this morning i have uploaded a couple new profiles from some of our newest international artists:

leo lazar from germany who plays with saint lu.
shy of the depth drummer chris allen from england
viatrophy's drummer craig reynolds from england
swedish drummer tobbe gustafsson who plays with vomitory and torture division
danish drummer jeppe nielsen from surfact
a great up-and-coming drummer from belgium, yannick de clerck
the bishops drummer chris mcconville from england

check'em out and be inspired.

- norbert

what albert hammond states in his song it never rains in southern california has not been the case today. it has rained the entire day so far, and not just a few drops here and there. real heavy showers! i heard that several flights got cancelled because of the rain which means that some namm people are stuck here for one more night. good luck and safe travels to you all. i‘ll be leaving anaheim tomorrow and fly back to frankfurt. 

oh well, another namm show is over which means time to move on to new projects.  most of my work during the last six months has been related to namm. it all culminates in those four days of namm. as soon as it is over, a huge mental load is off my shoulders. now i sit here in my hotel room reflecting on the last four days. bottom line, it has been a fantastic show for us. here is why:

> our booth looked stunning.

> we have had more drummers and artists visit our booth than ever before. everyone who stopped by had a great time.

> we got a great response on our new m-series.

> most importantly: people dig drumming more than ever. the spirit in the drumscene continues to be positive. that means the most to me and that is what keeps me going. 

now it‘s time to pack my suitcases. for some reason i always go back home with more stuff that i came with. it‘s gonna be a challenge to fit it all in. 

i guess albert hammond is right after all: when i look outside my window now, i see a clear sky and no more rain in southern california.

- norbert

ps: check out the fotos i took during namm

the weather forecast estimates low-pressure-area daisy to bring germany cold, windy, snowy weather for the next couple of days. when i look outside the window right now, they are perfectly right. having said that, it is perfect timing that next monday most of the meinl team will fly to sunny california to attend another namm show in anaheim. the last couple of days were very busy for us with all the usual last-minute preparations. and as always, we managed to finish everything just in time - now.

let the weather forecast people predict whatever they want for the next ten days. it's time for namm and time for a climate change.

looking forward to a wonderful week in anaheim at the namm show and maybe i see some of you there. would be great!

- norbert

on behalf of the entire meinl team, i wish you a very happy, peaceful, and healthy new year 2010