Drumfest is almost upon us!

It´s that time of year again, with the smell of rock´n´roll in the air it can only mean one thing…2009´s Drumfest and Guitarfest is here (Guitarfest Saturday 11, Drumfest Sunday 12 July), and this year is set to be the biggest yet!

Rock legend Yngwie Malmsteen is preparing to shred some serious guitar licks and show those 'Guitar Hero´s´ just how it´s really done and the organisers, having just got off the phone to Shadows Fall drummer Jason Bittner (who is a little more than excited!) can confirm it's official that this year the Rock is certain to drop!

Jennifer Batten, guitarist with the late Michael Jackson is flying over to show us all just what made the late King of Pop so great, and to let all those budding rock chicks know that girls really do know how to rock.

Other drum stars set to appear include Jojo Mayer, Jason Bonham, Carmine Appice, Simon Phillips and Gregg Bissonette.

This year´s show will see the biggest retail village in the festival's history. Every brand from Ibanez, Yamaha, PRS, Marshall, Tama, ddrum, Ludwig, Martin, Dean, Mapex, Roland, Peavey, Vox, Sabian, Blackstar, Remo and Aquarian to name a few, plus there will be very special show releases from Fender with their new ‘Road Worn´ series and world class cymbal makers Zildjian with their new Z3 rock range. Expect to see some amazing show deals too.

We'll see you there!


Chris Barnes

I'm MusicRadar's eCommerce Editor. In addition to testing the latest electronic drum sets, it's my job to manage the buyer's guides on MusicRadar and help musicians find the right gear and the best prices. I'm a guitarist and a drummer and I've worked in the music gear industry for 19 years, including 7 years as Editor of the UK's best-selling drum magazine Rhythm, and 5 years as a freelance writer working with many of the world's biggest musical instrument brands including Roland, Boss, MusicRadar and Natal.