2008 Drummer Of The Year

Neil Peart's Progressive Percussion Proves Itself Again; Nominated “Drummer Of The Year” For A Second Time in DRUM! Magazine's Drummies 2008: Selected “Best Live Performer” As Well.

San Jose, Calif – He's done it again: Neil Peart has been selected “Drummer Of The Year” in DRUM! Magazine's Drummies 2008, a prestigious reader survey contest comprised of 42 categories, conducted by Enter Music Publishing, publishers of hip/drum percussion magazines worldwide. More than 5000 drummers nominated Peart; the runners-up were Stanton Moore, Mike Portnoy and Jimmy Sullivan.

Additionally, Peart won “Best Live Performer”.

“Peart has definitely shown his influence on drummers of all ages and walks of life,” said Phil Hood, publisher of Enter Music Publishing. “At the same time, the runners-up demonstrate the diversity of taste that our readers have. All of the winners have clearly proven their commitment to the drumming arts.”

The winners of this year's Drummies will be published in DRUM!'s August issue and announced publicly on over 500 web sites and media outlets beginning July 1 in a comprehensive campaign. The August Issue of DRUM! Magazine hit newsstands officially on July 14.

The winners and runners-up are listed in order below. Enter Music Publishing would like to, once again, to congratulate all of them.

DRUM SET CATEGORIES

• Best Drummer of the Year–WINNER: Neil Peart. Runners-Up: Stanton Moore, Mike Portnoy, Jimmy Sullivan
• Best Rising Star–WINNER: Thomas Pridgen. Runners-Up: Cody Hanson, Matt Smith, Spencer Smith
• Best Progessive–WINNER: Mike Portnoy. Runners-Up: Neil Peart, Gavin Harrison, Danny Carey
• Metal/Extreme Metal–WINNER: Chris Adler. Runners-Up: Jason Bittner, Joey Jordison, Brann Dailor
• Best Jam Band–WINNER: Carter Beauford. Runners-Up: Stanton Moore, Matt Abts, Jim Donovan
• Best Jazz–WINNER: Steve Smith. Runners-Up: Peter Erskine, Billy Hart, Billy Kilson
• Best Funk–WINNER: Chad Smith. Runners-Up: Stanton Moore, Zoro, Aaron Spears
• Best Urban–WINNER: ?uestlove. Runners-Up: Aaron Spears, Trevor Lawrence, Teddy Campbell
• Best Mainstream Pop–WINNER: Taylor Hawkins. Runners-Up: Neil Peart, Chad Smith, Travis Barker
• Best Alternative–WINNER: Sam Loeffler. Runners-Up: Brooks Wackerman , Atom Willard, Travis Barker
• Best Punk–WINNER: Travis Barker. Runners-Up: Tré Cool, Brooks Wackerman, JP Parker
• Best R&B/Blues–WINNER: Zoro. Runners-Up: Stanton Moore, Aaron Spears, Teddy Campbell
• Best Country–WINNER: Jim Riley. Runners-Up: Paul Leim, Eddie Bayers, Ben Sesar
• Best Drum Clinician–WINNER: Thomas Lang. Runners-Up: JoJoMayer, Stanton Moore, Mike Mangini
• Best Studio–WINNER: Vinnie Colaiuta. Runners-Up: Steve Gadd, Josh Freese, Rodney Holmes
• Best Live Performer–WINNER: Neil Peart. Runners-Up: Stanton Moore, Jimmy Sullivan, Mike Portnoy

INDUSTRY AND PRODUCT CATEGORIES

• Best Drum Set–WINNER: DW Collector's Twisted Exotics.
• Runners-Up: Pearl Masters MCX, Tama Starclassic Perfomer Bubinga/Birch, Ludwig Legacy
• Best Snare Drum–WINNER: Black Panther Thick Flame Maple. Runners-Up: Tama 13" Warlord Limited Edition, Pro-Mark 50th Anniversary, Yamaha 14" X 5.5" Kabuto
• Best Custom Drum Maker–WINNER: SJC. Runners-Up: Pork Pie, Craviotto, Orange County Drums & Percussion
• Best Cymbal –Zildjian Armand Series, Sabian 20" HHX Evolution O-Zone Crash, Paiste Twenty Series, Zildjian 22" K Medium Dark Ride
• Best Drumhead–WINNER: Evans EC1, Remo Powerstroke X Snare, Remo Vintage A Snare head, Aquarian Super-2
• Best Drumstick–WINNER: Vic Firth Danny Carey Nylon Tip Signature, Vater Limited Edition 2007 Stewart Copeland Standard, Zildjian Backbeat Series, Pro-Mark Chris Adler model
• Best Hardware–WINNER: DW 8000 Series Pedals, Tama Ion Cobra Rolling Glide Pedals with Cobra Coil Speed Spring, Pearl 900 Series, Tama Stage Master
• Best Percussion–WINNER: LP John Dolmayan mini-timbale, Pearl Travel Conga, LP More Cowbell Ridge Rider Bell Pack, Remo Key-tuned Djembe
• Best Drumming Accessory–WINNER: Zildjian Travis Barker Artist Series Cymbal and Drumstick Bags, Vater Safe 'N Sound Earplugs, SKB Roto-X cases, Aquarian Super-Thin Kickpads
• Best Electronic Percussion: WINNER: Roland HD-1 V-Drums Lite electronic drums, Yamaha DTXpress IV, Roland PM-01 Personal Monitor, Alesis DM5 Pro

PERCUSSIONIST CATEGORIES

• Best Percussionist of the Year–WINNER: Luis Conte. Runners-Up: Giovanni Hidalgo, Fausto Cuevas, Taku Hirano
• Best Rising Star–WINNER: Cesar Espinoza. Runners-Up: Carlos Maldonado, A.B. Bermudez, Eric Velez
• Best Latin–WINNER–Richie Flores Runners-Up: A.B. Bermudez, Giovanni Hidalgo, Poncho Sanchez
• Best Jazz/Fusion–WINNER: Sammy Figueroa. Runners-Up: Richie Flores, A.B. Bermudez, Cyro Baptista
• Best Percussion Clinician–WINNER: Jesus Diaz. Runners-Up: Giovanni Hidalgo, Alex Acuña, Valerie Naranjo
• Best Rock/Pop–WINNER: Luis Conte. Runners-Up: Fausto Cuevas, Raul Rekow, Jim Donovan
• Best Worldbeat–WINNER: Valerie Naranjo. Runners-Up: Zakir Hussain, Taku Hirano, Cyro Baptista
• Best Percussion Ensemble–WINNER: Hip Pickles. Runners-Up: Blue Man Group, San Jose Taiko, Blue Devils
• Best Drum Circle Facilitator–WINNER: JimDonovan. Runners-Up: Valerie Naranjo, John Scalici, Chet Doboe
• Best Studio–WINNER–Luis Conte. Runners-Up: Lenny Castro, Emil Richards, Robert Vilera
• Best Live Performer–WINNER: Marc Quiñones. Runners-Up: Alex Acuña, Hip Pickles, Jim Donovan

MEDIA CATEGORIES

• Best DVD–Winner–Secret Weapons for the Modern Drummer by Jojo Mayer. Runners-Up: In Constant Motion by Mike Portnoy, Ultimate Realistic Rock by Carmine Appice, Billy Cobham Live At 60 by Billy Cobham
• Best Drumming Book– Winner: On The Beaten Path: The Drummers Guide to Musical Styles and the Legends Who Defined Them by Rich Lackowski. Runners-Up: Drumming Out of the Shadows by Jason Bittner, Hands, Grooves and Fills by Pat Petrillo, Jimi Hendrix: Smash Hits Play-Along
• Best Drumming Album–Winner: Hellyeah, Hellyeah. Runners-Up: Obzen, Meshuggah, Avenged Sevenfold Avenged Sevenfold
• Best Hand Percussion Album–Winner: The Magician Sammy Figueroa. Runners-Up: Global Drum Project, Con Alma Mark Weinstein, Raise Your Hand, Poncho Sanchez
• Best Web Site–Winner: Drummerworld.com. Runners-Up: Pearldrum.com, drumsmith.com, drumbum.com
• Best Print Ad–Winner: "Chad Smith Grammy Magnet" (Pearl). Runners-Up: "My Name Is" (DW), "Say It With Your Music" (Pro-Mark), "Blue Man Group" (Tama)

About Enter Music Publishing

Founded in San Jose, CA in 1992, Enter Music Publishing, Inc. is a leading publisher of drum/percussion magazines, with distribution in 40 countries. DRUM! is the flagship publication of Enter Music Publishing, Inc. and continues to set the industry standard for editorial quality and innovation. In addition to DRUM! And DRUM! Digital, the company publishes Traps and HOW TO PLAY DRUMS. Additional information about the company can be found at: drummagazine.com.