Any anniversary celebration is special. But when it’s a double anniversary, that’s extra-special. And when one of those anniversaries marks 130 years…well, that’s unique.
So it was with the Gretsch 130th Anniversary celebration, which was held this past May 4 at Randy Wood’s Pickin’ Parlor in Bloomingdale, Georgia. The location was appropriate, since Bloomingdale is just “down the road a bit” from Pooler, which is where my wife Dinah and I reside. And the Gretsch USA Custom Drums factory is located just across the river, in Ridgeland, South Carolina.
The setting for the event had a somewhat rural... Read More
GRETSCH KEEPS THE BEAT AT SAVANNAH MUSIC FESTIVAL
April 25, 2011
It’s not unusual to hear “That Great Gretsch Sound” throughout Georgia -- however, it was raised to an even higher level during the recent Savannah Music Festival. Following company tradition, Paul Cooper (Gretsch USA Drums Production Manager) and his Ridgeland, SC based team outfitted the festival with several USA Custom drum kits for performances during the festival’s two week run. The Gretsch USA team provided six kits in an array of configurations and classic Gretsch finishes including Solid Yellow lacquer, Cadillac Green, Vintage Oyster, Satin Azure Blue and Silver Sparkle. The Festival was highlighted with a performance by Gretsch Drums artist, Creighton Barrett and his popular group, Band of Horses, among many others.
“Over the last few years, the Savannah Music Festival has blossomed into a diverse, world-class music festival. As a Savannah native, I am proud to be a member of the Gretsch USA drum team and see the continued goodwill that we have developed with the Festival. I think I speak for everyone at the Ridgeland facility when I say that without question, it is great to have our drums being played by some of the finest musicians in the world, right here in our own backyard,” comments Josh Safer, Assistant Production Manager for Gretsch Drums.
The Savannah Music Festival is dedicated to presenting a world-class celebration of the musical arts by creating timeless and adventurous productions that stimulate arts education, foster economic growth, and unite artists and audiences in Savannah. It is Georgia's largest musical arts event and one of the most distinctive cross-genre music festivals in the world. In addition to an array of musical performances that includes dance, film, and narrative programs, the festival operates year-round to produce youth concerts, lectures, in-school touring programs, recordings, a weekly radio series, an annual high school jazz band competition and workshop, and interactive web content.
Pic Caption: Eric Dunn (Savannah Music Festival), Paul Cooper (Gretsch Production Manager), Joshua Safer (Gretsch Assistant Production Manager) and Nate Hudson (Savannah Music Festival) begin to load the truck with kits for the festival.
GRETSCH 130th ANNIVERSARY
Gretsch Drums is proudly celebrating its 130th Anniversary with a series of Limited Edition American-made drum sets
and snare drums. These drums will be released throughout the year and each will include a specially designed 130th
Anniversary interior shell label and a hand-signed Certificate of Authenticity. The labels and certificates will be numbered
to indicate the production sequence of each drum.
Carefully developed to produce tones that explode a balanced amount of warm low end frequencies
The Catalina Maple series starts with the Gretsch maple formula shell. We carefully developed the maple shell specification to produce tones that explode with attack and volume and project a balanced amount of warm, low-end frequencies. All Catalina Maple shells are 7-ply, 7.2mm.
The Catalina Maples are available in two configurations - a 6-piece shell pack set and a 5-piece shell pack set. Add-on drums are also available to allow for further drum set expansion.
