PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY

The last weekend in July saw the staging of the fifteenth Australian Ultimate Drummer’s Weekend in Melbourne, and it was once again a huge success. AUDW is now the second oldest drum festival in the world, and this year the number of Festival patrons was bigger than ever! To do something this big, and to succeed for this many years, means something is going right. Held over two days, the Festival includes a major Expo, with displays from all the major manufacturers and their distributors, a morning workshop program followed by

a main concert presentation held each afternoon. AUDW also incorporates the judging of the Junior, Intermediate and Open divisions of ‘Australia’s Best Up and Coming Drummer’ competitions.These days at Festivals all over the world, the musical talents of drummers are proudly on display. Drummers get to showcase all that they can do, and discuss aspects of their growth and their experience with an eager audience. It seems to me that when you buy that first pair of drumsticks, you are actually buying into a

fraternity of drummers worldwide - your very own ‘self-help’ group! I have attended all fifteen of these weekends now, and the organisational work that goes into each event is just fantastic; the whole event runs smoothly without a hitch, and yet maintains a very intimate feel overall – it is the perfect mix of the professional and the personal.This year’s line-up of artists included Sonny Emory, Tony Royster Jnr, Dom Famularo, Joe Bergamini and Derek Roddy from the US, Marco Minnemann and

Benny Greb from Europe, and Darryn Farrugia, Cameron McGlinchey and Gene Peterson from Australia. Gene, the winner of last year’s Open competition, opened the show with a solo kit performance followed by a minimalist presentation featuring just himself, two hi-hat pedals and a tap dancer (Reece Hopkins).

Sonny Emory and Tony Royster Jnr entertained with performances and workshops over both days. The sense of respect that both artists have for each other was very noticeable. Sonny is the master player, with great chops and a wonderfully clear sound on the kit, together with some of the best stick twirling routines I have seen. He’s a keen educator with a great desire to contribute to the drumming fraternal legacy. Tony is the young gun, on his way up (by comparison), a recipient of some of that fraternal support no doubt. Tony played with a great display of chops and very clear sound, and it was good to see that continuum at work – the passing of knowledge from generation to generation.

Dom Famularo is no stranger to this festival, making an appearance every second year now. Dom is also a keen educator and motivator as well as a very accomplished player, one who has challenged himself at every turn to get better. His explorations into the open handed style of playing have been wonderful to watch, the more so because Dom has an anecdote (or three) about every aspect of his playing, and has such a good way of delivering to an audience. Joe Bergamini was also very

entertaining in his presentation and showed just how stylistically ‘well read’ he is, as his playing reflected his study of so many of the great players of the past.

Derek Roddy was a new face for me, and his presentation was just so full of power! At one point he asked if anyone from the audience was new to his thrash metal ‘Blast’ beats, and if so, what was their reaction? I would have used the word relentless to describe it myself! Fast, furious, but always in control!

If Derek was relentless, Marco Minnemann was intense. Setting up some great three limb ostinatos whilst soloing with the fourth limb, or just bringing a different acoustic palette to the drumset. Marco played with so many musical ideas flowing around the kit that it was intense listening indeed. Benny Greb was another very musical player, whose control of dynamic nuance was clearly evident. He produced one of the best ‘memorable moments’ when he bounced his wrist in the middle of his snare drum, causing the snares to extend underneath and create a slightly longer snare buzz that was part of a distinct musical phrase! Darryn Farrugia can still call Melbourne home, despite relocating to London two years ago. Always welcome here for his musical playing, and for his sense of humour, Darryn was able to truly describe this year’s Festival as having an international flavour to it. Cameron McGlinchey showed why he is in such demand with top producers with a very strong musical presentation.One common educational theme emerged from the

workshops and concert presentations this year I thought, and that was the Moeller technique, which nearly all of the above drummers referred to at some point and described how useful it had been in their development. Highlights of this year’s festival for me included the snare duet performed by Marco and Benny: in a display of togetherness or maybe just trying to suggest that two brains are better than one. Benny played the left hand part and Marco played the right hand part, on the same snare drum. Amazing chops and even more amazing timing was needed to pull that one off! Another highlight was watching Tony Royster judging the junior and intermediate drum competitions. There was a small irony there, and Tony was well aware of it as he watched some of the best young players in the country vying for top honours just as he had done himself at the age of twelve.The finale on Sunday was another highlight; featuring Tony, Sonny and Marco in the Drumscene Live “All Star Jam”. They played their way through some great grooves and soloing, finishing with a table top snare drum routine reminiscent of the movie “Drumline”.Benny Greb was the one who described the Festival to me as the best in the world in terms of it being both professional and personal at the same time. I have heard the same thing from visiting drummers for some years now, and I just want to say a huge thank you to the people responsible for making AUDW what it is. Firstly to Frank Corniola and his wife Rosanna, and to the rest of Frank’s extended family who helped with the catering and with artist liaison. Frank is an inspiration to drummers here in Australia and to drummer’s around the world. His passion and dedication are what has been the strength of AUDW. He has assembled a wonderful team of sound engineers, production and lighting crews, video and editing teams, stagehands and many others who all contribute to the smooth running of a truly wonderful drum Festival. Special thanks to Ray Deegan for his outstanding professional work and contribution and thanks also to the Drumtek staff: Matt, Ben, Damian and Simon and all the volunteer staff who also played an important role in the success of the overall event. Drumtek would also like to congratulate all the Exhibitors for their incredible displays and their enthusiasm, professionalism and co-operation in making the event a true success for the industry and the public alike. Finally, Frank Corniola and Drumtek would also like to thank the major sponsors, whose support for the event and the performing artists, is paramount to the success of AUDW as a truly international event.

SONNY EMORY

DEREK RODDY

MARCO MINNEMANN

TONY ROYSTER JNR.

L-R: CAM McGLINCHEY, BENNY GREBB, GENE PETERSON, JOE BERGAMINI, SONNY EMORY, TONY ROYSTER JNR., FRANK CORNIOLA, DEREK RODDY, MARCO MINNEMANN,DARRYN FARRUGIA, DOM FAMULARO