Jayson Brinkworth of the Regina Drum Festival
Hi, everyone! It’s Jayson Brinkworth here, from the Regina Drum Festival in Saskatchewan, Canada. Our first annual event wrapped up on September 17 and went down as a huge success.Our Friday night local showcase featured amazing performances by the Kyle Grimsrud-Manz Trio, Ya La Habibi tribal dancers with Skin and Bone, Ross Bart, Chris Dimas, Ross Bearman, Rob D., Kory Gibbs, and the Sound Society.
Saturday kicked off with a very inspirational clinic by Keith Urban’s Chris McHugh. Chris’s playing is solid and very clear, just like the message he communicated with the audience. A huge thanks goes out to Harry McCarthy of Drum Paradise for teching Chris’s portion of the show.
Saturday night we were motivated and entertained by the one and only Shawn Pelton from Saturday Night Live. Shawn is a one-of-a-kind player who shakes booties with his groove. Even though Shawn’s bags didn’t arrive on his flight from New York, he still managed to tear the roof off the place. Everyone left feeling very inspired, motivated, and exhausted from these two world-class musicians. Advertisement
These events don’t happen without a lot of help, and I thank everyone who participated from the bottom of my heart. A huge thanks to my friend Ronn Dunnett for the snare drum giveaways (and for the great photos), and to Sean Mitchell at the Black Page for his tireless work on posters, laminates, and many other behind-the-scenes items.
Next year’s Drum Fest is scheduled for September 14 and 15. We’ll be announcing more details in January 2012.
Check out a clip here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ws7rulJ5DQU.
Photos (top-bottom): Organizer Jayson Brinkworth with Chris McHugh; Chris McHugh; Shawn Pelton; A number of Dunnett snare drums were given away; The Regina Fest crew.