Our Grand Opening Clinic with Craig Blundell on April 14, 2007

I’ve been to dozens of clinics and seen a lot of the big name players and legends.  You name them and I’ve probably seen them.  Many even more than once.  Some clinics are fun.  Some are very informative.  Some are amazing.  Some are memorable and unique.  Our first clinic with Craig Blundell was all of the above.  It was without a doubt, one of the best clinics I’ve ever seen.

We picked up Craig from the airport Friday afternoon and even after a 12 hour flight, fighting jet lag, and having his luggage lost, he was anxious to get to the shop and meet everyone.  Right from the beginning, we liked Craig.  He was relaxed, personable, professional, had a great sense of humor, and just an all-around great guy.  After chatting for a while, he made his way to the Mapex Orion kit he would be playing on the next day for the clinic. 

He sat behind the kit and started to adjust it to his liking.  He played various little licks and grooves just to get the feel of the kit and instantly, he drew a crowd. Craig is definitely a great player. Once we closed the shop, we visited a local restaurant, Pescado’s, for drinks and dinner.  The food was great and we easily passed the time by trading stories.

A group shot of all of the guys.

Craig and me trading stories and laughs.

Saturday afternoon rolls around and we anxious to get busy and get ready for the evening’s show.  Craig was more than willing to jump in, roll his sleeves up, and help pack and load up the vehicles.

Craig teaching Scott a pattern (and myself too).

Packing up a mountain of gear.

Once we arrived at Midlothian High School where the clinic would be held, we unloaded as usual and began setting up.  The sound system, seating, stages, concession stands, signs, banners, and more – there was plenty to do!

After a couple hours of work, we were finally ready to do sound checks. The Orion kit, to no surprise sounded amazing! Those Aquarian heads sounded great on that Orion kit too. I'm considering buying the kit for myself soon.

Craig does a sound check for his Roland electronics.

About 80 people were already seated and it was time to get the show on the road. For an opening act, we had some local african drummers perform for about 15 minutes. They did a great job and we're hoping to do a full clinic with these guys in the shop next month. They were very well rehearsed and authentic.

The opening act - local african drummers and percussionists.

After the opening act, Scott Milliron, our resident instructor, came out and introduced the shop and myself from the perspective of a customer. He told everyone how he came into the shop not long ago and loved the concept, atmosphere, and appreciated what we were trying to do. He introduced me and I was proud to introduce Craig Blundell to Richmond, Virginia.

Scott Milliron welcomes everyone.

Shane Fowlkes - me.

Craig came out and after a few words, began his clinic by playing to great music tracks stored on his amazing little Roland SPD. And for the record, that SPD was very cool and I've got to get myself one now. After playing to some tracks, he played an impressive extended solo full of great grooves and jaw dropping fills.

Craig opens with music tracks and a great solo.

Craig laying down a serious groove.

After his solo, he came out and talked about some of the basic concepts that all drummers should have and how he developed them. This is where his clinic became really interesting and unique. He used everyday scenarios (and a lot of humor) to explain how coordination is and can be developed over time. He was able to effectively demonstrate how coordination is developed and went through a few exercises with the audience on how to "train your brain" to do patterns automatically.

Craig explains some of his techniques and concepts.

Craig demonstrating his one handed roll....and playing it up for the camera.

Later in the clinic, he spent time explaining how keeping time was the essential role of a drummer. As a fun and entertaining demonstration, he had some brave soul come up and play a basic pattern on a Mapex Pro-M drumset for a good solid 10 minutes. During the entire time, Craig intentionally and masterfully played out of time, and at parts (for laughs) like a drunken wild man. His intention was to throw off the time of the brave drummer sitting on the Pro-M kit. The guy playing the Pro-M kit was tortured by Craig's over the top playing but he held in there and kept the time the entire time!

Craig attempts to throw off the time of a volunteer.

Craig wrapped up his clinic with yet another impressive solo and then played tracks to an amazing 100-Medley Song track. It lasted for at least 15 minutes if not more. It was quite an amazing thing to witness. Approximately 60 seconds of a highly recognized song would play and then it would instantly switch to the next song and he'd play about 60 seconds of the next song. And so on. It was impressive because each song had a different feel, time signature, and meter! He went from song to song all the way to 100 without a single hitch.

He smiles right before the finale.

A close up shot.

Another shot of Craig and the Orion kit.

Drivers view of the kit.

To no surprise, Craig received a standing ovation. As promised, door prizes, autographs, and photos followed.

Bob Major wins a prize.

Neal Kohli wins a prize.

Khalil wins Craig's signature beater.

Some lucky guy wins 12 pairs of Craig's Vater 7As.

Adam was very excited to win his iPod.

Kirk Sullivan wins the grand prize - a Mapex Pro-M snare drum.

Craig gives autographs.

Craig gives another authograph.

Craig, Meghan (my daughter), and myself.

After an exhausting show, we broke down and packed up. Craig jumped right in like a regular team player and helped pack and load heavy gear. He was courteous, humble, and totally willing to help out. To celebrate our evening, we took Craig to Hooters. He didn't seem to object.

Craig very relunctantly poses with the girls.

A group photo at Hooters.

I can't say enough good things about Craig. He's a great player, a great clinician, and an all around great guy. We had a successful weekend, a great clinic, and most importantly, we made a great friend. It was a true honor to have him as our first clinician.

Thanks for reading.
-Shane

We would like to thank Craig Blundell, Mapex Drums, Roland electronics, Paiste cymbals, Vater sticks, Aquarian drumheads, Marrell beaters, Christopher Thomas of Midlothian High School, and Mark and Ryan Schmidt for the sound system.