by SCOTT C

As far as entertaining Montreal originals go, I have to say my first visit to Drummer Kombat at Foufounes Électriques last week was one hell of a lot of fun. Maybe it's because I'm a drummer myself that I was completely caught up in the spectacle of it all, but judging by the throngs of screaming people who were there to cheer on the participants, I highly doubt it's a "drummer thing."

Over 80 drummers have gone head to head with each other inside a makeshift boxing ring over the course of the last 15 weeks of elimination, with only three making it to the finals, to be held this week.

I witnessed the mechanical precision and double-bass madness of Pierre Langlois as he won an intense round of quick solos. There seemed to be a lot of guys with this sort of speed-metal foundation, guys who were super fast, super hard and big on the pedals. But there were also a few finesse players like young Christian Alary who, at 16 years old, was not only the youngest competitor in the stand-off but a dead ringer for Ralph Macchio circa 1984 (The Karate Kid). Here's this kid playing jazz, bossa and some Latin complexities, and the crowd is going absolutely crazy! The finalists, however, are Anthony Trujillo, Isaac Dumont and the aforementioned Langlois, primed to face off this coming Tuesday for the top honours.

DK organizer Patrick Gagnon explains that the key to moving from round to round lies in diversity. "There were definitely a lot of speed-metal oriented drummers that came out to compete," he says, "but there were also drummers who could switch from one style to another without a problem. Those are the ones who advance in this competition."

Gagnon says that while the semi-final was based around playing funk, jazz and Latin beats, combined with 3/4, 7/8 and songo (a combination of rumba, son, jazz and funk), the May 11 final will see the drummers playing along with soundtracks right on the spot. With over $35,000 worth of prizes at stake, the guys better get into the groove.

With his Drummer Kombat franchise set to hit Quebec City, Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver and Boston in 2005, Gagnon is very excited for the future of his great idea. "We've got a lot of people who want to invest in this project, and the drum sponsors are at every event. I think we've stumbled on something really good here." He wouldn't name his predictions for the finals for fear of throwing the entire competition, but he did predict it would be a wild and crazy event. And at this point, you couldn't beat Drummer Kombat's popularity with a drumstick.

Drummer Kombat finals, with special guests Guy Nadon, NaSyr Abdul al-Khabyyr and Paul Brochu, at Club Soda on Tuesday, May 11, 8pm, $12

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