Tony Royster Jr. Drumsolo

Check this out.Like to share this with everybody... Tony Royster Jr. is now 21 years old. Been playing drums since the age of 3. Often referred to as a "prodigy" by his fans, he has participated in numerous drummer events and contests worldwide including the 1995 Guitar Center National Drum-Off competition in Hollywood, CA which he won at the ripe old age of 11! Tony is becoming accustomed to high-profile performances that include TV's Nickelodeon House Band (lead by Paul Shaffer of the David Letterman show), the Jenny Jones show, the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards show, and an international tour in 2001 as the drummer for #1 selling Asian artist, Hikaru Utada. Additionally, he is regularly invited to perform at prestigious events worldwide such as PASIC (Percussive Arts Society International Convention), Modern Drummer Festival, the Montreal Drumfest, and the Florida Drum Expo.
Proficient in numerous styles, Tony excels at Funk, R&B, Latin, Rock, and Jazz. He has performed alongside such notable drummers as Dennis Chambers, Billy Cobham, Steve Smith, Sheila E., and veteran drummer Chester Thompson. He has also graced the stage with legendary musician's Branford Marsalis, Paul Shaffer, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, among others.

Tony Royster Jr. was voted #1 Up and Coming Drummer by Modern Drummer magazine 2000 readers' poll and has been voted #2 in the UK 2001 readers' poll. He has appeared on the cover of the millennium issue of Modern Drummer magazine with Dennis Chambers and continues to receive high marks that earn him endorsements with companies such as DW Drums, Zildjian Cymbals, Vic Firth sticks, Evans drumheads, LP percussion, Drumframe, Shure microphones, Warner Bros. Publications, HQ percussion products, Drumometer, and Specialty Cases. Tony's talents have carried him across the globe to Europe, Japan, and Asia but in 2001 he achieved substantial international acclaim with the Warner Brothers video release of, "Common Ground", featuring Tony with his mentor, and favorite drummer, Dennis Chambers.

Enjoy!

source: http://tonyroysterjr.com

I Hear

I am hugely envious of my comrade in rock, Mohd Shukri Mohd Salleh aka Shuk...for posting a colllection of an interesting reads, sorta keeping the torch burning, and most importantly, inviting comments that are ever inspiring, encouraging and nostalgic. The Belantara Years is indeed the best days of my live. And I am thankful for every minute of it. Our life, then was truly without the preasure of dateline and deadline,.. such little responsibility yield huge amount of energy to be creative. Every passing of the lyric and song that we wrote, was sincerely driven by it and only it, never and not,by the promises of money or fame. Unfortunately, right after Infinity, somehow, I buckled under preasure of starting a man's life, so much so that meaningful word has chosen to abandon me!And I've become creatively, for lack of better word, bankrupt!I look long and I quest hard throughout the lost and confused years....and there was and still is, Shuk!His loyalty to Belantara knows no boundry, acting like a glue that binds us; me, Aziz and all of u Belantaryan out there!There's also the music that encapsulate all of us in time, preserving certain chapter and passage of our youthful story with it, echoed in the distant,and I hear much support for the band. And I sincerely wish for Belantara to remain. For the first time after a very long time, I was exposed to a glimps that is all seems very familiar to me, so vivid that we were convinced to trace the route to Belantara's origin, hence the trip to Kuantan to see Aziz late last year.His trademark sound and color are still pointing to that musical direction that had started it all. I had a realization....... Borrowed as it is,the time is drawing nearer, and I hear that gentle purr of engine of creation running deep within, and somewhere between my heart and my mind there are still plenty of things to tell, to share and of course, to sing......Insyallah.

happy new year....though a bit belated or rather selamat tol baru!!!

ya..all you people living in the klang valley driving is gonna cost you more. But what to do. Bising-bising pun, will they listen?...Guess we have to find other means to show how dissatisfied we are.

The other day me and Zaid was talking, since its a new year.... usually people will come up with whole bunch of list or charts of -- well almost anything. We came to talk about list of our favourite songs....the songs that you feel worth having with you if you're stranded on a desert island!!! Of course, its difficult to list out because there're so many, and every bit of them means something to you...but here goes MY top 10 list (but not in any sort of order of favourite and of course our albums are in a separate basket all together......)

1. Stairway to Heaven - Led Zepplin
2. Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen
3. Heaven and Hell - Black Sabbath
4. Us and Them - Pink Floyd
5. Don't Stop Believing - Journey
6. Dreams - Van Halen
7. Rain Song - Led Zepplin
8. Start me up - Rolling Stones
9. Still of the Night - White Snake
0. Rock of Ages - Def Leppard

Guess the list really showed what an otai I am....(actually there are some more songs, but the list will be endless la....)