Student Wins 2007 Drum-Off

TOWN 'N COUNTRY - Drum roll, please.

The Tampa winner of the Guitar Center Drum-Off 2007 is: Marcus Thomas.

There are seven Guitar Center stores in the state, and each one will send its champion to district competition this month. It is all part of a competition that will lead to a national champ for the Guitar Center store chain.

In September, drummers from the area competed for six coveted spots in the Tampa store final Oct. 3. Those six - Patrick Bryant, 21, of Tampa; Aaron Fowler, 26, of Tampa; Brennan Jenkins, 23, of Tampa; Josh Jones, 28, of Seffner; Jay Roberts, 19, of Temple Terrace and Thomas - arrived at the Guitar Center at 3914 W. Hillsborough Ave. with friends and family prepared to showcase their skills.

A crowd of about 40 crammed into the drum section to listen to their favorite musician beat the heck out of a glittery, hot pink drum set supplied by the store.

Although they had an enthusiastic audience, only three of those audience members would seal their fate.

George Flores, a professional drummer for 11 years, Jon Walman, a professional drummer for 25 years, and Mike Marsh, the drummer for the band Dashboard Confessional, were the judges.

Each drummer had three minutes to wow the judges with whatever style they chose. Some stuck with fast, rock beats, and others dabbled in jazz and rhythm and blues. In the end, though, Thomas was the victor.

'He has a very unique style, very good dynamics,' Walman said. 'He played soft and loud. His overall performance was awesome.'

Thomas, 18, a senior at Riverview High School, said his interest in drums began at age 3 when he saw his brother drumming. He asked his brother for a try and has been drumming since, he said. Thomas said he practices about three hours a day.

Asked whether it drives his family crazy, he smiled.

'They love it,' he said. 'They tell me to keep doing it. My neighbors even tell me to keep doing it.'

Thomas plays for various bands in the area and performs with a couple of gospel groups. Now that he has won the store final, he is on his way to perform for a different set of judges at the district finals, which take place Oct. 24 in Hallandale.

Winners from store finals in Kendall, West Palm Beach, Lakeland, Fort Myers, Clearwater and Hallandale will compete against Thomas for a spot in the regional finals Nov. 14 in Clearlake, Texas. That winner will advance to the grand final in Los Angeles in December or January, where the winner will take home prizes totaling $45,000, which include a Toyota FJ Cruiser, a feature in a Guitar Center ad campaign and a custom-designed drum kit.

Thomas feels confident he will be the recipient of those prizes.

'I think I have a real shot at it,' he said.