Hamilton, ON – Drumeo live meetup, Do It Again!

The first live Drumeo meetup of our online drum student group we attended was in 2022 in Toronto. Last year’s (nearly) annual meetup was in Hamilton, ON. In the infamous words of Brian Wilson, it was so good, Do It Again! We wouldn’t miss another chance to meet up with the Drumeo group, again in Hamilton.

The meetups are a jam-(pun intended)-packed couple of days of all things drumming. The main event was 12 hours of non-stop drumming activities surrounded by dinner, breakfast, and drinks (not necessarily in that sequence) filled with getting-to-know-each-other conversations and, of course, lots of drum talk. And as with prior meetups, about half of the drummers were old friends and the other half new friendships waiting to be launched.

The main event was held at the Main Stage Rehearsal Studios. Since the owners, Kelly Ng and her husband Justin Dobbs, are both drummers, we get the royal treatment! In addition to the studio complete with stage, pro-level sound system and awesome air conditioning, they provided us with 3 drum kits – a Pearl Masters, a Pearl Crystal Beat, and a Yamaha. Adding Ale’s new Mapex Saturn Evolution Hybrid kit and my SueF Signature suitcase kit made 5, so we could maximize our collective drumming time. (Hearing protection strongly advised!) TY Kelly and Justin!

Thanks to Drumeo, Alejandro ‘Ale’ Serritiello was our clinician this year. His sessions range from interesting warm up routines, techniques for getting faster, and tips and tricks for gigging as learned from his years of international touring and recording experience with different bands, including MakeWar, the Anti-Queens, and most recently Billy Talent.

Late afternoon was set aside for free-time drumming and jamming. Some practiced while others wandered and tried the different kits. It was fun to see students trading tricks and grooves and fills and learning from each other. Once Ed turned his guitar to 11, Doug joined in on bass, then on another guitar, and different jam groups morphed organically. My personal bias (ok, mission…) is encouraging new drummers to play with other people in a band setting. It was heartwarming to see several students playing with others for the first time, and loving it! The smiles said it all!

Later in the evening, each student had 10 minutes to show their stuff. Each of us had been invited to submit 1 or 2 drumless backing tracks to play along with. (Since Doug had his guitar, he served as my backing track and we played 2 songs from our duo set.) And all of us drummers, in addition to getting time literally in the spotlight, got to play on a beautiful, pro-quality Mapex kit, on a stage with all the bells and whistles, to a receptive audience. A totally cool experience in a supportive and confidence-building situation!

Thanks to Joy and Vihar for their time and effort to organize this event and meals. (Sadly, Joy was sick and unable to make it the meetup… We missed you, Joy!) Thanks to Marlene for coordinating takeout food for 12 distracted drummers. Thank you to Ale for the drum clinics, working to improve our respective drumming skills. Thanks to Kelly and Justin for providing the ultimate facility and service. And thanks to Drumeo and Mapex for their support.

More pix…

For anyone who’s interested, more pix…

Until next time…