We hope everyone had an excellent Christmas and are celebrating the holidays in style. Happy New Year too!!!

We are excited to announce that we plan to celebrate our first full year serving drummers in Portsmouth and beyond by expanding our space and our offerings!

On February 1st, we will officially open our new showroom, just a few doors down from from the existing location in Islington Plaza. With our new showroom comes over 1,000 new square feet of space dedicated to the drums, cymbals, hardware, and accessories you know and love. In addition to the new space, our existence space will be transformed into a hybrid lesson / media studio. Stay tuned for more details on our Grand Re-Opening or give Shane a call to learn more!

DCP is now an authorized Yamaha Drums dealer!!!

Since we are moving into a bigger space, we figured we needed more drums to fill it out. Luckily the kind folks at Yamaha were excited to partner up with us so that we may offer their fine drums for your consumption! Bringing Yamaha on board is a really big deal for DCP.

Here is a note from Shane that provides some background:

The Yamaha franchise is a very personal one for me. It is really representative of having your dreams realized. You see, when I was in school, we had the Science Fair. One year I would do drums, the next year Cymbals… ANYTHING I could do to make it percussion related, I did. As a 15 year-old kid, the company that handled my queries the most promptly and professionally was Yamaha. When I received their catalog, (yes, this was before the internet!) I could tell that Yamaha was separate from the other major manufacturers. They were focused on making the BEST drums on the market, and so what if they are a bit more money than that of their direct competition. I admired this and developed a loyalty to the brand.

Without divulging too much info just yet, I will say that Yamaha has a few tricks up their sleeve, and so does DCP. You will hear new sounds and revisit old ones when you visit or speak with us. The inventory is already loading in, and the gig is about to start, a gig that will hopefully last for many successful years to come!

Please keep in mind that this is only good for today, Friday, December 24th.

Stay tuned next week as we will be making some major announcements that will shape DCP for years to come.

Photo: Gene Okamoto, Pearl USA

We have been stocking up for the holiday season and have a wide variety of kits, snares, cymbals, and accessories to choose from. If you’re interested in a lower-intermediate level kit, be sure to check out our selection of Mapex Meridian’s, PDP M5s and X7s, Ludwig Element and Epic kits, and more! If you want something a bit more high end, we’ve got the new Ludwig Keystone’s in stock, several Mapex Saturn kits, the extremely limited Gretsch Renown Beech Purewoods, Ludwig Classic Maple and Legacy kits and more!

Need a new snare drum? We’ve got you covered too. Just a few examples are the full range of Ludwig metal snares, from Acrolites and the red-hot Black Magic line to sought after drums including Black Beauties and Bronze models. Want something extra special for your military drummer for Christmas? We’ve got a wide variety of Canopus, Brady and Craviotto snares to choose from!

If you’re in the mood for pie, be sure to check out New England’s best selection of Istanbul Agop, Bosphorus, and Paiste cymbals!

Billy Martin Clinic Info

Date: Tuesday, October 19th, 2010
Time: 630pm
Place: Drum Center of Portsmouth – 800 Islington St. #4, Portsmouth NH
Cost: $5 – Available in advance or at the door
More Info: Give Shane a call at 603-319-8109 or drop him an email at info@drumcenternh.com

Ask Billy Martin Anything!

Yep, you heard correctly, you have the opportunity to ask Billy anything! Over the next few weeks, we will be collecting questions via the website, our email newsletter and various drum forums throughout the internets. We will compile these questions and conduct a video interview. We will then post the video with answers to your questions on YouTube for public consumption (and publish on the DCP website as well!). If you have ever wanted to ask Billy a question but haven’t been able to meet him in person, now is your chance.

If you would like to submit questions for Billy, please click here.

Life on Drums DVD

“Life on Drums” is NOT just for drummers. Any musician, artist or creative person will find inspiration in this film. You can read the official press release below or head over to Vongole Films for more information.

An evocative, educational exploration of the creative inspiration at work behind the trap set, directed by and featuring Billy Martin (Medeski Martin and Wood)

(New York, NY) — Life on Drums, to be released on DVD via Vongole Films on October 8, is a refreshing reinvention of the instructional video, blending a cinematic visual sense with an approach to instruction that prizes the intuitive and the creative over the merely technical. Conceived by, directed by, and featuring the endlessly musical drummer, percussionist and teacher Billy Martin (Medeski Martin and Wood), Life on Drums is a riveting extension of his open-ended approach to percussion, improvisation, and music.

Martin explains: “Life on Drums is about the art of drumming and percussion, and my concepts, methods, and philosophy of what is important. I discuss the steps that I generally go through in a lesson, but rather than speaking at a camera into nothing, I’m speaking with my first drum teacher Allen Herman.” The presence in the film of Herman, who first mentored Martin in the mid-1970s, makes a valuable and intriguing statement about the circular nature of the teacher’s art. “Allen was my teacher in 1974 and 1975, then I saw him five years later and he gave me the opportunity to be his substitute on a Broadway show, Bob Fosse’s “Dancin.” From then on, he’d disappear and reappear – I wouldn’t always know where he was. He would be on the road, or driving a cab, or living in Alaska. He didn’t play for 15 years, while he took a corporate job.

“We’ve reconnected over the past four or five years, and when I told him that I wanted to do this film, he asked how he could help – even offering to help finance it – and we became partners in this project. Now, he’s turned it around: saying that I am the one who is nurturing, teaching, and inspiring him…he’s playing again, and is ecstatic to be back in the drumming world.”

In addition to both musical and verbal conversations with Herman, Life on Drums includes solo performances by Martin, a group of Martin’s students performing some of his composed percussion pieces, and a piece featuring Martin alongside three horns (Marcus Rojas, Steven Bernstein, and Curtis Fowlkes). All the dialogue and performances were shot over three days, in high-definition widescreen, at a disused radio station in Trenton, New Jersey. Using a rich variety of camera angles, lenses, and tracking shots, Martin has created a film as compelling visually as it is musically stimulating. “When not playing music,” he explains, “I’ve been getting into filmmaking, watching movies, reading books, meeting people who are filmmakers…I’ve done a couple of music videos. I felt ready for this project.”

While encompassing an array of perspectives and concepts, the core theme of Life on Drums is artistic integrity and ingenuity. “I’m trying to be as honest and sincere as I am about who I am, what I’m trying to say,” Martin concludes, “and then demonstrate how these philosophies and concepts can be used. I want people to see this film and realize that they can be an artist, and it doesn’t have to be about technique and flashy stuff. Most creative things do not come from technique. You don’t need this full spectrum of technique before you start thinking creatively…”

UPDATE: Visit our Facebook page to see a photo album of Benny’s Clinic

Good news Benny Greb fans! Benny will be doing a short run of clinics in North America at the end of September and the Drum Center of Portsmouth is just one of eight scheduled dates on the run. More importantly, Greb’s stop at DCP is the ONLY visit to New England. If you miss him here, you’ll have to trek all the way to Toronto or Long Island for the next nearest visit.

KEY INFORMATION
Date: Thursday, September 23, 2010
Time: 630pm
Place: Drum Center of Portsmouth – 800 Islington St #4, Portsmouth, NH, USA
Tickets: $5 in advance or at the door
More info: Please call 603-319-8109

GIVEAWAYS

We will be offering a number of giveaways following the clinic. More info on the exact items being given away will be provided soon!

SPECIAL PROMOTIONS

We will be offering a week-long sale on all Sonor, Meinl, Remo, and Pro Mark products, including all of Benny Greb’s signature model items.

BENNY GREB – OFFICIAL BIOGRAPHY

Benny Greb was born in 1980 in Germany and began playing drums at the age of six years old. Initially self taught, he began his full time studies in 1997 and attended music schools in Dinkelsbühl and then in Hamburg.

Benny’s drumming is slick, full of musicality and finesse. It has style and defines today’s modern drumming. Over the last few years Benny has rightly achieved world class status and recognition in the drum community by touring globally, entertaining drummers worldwide with his clinics. He has performed at high profile events such as the Montreal Drum Festival Canada, Ultimate Drummers Weekend Australia, the World Drum Festival, the Meinl Drumfestival in Germany, Drummer Live at Wembley Arena London, and was already invited twice to perform at the Percussive Arts Society Convention in the USA.

Along with his popularity in the worldwide drum community, Benny can be found playing with a broad assortment of musicians, all demanding his tasteful and immaculate playing style. You can find him in rock settings with German singer Stoppok and The Ron Spielman Trio, in jazz with his own Benny Greb Brass Band and Turkey’s Sabri Tulug Tirpan. He has also played classical music, working with the NDR Orchestra on their Zappa / Pops project and for film composer and ex-police drummer Steward Copeland. Benny’s ability to mix jazz and rock finds him also working with the fusion band 3ergezimmer. Allowing his sense of humour to come to the fore, Benny records with acoustic punk/cabaret act Strom & Wasser, clearly showing that no style is beyond his tasteful, yet fun loving approach. And of course, Benny is also a highly in-demand session player in his native Germany, where his studio duties also include the roles of composer and producer.

Benny writes, records, and releases his own solo records with Grebfruit being one such release. The award winning The Language of Drumming – A System For Musical Expression DVD was released in 2009 on the Hudson Music label, showing his unique approach to drumming. It is one of the best selling educational DVD’s worldwide. His new critically acclaimed solo album called Benny Greb – Brassband showcases a great mixture of New Orleans Jazz and Funk.

Tune in each and every Sunday to check out the latest and greatest rides, hats, and crashes from Bosphorus, Istanbul Agop, Paiste, Istanbul Mehmet, Meinl, and more! Ladies and Gentlemen, may we present with no further adieu… “This Week in Cymbals, August 8th, 2010″

Istanbul Agop 24″ Turk Ride Cymbal, 2726 grams | Buy it Now

Istanbul Agop 20″ Turk Jazz Ride Cymbal, 1537 grams | Buy it Now

Istanbul Agop 19″ Signature Ride Cymbal, 1654 grams | Buy it Now

Istanbul Agop 18″ Signature Crash Cymbal, 1029 grams | Buy it Now

Istanbul Agop 17″ Signature Crash Cymbal, 990 grams | Buy it Now

Istanbul Agop 15″ Jazz Special Edition Hi Hat Cymbals, Top 859 grams / Bottom 1139 grams | Buy it Now

Keep in mind, this is just the first batch of pies. More to come next Sunday. Stay Tuned!

Shinichi Usuda Visits the Drum Center of Portsmouth

When we started carrying Canopus drums, we knew they would be popular, but the excitement that has been generated in recent months is well beyond our expectations. Shane’s conversation with Mr. Usuda covered a variety of topics from the manufacturing process of Canopus drums, how Mr. Usuda designed and built proprietary machinery to craft his magnificent solid-ply shells, the introduction of the new Canopus Sword series drums, as well as future products coming down the pipeline.

Anybody who talks with Shane about snare drums for more than five minutes is sure to hear the word “Zelkova” mentioned more than once. The Zelkova snare drum is Canopus’ flagship snare drum model. You can read more about Canopus Zelkova snare drums and the manufacturing process here. If you’re not interested in reading, just watch Shane demonstrate a 14×6.5 Zelkova snare drum in the video below.

If you would like to buy one of these amazing Canopus Zelkova snare drums, give Shane a call at 603.319.8109 or pick one up from our eBay store.

Lucky for drummers, Canopus is far from a one-trick pony. In the photo above, Mr. Usuda is holding one of the VERY limited Block Rosewood snare drums. In addition to Block Rosewood, Canopus offers solid-ply models in Walnut, Bubinga and Soft Maple. Canopus also offers a wide variety of ply and metal snares in maple, birch, mahogany, brass, bronze, steel, and carbon fiber.

If you are not content with owning only a Canopus snare drum, rest assured a number of drum kits are offered with different shell types and configurations. The newest and most exciting is the Japanese Sword Model which features North American maple shells, a new lug design, classic finishes and a very modest price point. We currently have a Japanese Sword Model bop kit in stock, the very setup that was recently the subject of rave reviews in the August 2010 issue of Modern Drummer magazine.

To learn more about Canopus Drums, visit their website or read this recent interview with Mr. Usuda in DRUM! magazine.

Stop by today and check out these incredible drums!

Shane had this to say about the visit, “I have to say, this will be one of my most favorite memories ever. So cool! Vinnie is easily one of the nicest, coolest guys I have ever encountered. He called the day before and wound up walking 2 miles just to come find the shop. He had told me he had been watching our videos on YouTube. If anything makes me self conscious about my playing, it’s that!! He came in, and we pulled down a bunch of snares and starting playing. Halfway through the shootout I realized who I was tuning these drums for. It was pretty crazy. He is out with Herbie Hancock and I wound up going to the show, and he texted me within 5 minutes after so we could hang. I was really blown away at what a super guy he is. Being in the industry for 11 years I have met most all of my heroes but I had never met Vinnie. And I have a memory I will NEVER forget.”

Shane with Vinnie Colaiuta

A Year in the Life

What a difference a year can make!

Join us on Saturday, June 12 as we celebrate DCP’s first full year in business. You could even call it our first anniversary! RSVP HERE

Thanks to you, our most excellent customers, it has truly been an amazing year. When we opened DCP in 2009, we did so doing our best to acknowledge that we are just one small part of a big family. We pledged to provide the best service possible and to treat you, our customers, as we would expect to be treated ourselves. In a sense, you might say we intend DCP to be a shop for the people, by the people.

The next step in our commitment to building a strong community is to invite you to help make DCP a shop that is truly “by the people.” We want you to tell us how we can improve your DCP experience. We want to know what brilliant ideas you’ve got cooking, what areas you think DCP needs to focus on improving, and where you would like to see us go in the near future.

To stimulate your brain, we will be serving FREE BBQ from Mojo’s BBQ right here in Portsmouth. For those of you not familiar with Mojo’s, it is easily one of, if not the best BBQ joint on the seacoast. We will also provide non-alcoholic beverages to quench your thirst.

Of course, what would an anniversary sale be without some sort of crazy sale and product specials? Rest assured, we will have many items priced much lower than we are allowed to advertise.

If FREE BBQ and a HUGE SALE are not enough to get you out of the house, we will also be holding a raffle for all that attend, giving away drums, cymbals, hardware, and more! The current list of prizes includes a Gretsch Catalina drum kit, Craviotto snare drum, and Paiste Giant Beat cymbals with more to be added soon.

Come in, have some food, give us a piece of your mind and check out all the gear we have on offer. It’s going to be a special day and all are welcome!

RSVP HERE

What: DCP 1st Anniversary Celebration
Where: The DCP Mothership – 800 Islington St #4, Portsmouth, NH
When: Saturday, June 12, 10am-5pm