For years now I have wondered what it would be like to go to a NAMM event. Well, back in late June, I got the chance to go, and it was cool! And overwhelming! I had the unique experience of going for a multitude of reasons. I was there courtesy of Taylor Guitars, because I had some meetings lined up with their Art Director to discuss the possibility of doing some work for them, and also to put faces with names and email addresses of other business prospects in the industry. I also got to go as a consumer and gear freak, so that was just a bonus. And, I got to see my friend Zac at work, representing Visual Sound along with his boss and colleagues. My friend Jason and I went and once there, split up for a few hours since he is a keyboard guy that was there to score contacts from other companies that I had no clue about. After a few hours of roaming, we met Zac and had lunch together.
The convention center was packed, and by what I could tell, everyone was having a blast, and there was a very good energy and vibe to the event. Based on that, I am confident NAMM will return here next summer. Knock knock, we are music city you know . . .
It was overwhelming at times seeing over 500 vendors selling everything from guitars to amps to drums to you name it, and this is the baby of the two NAMM shows—the really big monster is Winter NAMM in Anaheim every January. Maybe one day I can go and check that show out. I had a blast roaming around though, playing guitars and meeting some great people, like Bob Taylor and other Taylor staff Cory Sheehan, Aaron Dablow, Brian Swerdfeger and David Hosler, as well as other industry greats Jean Larrivée, Nathan Fawley (Duesenberg USA) and Steve Carr. I was like a kid in a candy store the 2 days I went to the show, and though worn out at the end of each day, loved every minute of it. I sure hope I get to go again in the future, whether it is here or at a Winter NAMM in CA. If you want to see some of what I saw, go here to check out the photos.
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