Photos: Jason Hook (L) made an appearance at the NAMM show, to not only mingle, but also to check out all the new guitar gear. Hook is originally from Oakville, Ontario and now lives in Los Angeles. Steve Lukather from Toto (R) is photographed at NAMM discussing the new release of the album “The Mutual Admiration Society” he is featured with other well known names.
NAMM – Geared Up For The Road To The Stage
Story And Photos By Lori Baldassi
Attention music lovers! What if I told you there’s a place that, each year, hosts like-minded musicians and music store owners from all over the world, each looking for inspiration?
Well look no further than the North American Association of Music Merchants — also known as NAMM.
Held in Anaheim, California, this annual trade show is created for musicians and music industry professionals. And for 2018 it all went down January 25 to 28 and I was lucky enough to attend on behalf of Biz X magazine!
In its 33rd year, NAMM reached the 115,000 mark in registration and featured 7,000 music brands from around the world.
Across cultures and generations, music shapes our lives; its melodies break down barriers & build bridges–music follows you @NAMMFoundation pic.twitter.com/RZQskjUXeq
— NAMM (@NAMM) August 19, 2017
Can you imagine an entire section for percussion? At NAMM, it’s there. Familiar names like Ernie Ball, Gibson, Peavey and Yamaha are prevalent and they are not the only companies looking to make a splash. King Blossom is a brand-new guitar company that, along with many others, may not have the magic of a long history behind them, but they do have the love and passion of guitar-making in their blood.
One of the interesting features of the event was round table discussions, which were led by industry professionals in areas such as: Music Retail, Audio Production, Event Technology, Music Business and many more.
Ernie Ball’s round table discussion was about an LP record called “The Mutual Admiration Society” which was done in collaboration with John Petrucci (Dream Theater); Steve Morse (Deep Purple, Dixie Dregs, Kansas); Albert Lee; Sterling Ball; Jay Graydon and Steve Lukather (Toto).
The topic centred on how each artist achieved their sound for the song selected.
At NAMM, you’ll see a number of recognizable people in the industry just wandering around looking at the gear and equipment. I bumped into Jason Hook, lead guitarist for Five Finger Death Punch and most recently, documentarian for his film “Hired Gun.” (A must for musicians to watch on Netflix by the way, I highly recommend it!)
NAMM weekend also includes awards, such as the “Parnelli Awards” (named after Rick “Parnelli” O’Brien) which recognize pioneering and influential professionals as well as contributions by companies in the live event industry.
As well, Tony Levin, bass player for Peter Gabriel, presented the “Les Paul Innovation Award” at the 33rd annual “Technical Excellence & Creativity Awards” to the 2018 recipient, legendary musician Jackson Browne.
Also on site was the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus, created by Yoko Ono.On the road for more than 20 years, the bus provides media production workshops where students are taught to write, record and produce original songs, music videos and documentaries — all in one day. The bus has two in-house engineers who walk the students through the process.
In terms of the convention as a whole, I’ve never seen such precision in both the organization of the event as well as the staff.
At the end of each day, numerous outdoor seating areas with bars can be found at every turn, with a fleet of food trucks ready to serve the masses. Entertainment stages vary in genre and are set up on the perfectly landscaped areas.
In addition, I did not see any litter.
No one had to wait very long when it came to lineups for food, drinks or washroom breaks. This is a feat that is more than impressive for an event with this many people in attendance!
All I can say is, if you are in the music industry in any shape or form, this is a convention you do NOT want to miss. Be prepared to be overloaded with solid, tangible news and data from experienced professionals who are happy to communicate not only their experiences, but also how to be better at what you do.
For more information about this must see event visit the NAMM website — thank me later.
From backstage to the airwaves Lori Baldassi has been in and around the music industry for over 21 years. Lori has sat on a number of boards of directors and focused on charity/non-profit committees for concerts/festivals bringing in name acts. She has also spoken in front of the CRTC. If you have any questions for her please email me here.
