Be amazed by the drumstick-juggling Adam Gray (Video)

by Jerod
from: http://www.midwestsportsfans.com/

Yesterday, I showed you this video of a dad outsmarting his son the “old fashioned way” as part of our Sports Are Kind of Slow This Week So Let’s Find Fun Non-Sports Stuff to Amuse Ourselves With initiative. You all seemed to enjoy that video, which is cool.

I have a feeling you will greatly enjoy the video below as well. It features a drummer named Adam Gray (Facebook him here) who has achieved moderate Internet fame for, I’m assuming, his ability to perform impressive tricks like what you’re about to see.

Let’s just say that Adam Gray can juggle three drumsticks while maintaining a beat about as well as I can do just about anything. And I’m probably underselling it.

Just watch.

Hopefully you find that as cool as I did. One thing I love about the Internet is its ability to unearth and expose random but impressive talent like this. Well done Adam Gray. MSF salutes you.

Jazari: The one man Wii band

by Sebastian Anthony

From: http://www.downloadsquad.com/

It isn't often that you see the fusion of software, hardware and pure creative genius. You can't deny that this is something else entirely -- seriously, you can stop reading here and just watch the video after the cut.

If you're still here, perhaps seeking a little more convincing, get this: Patrick Flanagan, presumably a rather big nerd, has taken two Wii Remotes and bonded them to a bunch of percussion instruments -- bongos, djembes, that kind of thing. Through some homebrew software and some seriously awesome robotics/actuators, his movements and button pushes on the Wiimote make music. He can then create loops, alter the syncopation and even mess with the modulation of the beat. At the end of the video he demonstrates an 'AI mode' where the computer learns from past beats and tries to follow his lead -- awesome.

The entire ensemble is called Jazari. Please watch the video after the break; even if you don't have a single musical or geeky bone in your body, it might just convert you. And no, I can't see a download for the software... alas.

[via Gizmodo]

Time Warp - Drums

Mike Mangini (born April 18, 1963 in Newton, Massachusetts) is a drummer who is best known for his work as a session artist who has played for Extreme and Steve Vai. He is a teacher at the Berklee College of Music in Boston and held the record for 3 out of 4 World's Fastest Drum player records.