PoCo drummer wins
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Updated: November 03, 2009 2:22 PM
The sticks were flying last weekend on the Montreal Drum Fest stage as the two regional finalists of the Roland V-Drums Contest, Gary Grace and Francois Laliberté, went head-to-head to see who would be crowned the grand champion.
After an intense drum-off, the esteemed panel of judges, including Montreal’s own extreme metal drummer Flo Mounier, declared Port Coquitlam's Gary Grace the winner. Grace took home the title of the Roland V-Drums Contest National Grand Champion and a top-of-the-line drum kit.
An audience of more than 500 people were on hand to watch the finals on Oct. 24, in which both drummers showed off their energy, technique and versatility.
"It was a great feeling to hear [my name announced as the winner]," Grace said in a release. "There was a sigh of relief and excitement all at once. I'm very excited about what this can do to help me in my career and [to] really explore these drums. This has been a tremendous experience.”
Grace was born into a family of drummers, following in the footsteps of both his father and older brother. He studied several different genres and musical styles and attended the Crane School of Music in New York.
Grace currently performs with the Canadian classic rock band Prism and, when he's not on stage, he's teaching young drummers the tricks of the trade.
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