Tony Royster Jr.

Tony Royster Jr. is only 21 years old and has been playing drums since the age of 3. Often referred to as a "prodigy" by his fans, he has participated in numerous drummer events and contests worldwide including the 1995 Guitar Center National Drum-Off competition in Hollywood, CA which he won at the ripe old age of 11!
Tony is becoming accustomed to high-profile performances that include TV's Nickelodeon House Band (lead by Paul Shaffer of the David Letterman show), the Jenny Jones show, the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards show, and an international tour in 2001 backing #1 selling Asian artist, Hikaru Utada. Additionally, he is regularly invited to perform at prestigious events worldwide such as PASIC (Percussive Arts Society International Convention), Modern Drummer Festival, the Montreal Drumfest, and the Florida Drum Expo.

Proficient in numerous styles, Tony excels at Funk, R&B, Latin, Rock, and Jazz. He has performed alongside such notable drummers as Dennis Chambers, Billy Cobham, Steve Smith, Sheila E., and veteran drummer Chester Thompson. He has also graced the stage with legendary musician's Branford Marsalis, Paul Shaffer, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, among others.

Tony Royster Jr. was voted #1 Up and Coming Drummer by Modern Drummer magazine 2000 readers' poll and has been voted #2 in the UK 2001 readers' poll. He has appeared on the cover of the millennium issue of Modern Drummer magazine with Dennis Chambers and continues to receive high marks that earn him endorsements with companies such as DW Drums, Zildjian Cymbals, Vic Firth sticks, Evans drumheads, LP percussion, Drumframe, Shure microphones, Warner Bros. Publications, HQ percussion products, Drumometer, and Specialty Cases.

Tony's talents have carried him across the globe to Europe, Japan, and Asia but in 2001 he achieved substantial international acclaim with the Warner Brothers video release of, "Common Ground", featuring Tony with his mentor, and favorite drummer, Dennis Chambers.

Most importantly, Tony is a positive role model for all kids. His motto is "Be cool, stay in school" and he sets the standard for personal achievement among his peers.

Dirk Brand

Dirk Brand born in Germany.

Studied (Percussion Institute of Technology) and played for about two years in the California area. He was taught by Ralph Humphrey (Zappa), Joe Porcaro (famous teacher), Takashi Numazawa (13 Cats), Casey Scheuerell (session great), Joey Heredia (latin great), Steve Houghton (session great) and many more! Published four Drum Books "1.000 Faces of Drum Styles" and "Future Drumming, Drum`n`Bass, House, Jungle" and "Chartreading for Drummers" and two separate Play Along CD`s "Jamtracks for Drummers" through the AMA Publishing Company. They got all international best reviews! His latest book "Pocket Rhythms for Drums" is recommended by Thomas Lang, Wolgang Haffner and Steve Smith!

In Mai 2003 he introduces the DVD "A Band Concept" through the Company "Acoustic Music Records". This DVD is about how to play in a Band, demonstrated by guitar, bass, drums, keyboard, vocals, harmony and rhythm theory.

As a sideman he works a lot for national and international artists like: Sax Legend Charlie Mariano, Deborah Watson, Touring with the Gregor Hilden Band (outstanding european blues guitar player), Stevie Woods, Rock Legends Geoff Downes and John Wetton (ASIA), Gloria Gaynor (soul legend), Isabell Farell, Catherina Valente, Gitte Hennig, Angelika Milster (Cats), Al Copley (former piano player of the Blues Brothers), Touring with the Prog Rock Group Leez (supporting Queensryche or Dokken), Touring with Jeff Richmann (guitar player along Weckl, Novak, Colaiuta, Shapiro) Touring with Johnny Rogers (international famous Blues Singer), Phillipe Caillat (French guitar player), Touring for the Goethe Instiute (Israel, France, Russian), Touring with Big Jay McNeely (honking sax legend from BB King) or playing different musicals like Evita, Star Light Express, Hair, and many more.

He is a Tutor of the Westfälische Wilhelms Universität Münster and of the Modern Drum School.

He played on different drum festivals like "Zildjian Rhythm Night" (along Sonny Emory, Andy Gangadeen), "Drums&Sounds 2000" (along Colaiuta, Weckl, Bisquera), "Superdrumming Festival Nonnweiler" (along Mike Shapiro, Marc Schulmann), "Brandenburg Trommelt" (along Michael Küttner, Hakim Ludin), or recently "Drums`n`Percussion Paderborn" (along Steve Smith, Marco Minnemann, Rene Cremers), "Tribute to Jeff Porcaro Germany" (along Bissonette, Gadd, Zoro), "Drums`n`Percussion Paderborn 2003" (along Chester Thompson, Adam Nussbaum), "Le Bag Show Paris" (along Christophe des Champs) or "Festival TamTam Montlucon" (along french session great Löic Pointhieux), Rhythm in Marktoberdorf (along Hakim Ludin, Johnny Rabb, Russ Miller), and many more!

He is a product specialist for world renowned Roland V Drums and Groove Gear. He is doing clincs for Roland worldwide like Japan, China, Belgium, France, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, Taiwan, Korea.

He is proud to be now endorsing Sabian Cymbals. He was always looking for a Cymbal sound that matches his style of playing in a lot of different music genres. With Sabian, he says, he finally founds Cymbals that inspire his creativity and that fit perfect in his daily musical work!!!

The perfect drum company to go along with is Mapex. The Orion and Saturn Series blend perfect to the Sabian Cymbals and make it easy to find the right gear for different music performences.

Jim Gordon
Jim Gordon was one of the top session drummers in the '60s. After backing the Everly Brothers in 1963 at age 17, he went to California. Hal Blaine, king of session drummers, began to send Gordon his overflow work.

During this period, Gordon appeared on Gene Clark with the Gosdin Brothers (Columbia, 1967) and Notorious Byrd Brothers. Later, Gordon was a member of Derek and the Dominoes, where he had the good fortune to co-write the song "Layla" with Eric Clapton.

Gordon worked with Hillman again when he was the drummer in the Souther Hillman Furay Band from 1973 to 1975.

Gordon also played with John Lennon, George Harrison, Frank Zappa, Traffic, Delaney & Bonnie, Joe Cocker, Leon Russell, and Jackson Browne.

Though he was initially known for being a straight-laced guy, Gordon eventually began to use heroin and cocaine like many of his colleagues in the music business.

Sadly, in the '70s, severe psychological problems began to manifest in Gordon's behavior. He complained of hearing voices, especially the voice of his mother. By the late '70s, Gordon's mental difficulties - later diagnosed as acute paranoid schizophrenia - had ruined his musical career.

Then, in 1983, Gordon brutally murdered his own mother.
The insanity defense having been narrowed in California, Gordon was convicted of second-degree murder in 1984 and sentenced to 16 years to life. Most of his time has been served in Atascadero State Hospital.

Gordon remains wealthy, thanks to royalties from "Layla" and a handful of other songs.

Trevor Lawrence Jr....
Trevor Lawrence, Jr. (a.k.a. TrevBeats) is one of R&B and hip-hop’s best and most popular drummers for sessions and touring.

He toured the world with Snoop Dogg in 2006 and just completed the new album for Alicia Keys (2007).

FACT:
TREVOR’S WORK AS A DRUMMER/WRITER/PRODUCER HAS BEEN NOMINATED OR WON A GRAMMY EVERY YEAR SINCE 2000

In addition to his own group, the TrevBeats Band, Trevor’s played with artists as wide ranging as Mariah Carey, Lionel Richie, Dizzy Gillespie, Ashanti, Jennifer Lopez, Taj Mahal, Dr. Dre, Macy Gray and The Temptations.

According to the man himself, his career highlight was playing with Stevie Wonder in front of a million people at Live 8 in Philadelphia.

In addition to being super talented in his own right, comes from quite a musical pedigree. His father, Trevor, Sr. is one of music’s most renowned tenor saxophone players and horn arrangers, having played with artists as diverse as Marvin Gaye, Lynryd Skynyrd, B.B. King and Ringo Starr. Trevor’s parents also both performed on Stevie Wonder’s landmark 1970’s album, Songs in the Key of Life, with Dad on sax, Mom on background vocals. Mom was also a member of The Supremes.

Trevor Lawrence Jr. endorses Meinl Cymbals and performed at the Meinl Drumfestival 2007 with Concert and Masterclass Drumclinic.

Danny Carey...
Danny began playing drums at the age of thirteen. As Danny progressed through high schooland then college at the University of Missouri in Kansas City he began supplementing his studies in percussion with speculation into the principles of geometry, science, and metaphysics. A commitment to life as an artist brought Danny to LA where he was able to perform as a studio drummer with projects like Carole King and play around town with Pygmy Love Circus. He would later find an outlet for addressing a fuller scope of his potentials in Tool and another project operating under the title of Zaum. Despite not becoming a Mason or aligning himself with any other school of religion, Danny has maintained his heritages interest in occult studies. Endeavors into this realm have manifested periodically, such as the time he achieved insight into a hidden aspect of the unicursal hexagram utilizing an astral journey initiated through meditation and DMT.

Danny then set up his drums into proportions utilizing the circle and square of the New Jerusalem and uttered a short prayer relating to the principles of the ace of swords from the book of Thoth. He then performed a ritual utilizing his new found knowledge of the unicursal hexagram to generate a pattern of movement in space relating to Fuller's vector equilibrium model. The resulting rhythm and gateway summoned a daemon he has contained within "the Lodge" that has been delivering short parables similar to passages within the Book of Lies. Danny recommends as a device of protection and containment a thorough study and utilization of the underlying geometry of the Temple of Solomon for anyone purchasing their next record.

Jimmy DeGrasso...

With a resume boasting Alice Cooper, Ozzy Osbourne, Suicidal Tendencies, Lita Ford and Y&T, Jimmy DeGrasso was also the mega-powered, driving force behind one of hard rock's most revered outfits of all time, the multi-platinum, Megadeth.

Jimmy moved from Pennsylvania, to the bustling musical Mecca of Los Angeles more than a decade ago. "I moved to L.A. hoping that someone like Ozzy would be looking for a drummer, and lo' and behold, I landed the gig with Ozzy playing on the Ultimate Sin album" says DeGrasso. Though the Ozzy gig was short lived, Jimmy spent three years with the critically acclaimed Y&T, before leaving the band in 1990. The skate-punk flavored, Suicidal Tendencies followed in 1992 (who co- incidentally opened for Megadeth in 1992 and 1993) as did a ‘fill–in’ tour with Alice in Chains in 1993. DeGrasso then toured the world with Alice Cooper from 1995 to 1998, played on the Fistful of Alice album in 1996 and returned to Alice briefly in 2001. Jimmy played on Dave Mustaine’s (Megadeth Vocalist/Guitarist) solo album, MD-45 in 1995 and then received a call back from Mustaine, in 1998, to join Megadeth as a permanent member and continue the bands’ Cryptic Writings Tour. DeGrasso recorded and toured behind Megadeth’s Risk album in 1999-2000, The World Needs A Hero in 2000-2001 and was featured on Megadeths’ first ever live CD and DVD offering, Rude Awakening in 2002.

Since the demise of Megadeth, Jimmy has performed at the prestigious Modern Drummer Festival in 2002, Ultimate Drummers Weekend in Australia, Drummer Live in the UK and toured with Stonesour [Slipknot Vocalist Corey Taylor’s side project], guitar legend Ronnie Montrose and is a highly sought after session player and drum clinician around the world.

Bun E. Carlos...

Bun E. Carlos is the amiable and adroit drummer, archivist, and set list writer for Rockford, IL's illustrious Cheap Trick. Leaving behind the oldies circuit, Carlos fine-tuned his avuncular charm and steady beat as Trick became local heroes and then mega-stars rising to a brief platinum period in the late '70s. An obvious high point came working with John Lennon in 1980. The band weathered some hard times until 1988, when "The Flame" became Trick's only number one (all four members hated this factory ballad). Carlos held drum clinics, produced the Blues Hawks, and lent his talents (along with guitarist Rick Nielsen) to Jim Peterik's World Stage. Carlos quit smoking cold turkey in the '90s, losing his trademark dangling cigarette.