In early September, Mapex Drums announced the Uplift Campaign, creating a platform for endorsing artists to host drumming events in their communities – with full support from the brand, which will provide sponsorship, promotions, giveaways, and unique drum sets. Uplift events will provide Mapex artists with the opportunity to truly connect in a meaningful way by drumming in their neighborhood churches, community centers, and schools and the campaign has already attracted the likes of Reggie Johnson (Baby Face) and Rashid Williams (John Legend), with many more soon to be announced.
We got together with Jeff Mulvihill [Also a participant in this issue’s Roundtable feature on snare drums. See page 20 – Ed.], combo drum brand manager for Mapex, to get the scoop on what inspired the company to launch Uplift and how the initiative will unfold.
What was the catalyst behind coming up with the Uplift campaign?
Jeff Mulvihill: Recent events and ongoing racial tensions in U.S. black communities surrounding current events touching on police brutality, voting discrimination, systematic racism, and other volatile subjects inspired us to work with our artists to create a positive campaign to support community events. We looked at how we could give back and listened to our players. The need for support for positive activities on the local level through drumming and music seemed one small way we could start.
When will the full listing of upcoming Uplift events be released to the public?
We are hoping to have a full list of upcoming Uplift events as soon as possible. Our planning phase continues, and we are working through the many challenges with live events to create safe gatherings.
What about “community” do you think resonates so especially with drummers and percussionists and why is it important to highlight and support that connection?
There is a natural camaraderie with drummers and often stories of inspiration include a touchpoint event at a church, family event, community center, or neighborhood jam session that changes a young person’s drumming life. Drumming is a visual activity employing the whole body different from a guitar or horn playing. Drummers learn from each other, and there is an almost supernatural rhythmic brotherhood between players.
Of the high-profile drummers participating, how many were approached by Mapex to join in and how many reached out to Mapex after hearing about the campaign?
The creation of the program has been thoroughly collaborative from the very beginning of the process with our full roster invited to participate and bring ideas to the project. We are excited to see it launch, grow, and evolve as our players host events.
It’s such a cool an unique concept, but to what degree are Mapex and the participants worried about potential logistical challenges involved in “creating unique events in hometowns” – which I take to mean in-person gatherings – with the continuing restrictions due to the pandemic?
Tough question here without a defined answer. We are worried about the continued limitations of the global pandemic, and knowing that it is part of our lives for the discernable future set the stage for the open nature of the campaign. There is no strict template for an Uplift event – it can be anything that the Mapex artist can put together including group lessons, community performance, or an educational clinic or drum circle, and we are here to help promote and provide support.
One of the very few upsides of the past 20 months or so has been the extreme uptick in the interest in picking up an instrument for the first time, rededicating oneself to a previous skill-set on an instrument, or just devoting all the “unasked-for-but-here-it-is-anyway” free time to playing, practicing, recording. How has this phenomenon impacted the drumming community and Mapex, specifically?
I think the impact has been significant, but in different ways both positive and negative. On the positive side, many people found themselves with more time at home to explore new hobbies or rededicate themselves to old ones like learning drums or dust off the musical chops from the past. It was certainly exciting to experience the up-tick in demand. But we felt it was very important to also focus on how we can help those less fortunate young people without internet, devices, cable, or instruments, who have suffered greatly during the pandemic. What could we create to help spread some light and provide positive influence as soon as it is safe to do so?
How do interested dealers get involved with the Uplift campaign?
Interested dealers are welcome to co-promote, or collaborate, or even host an Uplift event. Dealers can contact their Mapex rep and we’ll match them with a Mapex player to work together to create something special. This is not a specifically retail-driven initiative – it is a community and musical one.
