V-Drums World Championship 2 winners at the Frankfurt Musikmesse

During the recent 2013 Musikmesse music fair in Frankfurt, Germany, Roland held the international finals for the V-Drums World Championship 2. From a field of top drummers representing 16 different countries, Issah Contractor from Canada grabbed the crown with a masterful performance blending impressive drumming chops and a thorough command of the modern technology in Roland’s electronic percussion products.

The V-Drums World Championship 2 Explained…

Roland’s annual V-Drums World Championship gives drummers everywhere a unique opportunity to showcase their skills and compete against other Roland electronic percussion players. This year’s contest was the biggest yet, with nearly 5,000 participants competing during national preliminary rounds in countries around the world. The grand finale took place on April 11, 2013 at the prestigious Südbahnhof music club in Frankfurt, with well-known German drummer Dirk Brand serving as the host for the evening. The event was also streamed live to Internet viewers around the globe on the V-Drums World Championship international website.

The night featured inspired drumming by players from the United States, Sweden, Italy, Mexico, Hungary, Switzerland, China, Turkey, Brazil, the Netherlands, Japan, United Kingdom, Russia, Germany, Spain, and Canada. Each earned a trip to the finals by winning national V-Drums competitions in their home countries. In Frankfurt, every finalist played an original drum performance using the TD-30KV V-Pro® Series V-Drums, OCTAPAD® SPD-30 Percussion Pad, and SPD-SX Sampling Pad.

A group of seven judges assembled for the finals included noted drummers Brand, Craig Blundell, Tommy Snyder, and Florian Alexandru-Zorn, plus music journalists Mark Van Schaik, Rich Chamberlain, and Axel Mikolajczak. They scored the contestants’ performances in areas of technique, style, stage presence, overall creativity, and creative use of technology.

See the V-Drums World Championship 2 slide show

V-Drums World Championship 2 winner: Issah Contractor

Naming a winner was a tough call, as all the players delivered jaw-dropping displays of drumming prowess. When the smoke had cleared, Issah Contractor came out on top with a performance that featured looping on the SPD-30, sample playback from the SPD-SX, multiple meter shifts, impressive double-kick chops, and unique playing of melodies with the V-Drums’ pads.

V-Drums World Championship 2 runner-ups Jaime Edwin de la Rosa & Lars Nijman

Second Place went to Jaime Edwin de la Rosa from Mexico, while Third Place went to Lars Nijman from the Netherlands.

In an interview after his win, Issah talked about how he’s excited to use the powerful technology in V-Drums to forge a new melodic direction in drumming. “One cool thing about the TD-30 is the step sequence function,” said Issah. “I believe that can be utilized very uniquely in the future. I’d like to see if I can push that boundary. It could be really something that is groundbreaking. Although there are notes on the drums, it feels a little devoid over the harmony aspect, and I think the V-Drums would be awesome for trying to put that forward.”

If you’re a drummer based in the United States and want to enter for the V-Drums World Championship 3, check the V-Drums contest page at RolandUS.com.

Check out our V-Drums World Championship 2 playlist on YouTube to see final performances from all the contestants, plus interviews with the top three players.

V-Drums World Championship 2 Performances

Do you agree with the judges? Tell us who you think the winner should be.

Related links and articles:

• Pat Kennedy V-Drums Training Camp
• Brendan Buckley Judges V-Drums Semi Finals
• Meet the V-Drums U.S. Finalists
• The Benefits of Electronic Drums

Roland V-Drums World Championship 2

Roland’s annual V-Drums® World Championship contest gives drummers a premier opportunity to explore their musical passion. Nearly 5,000 participants competed during the preliminary rounds in 2012! Each year, thousands of performances around the world feature musicians using TD-30KV, TD-15KV and TD-11KV drum kits and the OCTAPAD SPD-30 digital percussion pad. This year’s grande finale event will be streaming live on the V-Drums contest website, Thursday, April 11, 2013, starting at 10:30 a.m. PDT. The live broadcast will feature 16 international V-Drums finalists, behind the scenes interviews, expert judges and a performance by The Intersphere.

Why go with electronic drums? Read the benefits here.

Former U.S. national semi-finalist Patrick Kennedy has been training extensively after earning his chance to compete in the finals. “It was an honor to participate in the V-Drums national competition,” Patrick said. “I had an amazing time getting to hang out and talk with Thomas Lang and Johnny Rabb, as well as all of the other contestants.” Kennedy won a TD-30KV V-Drums set and other prizes from REMO, DW, Vic Firth, and DRUM! magazine.

An elite roster of judges will crown the 2013 V-Drums king based on the following: playing technique, musicality, groove, creativity, entertainment value, playing tricks, and precision. All experts in the field of electronic percussion, this year’s judges panel includes Dirk Brand, Craig Blundell, Tommy Snyder, and Florian Alexandru-Zorn, Mark Van Schaik, Rich Chamberlain, and Axel Mikolajczak.

Roland on Stage With American Idol

“It has been amazing seeing so many talented drummers taking their talent to the next level with electronic percussion, ” said Roland Percussion Group Strategy Manager Drew Armentrout. “The way these drummers perform is truly inspiring, and I can’t wait to watch the finals.”

Visit the international V-Drums contest page for more details! Or, follow the Twitter conversation via #vdrumscontest.

Live Streaming: 
April 11, 2013 – 10:30 AM PDT

V-Drums World Championship 2012

Related links and articles:

• Pat Kennedy V-Drums Training Camp
• Brendan Buckley Judges V-Drums Semi Finals
• Meet the V-Drums U.S. Finalists
• The Benefits of Electronic Drums

The results are in but if you were following the conversation on Twitter (#vdrumscontest) you probably already know that this year’s V-Drums U.S. National Champion is Pat Kennedy from Manor, TX. The Runner-up is Phillip “PJ” Hill from Milwaukee, WI. Patrick will represent the U.S. at the V-Drums World Championship 2 contest in Frankfurt, Germany in April, 2013. You can still check out their entry videos and bios here.

Winning Prizes:

Grand prize winner, Patrick received a TD-30KV drum kit and PJ won a TD-15KV kit for the runner-up spot. Both winners also received DW hardware and bricks of Vic Firth drum sticks. Again, apologies for the live stream cut off. We received great comments about our stream quality up until we went offline, thanks Danita Barber (Twitter handle: @whatuKnowGood).

Funny how things happen at deciding moments or during Thomas Lang’s compelling performance. We’ll keep the #vdrumscontest hashtag alive for the V-Drums World Championships in Frankfurt next year.   Special thanks to our Twitter audience for keeping things interesting!

Related links and articles:

• Meet The V-Drums Finalists
• V-Drums World Championship U.S. Finals 2012
• Pick Your Poison – SPD-SX Versus SPD-30

The Roland V-Drums World Championship U.S. Finals is only two days away. Meet this year’s finalists and watch the videos that got them here. Tell us what you think about their drumming chops and share with us your contest predictions. Think you can do better? We encourage you to start working on your video for next year’s contest.

Join the conversation on Twitter with hashtag #vdrumscontest.

Brandon Currie – Marietta, GA

More of Brandon:

• YouTube channel: BMCColumn
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/BCurrez89

Brandon grew up in Fayetteville North Carolina, now lives in Atlanta. He is 23 years old, and has been playing for 17 years. His influences are Buddy Rich, Carter Beauford, Tony Royster Jr., Chris Coleman, Jerome Flood, RIP THE REV and many others.  Brandon loves to play everything and doesn’t limit his playing to any style of music.

Besides his passion for drums and music, he enjoys car audio systems and he also plays bass.

DeCarlos Davis – Winston-Salem, NC

• More of DeCarlos on his website: www.decarlosdavis.com 
• facebook.com/decarlosdavis
• twitter.com/dlosmusic

Born and raised in Winston Salem, North Carolina, DeCarlos has been drumming ever since he was 5 years old. He began by playing in church and received his first drum-set at a young age. DeCarlos played the trumpet in Jr. High Band and by the time he got into high school he switched to the drums. By his junior year in high school he was drum captain and one of the best high school drummers in Forsyth County.

His influences are Dennis Chambers, Dave Weckl, Billy Cobham and Horacio Hernandez

He enjoys Music, Family Time and Xbox 360

Jeffrey Fajardo – Brooklyn, NY

An artist and musician out of New York City, Jeffrey was born into a family of musicians, with a childhood that had a nurturing musical environment. Attending Berklee College of Music on a full presidential scholarship, Jeffrey’s professional career has been the foreground of all his youth and still continues to perform and tour throughout the US and internationally. With an eclectic listening background, Jeffrey’s drumming style incorporates Jazz, Rock, Funk, Latin, Hip-Hop, Reggae, Dubstep, Drum ‘n Bass, Afro-beat, Pop, Punk among all the new emerging music of today. Some say his approach is quite unique and essential for the progression of drumming in the 21st century.

T.J. Fisher – Long Beach, CA

More of T.J.:

• YouTube Channel:TJ Fisher 
• Website: wix.com/tjrummer/drums
• T.J. on Facebook
• T.J. on Instagram: Tjrummer

Drummer , Producer, Teacher, and Arranger Tj  is a passionate musician all about the groove.   Known as the Little Man with the Big Pocket  he has been playing since he can remember. Influenced by his peers and many Drummers Such as Dennis Chambers, Virgil Donati, Vinnie Colaiuta, Tony Williams, Tony Royster Jr. and many more.

He  plays with a band called  Chi-Town-Soul who works regularly on events for 94.7 The Wave. He also Works With Singer Songwriter  Krystle Tugadi and Urban Rap Artist A. L. The Prince. Currently producing songs for several artists, TJ also works as an assistant Band Director for the Long Beach Jordan Drum line and Marching band.

Tj loves to make music and spend time with friends and family. Tj would like to dedicate his performance to his daughter on the way Jaylee .

Casey Glass – Loveland, CO

More of Casey :

• YouTube channel: DrummerCaseyGlass
• Facebook
• Website: www.drummercaseyglass.com

From Denver, CO, 30 year old Casey has been playing drums for 22 years. He began playing percussion in concert band in elementary school, then drum set in jazz school, and joined his first rock band when he was 12 and has played in countless bands then. I joined drum line in high school and achieved drum captain my junior year.  I played snare in Blue Knights Drum Corp for a couple of years after high school. At18, he turned his focus to drum set and creating music.

His current band IMMORTAL DOMINION recorded a new album last year, has had music featured in movies while continuing to expand their live performances to a wider audience.

Casey’s influences are Buddy Rich, Billy Cobham, Dave Weckl, Dennis Chambers, Neill Peart, John Bonham, Keith Moon, Carter Beauford, Chad Sexton, Tony Royster Jr., Thomas Lang and Chad Smith.

Casey just had my seven year wedding anniversary with my beautiful wife, Cindy, and they have two boys together, Jaxon and Dillon, ages 2 and 4.  Outside of drumming, Casey enjoys woodworking, snow skiing, football and golf.

Reed Hayes – Deltona, FL

More of Reed:

• YouTube channel: Reed Hayes
• Website
• Facebook

A 44-year-old full-time, actively-gigging drummer, Reed has been playing since age 11. Currently in multiple progressive rock/fusion original bands in the Central Florida area. He is also a member of one of the top Rush tribute bands in the United States who has performed multiple times at RushCon.

Born in Thailand, and living in the United States at a young age, Reed has lived in Deltona, Florida since he was a teenager where he currently resides with his family. His many influences include Neil Peart, Tony Williams, Billy Cobham, Buddy Rich, all the drummers for Frank Zappa, Gavin Harrison, Thomas Lang, and Benny Greb.

P.J. Hill – Milwaukee, WI

P.J. on Twitter: @drummingpj

Phillip is 22 years old and likes all styles especially anything that is musically challenging.

He looks up to Thomas Lang, Thomas Pridgen, Tony Williams, Sonny Emory and many other great players.

From Milwaukee WI, Phillip has played in many bands, and has been seen on TV, in Magazines, and Youtube.

Patrick Kennedy – Manor, TX

Pat 30 years old and lives in Austin, TX.  Originally from Pittsburgh, PA, Pat moved to Austin in 2004 to pursue Master’s degree in Jazz Performance from the University of Texas.  Currently, Pat is a middle school band director, and plays drums with Opposite Day (an experimental, art-rock trio) and Sweetmeat (an indie-soul sextet), as well as other various jazz musicians and singer/songwriters in the Austin area.

He is married to his lovely wife, Nicole, and enjoys golf, grilling, and football.

This year’s contest is being held in Austin, TX on Halloween night and also being streamed live here. Live performances by Thomas Lang and Johnny Rabb!

• Doors opent at 6pm Central Time
• Event and live webcast begins at 7pm Central Time

Special thanks to our sponsors and partners for helping put together this event:

• Vic Firth
• DW Drums
• Drum! Magazine
• Remo
• American DJ

Related articles and links:

• V-Drums World Championship U.S. Finals Highlight Reel
• Brendan Buckley (Shakira) Judges V-Drum Semi Finals
• Michael Schack (Netsky) – Looping on the Octapad

On Saturday, September 29, our good friend, Brendan Buckley took a break from his very busy touring schedule with Shakira and Taiwanese super star Leehom Wang to judge the V-Drum semi final contest at Sam Ash in Torrance California. Sandwiched between tour dates in Italy and China Brendan had just one week in the United States before jet setting over seas. Besides the judging criteria, Brendan shares with us what he was personally looking for in contestants.

For more of Brendan Buckley, please visit his website: www.BrendanBuckley.com

This year’s V-Drums World Championship will take place in Austin, Texas on Wednesday, October 21st with live performances by Thomas Lang and Johnny Rabb. This year’s contestants are:

• Brandon Currie – Marietta, GA
• DeCarlos Davis – Winston-Salem, NC
• T.J. Fisher – Long Beach, CA
• Casey Glass – Loveland, CO
• Reed Hayes – Deltona, FL
• P.J. Hill – Milwaukee, WI
• Patrick Kennedy – Manor, TX

Photos from Sam Ash semi finals in Torrance California