Heads up! Be on the look out for an email from DRUM! magazine and NSMD about winning a $50 Visa gift card for taking a survey about your playing and the drum gear you use. We'd appreciate it if you would take the time to fill out their survey.

Lots of news this month:

The Nashville Drum Show will not be produced by Not So Modern Drummer this year. Even though the show has grown every year and even made a small profit last year, from this point it would cost too much in time, energy and resources for my two man staff to handle growing it to the size it needs to be. Also, my personal pursuits in music will be taking up more of my time this year and I simply won’t have the time to do it properly. I am offering production of the drum show to any interested individual or company, with my assistance and resources. Please contact me if you are interested. The 2015 Snare Drum Olympics will still take place and information will be available shortly.

Chris Speich and Aaron Mlasko will be hosting the Not So Modern Drummer booth at the Chicago Drum Show in May. Aaron is the owner and builder of Mlasko Drums and will be displaying some of his immaculate drums at our booth. Please check out his ad in this newsletter and the Custom Drum of the Month.

NSMD’s gear and back issue sales are being switched to the Reverb Marketplace and the store name is being changed to George’s Drum Shop. https://reverb.com/shop/georges-drum-shop Reverb is rapidly surpassing Ebay as THE venue for music instrument and gear sales so we are going to set up shop there. Just to clarify, George’s Drum Shop is not a brick and mortar shop; no showroom, just online sales that are personally handled by me. I am still a staunch supporter of supporting your local drum shop. Fork’s Drum Shop here in Nashville is where I spend my money.

Many new products have been added to the shop and more are on the way. Recently added were Ronn Dunnett’s great throw offs and other parts. I will also be adding all the Snare Drum Olympics drums that are for sale. If you are interested in having your products represented and sold by George’s Drum Shop please contact me, george@notsomoderndrummer.com or george@georgesdrumshop.com.

As usual we have some great articles and columns from our regular writers. Please check them out and leave any comments that come to mind. And remember, “the drummer with the prettiest drums gets the gig!" :o)

Well, let’s see. What’s new? The year! It’s a new year! All my vintage drums are now more “vintagey”.

The 2015 Nashville Drum Show is still a go for late September though I have not set an exact date yet. I want to move it to a new and better location this year and am working toward that end. Stay tuned.

There is a special deal on the paper back issues still in print– half price! $49 compared to the regular price of $99. That’s 29 issues dating from ’98 through 2012– all the paper back issues left in stock – for half price through February 15. Shipping is $11. That comes out to around $2 an issue!

(Click here to order)

Many of our readers have services and products that they need to spread the word about. Not So Modern Drummer is an excellent venue for advertising your self and your goods for sale on our website, in our monthly newsletter and in our email blasts to our 30,000 subscribers and our social media channels. We have special low rates for teachers, authors, vintage drum and parts sellers, and custom drum builders. We are currently offering a very popular heavily discounted package that includes ads on our site, in our newsletter and includes up to four product reviews. Please contact me about those special rates – george@notsomoderndrummer.com.

My condolences to the families, friends and fans of the staff workers of the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine that were killed in Paris by militant religious and political extremists. All of us who understand freedom and enjoy the quality of life it affords us must condemn the actions of those cowards who killed in the name of God. Those of us in the journalism business have learned that freedom of the press and freedom of speech is more sacred than any religious or political ideology. Anyone who thinks that his god is commanding him to hate or kill is deluded and lying to himself and everyone else. We must strive for peace through education about freedom through the eradication of religious prejudice, and through the preaching of tolerance and the difference between faith and facts. We must also protect freedom of speech by standing up to those who think they can use fear and terror to suppress it.

(330) 338-6035 george@notsomoderndrummer.com

Database of Articles 11/13 to current