Chicago Drum Show 2014
2014 Chicago Drum Show
The (24nd Annual) Chicago Drum Show, the world’s largest and longest-running event of it’s type, will take place on May 17 and 18, 2014 at the Kane County Fairgrounds in St Charles, Illinois. (Just 35 miles west of downtown Chicago.) Over 1400 visitors are expected.
The Roundtable program instituted in 2013 (with a history of the drum kit moderated by Daniel Glass, Denny Brown, and Bill Ludwig III) was such a hit that show organizer Rob Cook plans to make it a regular part of the Chicago Drum Show program. The 2014 Roundtable event is titled “Careers In The Percussion Industry”, and will be moderated by Karl Dustman with a panel to be announced in January, 2014. “I can’t think of anyone in the percussion industry better qualified to lead this discussion than Karl,” says Cook. “There are very good reasons why Karl is Executive Director of the Percussion Marketing Council, President of his own consulting firm, a gigging percussionist, and proprietor of an orchestral percussion sales showroom. He has held executive positions with a number of the largest percussion manufacturers and has tremendous insights in the business of percussion. I also expect to have drum makers, a magazine editor, and representatives of academia and the corporate world; most of whom also satisfy the definition of “professional drummer.” ” The Mission Statement of this program is not to attempt actual placement, but to educate attendees as to talents, mindset, expectations, and pitfalls related to careers in the percussion industry. “I know this is something Karl has a great passion for along with his qualifications and desire to share his insights” says Cook. “A number of years ago he wrote a wonderful article for the Percussive Arts Society on this very topic. There are a great many cautionary tales he can share, a great many more that he can draw from the panel. This is certain to be an entertaining event and a real eye-opener for younger attendees considering careers in the percussion industry.”
Clinics will be presented by Mike Semerau, Hip Pickles, Curt Bisquera, Chip Ritter, Potts & Pans, and Stanton Moore. Additional clinic and Master Class announcements will be made in late January of 2014.
In addition to the clinic stage and Master Class room, the Rebeats Cafe stage will host educational and entertainment programs throughout the show.
Show organizer Rob Cook reports that both exhibit halls are filling up. “There’s little doubt we will once again have a sellout; we are six months out and have filled about 90% of the 148 spaces. We are keeping up-to-date exhibitor charts linked to the show page of the Rebeats site.” New exhibitors for 2014 include: Drumclip, Kumu Drums, Cymclip, Nick Hopkin Drums, Rob Birenbaum & Marty Monson, Humes & Berg, and Fugate Instruments.
Planning is also well under way for the 25th Annual Chicago Drum Show to be held May 15, 16, and 17, 2015. “The 25th is going to be a very special show,” says Cook. “It will be a 3-day event with big-name clinicians filling all the clinic slots. We have already confirmed Cindy Blackman, Will Calhoun, Dave Mattacks, and Paul Wertico. We are waiting for tour schedules to be sorted out before announcing the entire roster. We also have a number of special events to announce for the 2015 show.”