Sam Ash Digital DJ Battle

Thursday night we held the final round of our month long Digital DJ Battle at Sam Ash Music in Puente Hills, CA. Over 100 spectators showed up to witness the battle between area favorites for the title of "Sam Ash Digital DJ of the Year."

The winners:

First Place: DJ B-Side
Second Place: DJ Caution
Third Place: DJ Kidd-O

The event was organized and hosted by our very own Daniel Acevedo (DJ FatBoy) and sponsored by several of our top vendors: EV, RANE, SHURE, M-AUDIO, and MONSTER. Our sponsors contributed over $2000 in prizes!

Panel of judges:

Omar Arnold - EV Rep
Ted Gallardo - Mixx and Scratch Academy
Mario Berco - DJ Super Mario from Power 106 FM

We would also like to thank Rome Dayton and Hector Martinez from Rane, Hugo from M-Audio, Zak Richards from Shure, and Mike Mostert from Monster for all their support to make this event a huge success!

Congrats DJ B-Side!

- Paul Delaney

Sam Ash Blood Drive & Battle of the Bands 2009

The American Red Cross joined forces with two Southern California Sam Ash Music stores in Ontario and City of Industry for a successful blood drive and battle of the bands on Father's Day Sunday.

Thanks to all who donated their time, energy and blood: Mike Seifert, Dave Quezada, Bill Borjan, Eddie Limon... There were 72 blood donors at the Ontario location!

Congrats to Hazner for winning the Sam Ash Ontario Battle of the Bands 2009!

1st Place: Hazner myspace.com/hazner
2nd Place: Sleeping Sea Kings myspace.com/thesleepingseaking
3rd Place: Kill Butterfly myspace.com/killbutterfly

Sam Ash LA on Twitter

Hey everybody. I set up a Twitter account for the Southern California Sam Ash Music stores:

http://twitter.com/samashla

I'll tweet about what's going on in and around the Sam Ash stores in LA, OC, IE, SF Valley, South Bay...

Let's do this!

Peter Erskine at Sam Ash

Peter Erskine played a great series of drum clinics at Sam Ash Music in Southern California.

Peter was joined by Bob Sheppard on tenor sax and Darek Oles on upright bass. 

The jazz trio played at the new Sam Ash Drums on Sunset store in Hollywood, followed by appearances in Cerritos, Ontario and Canoga Park. Peter talked about how he's been using the Zoom H4n portable recorder to capture his performances on stage, in the studio, in rehearsals and in between sessions. The event was sponsored by Zoom, DW, Zildjian, Evans and Vic Firth.

Line 6 Clinics Featuring Spider Valve Amp & Pod X3

Line 6 Spider Valve™ is the result of a groundbreaking collaboration between Line 6 and Reinhold Bogner fusing the versatility of modeling with the performance and feel of a world-class tube amplifier. Modeling Flexibility Fused with Tube Amp Performance.

The desktop-friendly POD® X3 represents the exciting evolution of the classic bean-shaped digital guitar amp modeler, with an expanded array of 78 guitar amps, from high-wattage heavyweights to boutique beauties and vintage treasures.

Line 6 is coming to 4 Sam Ash locations in SoCal to showcase the new Pod X3 and Spider Valve Amp.

Mon. May 19 - Canoga Park, CA
Tue. May 20 - Ontario Mills, CA
Wed. May 21 - Westminster, CA
Thu. May 22 - Cerritos, CA

Clinics begin at 7 PM. Admission: Free. Sponsored by Line 6 and Sam Ash.

Rane Serato Scratch Live DJ Clinic

Check out the latest features of Rane's Serato Scratch Live. Q & A session. Limited free Rane T-shirts while they last. Sam Ash Music Puente Hills in City of Industry, CA. Wed. March 12 at 6:30pm.

DJ Record Pool at Sam Ash Ontario Mills

Mobile Record Fair

DJ Record Pool

Discounts on DJ Equipment

Trade Your Vinyl

Sunday, February 24

Noon - 2 PM

Sam Ash Music

Ontario Mills Mall

Ontario, California

More info: 909-484-3550

Giveaways from Movin 93.9-FM

Free Drums Lessons in Cerritos

Want to learn how to play drums?

Experienced drum instructors Fred Sottile, Jeff Fish and Joe Allesandro will be teaching 3 free group drum lessons at Sam Ash Music in Cerritos, California.

Sat. January 5th: 10am – 12 noon
Sat. January 12th: 1:30 – 3:00pm
Sat. February 23rd: 2 - 4pm

Call Paul Delaney at 562-468-1107 for more info.

Danté Roberson Drum Clinic

Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Danté Roberson began playing for the Church of God in Christ at the tender age of 3. This self-taught musician later put himself through school to learn how to read music and was taken under the wing of his mentor, Anthony King.

Roberson continues to hone his skills while learning about the music business and has worked with many notable artists including Platinum selling, Grammy and Stellar Award Winners.

Here are some of Dante Roberson’s musical accomplishments:

Musical Director: Comedy Central’s “Weekends at The DL” featuring DL Hughley of The Kings of Comedy, Robin Duhe (Maze featuring Frankie Beverly), Playboy’s “Nightcalls” featuring D’Wayne Wiggins, El DeBarge, Marcus Johnson, The Golden State Warriors and for various up and coming artists.

Recorded with: Jaime and Sunnye Hawkins, Carl Wheeler, Tremaine Hawkins, Daryl Coley, Phil Perry, Ivan Johnson, Marcus Johnson, Michael Cooper, Tony Saunders, New Power Generation, Dayne Stevens, Najee, Jaime Foxx, Tank, Alicia Keys.

Performed with: Najee, Joe, Marcus Miller, Marcus Johnson, D’Wayne Wiggins, DL Hughley, Eric Benet, Jaime Foxx, Tank, India.Arie, Dave Hollister, BB King, Bonnie Raitt, Tracey Chapman, Busta Rhymes, The Whispers, Larry Braggs of Tower of Power.

Dante Roberson will be conducting a drum clinic at Sam Ash Music in Cerritos, California, on Thursday February 21 at 7pm.

Sponsored by: Pearl Drums, Aquarian Drum Heads, Vic Firth Drumsticks, E Pad, Factory Metal, Zildjian Cymbals & Sam Ash.

John Favicchia Drum Clinics

John Favicchia has been called "one of the most musical and well-rounded drummers." His versatility has enabled him to play gigs and drum clinics worldwide. In addition to playing with his band, Dharma All Stars, he has performed and/or recorded with Steve Khan, Larry Coryell, Harvie Swartz, Chieli Minucci, David Mann, Bob Malach, Dean Brown, Mike Pope, Lonnie Plaxico and Steve Adelson.

Upcoming John Favicchia drum clinics at Sam Ash in the Los Angeles area:

• Mon. Jan. 14 Westminster
• Tue. Jan. 15 Puente Hills (City of Industry)
• Wed. Jan. 16 Canoga Park
• Thu. Jan. 17 Torrance

All clinics start at 7pm. Lots of free giveaways!

Sponsored by REMO, SABIAN, YAMAHA, VIC FIRTH, L.P., SAMSON, HANSEN FUTZ, DRUMFUN & SAM ASH MUSIC.

Sam Ash Cerritos Battle of the Bands

The Alley, Sam Ash Music, Monster Cable, ESP Guitars & Lost Energy Present:

Sam Ash Cerritos
Battle of the Bands

The Foolish Fools
The Bolts
Apocalipstick
The Gentlemen
Touch Response
Aceive

Sunday, December 16th at 2pm

Sam Ash Music parking lot
12651 Artesia Blvd.
Cerritos, CA 90703

(In the event of rain, show will move inside store)

All ages
Admission: FREE

Upcoming Events
The Alley

UPDATE: Congrats to The Bolts for winning the Battle of the Bands!

Bluz Doggz Free Concert

Bluz Doggz are scheduled to play a free show on the DigiTruck stage.

Sam Ash Music in Cerritos on Tuesday, December 4 at 6pm.

Blues, roots and rock 'n roll!

Southern California Steel Guitar Association

Members of the Southern California Steel Guitar Association will be holding their regional meeting at Sam Ash Music in Cerritos on December 1 at 1pm.

Everyone is welcome to attend and participate. The SCSGA is actively seeking new membership, and there are no membership fees to join. Steel players of varying skill levels will exchange ideas, techniques and experiences. Bring your Pedal Steel Guitar, Lap Steel Guitar or Dobro and jam on the sound stage.

For more info, contact Mike Maddux at 562-468-1107.

Fall DJ Battle in Ontario

Congrats to DJ Dopee who won the Fall DJ Battle at Sam Ash Music in Ontario, California.
Pictured above from left to right are First Place Winner DJ Dopee, Electro-Voice specialist Omar Arnold and runner-up DJ Bucket.

ZoSo Free Show

Special thanks to ZoSo for playing a great free show at Sam Ash Music in City of Industry, California on October 27.

DigiTruck with Travis Larson Band

The DigiTruck is a custom built 53-foot tractor trailer that provides a controlled environment where you can get your hands on the latest products from DigiTech, dbx, Lexicon, Soundcraft, JBL, BSS, AKG and Crown. The DigiTruck has a lounge that can sleep five plus a full bathroom with shower and demo room as well as a drop-down stage utilizing the latest professional gear.

The Travis Larson Band will be playing on the DigiTruck stage at the following Sam Ash stores in Southern California:

• Ontario Mills on Wed. Nov. 28 from 3-8pm
• Puente Hills on Thurs. Nov. 29 from 3-8pm
• Westminster on Fri. Nov. 30 from 3-8pm
• Canoga Park on Sat. Dec. 1 from Noon-6pm

There will be free swag, product giveaways and special deals on select DigiTech products.

P. Mauriat Sax Clinic with Julius Tolentino

Recording artist Julius Tolentino will demo the highly acclaimed P. Mauriat Saxophones at Sam Ash Music in Torrance on December 8.

Tolentino graduated from the Hartt School of Music and studied with jazz legend Jackie McLean. He has performed with Philip Harper, Antonio Hart, Vanessa Rubin, Cecil Bridgewater, Charlie Persip, Dion Parsons, Eric Reed, Marcus Printup, Craig Handy, Billy Drummond, Wes Anderson, Wycliffe Gordon, The Duke Ellington Orchestra, Kevin Mahogany, Christian McBride, Natalie Cole, Cecil Brooks III, Kioshi Kitagawa, Marleena Shaw, and Cyrus Chestnut. In 1999 he joined the highly acclaimed Illinois Jacquet Big Band performing, touring, and recording with the jazz legend for 5 years. Tolentino played on the recording "On The Loose" (Sharp Nine) showcasing the young lions on the New York scene in 2001. His solo debut release "Just the Beginning" (Sharp Nine '05) recieved rave reviews and peaked at #8 on the jazz charts. Since then he has toured all over the US, Europe, South America and the Middle East.

With sophisticated technique and skilled interpretation, Julius Tolentino creates a sound that is unique while also based on tradition. Composer and performer, Tolentino builds a rapport with his audience and strives to produce an authentic portrayal of jazz music.

Sam Ash Music. 19800 Hawthorne Blvd. in Torrance, CA. Free clinic begins at 6pm on Sat. Dec. 8.

Peter Wolf Production & Arranging Seminar

Multi-Grammy nominated, world-renowned composer, producer, songwriter and arranger Peter Wolf will conduct a music production and arranging seminar at Sam Ash in Canoga Park on November 20.

Wolf was recently knighted and awarded with the highest honor his birth country of Austria has to give: das Groesse Ehrenkreuz der Republik Oesterreich fuer Kunst und Kultur (the Great Honor Cross of the Republic of Austria for Art and Culture).

Born in Vienna, Peter Wolf studied classical piano at Vienna’s Conservatory of Music and won the European Jazz Festival as a solo pianist at age 16. He came to America in his early 20’s and began playing keyboards for Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention in the late 70’s. He was one of America’s top ranking studio keyboardists and arrangers in the 80's and became a hugely successful music producer and songwriter.

He has written eight #1 songs and produced, arranged and/or written for a wide range of musical talents including THE JEFFERSON STARSHIP (“We Built This City,” “Sara”) COMMODORES (“Nightshift”), WANG CHUNG (“Everybody Have Fun Tonight,” “Let’s Go”), EL DEBARGE (“Who’s Johnny” from Short Circuit), GO WEST (“King of Wishful Thinking” from Pretty Woman, “Faithful”), HEART (“These Dreams,” “What About Love”), PATTI LABELLE (“On My Own”), KENNY LOGGINS (“Playing With The Boys” from Top Gun, “Avalon”), ESCAPE CLUB (“I’ll Be There”), PABLO CRUISE, GRACE SLICK, SANTANA, THE POINTER SISTERS, CHICAGO, CLIFF RICHARD, NATALIE COLE, THE SCORPIONS, 'N SYNC, OLETA ADAMS and JOE SAMPLE and has worked most recently on SERGIO MENDES new hit album for Concord Records.

In addition to his career in the world of rock and popular music, Wolf has also scored a number of major motion pictures including Neverending Story III, Weekend at Bernie’s II and Leon DeWinter’s The Hollywood Sign, starring Rod Steiger, Burt Reynolds and Tom Beringer. He is currently composing songs and score for the upcoming film Band On the Run.

With 75 million records sold as a songwriter and producer, Peter Wolf was voted second most successful musician of the last century by a premiere Austrian magazine, trailing only Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Peter Wolf will lead a Production & Arranging Seminar at The Studio at Sam Ash Canoga Park on Tuesday November 20 at 7pm. Following the presentation, G. Miller will moderate an in-depth Q&A session. Refreshments, giveaways and admission are free. Sponsored by Telefunken USA, Korg and Digidesign. Seating is limited. RSVP by email or by calling a Sam Ash Recording Specialist at 818-709-5650.

Barry Rudolph Deconstructing the Mix 2

Due to the success of the first Deconstructing the Mix seminar last month, Barry Rudolph will return for another informative mixing clinic. Rudolph will discuss step-by-step the mixing process he used in the final mixes of several recent record projects. Mixing inside Pro Tools HD, the primary focus for this tutorial will be his sonic concepts, musical aesthetic and the methods used to attain them.

The Studio at Sam Ash Canoga Park. 20934 Roscoe Blvd. at De Soto Ave. Monday December 3 at 7pm. Refreshments will be served. Seating is limited for this free seminar. RSVP by email or by calling a Recording Specialist at 818-709-5650.

Prashant Aswani Guitar Master Classes

Musician, guitarist, producer, composer, recording artist and former Musicians Institute guitar instructor Prashant Aswani will conduct a series of guitar master classes at four Los Angeles area Sam Ash Music Stores.

Wed. Nov. 7 at Sam Ash Torrance
Wed. Nov. 14 at Sam Ash Canoga Park
Wed. Dec. 5 at Sam Ash Puente Hills in City of Industry
Wed. Dec. 12 at Sam Ash Cerritos

Prashant Aswani will demo his ESP Viper and Xtone Paramount guitars and discuss the amps and effects in his signal chain. Admission: Free. Clinics start at 7pm.