Mission From Gadd-Episode 2, Day 1...

First Stop!

Sunday, October 2, 2005

Colorado Drums & Percussion, Ft. Collins, CO



In response to Zildjian's hugely successful "Mission From Gadd" clinic tour in April 2005, Steve Gadd and the Zildjian Crew have hit the road for "Mission From Gadd-Episode 2", with the first stop, Ft. Collins, CO, hosted by Colorado Drums & Percussion. Like the previous "Mission From Gadd" clinic tour, Steve and the Zildjian crew are traveling in a self-contained luxury tour bus, this time visiting ten cities in fourteen days throughout the western region of the US.



The daylong event was held at Ft. Collins High School, beginning with the Zildjian Sales Event featuring special one-of-a-kind prototype cymbals and specially selected cymbals for the Zildjian Vault. The Sales Event drew a large crowd of enthusiastic drummers, clamoring for special "one of a kind" cymbals, followed by a "meet & greet" with Steve, where he graciously signed autographs and posed for photos with fans.



The clinic began just after 5:00 PM and according to Colorado Drums owner, Clarke Bennett, over 500 fans were in attendance for the nearly two-hour clinic. Steve was in his usual stellar form, demonstrating many of his classic grooves, including "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover", "Late In The Evening" and "Crazy Army", as well as taking questions from the audience.



The Zildjian crew accompanying Steve on the bus for the entire two-week tour includes: John DeChristopher-Vice President, Artist Relations & Event Marketing Worldwide, John King-Product Specialist and Steve Tirpak-Regional Sales Manager. In attendance in Ft. Collins were local Zildjian Sales Reps Ron Mileur and Thomas Mitchell.



Commented John DeChristopher, "I've done many clinics with Clarke and the guys at Colorado Drums and they're always totally professional and a pleasure to work with, but they took this clinic to another level. It was a great place to kick-off the clinic tour."



Steve Gadd said, "Tonight in Ft. Collins was a lot of fun - the guys at Colorado Drums and all the people in Ft. Collins are fantastic people, and I had a great time there."

Mission From Gadd-Episode 2, Day 2...

Monday, October 3, 2005

Back Beats Drums & Backline - Salt Lake City, UT.



After getting off to a great start in Ft. Collins, CO, we made ourselves comfortable on the bus for the eight-hour ride to Salt Lake City, UT. We arrived at our hotel in Salt Lake City just after 4:00 AM local time, ready for a little more sleep before we started another long day.



The Zildjian crew arrived at 2:00 PM and local Zildjian Sales rep Don Heisler and the staff at Back Beats: Kelly Wallis, Sean, Nate, Jared and Trash had everything well under control. The Sales Event and clinic were held at the University of Utah campus and right from the start, we knew things were going to be smooth. By the time we finished setting up for the Sales Event, there was already a crowd of people testing the various "Zildjian Sound Lab Prototypes", many of them buying them right on the spot.



Steve arrived at 4:30 PM for the meet & greet and was greeted by about 500 eager fans. Although we had programmed an hour for the meet & greet, Steve stayed longer to be sure every fan got to meet him and he signed every autograph.



The clinic began just after 7:00 PM and according to the staff at Back Beats, more than 750 people were in attendance; another sold out show! It was held in Gardner Hall at the University of Utah, one of the most beautiful halls we've ever seen, with great acoustics. Steve commented during the sound check how much he liked the sound of the room.



During his clinic performance, he demonstrated all his classic grooves and took questions from the audience and after taking a request from a young fan to play a "crazy rock solo", Steve got behind the drums and played a rocking solo, but with his usual "Gadd groove". Once again, he emphasized the importance of being able to play a good solid groove, but also stressing the importance and learning rudiments.



After another great clinic, Steve and the Zildjian crew loaded the bus to begin the fifteen-hour drive to Phoenix, AZ. Next stop, Milano's Music in Mesa, AZ.

Mission From Gadd-Episode 2, Day 3...

Wednesday, October 5, 2005

Milano Music, Mesa, AZ.



After the 15-hour drive from Salt Lake City to Phoenix, AZ, we arrived at our hotel and really appreciated having a day off before the clinic at Milano Music in Mesa, AZ. From the moment we arrived at Milano Music, we could feel the energy from all the people who came early to check out the "Sound Lab Prototypes" and of course, meet Steve. Once again, there was a flurry of activity in the store and drum department manager, Tom Schulz and the crew at Milano's did a great job preparing the store for a busy and exciting day and evening.



As with the previous two clinics, the "Sound Lab Prototypes" were a huge hit and people were clamoring for them right from the start of the Sales Event. Brad Baker, Zildjian's Chief Marketing Officer, and Paul Francis, R&D Specialist, joined the tour for a few dates, and Paul gave a brief synopsis of the various prototypes and other specially selected cymbals on-hand. Zildjian Sales Rep Mike Brucher was working non-stop between the area where the "Sound Lab Prototypes" were on display and Milano Music's cymbal room, where 250 Zildjian cymbals are on permanent display all the time.



When Steve arrived just after 4:00 for the "meet & greet", the energy in the store was buzzing. He was more than happy to sign autographs and pose for photos with the hundreds of fans who patiently waited in line and again. Every fan had the opportunity to meet Steve. The clinic began at 7:00 PM, but not before John DeChristopher, Zildjian's Vice President, Artist Relations & Event Marketing Worldwide led the audience of 600 to sing happy birthday to "Tesla" drummer and longtime friend and Zildjian artist, Troy Luccketta, who lives in the Phoenix area. Troy enjoyed the opportunity to spend time with Steve and the Zildjian crew on the bus prior to the event.



Steve had plenty of great questions from the audience during his two-hour clinic and fed off all the energy in the room. And as usual, he came through with the goods when it came time to sit down and play.



After an incredible day at Milano Music, Steve and the Zildjian crew hopped on the bus headed to Ontario, CA for the next stop at Ontario Music. In addition to Tom Schultz, special thanks also goes out to Mike Milano, Jim and the entire staff at Milano's Music for all their hard work in making the event a huge success.

Mission From Gadd Episode 2, Day 4...

Thursday, October 6, 2005

Ontario Music, Ontario, CA



We had a relatively short drive from Mesa, AZ to Ontario, CA for the fourth clinic of the tour and arrived at the hotel just after 3:00 a.m. on October 6th.



The Sales Event and clinic were held at Chaffey High School in Ontario and a big crowd had assembled to check out the various Sound Lab Prototypes and of course meet Steve during the autograph session. Once he again he had an enthusiastic group of fans who enjoyed this rare opportunity to meet and talk to Steve Gadd.



Todd Trent, owner of Ontario Music, did a great job organizing the Sales Event and prior to the clinic, presented Zildjian Sales Rep, Mike Brucher, with a 17" Sound Lab Prototype which he had Steve personally autograph as his way to say thanks for all his efforts.



The Zildjian crew, John DeChristopher, Brad Baker, John King, Steve Tirpak, Paul Francis and Mike Brucher were all on-hand throughout the day, and in attendance at the clinic were Zildjian artists Russ Miller, John Ferraro and Dave Hunt, as well as Joe Testa, Jerry Andreas and Prudence Elliot from Yamaha Drums.



In addition to the usual questions about his classics grooves on "50 Ways" and "Late In the Evening", Steve gave a detailed explanation and breakdown of his solo in Steely Dan's "Aja", as well as explaining how the song evolved. He played the end vamp as great as he did on the original recording and the crowd went absolutely wild.



Commented John DeChristopher, "Steve is tearing it up everywhere we go and has really locked into a groove now - we're looking forward to LA." Steve Gadd said, "I'm enjoying meeting all the drummers, teachers, and drum shop owners that work hard to promote drumming - we're all in this thing together."

Mission From Gadd Episode 2, Day 5...

Saturday, October 8, 2005

West LA Music, Los Angeles, CA



The drive from Ontario, CA to Santa Monica was just under an hour and when arrived at our hotel we were looking forward to having a day off. Our good friend Peter Erskine lives in Santa Monica, so we enjoyed a fabulous dinner on Friday night at Chinouis, a great spot on Main St. in Santa Monica.



After a relaxing day off in beautiful Santa Monica, CA, Steve and the Zildjian crew were ready for the highly anticipated West LA Music clinic on Saturday. Glenn Noyes, Drum Dept. Manager at West LA Music, told Zildjian's John DeChristopher that over 1,400 people had signed up for the free clinic and expected it to be the biggest in their 30 plus year history. From the minute we arrived, the store was buzzing with activity over the 'Sound Lab Prototypes' and because Steve Gadd would soon be arriving for the "meet & greet". Don Griffin, owner of West LA Music, and Glenn Noyes, helped facilitate the "meet & greet" and although there was huge turnout, once again everyone was able to say hello to Steve, and get an autograph and picture with the legend.



Jim McGathey, Artist Relations Manager-East Coast flew in to join us for the second week of the tour and with the turnout we had at West LA Music, we needed as many extra hands as possible. After the "meet & greet" we made our way across the street to the Felicia Manhood Center, a great outdoor amphitheater where West LA Music holds all their clinics and proceeded with the sound check.



As expected with Glenn and the staff at West LA Music, everything went smoothly and the clinic began at 5:00 PM with many of LA's drumming elite in the audience, including Steve's old friend Rick Marotta, Ian Wallace, Will Kennedy, Rock star INXS' Nate Morton, Freddie Gruber, Bernie Dressel, Curt Bisquera and legendary bassist, Marcus Miller, to name a few.



The turnout was amazing with an estimated 1,300 people in attendance. Steve performed his classic grooves and answered some great questions from the audience for nearly two hours.



Afterward, we loaded-out and began the three-hour drive to San Luis Obispo.



Commented John DeChristopher, "We knew this clinic would be special - there's been a buzz since we announced the date back in August. Don, Glenn and everyone at West LA Music couldn't have been any more accommodating."

Mission From Gadd Episode 2, Day 6...

Sunday, October 9, 2005

The Drum Circuit, San Luis Obispo, CA



After a successful but long day in Los Angeles, we kicked back for the three-hour drive up the 101 Freeway to San Luis Obispo on the Central Coast of California and arrived late Saturday night.



From the moment we all woke up Sunday morning, with a beautiful view of the mountains outside The Madonna Inn, we were taken by the beauty and quaintness of this part of central California. The Sales Event and "meet & greet" were held at The Drum Circuit, our host and a great drum shop in San Luis Obispo owned by Steve Hilstein and his wife Stephanie. Aside from hosting Steve Gadd at his shop, it was an extra special day, because Steve Hilstein was celebrating his 50th birthday.



Considering that it was a beautiful Sunday afternoon, Steve Gadd had an excellent turnout at The Drum Circuit for his "meet & greet" with drummers of all ages and styles wanting to meet their longtime hero. Many of Steve's fans commented on how they couldn't believe he was actually in their little town.



The clinic was held at Cuesta College and began at 4:00 PM. The enthusiastic audience of 400+ enjoyed an intimate clinic setting and Steve Gadd was sure to thank all his fans for their support, as well as wish Steve Hilstein a happy birthday. Unfortunately, due to our tight schedule, we weren't able to stick around for the birthday party planned for Steve Hilstein, but Zildjian's R&D Specialist, Paul Francis (who flew home the following morning) and Sales Rep extraordinaire, Mike Brucher, were able to hang for the festivities. The rest of us had to "hop on the bus, Gus"...



Another great day, and were now officially on the second half of the tour. Next stop, Bentley's Drum Shop in Fresno, CA...

Mission From Gadd Episode 2, Day 7...

Monday, October 10, 2005

Bentley's Drum Shop, Fresno, CA



We arrived at our hotel in Fresno at 9:30 PM on Sunday night - and enjoyed the earliest night of the tour yet! Best of all, we had a Starbucks right next door.



Steve had a live radio interview on the Bob Rivers Show, KZOK in Seattle, WA scheduled for 9:00 a.m. on Monday, and so we really appreciated arriving early night before.



Another beautiful day and the Zildjian crew arrived at Bentley's Drum Shop at 2:30 PM for the Sales Event and Dana Bentley and his staff had everything prepared for us, with many customers already trying the various "Sound Lab Prototypes." Local Zildjian Sales Rep Eddie Kramer joined us since this is his territory and helped coordinate with Regional Sales Manager, Steve Tirpak, to make sure the Sales Event ran smoothly.



By the time Steve arrived at 4:30 PM for the "meet & greet", there was a line around the corner and Bentley's was buzzing with excitement. It was especially great to see so many young players and drum students.



The clinic was held at Roosevelt School of the Arts and began at 7:30 PM with another fantastic turnout. No surprise - after all, it IS Steve Gadd! As usual, Steve took questions from the audience and was happy to discuss everything from grooves, tuning, drumstick grips, to how he got started playing the drums. At the conclusion of the clinic, Steve invited a young student named Quetzal to join him on stage to play, with the audience giving him a loud ovation. Steve closed explaining how he came up with the famous beat for Paul Simon's "50 Ways" and said goodnight to the appreciative audience.



Off to San Francisco for another day off before we head to Lemmon Percussion in San Jose, CA on Wednesday, October 12th. You gotta love the Bay Area!

Mission From Gadd Episode 2, Day 8...

Wednesday, October 12, 2005

Lemmon Percussion - San Jose, CA



After a relaxing day off in San Francisco, we "hopped on the bus" to San Jose for the eighth stop of the ten-city tour. The clinic was hosted by Lemmon Percussion, a great drum shop in San Jose, and was held at West Valley Community College. We were all excited that drumming legend and longtime friend of Steve's and Zildjian, Louie Bellson, would be coming tonight, since he lives in San Jose. Louie is regarded in the drum industry as a true drumming icon and probably the nicest person you could ever meet.



We arrived at the venue in time for the Sales Event at 3:30 and there was already a crowd waiting for Steve's "meet & greet" and trying all those great cymbals! By the time we started the "meet & greet" at 4:30, there was a huge crowd, but everyone was patient and happily waited their turn to meet Steve. The sound check followed and it went as smooth as could be, thanks to a great sounding auditorium and the professional staff at Lemmon Percussion.



The clinic was scheduled to begin at 7:00 PM. At about 6:15 we heard a knock on the door of the bus and sure enough, it was the one and only Louie Bellson! Louie joined us on the bus and it wasn't long before him and Steve were sharing stories... Just after 7:00 PM, John DeChristopher got things started and when he announced that Louie Bellson was in the house and asked him to please stand, the audience gave him a roaring standing ovation. It just got better from there. Steve was in his usual great form and put on a spectacular clinic, and also acknowledged Louie several times, telling many stories about their long friendship. His clinic covered everything and he had some excellent questions from the audience. Louie Bellson even got up and told a story about Steve to the captive audience.



The clinic went for almost two hours and afterward Louie visited with us on the bus before we had to head back to San Francisco for one more night, before heading to Sacramento on Thursday. This was a very special night - having Steve Gadd and Louie Bellson in the same room doesn't happen often and the audience completely ate it up!



Commented Steve Gadd; "Besides being one of my biggest musical influences, Louie Bellson is one of my dearest friends. He's a consummate musician and a beautiful human being. I'm deeply honored to know him."



On to Skip's Music in Sacramento, CA as we head into the home stretch of the tour...

Mission From Gadd Episode 2, Day 9...

Thursday, October 13, 2005

Skip's Music - Sacramento, CA



After the clinic in San Jose, we made our way back to San Francisco for one more night in the great city by the bay. Thursday, October 13th was a beautiful morning in the Bay Area and after Steve and John D had a morning run down to the Bay Bridge, Steve and the Z crew were on their way to Sacramento for the ninth and second to last stop of the tour. The drive from San Francisco to Sacramento was just under two hours so we enjoyed watching the Cream Reunion - Live at The Royal Albert Hall DVD and man did they sound great! Ginger Baker was laying it down!



We made our way to the historic Crest Theater in Sacramento where the Sales Event and clinic were being held and the staff at Skip's Music, our host in Sacramento, and Zildjian Sales Rep Eddie Kramer, had everything ready for us. The Crest Theater is a great sounding room and once we had the drums set up, we knew it would be easy to get a nice, natural, acoustic sound.



The "meet & greet" started at 4:30 PM and we had a more manageable crowd than usual, but certainly not small. We were able to wrap up the "meet & greet" in about an hour and the sound check went smoothly thanks to that great sounding room. This gave Steve a little time to chill on the bus before the clinic - the extra two hour drive from San Francisco made for a longer than usual day.



The clinic started at 7:00 PM when Creed Maggiora, son of the owner, Skip Maggiora, introduced Zildjian's John DeChristopher and we were on our way. Steve was sure to thank Skip, Creed and the entire staff at Skip's Music for hosting the clinic. The crowd of about 300 people enjoyed an intimate setting, and Steve invited a young drummer up on stage for an up-close look at his brush technique and answered a variety of questions, including how he got started as a session drummer.



The clinic went for two hours and since it was "late in the evening" and we had a 12-hour bus ride to Seattle, we had to "do the hustle" and get on the road.



Next and final stop... Seattle, WA, Saturday, October 15th hosted by Donn Bennett's Drum Studio.

Mission From Gadd-Episode 2, Day 10...

Last stop!

Saturday, October 15, 2005

Donn Bennett's Drum Studio, Seattle, WA



We made the drive from Sacramento, CA to Seattle in a little over 12 hours and arrived at the beautiful Hotel Monaco in downtown Seattle at around 10:00 a.m. on Friday, October 14th. Thankfully, it was a day off.



Seattle is a cool place and we were staying right in the heart of the city - great restaurants and shopping all within walking distance. We were also walking distance from the Marina and a nice area to run. On Friday night we enjoyed a fantastic dinner at Wild Ginger - a restaurant we had been to many times during past visits to Seattle and Steve and the Zildjian crew really enjoyed the food and atmosphere.



Saturday, October 15th - here we were in Seattle, the 10th and last stop on the tour and although we had the routine down, we wanted to be sure everything went as smooth as all the other stops. The clinic was hosted by Donn Bennett's Drum Studio and like all the other dealers, Donn and his staff could not have been any more accommodating. Donn himself is one of the most dedicated guys in the business and when we arrived at the Premier Club, there was already a nice buzz about the Sales Event, with many drummers checking out all those great sounding "Sound Lab Prototypes". Local Zildjian sales rep Dan Black was on hand to help the staff at Donn Bennett's, since there was a flurry of activity.



By the time Steve Gadd arrived at 2:30 for the "meet & greet", there were several hundred people lined up and once again, everyone got to meet Steve and get an autograph and picture. Zildjian artists Alan White (Yes) and Matt Chamberlain came by to visit with Steve and the Zildjian crew.



The clinic started at 5:00 PM and Steve pulled out all the stops for the very enthusiastic crowd of close to 500. He demonstrated all his legendary grooves and took questions from the audience for two hours and would have gone longer if we didn't have to clear the room for another show in the evening. It was a great finale to another incredible clinic tour and afterward, Donn Bennett told us it was the best turnout he's ever had - no surprise there! This was our only stop in the Pacific Northwest and we chose Donn Bennett's Drum Studio because we knew they would do a great job organizing it on their end. After the clinic, Steve and the Zildjian crew enjoyed a quiet dinner and an early night, since we had an early flight home the next morning. After two solid weeks on the road, we needed an early night. As we were eating dinner in the hotel restaurant, we bumped into Zildjian artist Jeremy Stacey, who was in town for a show the following evening with Sherly Crow - It's a small world.



Like the first "Mission From Gadd" tour, "Mission From Gadd Episode 2" was an incredible success on all levels. Our sincere thanks goes out to all the dealers for their hard work and dedication in making the tour the success it was. Our thanks also to the thousands of fans who came out to show their support and were so kind and welcoming to all of us - we hope you enjoyed it. Thanks to the Zildjian crew who made this happen: John King, Brad Baker, Jim McGathey, Steve Tirpak, Paul Francis, Sarah Malaney, Jason LaChapelle, Mike Brucher, Eddie Kramer and Dan Black, and Joe Testa and Jordan Barth from Yamaha Drums. And of course a HUGE thanks goes out to Steve Gadd for his generosity and genuine desire to want to share his time with all his many fans and for "spreading the groove". Steve, you're the greatest!



Steve said, "Right from the first clinic in Fort Collins, CO, we locked into a nice groove and I had a great time. The Zildjian guys worked hard to put this tour together so I want to thank them, all the drum shops for inviting me, all the teachers for telling the kids who I am, and all the drummers for making me feel so welcome. There's nothing better than being a drummer."



Anyone attending PASIC 2005 in Columbus, OH can see Steve in clinic and he will also be inducted into the PAS Hall of Fame. For more information, check our website, or visit www.drstevegadd.com. Until next time...Mission Accomplished!



John DeChristopher



Vice President, Artist Relations & Event Marketing Worldwide



Avedis Zildjian Company