Hey everyone, Gartdrumm again. It’s the end of Prog Nation 2008 as we know it and we were just getting warmed up! What a tour folks, what a tour! From the first note of opening night in L.A. to the final bow of the tour, rock was in good hands at Prog Nation and will live in the great minds of music lovers and concert goers for a lifetime. Thanx to you the fans for your overwhelming enthusiasm and your into-it-ness; you are half the equation. Thanx to all four bands for being so damn cool (again, great bill Mike)! The music of these bands speaks for itself and behind the scenes we all got along famously. Its great when you actually like the people your on tour with; what a stand up bunch, bands and crew members alike- you all made it happen! Thank you Mike Portnoy and all of Dream Theater. You guys are a class act and consummate pro’s as well world class musicians. I’ll try not to bite too much of your stuff but I can already feel the bars of 5, 7, and 9 creeping into my mind! This tour was definitely full of good times and music, from uncle Mike visiting us in our dressing room before showtime just to listen to Joey Eppard's unique vocal warmup to the very last night of tour when I sat down at my kit for the final performance only to find a full bottle of baby powder dumped on my snare drum; probably the most explosive intro of my career…when the dust settled and I could see the snare drum head again I could see the words…”thanx for a great tour, Mike Portnoy”….no thank you and I hope Prog Nation 09’ is as big a success!! See you all soon…Chris Gartdrumm Gartmann

Percussive Nation 2008
Joe Stote & Gartdrumm with Mike Portnoy, Blake Richardson and Martin Axenrot
Photo: Christopher A. Petro

We're back at home spending time with our families and making more music than ever!  Just this Sunday we all performed in at The Basement in Kingston, NY in the form of Dent [Joe Stote on guitar and vox and Gartdrumm with Max contributing vox and dance moves for a few songs] and The Eppard Brothers [Joey Eppard, Josh Eppard, Billy Riker with Daniel Grimsland playing bass on a few songs, Dave Daw of Darkworld Studio filling in on bass for the rest of the set plus -- 3's original bassist, Chris John Bittner, joined in for a few classics and Jimmy Eppard graced the stage for the full Eppard Brothers set!!!].  Thanks to Uncle John the Baker for making this show happen, inviting us to play, and still performing a high energy set with Instant Asshole, even after a brutal skateboarding accident (best wishes Uncle John!).  We can't wait to do it again!

Tour News

We're booking new shows for the summer and fall, so keep a look out for those dates.  We're confirmed to perform at the Orange County Fair on July 19th in Middletown, NY on the Pepsi Stage.  Our 2 hour set is scheduled to begin at 8pm.  For directions and ticket information please visit: http://www.orangecountyfair.com

Beyerdynamic Endorsement

We are excited to announce that 3 is now endorsed by Beyerdynamic microphones!

July 2008 Modern Drummer

Pick up the latest issue of Modern Drummer to check out a sweet article on our very own Gartdrumm as well as Axis Pedal's new artist endorsement ad featuring Gartdrumm!

Progressive Nation Media

We've got some sweet photos and reviews from the tour to share
    •    Seattle - May 5 - Photographer: Chris Slack - http://www.mortado.com/gravemusic/live/080505prognation/three.shtml
    •    Montreal - May 23 - Photographer: Patryk Pigeon - http://metaluniverse.net/compterendu/categories.php?cat_id=1673&sessionid=8b500148cf7e9a7f4fb1ebaaacf4f482
    •    Myrtle Beach - May 29 - Reviewer: Adam D. - http://www.rockinreview.com/2008/05/31/opeth-and-3-off-date-at-the-house-of-blues-in-myrtle-beach-sc/
    •    Tampa - June 1 - Photos on BC Rich Myspace (http://www.myspace.com/theofficialbcrich), Kustom Myspace (http://www.myspace.com/kustomamps), Rockfield Pickups Myspace (http://www.myspace.com/rockfieldpickups)

Merch

Our full album catalog as well as shirts, hoodies and Gartsticks are available at our official online store -- www.realdealmerch.com/three

one nation under prog with musical liberties and instrumental justice for all!

Thanks so much for all of your love and support!  Catch you on the road...
-The Band 3