Sabian Cymbals, Meductic, New Brunswick, Canada

On August 27th we began a long two week journey which started with a 2-night trip to Sabian Cymbals in Eastern Canada. After an adventure of flying there and arriving in Fredericton, NB in a 18′ish passenger plane, we arrived in our hotel. The next morning we realized how beautiful the landscape was where we were! We drove almost an hour out to the Sabian Factory in Meductic, NB. The drive was beautiful!

The property in which Sabian stood was on the edge of a beautiful river, the Saint John River. The weather was definitely favorable!

We went through the factory with still and one video camera, and another time with full 2-camera set up.

This fascinating process of watching cymbals being made was a great change for Bill and I. Since we have been doing guitars up to know, it’s nice to see metal in action!

After we finished our work day we had a chance to relax and enjoy some social time with the folks who helped get us there, including Bob Zildjian and his wonderful wife, Willie! Such a hospitable group of people! After the long travels it was nice to just b taken care of and well liked.

Enjoy the slides!

Steve Vai Photo Shoot

Thursday the 23rd we flew into LA. Friday the 24th we spent most of the day documenting a photo shoot on film and with stills. This session was with Steve Vai as the subject for Musician’s Friend. Photographer and music icon, Larry DiMarzio was a joy to work with! In addition to him and his crew, our very own Director of Creative Services, Ken Sager was there to help direct the shooting making this a real success! When the session was a wrap, we had Larry and Steve sit down and interview each other for 20-minutes. This allowed us to capture their story behind their long professional relationship.

SEE THE VIDEOS HERE! 

As a side note, Larry took a couple of snap shots of Bill and I, and now those pictures are going to be our profile shots for our bio.

Chester Thompson – Nashville, TN

August 13th, we visited Chester Thompson in his private studio. A very hospitable gentleman, and a joy to be around. Bill did a great job getting Chester to talk about his career with Phil Collins and Genesis, Weather Report, and Zappa, as a drummer. Chester shared many other great stories, and of course we talked about gear.

We look forward to getting the interview up on the Musician’s Friend and Harmony-Central website, but in the meantime, check out the pictures we took following the interview.
We are still in Nashville, visiting Gibson USA and the Custom Shop. Today we did a walk through. Shot a ton of video on one camera, and about 450 stills. I will post them – most of them, anyway. Thursday we visit Zoro the Drummer, which will also be a great treat!Promise, we’ll share.