Josiah Maddox - Guitar Center 2013 Drum-Off Finalist

[@alwms24]

My nephew is one of the greatest up & coming drummers on the planet. Big ups to you Josiah. You all need to hear him on the Hammond B3 organ and Keys. you all would be blown away. Think about it he's just a teenager.Love you nephew. God has so much in store for you. your uncle Big Al

[@remblood3188]

AL WMS frfr

[@stu3775]

He's a gifted musician.

[@Tonydfg]

Guys i wanna clear this up in his defense... He had to change his solo because the things he was gonna use for his turn didnt get shipped to him like his spds pad... So he winged it.... He did well... Dont judge wat he did wrong... My bro killed for a wing it.... At least he made it to the finals.. So dont judge wat he did cause at least he was able to gt this experience.. And better yet... He will gt noticed because he made it that far

[@silendt]

Congrats on the win bro! Making us proud!

[@russellharrisjr.4884]

Tony Taylor my bro

[@Doatello1991]

@Tony Taylor I feel bad for the dude. He looked so nervous and stressed up there and still played pretty well overall.

[@juancura8937]

Awesome solo congratulations

[@AdenugaAdedayoDavid]

Tony I love your heart bro

[@aaronhi50]

For winging it that was amazing. For a rehearsed solo... that was amazing.

[@klefusmcdonald2644]

How did this man not win ?!?! Pure drumming, no electronic effects, the man is raw!

[@TheEricBooth]

This is the type of solo I like. Very musical. Smooth as hell.

[@jevonbrown1737]

It’s crazy how much he has improved and grown 9 years from then

[@crimjqt83]

Right. This vids serves no justice.

[@walteralter9061]

No Octopad says this drummer has musical integrity and is a man of principle. He sacrificed a win for stating that drums are a rhythm instrument designed with the intention of keeping time as priority one. His performance was a COMPOSITION that moved its theme poetically from point A to point B, never letting you forget its origin. It was a refreshing change from the urge to display in a mating ritual. You could build a melody arrangement around his performance. You can't do that with most Drum Off performances.

[@DanLoFat]

+Walter Alter His origin was Krupa, then when he went for the cowbell, all manner of composition went out the window - all chops,that is it.

[@pgoindi]

I love that he didn't use that damned Octapad thing.

[@Greenevil89]

Thank you for NOT using the octopad :)

[@allaboutthemusic3367]

ha ha lol

[@artamis6167]

Little questlove over here was tearing up the kit!

[@johnniejames9799]

It must be in Chicago’s water, to have every dope drummer on the planet come from there!! Calvin Rodgers, Rexsell Hardy Jr., Varo Johnson, Clemon Poindexter, Brent Easton, Josiah Maddox, Tony Taylor, etc!!

[@Naywri]

I know him. This is going to be a great drummer coming out of High School.

[@TheMegaPaintballer]

dude this guy is a beast! why isnt he more known!

[@JaydonTobler]

cause he's still in high school lol

[@GusOnDrums]

Drums sounds excellent!!!!

[@jakhariwilliams3377]

dude has come so far since this

[@philippefeld1731]

Great solo ! groove, chops, persannality. In my opinion the best of all 5 finalist.

[@jmr2master]

I think he just played a song from mars volta!

[@batako0o]

Fuck!! this guy killed it!

[@mechemix]

2:11 best roll ever

[@tomadidntsleep]

This guy likes the ride a lot ;)

[@zacharyf32]

He's from my home city chicago . Chicago has some good deummers

[@LiveAllegroDieAdagio]

DUDE this kid can straight jam!

[@rojeliocirilo3493]

One of the only drummers that don't need the octopad

[@producersco]

very beasty!!!! salute Josiah

[@rockaboybeats9568]

That nigga is phenomenal!!! If he would incorporated the pad he would of got it damn .... his chops are clean his speed is amazing too ....

[@DanLoFat]

+Rockaboy Beats nigga? Oh, OOOOOH, you mean the kid on drums, go it, ya.

[@fightingwithtruth1698]

I love it!

[@lkamakazee]

wow....i've watched first to fifth.....my style would have called this gent the winner...

[@mhcdrum]

Sounds full man good shit

[@deandrepresswood3143]

You should hear him now 🤦🏾‍♂️

[@Rojasdrums]

damn those cymbals get in the way

[@dmanalang9037]

Thank you for not using the Octopad, its tiring hearing it. Congratz on making it to the finals, i like your playing better than the other guy.

[@ayom23]

the next ?uestlove

[@bodistern5721]

Personally think he should've straight up won. D-Mile is straight fire, though, I will say

[@mitchellhughes5180]

I can hardly do a drum roll but there are plenty of famous drummers who I think suck. If you can find something wrong with this, fine. Whatever. But this is fucking amazing. Period.

[@moniquewebb1602]

4:15 that groove

[@Coin3103]

He is good !!

[@johntothethao101]

does anyone know what kind of heads he is using? those sound really good, ik its an evans clear head but idk what series is it.

[@Tonydfg]

The drums had ec2s on em... He used a remo powerstroke 3 on his snare

[@DanLoFat]

+Tony Taylor And it wasnt his kit anyway, right?

[@Tonydfg]

he won it but he sold it

[@restlesstesticle]

3:41 He jizzed in that point.

[@btownshreds1]

Hahahahahaha

[@Alchemymasta]

Weak

[@pietervandoorn4778]

yeah!

[@ericpfaff68]

Oh please be better then the last two I've watched,please...........

[@MrDrummerboyatx]

Yes! This guy is a jazz cat for sure. I can hear Tony Williams in his playing.

[@mattynigma]

Someone should have told this kid he has a comb stuck in his head

[@WillieCollins79]

Yes I agree that noise box takes so much away from the pure drumming affect period.🎤

[@Kruelon]

DAMN

[@smasherdrum]

He doesn't set up for the next groove

[@DanLoFat]

+smasherdrum Exactly, he just went from one room of his mind to another. I did the same last night, was allowed an extended solo (in the chart), played the form, then as soon as I was at the end of the tune, I went for chop suey!

[@trtytryyttytyyyttyty]

Hold it down man

[@Mikebonthetrack]

you can tell where his mind wants to go craft wise but he has to himself harder in order to perfect what he's trying to do. nice ideas though

[@ThomasMetal75]

What made this guy get all the way to the finals?!?!

[@CalebFrow]

That afro comb!

[@Rojasdrums]

He had something going the first half, the second half just doesn't flow (big picture)

[@boxerlifter1396]

DESTROING THE KIT

[@carsondrum]

nice Benny Greb Ride!!!

[@edellis7691]

dont get doin this 40 yrs ago

[@tomadidntsleep]

2:58, he totally got that from Devon ,,Stixx,, Taylor :(((

[@markeo8466]

that used hi hats?

[@DanLoFat]

+marcos “markeo27” b that a question?

[@alexwilliam2415]

Ocdp Avalon drums

[@chrisbellville6957]

His drum solo is way more taste full than the guy who won.This is why the guitar center drum offs suck ass...like Ive said before it's not about being the best drummer in these competitions. It's about who looks the most like Thomas Pridgen...that helps you win I guess.

[@kolebrown6132]

If this were a true statement the better drummer in 11 Fred Boswell Jr would have won which he should have

[@jordansmith4758]

The guy who won was more musical in different ways the this guy......... and that's how to the drum off..... u gotta bring chops but u still have to be musical

[@kolebrown6132]

Yeah but that has nothing to do with gospel chops and looking like Thomas Pridgen

[@jordansmith4758]

The gospel chops part kinda has to do with it... but the Thomas pridgen part I totally agree with you

[@Greenevil89]

+Chris Bellville lol i guess it's kind of a plus in your odds of winning if you show some sort of gospel influence in your playing

[@alexendrez9121]

that comb lol

[@Rumeel12708]

Hes Beast but he didnt entertain me :(, but good luck

[@TheTutorialGuyz]

Which kit is that?

[@iiDrum123]

Looks like an OCDP Venice kit

[@nilesgroce3981]

OCDP Newport

[@craigfine9560]

Niles Groce I thought it was Ludwig Keystone by looking at the badge, they look very similar..

[@LanceCampeau]

Great solo but these cymbals are just not cutting it. I like the hats and ride bell but not much else.

[@Neeko_Z]

WOAH, ummm, he would have WON if he had incorporated the octapad. NO DOUBT ABOUT IT

[@tztazzy102]

lol what? im suprised he even made it into the finals. This isnt a chops competition lots of drummers can do machine gun rolls.

[@Neeko_Z]

True true... Everyone is machine gunning it... But compared to the winner, in my opinion, I thought he was a tadddd more musical (and that with no octapad needless to say) he played a little more disciplined and I felt some more passion. But yea, overall the competition is more about being a show off, which is great! If you can at the same time be Musical

[@nikolalakic9058]

Neeko Z The octapad kinda kills it for me really. Call me old school, but I much prefer when they don't use it. Sometimes it's really cool sure, but overall I much prefer when its just pure drumming like this! Props to everyone who uses it well though haha

[@abrahamiglesias1160]

You don't need an octapad to be an amazing drummer. The octapad to me seems like people NEED to have some type of musical melody or harmony to run through their head in order to finish the phrasing that their performing. I just think that the drummers who don't use an octapad are more creative than to rely on an electronic device. And yeah, people are looking for drummers to play and look like Thomas pridgen. I completely agree with that. Though there's nothing wrong with pridgen but when I hear him play or watch him play, it's like trying to cram everything into a solo.

[@JulianFernandez]

@@tztazzy102 sure. many. not you.

[@HydraSperati]

MEINLLLL

[@claudinekamoto]

1:37 What?!

[@benblackburn2693]

i feel like he just didn't structure it as well as he could have. I think he should have slowed down and let us as the audience digest some of his beats. He's got chops though and that's undeniable

[@DJMIZBX]

He can really play but his weak point is dynamics.Theres really no much structure nor was there any sort of groove....I dont know how to categorize him.But im amazed at his skillz

[@gospelplayer2]

you do realize that he just winged it right lol

[@DanLoFat]

+gospelplayer2 - General RAWR O, yes, that was obvious, and why it wasnt musical, or structured.

[@TerrellTJD]

okay why don't you enter this competition and let's see your "dynamics" & your "structure"

[@manb4war]

Pretty good but I saw a lot of repetitive strokes kind of rephrased on the kit over and over. And he seemed a tad slow for his age and the single stick rolls seemed struggly...I of course couldn't play this well to save my life but I know what I like.

[@DanLoFat]

+manb4war Tony Taylor: Shipped? Please.

[@manb4war]

Dan Lo Fat I have no idea what this means.

[@almondlowe2838]

sorry this is an old comment, but this was actually a slightly improvised solo because apparently he didn't get something he needed for his planned one.

[@manb4war]

yeeeeeeeeeee I'm not sure what that means but his technique didn't seem on par with guys that win the drum off.

[@almondlowe2838]

manb4war it just means he didnt have a prepared set so he had to focus on not messing up rather than technique

[@mattlehnardt8035]

try to work in a little more Philly Joe Jones, and a little less Dennis Chambers. oooh, the latin thing was nice. shutting up now.

[@MIS4DRich]

that is not perfact well he is better than me

[@youngbrandonc.ondrums6950]

need more practice

[@dano639]

Young Brandon C. on Drums The equipment he wanted to use didn't come in time. This was all improv.

[@ezza1236]

What is witht the smashing of the Ryde cymbal , just play some good beats fills why all this smashing the shit out of the drums

[@ZAOLSsb]

No

[@JulianFernandez]

STFU Gordon. Just STFU.

[@larkydozer]

Young drummers solo like they talk/think. Rapidly going from subject to subject with all passion and no great logic or overarching theme.

[@FONO63]

It lacks melody.

[@tommyXBOX360]

It's a drumsolo. Fuck the octapad.

[@Oli4drums]

You can have a melodic drum solo without using pads...

[@FONO63]

Oli4drums Of course you can! I may have fraised it in the wrong way. I meant musicality. For me this drum solo is just chops over chops, a bit of more groove is needed.

[@Oli4drums]

Ah, sorry man. Yeah I get that, although Guitar Center is known for being popular with drummers who love to show off chops and stick tricks. It's a drum solo I guess so being flashy isn't out of place.

[@FONO63]

Oli4drums Yeahh Guitar Center drum offs have been a bit dissapointing lately. Although I did really really liked the finalists from 2012. Fonz Lovelace, Diamond Johnson and Carlito Mendoza. For me all of those performances were outstanding.

[@KM-px8cs]

Very fast but he needed more creativity.

[@smasherdrum]

This guys good but it's not even a solo. Not because of the octapad. Cause he just plays a bunch of random stuff.

[@justbecause735]

TOO washy on the ride cymbal, I can barely make out what he's playing! Great solo otherwise!

[@rubandanmusic]

Skrew the octopad. Why force that crap on the drummers....

[@dramacydal317]

The ONLY thing I thought he did wrong was abuse the ride. If he would have toned down the ride a little and not bashed the shit out of it he definitely could have won. Unfortunately the ride floods out alot of what he was doing cause he was hitting it to hard. Outside of that this was a great performance

[@jeremiahcollier5436]

@Roycisneros Be quiet

[@blackkselffinc]

Im sorry….that RIDE IS ANNOYING…..

[@MikeThaPhilosopher]

He think he quest love or sumn lol ..

[@josuemelendez6043]

boo

[@ericpfaff68]

Lame,boring ,no chops.

[@ericpfaff68]

Ya,really. I believe that the 5 Drum Off finalist should be the best. 3 of the 5,are not even close. There was 4 guys at the first round Drum Off that I was at, that just blew most of these guys away. I think the Drum Off judging is a little off this year,starting with the preliminary start of the competition. Meaning,the judges are hacks,most of them probably aren't even drummers.

[@JaydonTobler]

Eric Pfaff Peter Erskine was a judge... Thomas Lang was a judge...

[@DanLoFat]

+Eric Pfaff Part of the rules are the judges cannot be ALL drummers.

[@dramacydal317]

The ONLY thing I thought he did wrong was abuse the ride. If he would have toned down the ride a little and not bashed the shit out of it he definitely could have won. Unfortunately the ride floods out alot of what he was doing cause he was hitting it to hard. Outside of that this was a great performance

[@DanLoFat]

+mike k (dramacydal317) Ah, that was mostly bad micing

[@remblood3188]

Crunchy no