Dixon Drums Blog » Videos

Dixon Goes to Las Vegas with the Outlaw as The Official Drum Set of Vince Neil’s Club Feelgoods

Nick — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 19:48:30 +0000

Dixon Drums is proud to announce that we are the official drum set of Feelgoods Las Vegas. Founded by Vince Neil, lead singer of the legendary rock band, Mötley Crüe and custom chopper builder, “The Count” of Count’s Kustoms, Feelgoods Rock Bar and Grill offers diners a unique and tasty dining experience topped off by live rockin’ entertainment from the stage. Dixon equipped Feelgoods with an Outlaw series 5-piece drumset in Blackburst finish, complementary hardware and Sabian Cymbals.

Bands that have played on Feelgood’s Outlaw kit so far include Jani Lane, Heavy Honey and Faster Pussycat. They have all commented on the great sound and quality of the drums. “Dixon is proud to partner with our friends at Feelgoods and to grace their stage,” says Jim Stanek, product manager for Dixon Drums. See the full gallery of photos here.

Sandy West: Rock’s Greatest Female Drummer

Nick — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 00:51:33 +0000

Sandy West, the drummer of The Runaways, is perhaps know as having the best performance and presence out of all female drummers. The biopic film, The Runaways opened recently and takes the audience through the band’s fabled rock adventure: obscurity, stardom, fall, and reconciliation. But for Sandy Pesavento (aka Sandy West), her bittersweet story is only a subplot in the new film. Evelyn McDonnell at the LA Weekly has a great article on her timeless rock epic that is definitely worth a read.

In 1975, sixteen-year-olds Joan Jett and Sandy West jammed away in Sandy’s bedroom in Surf City, USA (Huntington Beach, Ca). Sandy had a Pearl drum kit and a Marshall stack with a Gibson, while Joan would bring her Sears Silvertone guitar. A strong music bond was forming. Joan would make the trip by bus from the Valley to OC. If you live in SoCal, you know this was dedication. And when they first jammed with Lita Ford, bonding over their ability to play obscure Deep Purple and Kiss tunes, the bond was made even stronger.

Sandy was a tomboy, so surfing, basketball, competitive swimming, motorcycles, track, horseback riding, and playing the drums were her thing. Her parents wanted her to play violin so she could form a string quartet with her sisters who played violin, cello, and viola. But Sandy was born to rock. It was not classical music that was turning her on; it was the sounds of Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, and Queen.

Pounding the drums helped her to get through some personal traumas. The early passing of her father and her mother’s re-marriage to a widower with his own children were some points of stress in Sandy’s life. Drumming was her therapy. Sandy and the other members of The Runaways practically did runaway to hang out outside the Sunset Strip’s Roxy, The Starwood, and Rainbow Room to get discovered while all the girls were still underage. Manager Kim Fowley and KROQ DJ Rodney Bingenheimer helped the girls meet, and the band went on to get signed to Mercury Records.

Why is she one of the greatest rock female rock drummers? For starters, she and the other girls faced adversity as an all girl band in a male dominated space. She was one of the few, if not the only female rock drummer at the time. Sandy was a great performer. She had strong arms (like Tina Turner’s legs, as McDonnell says) and twirled sticks. She could sing and play drums at the same time (see the video below). And you could tell that, in their group photos, she had a strong presence with her masculine frame yet her girl-next-door good looks.

As they toured the US, England, and Japan, the typical rock and roll antics ensued. Sex, drugs and Jackie Fox’s reaction to her broken bass guitar helped to end the original lineup. After the breakup, Sandy continued to pursue music with the Sandy West Band while playing small gigs with Cherie Currie. But this bad combination of wild success, an unfair record deal, and the fall from fame led to desperate measures. Unfortunately, she became involved in organized crime, partying hard with drugs, and subsequently went to jail several times. And it was all so she could continue her main passion: playing the drums in a rock band. She passed away from cancer in 2006. Joan said Sandy would have been very happy to see the band’s story told as a film.

Here is Sandy playing her favorite tune, Wild Thing.

Also check out clips from bass player Jackie Fox’s Runaway documentary, Edgplay.

Cool Car, Nice Drums, Great Engineering

Jim — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 18:59:43 +0000

I love great engineering whether it is high end cars or precision drum construction. Here is a really cool video that uses both! It is the official trailer for the new 2010 Porsche Boxster Spyder. Cut in with shots of the car driving on windy roads are close ups of a drummer doing his thing playing to the soundtrack. Lots of good “drum porn” such as kick drum beaters meeting the head and brushes on hi hats and the snare. And when the player’s tempo goes up and down, the car’s speed goes with it.

Dixon Outlaw Dums in Obsidian Black at NAMM 2010

Nick — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 07:38:15 +0000

Jim Stanek debuts the the new Dixon Outlaw in Obsidian Black finish at this years Winter NAMM 2010.

Video: Dixon Demon in Black Plasma Finish at NAMM 2010

Nick — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 20:54:11 +0000

Jim shows the new Black Plasma finish Demon drum set at NAMM 2010, booth #5420, Hall B.

Video: Dixon Bubinga and Rosewood Snares at NAMM 2010

Nick — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 03:01:43 +0000

In this video Jim Stanek shows off the new 5.5″ x 14″ 24-ply 100% Bubinga shell snare drum, along with the Rosewood snare.

Dixon Drums at NAMM 2010

Nick — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 19:44:36 +0000

Dixon Drums is proud to introduce several exciting new products at the 2010 NAMM show. As we all know, and perhaps are tired of hearing, last year was a financially tough year for everyone. As we juggle last minute preparations for the 2010 NAMM Show, we are full of optimism about Dixon and what the year will bring. I thought now would be the perfect time to share a few thoughts about Dixon Drums. This is not a New Years resolution…but perhaps some insight and purpose for why we do what we do.

Before the 2008 USA launch, we wondered if the world really needed another drum brand. There are many fine brands with great legacies in the marketplace, so what would we bring to the show? So, we set out on a journey across the country to find out exactly what drummers wanted and what makes them excited about drums. We listened to what YOU, the drummer, cared about and the response was overwhelming; it’s all about the SOUND. Not the sound from a celebrity drummer…but YOUR sound. So, we built kicks, snares, toms and hardware based on your feedback, and we continue the conversation to constantly improve. We make great drums for drummers who are passionate about their music. Dixon won’t be endorsing the next arena act. Instead we’ll be reaching out to the drumming community to support YOU on your road to success.

Now, let’s get to the NAMM 2010 show. Check us out at booth # 5420 and you’ll see the newest edition to the Outlaw Series.
It’s a great four-piece players kit, in Obsidian Black finish. This distinctive new finish gives the appearance of a half satin, half gloss lacquer finish. Check out a great review on the OUTLAW series from Drum magazine.

For our DEMON series, we have added two striking Plasma Lacquer finishes to the 2010 lineup. Our proprietary finish process produces one of a kind Plasma finishes – giving an exclusive look to each drummer.
No two are the same. Ok, there may be some drummers out there who want exactly the same set up as “so and so” celeb drummer of the month. For those of you looking for originality and your own style check out the Red and Black Plasma Demon! It’s about who sits behind the drums that makes the biggest difference. But you still need a quality kit and the style… well, who doesn’t want to kick some ass and look great doing it, right?

So…to all, have a healthy and happy new year…and if you’re coming to the big show next week, make sure to drop by and say hi…and check out our new kits!

How to Make Your Real Drum Kit Work with Rock Band on Playstation 3

Nick — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 01:01:45 +0000

What you’ll need:

5 piece drum kit
Playstation 3 (or 2)
RockBand 2 (or original RB)
Rock Band Microphone and two guitar controllers
5 acoustic drum triggers, appropriate cables (cable connector types depends on the triggers and interface, just make sure they are compatible with each other)
drum trigger interface
Midi to USB Rock Band Adaptor
RemO’s Tone Control Rings
Hart Dynamics Magnum mesh heads (optional)
Blue, Red, Green, Yellow spray paint
polycrylic spray coating
3M mounting tape
orange construction paper
Elmer’s glue
Pintech cymbal triggers (optional)

(see more photos here and see our post on Instructables.com)

1. Get the gear and the game

Get the Playstation 3 or 2, and the Rock Band or Rock Band 2 pack that comes with the drums, guitar and microphone, and game disc. Even through you will not use the drums, this pack is less expensive than buying the game, two guitar controllers, and the microphone separately. And if you want to return you drum kit to a normal later, you can use the included Rock Band drum kit to play the game. We used the Guitar Hero World Tour controller for our second guitar.

2. Get the Special Adaptor

Buy a USB Rock Band adaptor. We bought ours from Rock Band Forum user sethmeisterg. (This will not work with the XBox 360 because of Microsoft’s interface licensing restrictions, this is why it must be a Playstation 2 or 3).

3. Take Measurements

Measure and write down the diameter of your toms and snare (or you might already know). If you are going to use cymbal triggers also, measure them as well. We bought the Pintech TC Cymbal Package which includes a 14, 18, and 10 inch cymbal triggers. It does not matter which size you pick.

4. Get the rings

Get the appropriate quantity and size of RemO’s Tone Control Rings at a drum accessory store. They come in packs, but sometimes dealers will sell the rings individually.

5. Optional: Get the mesh heads

Buy the appropriate size and quantity of mesh heads. This is optional. Using mesh heads will be quieter than the regular acoustic heads. This will let you hear the music track of the game more easily. You will only need one mesh head per drum. You can keep the original bottom heads. Remove the top rims, then the top head, mount the mesh heads, and re-mount the rim. We used Hart Dynamics Kontrol Screen Magnum.

6. Paint the Rings

Lay out the tone rings on your kit and note which color you will need to paint each one. Then, take them outside and paint each one the appropriate colors. From left to right it should be: red, yellow, blue green. You may need to apply several coats until you cannot see the white through the paint.

7. Coat the Rings

After the paint dries, apply the polycrylic spray.

8. Mount the Rings

After the polycrylic coat dries, attach each ring to the head with the 3M Mounting Tape. If you are using the cymbal triggers, glue the rings to the them. We cut the bottom part of the rim to accommodate the foam pad on the trigger.

9. Apply the Orange Construction Paper

Apply the orange construction paper to the kick drum in some way do designate its color. We glued to strips to the bottom inside rim of the kick drum.

10. Mount and Connect the Triggers

Mount the triggers to the drums and connect them to the trigger interface. We used the Alesis DM5. You can also use the Alesis Trigger I/O, Roland TD-3 or Roland TMC-6. Connect the trigger interface to the USB adaptor, and the USB adaptor to the Playstation 3.

11. Configure the Interface

Set up your drum trigger interface to trigger the correct midi note numbers as described by the USB adaptor interface. You can start the game to test the triggers. You may want to put the game in the “no fail” mode so you will not need to keep restarting the song. Adjust the crosstalk and gain setting in the drum trigger interface.

12. You’re done! Start playing!

Invite some friends over to sing and play the guitar and bass parts, and rock out!

Zack Wiesinger at the Dixon Drum and Hardware booth #5928 at NAMM

Nick — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 22:33:02 +0000

Here is Dixon Drum product manager Jim Stanek playing with guitarist/drummer Zack Wiesinger at our booth at NAMM. Come see us, booth 5928, Hall B.

Check out the Drum Your Way to Hollywood contest video special on the A & R Channel

Nick — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 19:33:40 +0000

Dixon’s “Drum Your Way to Hollywood” television program is now airing on Comcast On Demand’s ARC Channel. The show features contest winner, Lou Mars’ performing on his new Dixon Outlaw series drum set in front of a panel of judges and Dixon Drums product manager, Jim Stanek at Westlake Studios in West Hollywood, CA. The program will air on ARC through January 31, 2009. If you don’t have On Demand, you can watch it on ARC’s site or in the embed below.