engineer/producer Dennis Moody.