Guests

George Lawrence has been a professional drummer since 1971 when he was a junior in high school. Originally from Jackson Mississippi, George lived and worked in the major music centers Los Angeles, Nashville, and Muscle Shoals Alabama, recording and touring with recording artists from around the world. He is currently touring and recording with the infamous veteran band POCO. George’s life long involvement with drum shops as a teacher led to the fulfillment of one of his lifelong dreams, the establishing in 2002 of George’s Drum Shop in the Akron/Cleveland, Ohio area where he teaches, repairs, builds and sells drums when he is not on the road or playing local gigs. His drumming styles range from funk, R&B, soul music, blues, country, rock from classic to metal, pop, big band jazz, be-bop jazz and modern jazz. He spent many years as a recording studio "session cat" and reads standard transcription and Nashville number charts flawlessly. He has played drum set in every imaginable setting including clubs, concert arenas, churches, symphony orchestras, and clinics.

George is very active in the drumming community both locally and nationally, attending drumming festivals and conventions around the country as a performer and clinician as well as hosting his own small and large events in Ohio, from weekly hand drum circles to an annual Drum Festival and the Cleveland Drum Show. He has taught thousands of students, many who have gone on to become professional drummers and some who have become famous drummers, most notably Keith Carlock of Steely Dan and Sting fame. Pro and aspiring pro drummers from around the country seek George out for the highest level of instruction on the drumset.

George is married to Dr. Nancy Odell of Akron, Ohio and has two children, Paul, 24 and Jennifer, 17, both drummers. His musical interests run from jazz and blues, to hard rock, pop, country and orchestral music. His hobbies include writing and reading, designing musical instruments and writing drum instruction books.

John Emrich www.johnemrich.com	John has been studying drums and percussion since 1972. He grew up performing with regional jazz and rock bands in the Chicago area. 1986, John was selected for and joined the Navy as a musician. After graduating from The Navy School of Music, he was assigned to The Navy Band at Great Lakes. In 1989, John won a position with The Naval Academy Band where he was a drum set instrumentalist, percussionist, and one of the drum majors. In 1993, John transfered to Washington, DC as a featured member of The U.S. Navy Band. In 2006, he retired as a Chief Musician. John has been involved with concert sound reinforcement and recording - working with acts such as Tony Bennett, Bob Hope, Chicago, The Moody Blues, The Smithereens, and Tesla. In addition, as a member of The Washington Winds, he has been featured on numerous recordings for Walking Frog Records as well as recordings for Warner Bros., FJH, and Barnhouse Publications. John is nationally recognized as an instrumentalist, clinician, and teacher. He has performed throughout the world including performances for Presidents Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Bush, Pope John Paul II, The Crown Prince of Norway and visiting heads of state. Presently, John is a driving force in the electronic drum community. In 2006, FXpansion released the first two of John's sample libraries receiving worldwide critical acclaim. He continues to advance the overall development of electronic percussion - including work with Zendrum, Muse Receptor, and The-Freddy.
Mike Snyder www.mikesnyder.net	You may not know it, but you’ve heard Mike’s work. For ten years he was a regular on the Los Angeles recording scene, bringing his special talents to many film and television soundtracks. In addition to every Mel Brooks movie from Spaceballs to Robin Hood: Men in Tights, his playing may be heard on many popular, syndicated television shows, including Home Improvement, Dinosaurs, and The Little Mermaid. His recording work now focuses on jingles, record projects, library music, music for industrial video, and lots of drum & percussion loops. Returning to the sanity of the Northwest after ten years of L.A. session work and life in Southern California, Mike continues to develop his unique talents. His varied performance abilities—which include drum set, percussion, and extensive electronic knowledge—keep Mike busy recording, creating drum loops, and giving drum clinics in the U.S. and abroad. Mike holds a Master’s degree in percussion from The University of Southern California and a Bachelor’s degree in percussion from The University of Oregon. He is the author of All About ... Electronic Percussion, published by Hal Leonard, and a frequent columnist for DRUM! Magazine. His continued album tracking, industrial, and national jingle work as a drummer, programmer, hand percussionist, and composer can be heard on music for HP, Jeld-Wen, Microsoft, Westin Hotels, and Nike. In addition to his performing, Mike has been heavily involved in electronic percussion design since the mid-eighties. DRUM! Magazine's Drummies readers’ poll named him runner-up electronic drummer of 2003. Because of his direction setting designs for Trigger Perfect drum triggers, and his continued work with Roland Drums and Percussion, his ideas and designs continue to influence the direction of electronic drums and percussion.
Drew Armentrout www.rolandus.com	With a drumming background that includes live performance, recording, instruction, programming, engineering, and consulting, Drew Armentrout has been using and advocating for electronic percussion and music technology for more than twenty-five years. Active in the Southern California area, Drew has contributed his drum and percussion skills to several independent releases, written and recorded background music for radio and TV spots, and was featured in an instructional video on Electronic Percussion & MIDI which he also co-wrote. Drew is currently writing for and rehearsing with an acoustic/electronic performance duo, and is also recording material for an original electronic percussion multi-media project. A 20-year veteran of the music products industry, Drew joined Roland US in 2000, and is a Product Specialist for the Drum & Percussion Division, which he describes as “the greatest job on the planet!” Drew’s duties include percussion product training, demonstrating at industry trade shows and percussion events, conducting workshops for consumers, educators, and students, creating training, marketing and online percussion support materials, as well as assisting Roland US percussion artists. Drew is also directly involved in the day-to day sales & marketing activities for the Roland US Drum & Percussion Division.
Mario DeCiutiis www.alternatemode.com	With over 26 years of professional music experience and as principal percussionist for Radio City Music Hall since 1979, Mario DeCiutiis has performed literally thousands of shows ranging from Christmas Spectaculars & Liberace Extravaganzas to Silent Movies and Ice Shows. He has performed many Broadway and Off-Broadway Shows in New York and has spent his share of "road-touring" for plays, MIDI clinics and concerts. DeCiutiis can be heard on numerous studio recordings including a Grammy Award winning Children's CD. He has produced many educational music videos for KAT Inc., developed CD-ROMs with percussion instruments for digital samplers and has performed on a wide variety of audio recordings as a drummer and percussionist session player. Since 1986, Mario fulfilled the role of Vice President of KAT Inc., involved in the creation, design, manufacturing and world-wide distribution of KAT electronic controllers. In 1996, he founded Alternate Mode Inc. to continue the KAT product line. His interests now focus on performing on the college and concert circuit, sharing his knowledge of music and technology.
George Lawrence George's Drum Shop Tour Schedule with Poco	George Lawrence has been a professional drummer since 1971 when he was a junior in high school. Originally from Jackson Mississippi, George lived and worked in the major music centers Los Angeles, Nashville, and Muscle Shoals Alabama, recording and touring with recording artists from around the world. He is currently touring and recording with the infamous veteran band POCO. George’s life long involvement with drum shops as a teacher led to the fulfillment of one of his lifelong dreams, the establishing in 2002 of George’s Drum Shop in the Akron/Cleveland, Ohio area where he teaches, repairs, builds and sells drums when he is not on the road or playing local gigs. His drumming styles range from funk, R&B, soul music, blues, country, rock from classic to metal, pop, big band jazz, be-bop jazz and modern jazz. He spent many years as a recording studio "session cat" and reads standard transcription and Nashville number charts flawlessly. He has played drum set in every imaginable setting including clubs, concert arenas, churches, symphony orchestras, and clinics. George is very active in the drumming community both locally and nationally, attending drumming festivals and conventions around the country as a performer and clinician as well as hosting his own small and large events in Ohio, from weekly hand drum circles to an annual Drum Festival and the Cleveland Drum Show. He has taught thousands of students, many who have gone on to become professional drummers and some who have become famous drummers, most notably Keith Carlock of Steely Dan and Sting fame. Pro and aspiring pro drummers from around the country seek George out for the highest level of instruction on the drumset. George is married to Dr. Nancy Odell of Akron, Ohio and has two children, Paul, 24 and Jennifer, 17, both drummers. His musical interests run from jazz and blues, to hard rock, pop, country and orchestral music. His hobbies include writing and reading, designing musical instruments and writing drum instruction books.
Michael Render www.michaelrender.com Heavy Armor Division	He's large, scary, bald and wears black lipstick and a Power Jewel stuck to his forehead. Other than that, he is a dedicated elecronic drummer. He is currently performing with Heavy Armor Division.