Paulet "Pj" Howard's official drum promo video (Part 1) Facebook: Paulet "Pj" Howard Youtube: Pjhow2 Twitter: @PauletPjHoward... read more...

  Thomas Pridgen Drum Clinic @ All Pro Percussion - May 14th, 2010 7PM - $7 Ticket Price Tickets Go On Sale Tuesday March 30th @ 11:00 AM   About Thomas: Growing up in California, Thomas began drumming at the age of three, recorded his first tracks at eight and by nine years old, he won the Guitar Center DrumOff. His grandmother Addie, supported his early talent without applying unnecessary pressure. She would drive him over an hour each way to attend Stanford Band Camp when he was 11 and often signed his early endorsement deals because Thomas was to young to do so. At age 10, he was the youngest recipient for a Zildjian endorsement in the nearly 400 year history of the company. Thomas was also the recipient of a 4 year scholarship to Berklee College of Music in 1999 at the age of 15; he was youngest musician to ever receive this scholarship. He has studied with Berklee instructor Francisco Mela, David Garibaldi, Walfredo Reyes Jr and Curtis Nutall. Thomas says, “I learned a lot from the guys in church” and would go on to record under the Gospel Music Workshop of America numerous times. He’s done clinics with Walfredo Reyes, Jr. and Dennis Chambers. And has played with Keisha Cole (for whom he was Musical Director), Jada Pinkett Smith’s band Wicked Wisdom and Christian Scott. Currently, he is recording and touring for The Mars Volta. Guitarist for The Mars Volta, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez describes Thomas’ audition for the band as; “I just said, come to Ohio and hang out with us, we all want to hang. He comes out and there’s a little drum kit setup, and I go, remember this beat and I beatbox it. That’s the beginning point and the end. Now we’re going to go improvise for an hour.” Unknown to Pridgen at the time, on the other side of the curtain were 14,000 people waiting to catch the bands show. “We went up and we played and it was awesome. Other people would have freaked, but he memorized the beat and we did our thing, it was totally tight and that’s when I knew for sure he was the guy.” You can hear Thomas and The Mars Volta on their latest record, “The Bedlam In Goliath” Visit Thomas Pridgen’s myspace.   More Info on All Pro Percussion: http://www.allpropercussion.com/?p=2143  

    For more info. on this clinic, please see: http://www.zildjian.com/EN-US/news/eventsDetail.ad2?eventID=1056    

  For 20 years, Guitar Center has been committed to providing drummers across the country the opportunity to pursue their musical aspirations and achieve their dreams by hosting the world's largest drum competition: Guitar Center Drum-Off. This year, nearly 5,000 drummers from across the country are competing for a chance to win over $45,000 in cash and prizes, and to be crowned Guitar Center's Drum-Off champion 2008.       This years show p... read more...

Here is Thomas Pridgen playing at the start of day one of the Modern Drummer Fesival 2008 weekend. ... read more...

Produced since 1987 by Modern Drummer magazine, the world’s most widely read drumming publication; the two-day Festival presents a roster of today's top drumming talents, representing a variety of popular musical styles. Some offer solo “clinic” performances; others appear “in concert” with additional musicians. All share their talents in an educational and entertaining format that has made the MD Festival a must-see event for drummers around the world. Saturday, September 20 and Sunday, September 21, in the Concert Hall on the State University of New York at Purchase campus. Doors Open 12:30 p.m. Show begins 1:00 p.m. and concludes approximately 7:30 p.m. When: Saturday and Sunday September 20th and 21st, 2008. Where: The Performing Arts Center Purchase College 735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase, NY 10577. Tickets are on sale now by phone only by calling PAC box office at (914) 251-6200 Monday thru Friday 10 a.m to 6 p.m. Additional artists to be announced. *Artists subject to change without notice.