On Jan 29-Feb 1, the big music industry trade show, NAMM, was held at the LA Convention Center downtown, and I performed all four days for Alesis. NAMM's an industry trade show, so it's not open to the public... it's intended for the musical equipment dealers and suppliers so that the manufacturers can introduce all the cool new goodies which you'll be finding in the stores in the months to come. I've been involved in NAMM shows since 1985, so I'm kind of a veteran at it.

This time, I performed on a brand new (prototype) instrument called the DG8, which is a very cool new digital piano which is sort of an extension from the success of the QS8 synthesizer. The keyboard was great, and I had fun performing on it all 4 days.

Actually, I had SO much fun that I didn't see as much of the show as I would have liked...but I can tell you a little of what I did see. This was the first year it was held downtown, and everybody had to get used to the new location - it was HUGE, and you really needed your running shoes to get to see everything.

Roland had a large presence at the show, and actually had a separate room just for rap and hip/hop machines that are a very popular line for them. Yamaha's room was nearby, but the only thing I had a chance to check out was a violin controller that seemed interesting. Companies like Kawai and Peavey were clear over in the other side of the show, but I did stop by and try out some of the instruments at the Kurzweil and Korg rooms. General Music seems to be making more of a presence in the keyboard industry, and there were some interesting new keyboard instruments by a company called Van Keuvering.

Software was big at the show, and there were some pretty cool demonstrations by the heavyweights like Opcode, Mark of the Unicorn, Passport, and of course, all the digital audio companies. Unfortunately, I didn't have the time to catch the the demos, and there was a lot to take in. Of course, I was most interested in the keyboard side, but there was lots to see and hear from drums and guitars, amps and mics to computers (Apple) and minidiscs (Sony). I know someone who spent all four days walking around the show and STILL didn't get to check out everything he wanted to see! Unbelievable!

There were plenty of great players running around, including Stevie Wonder, George Duke, Eddie Van Halen...you name 'em. Also got the chance to see one of my heroes, Keith Emerson, at an incredible concert co-sponsored by Alesis Fri nite - turned out that I sold his bass player his computer when I worked in retail! anyway, saw it front row center and thought I had died and gone to heaven - he's still an incredible and inspiring keyboardist. Also enjoyed Herbie Hancock's set Saturday night, and my good friend Wade Preston and his band opened for Herbie, which must've been exciting for him.

I've spent many years in the manufacturing and retail side of the biz, and I've made lots of friends through the years, so for me it's always like summer camp - getting a chance to see my friends I only get to hang with once a year. This year was special - Alesis is a very cool company, and I really enjoyed playing for them.

You'll be seeing the results of the show appearing in the months to come at a music retailer near you, so check 'em out...and enjoy.

Take care, all!

Laurie Z.