Triple Tri Blog

Today marks the start of the HullabaLOU Music Festival in Louisville. Kentucky. This is the first year for the festival which is described as:

A three-day, five stage music festival with over 65 artists, offering the chance to connect and reconnect - with the best in classic rock, country, bluegrass and adult contemporary music. HullabaLOU provides a casual, outdoor lawn experience combined with reserved seating at Grandstand Main Stage - with fresh, regional cuisine, a wide array of Kentucky handmade crafts, and featured unique visuals throughout the Festival grounds.

Three Days. Five Stages. Over 65 bands including Dave Matthews Band, Bon Jovi, Kenny Chesney, Steve Miller Band, Jason Aldean, Al Green, Zac Brown Band, and the Avett Brothers. At legendary Churchill Downs in Louisville, KY July 23-25, 2010.

AES and I are attending the festival on Sunday when it culminates with a performance by Dave Matthews Band. We're looking forward to seeing some great artists that day (Steve Miller Band, Zac Brown Band, Dwight Yoakam, Kansas, The Avett Brothers, Tonic, Stealing Angels --- just to name a few) Look for some pictures to come your way in the next week or so.

Some familiar names appeared on the list of award winners and finalists for the 2010 Drummies.

In case you don't already know, this is the 15th year for the Drummies, conducted by DRUM! Magazine/Enter Music Publishing, over the course of that time they have experienced tremendous growth. Last year, more than 5000 ballots were cast in 40 categories, covering best drummers in various genres to most popular drums, cymbals and instructional videos.

For the last three years, Neil Peart has won drummer of the year and other awards. Prior to Peart’s popular resurgence, other Drummers of the Year included Travis Barker, Tré Cool, Carter Beauford, and Chad Smith. And, last year, Sheila E returned to Drummie fame by winning “Best Percussionist.”

Personal favorites of mine, Mike Portnoy, Carter Beauford, Neil Peart and Giovanni Hidalgo did well this year and took top honors in several categories. I'm a big Peart fan, but I'm not convinced about his Drummer of the Year award. Taking the "what-have-you-done-for-me-lately" stance, I think Portnoy would be a better candidate for this considering his work with Dream Theater, Transatlantic and Avenged Sevenfold, all in the last year. Peart is a legend in his own right, no arguing that, but have his contributions to the craft in the last 12 months warranted this award ?