May 4, 2013

EVENT: Santana Percussionists Raul Rekow & Karl Perazzo Free Clinic on June 18th

Karl-Perazzo

Karl Perazzo’s epic percussion setup

Tuesday June 18th, 7 PM at Rhythm Traders

Cost: FREE General Admission / VIP Tickets $20 *VIP tickets include seating in the first 3 rows, green room access, prizes and giveaways.

Santana percussionists Raul Rekow and Karl Perazzo will present a lecture and demonstration. All jazz, Latin music and percussion fans are welcome. We’ll raffle $100’s worth of gear, and give away lots of door prizes. Don’t miss this chance to see two of the most sought after percussionists of our time!

Sponsored by LP

Raul-Rekow

Raul Rekow crushing it on congas

May 2, 2013

Water Drumming

We’ve finally got some warm weather here in Portland, and it’s got us thinking about all kinds of summer activities. This video of Baka women in Cameroon doing some water drumming shows a great way to take your music outside!

You can hear more Baka music on this Bandcamp page.

There are more water drumming videos on youtube – do a search for Human Planet Bayaka River Drum Kit for another good one.

Check out those videos, then get outside and try some water drumming for yourself!

April 29, 2013

EVENT: Luis Conte FREE Clinic on June 14th – Cancelled

Luis-Conte-Free-Clinic-1

Note: Unfortunately this clinic has been cancelled. We hope to reschedule it soon.

June 14th, 7 PM at Rhythm Traders
Cost: FREE General Admission / VIP Tickets $20 *VIP tickets include seating in the first 3 rows, green room access, prizes and giveaways.

Grammy-winner Luis Conte is a master of percussion. Born in Cuba, his celebrated career includes touring and /or recording work with some of the greatest names in contemporary music, including Carlos Santana (“Supernatural” album), Phil Collins, Eric Clapton, Madonna, James Brown as well as Cuban legends Arturo Sandoval and Cachao. He is a member of Cuba LA, and has numerous instructional DVDs and solo albums to his credit. He can be heard on the soundtracks to such box office smashes as Mission Impossible, Rain Man, Disney’s animated Tarzan, and Dancing with the Stars.

Luis will present a lecture and demonstration. All jazz, Latin music and percussion fans are welcome. No need to be a drummer or bring a drum, just sit back and enjoy the ride. We’ll raffle $100’s worth of gear, and give away lots of door prizes. Don’t miss this chance to see one of the most sought after percussionist’s of our time!

Sponsored by Rhythm Traders, The Bobby Torres Ensemble, Meinl Percussion, Remo, & Zildjian Cymbals

April 25, 2013

Sweet Cymbal Bonus Goodies

We just added a couple of nice cymbal extras here on the site and wanted to let everyone in on these deals. Right now, all Zildjian products over $100 come with a free Zildjian ZHT 8″ Splash! This is a popular little splash cymbal, great for accents and filling out the voicings in your cymbal set-up.

You can hear this ZHT 8″ Splash over in the shopping section of our site – click on the image below to check it out:
Zildjian ZHT 8

We’ve also got a 5 Star Drum Shop exclusive deal with some Sabian AAX X-Plosion Fast Crash Cymbals and a free Gibraltar Boom Stand. Like that splash, the 17″ and 19″ X-Plosion Crashes are great cymbals for completing your set-up.

See more pictures and hear these Crashes by clicking the image below:
Sabian Fast Crashes with Gibraltar Boom Stand

We’re excited to pass along some cool bonus gear like this, but we only have a limited number to offer. Call us at 503-288-6950 if you have any questions or want to place your order over the phone.

April 17, 2013

“FOLI” There is No Movement Without Rhythm (video)

We were overjoyed to find this beautiful gem of a video, and just had to share it with you. It was filmed by Thomas Roebers in Baro, Guinea and dedicated to the people there. The Malinke word for rhythm is “foli”, and this video shows how it is found in every part of our lives. You can not only hear and feel the Malinke rhythms, but due to its beautiful editing job – you can actually see them too! It is truly an “extraordinary blend of image and sound that feeds the senses and reminds us all how essential [rhythm] is”. We are now even more stoked for the weekend clinic by Master Drummer Mamady Keita coming up May 9th-12th!

April 15, 2013

FLASH DEALS: This Week is all Drum Sets!

Our Flash Deals have been going fast, and we’ve been listening to all of your requests! Those of you looking for a new kit will be happy this week as we’ve got five killer drum sets on Flash Deal.

Flash-Deals-4-15-13

The kits are the Gretsch Catalina Maple, PDP Concept Birch, PDP Concept Maple, Mapex Meridian Maple, and a sweet little Crush Alpha kit that comes complete with cymbals and hardware.

You’ll save extra big on these kits from now until Sunday, so get your orders in! We’ve got new Flash Deals going up every Monday, so get on our Flash Deal E-mail List if you’re not already on it and get yourself a screaming deal on these kits and other great items with our Flash Deals!

April 11, 2013

NEW: Paiste Formula 602 Classic & Modern Essentials

The Paiste Formula 602 Classic Sounds and Modern Essentials Cymbal lines are now available, and we’ve got to tell you – these Cymbals sound incredible! The Formula 602 Classic Cymbals are famous for their pristine clarity made with Paiste’s legendary 602 Bronze. The Modern Essentials Series takes that crystal clear sound and adds warmth and fullness.

The original Formula 602 line has a precise and controlled feel brought to life by its uniquely delicate, silvery sound. With the help of Vinnie Colaiuta, Paiste added a darkness and complexity to the tonal mix of the Modern Essentials.

Check out the video below to hear the original Formula 602 Cymbals for yourself:

Part of the original Formula 602 line, this Flatride is a Paiste innovation first introduced in the 1960s. It was designed in conjunction with Joe Morello, famous timekeeper for the Dave Brubeck Quartet.

Paiste Formula 602 20inch Flatride

Vinnie describes these Modern Essentials 14″ Hi-Hats as “a little more chocolaty than the original 602s”. Sounds delicious!

Paiste Formula 602 Modern Essentials 14inch Hi-Hats

Learn all about the Modern Essentials below, played and described by Vinnie Colaiuta himself:

Wow. So that’s what happens when you apply Swiss craftsmenship to the art of cymbal making!

For full descriptions and pictures of our favorites in the Series, head over to our Formula 602 and Modern Essentials product listings. We’re expanding our Paiste offerings every day, so check back for more!