Meet the V-Drums Finalists

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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:

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

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.:

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 :

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:

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:

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