Arizona Bay Special Guest Star - Dan Bodanis

As part of my February 2004 update I asked drummers from around the world to send me some piccies of themselves. Dan followed my instructions to the letter and here is Dan's own private little gallery. He is the other Canadian drummer on the page! Dan is from Toronto, Canada. Dan is also a drummer that I have met - you can see my adventures in Tornoto, Canada in set 09 of the Gallery! Click here.

Dan is a drummer and tutor - but also has a pretty successful life as salesman and sales guru. This is Dan's book - he sent me a copy - wherein he spreads the word about selling - but relating it to drumming. The banner-link at the top of the page will take you to Dan's website where he will explain it better than I ever will.... I did do Business and Marketing type stuff at University - but it was along time ago..... and I don't do it anymore.....

This is Dan's latest kit from late 2009 - a Yamaha PHX. Drum pornography.

Here is Dan and a custom Blue Sparkle kit..... nice

Dan has used this kit - made for him by Yamaha - on various big band recordings. Here he can be seen reading from charts - as far from my understanding as alchemy.....

Yet more Yamaha gear - here Dan is playing with George Olliver - former cohort of Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder....

This strange kit is known as the Yamaha Hipgig. This kit is designed for people with either tiny transport problems (car even smaller than a Nissan Micra?) or tiny venue problems (Ewok Villages etc) - it also comes in handy if Ronnie Corbett takes up the drums. Dan is using it here with his Jazz-Band: Pat Labbara on Sax (Buddy Rich, Louis Belson and Elvin Jones), Dave Field on Bass (Oscar Peterson, Chet Baker, Lenny White, Peter Appleyard, Phil Nimmons and 5th Dimension).

This is a picture of Marc Atkinson with the owner of Drummer's Choice, Dave Harvey. I am assured that this Toronto shop is the centre of the Canadian Drummer's universe. Dan has been known to frequent this shop.....

This is Dave Harvey again - yes I know his hair has changed colour. Dan tells me Dave did this after he took delivery of a special-build Hipgig for Dan and decided to match his hair to the kit - it's just a good job that it was not a clear Vistalite or Fibes kit...... what would he have done then????

.... and here he is immortalised on the cover of a mag - what exalted company I keep......

This ain't no country club, this ain't no disco neither - this is LA. Dan on his travels in Hollywood, May 2004. This is he and the staff of Drum Connection. This is a shop for the well healed drummer which carry all of the top brands and...... Buzin Drums, which Dan assures me are the best drums he has ever heard...... sadly they seem not to have made it to the UK.

Another shot of the shop - an authentic piece of Americana! You can almost see Steve Buscemi hammering along the street with that briefcase under his arm!

Here are the afore mentioned Buzin Drums - they certainly look the part! Later, these drums were renamed DC Drums - see below!

Dan decided he just had to get some of the new Buzin cymbals....... and became an endorsee... click on the little logos to go to their site..... so far you can only get these kits and cymbals at one dealer in the UK -so they are hot off the press.

Dan back on home turf in Canada - Roy Thompson Hall....

Right back on home turf on x-mas day 2004 - clearing the snow from the front of his house. Nice hat.

Fast forward to April 2005 - at a haemophilia benefit gig (what we over here call a cherity gig). Yet another Yamaha kit.....

The classic Dan Bodanis picture - one Yamaha kit being used and another waiting in reserve in case the first one explodes or something........

Dan with Downstroke - the band so big that.......

... it takes two bloody photographs to get them all in!

(see my Canada Holiday snaps in Gallery set 09 to see more details about Downstroke!).

Dan's Yamaha Hipgig from the front... and a girly.

Here is Dan's missus, Kelly, again. I'm making an educated guess that this picture was taken at the Empire State Building, New York City.

Dan in yet another Drum Shop - this time Drumworld in New York City - the guy to the left of Dan is Kenny Washington - a top jazz drummer who has played with just about everyone worth mentioning and on the right of Dan is Barry the owner.

Kelly in NYC again. This time she is front of a dead famous shoe shop - I am assured it has a link to Sex & the City (places that it are a bad idea to take any woman to - they just get that distant look and hoover all of your money out of the bank). I have shrunk the picture so small that you cannot see what the name of the shop is - I am pretty sure that it is not Stead & Stimpsons or Johnny Ball's.

Here is Dan getting all giggly and shy with Miss Universe, Natalie Glebova - photo taken at a charity gig by Dan's jazz band in Toronto...... and a grand excuse for putting luverly ladies on my site......

Here is Dan's new signature kit - DC California Custom - what a kit.....

Dan as seen in DRUM! Magazine article regarding the aforementioned DC California Custom Drums.....

Fast forward to July 2006. This is the kit that DC Drums made for Dan - the finish is hammered brass - as per the Ludwig Black Beauty Sanre Drum that has captured the hearts of generations of drummers over the years. Dan would like me to point out that he prefers the single bass drum set and if you were to see him on stage then this is not the kit you would see. Click on the image to see Dan and the rest of the DC artists.

Here is Dan with Chief Constable of the Peel Region, Mike Metcalf (whom I have met - see the Canada shots of the Holiday set). This was a gig in aid of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and also to celebrate Chief Metcalf's promotion.

Dan playing his personalised DC Drums at the aforementioned gig - he does not need much of an excuse to get the drums out.

Dan with band at the gig - he has gone only for the single bass drum set up this time - unlike the publicity photograph of the drums.

Dan moves in some impressive circles - this is him with Chick Corea -legendary keyboard player who turned up on a lot of the experimental Miles Davis recordings. This picture was taken during one of Dan's trips to Los Angeles.....

Again in Los Angeles, Dan with Sheila E - percussionist who has most famously played with Prince.....

Dan with another legend - Mr Vic Firth - the owner of the drum stick firm....

< Click to go back