Joe Hardy is a handicapped drummer from Huntington Beach, California who plays both a standar acoustic kit, and (as he calls it) a “Hybrid Rolling Drum Kit.” Joe plays with a band called Unit287 and has been featured at NAMM, as well as many other public events. In 2008 the band was honored with a nomination in the Orange County Music Awards.
Joe had always had the idea of combining an electric kit with a wheelchair and to have everything self-contained and self-powered, and with the help of his friends, they were able to make it a reality. Using marine batteries and inverters, the wheelchair has two power sources. One battery runs the actual chair and the other runs the drum kit. The speaker system for the hybrid kit was designed by Renkus-Heinz, out of Foothills Ranch, California. The pedal mechanism (designed by Axis Percussion) which utilizes the shaft from a double bass drum pedal, runs from a coupling piece off his leg and bolts onto the foot plate of his Iron Cobra single pedal.
We have seen Joe at NAMM a few times, but this year we were at the Sabian Cymbals booth when they offered him an endorsement deal on the spot and loaded him up with cymbals! It was a great day for drumming, for Joe and for the human spirit. Joe is also endorsed by OCDP, Roland, Danmar and many other companies.
Learn more about Joe and his band here: http://www.Unit287.com
For more information on Sabian Cymbals and their products, visit them here: http://www.sabian.com
More on Renkus-Heinz can be found here: http://www.renkus-heinz.com
Check out Axis Percussion here: http://www.axispercussion.com
Winter NAMM 2014 took place in Anaheim, California, January 23rd – 26th and was one of the best shows we have experienced in recent years.
For more NAMM Coverage from Sick Drummer Magazine, check this link. We will be adding a lot more to it in the coming days:http://www.sickdrummermagazine.com/index.php/news/namm-show-coverage/2014-namm-coverage.html
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