During 2010’s ǖber popular, South By Southwest Festival (aka SXSW), Taye Drums partnered with burgeoning website Better Than The Van. During the event the guys from BTTV were asked to speak at a conference on the importance of touring. In an effort to promote their company, they partnered with a few companies to give away an entire van filled with the gear they would need for a van tour. The winner received, among other things, a RockPro 5 piece, with 10×8.5, 12×9 rack toms, 14×14 floor tom, an 18×16 bass drum in Gun Metal.
Recently, Taye Drums’ West Wheeler had a chance to speak with the raffle winner, Daniel Fried of the band Bad Sports from Denton, Texas.
Taye Drums: Daniel, congratulations on your winning of the van from Better Than The Van. How did you find out about the contest? Daniel: A friend on Facebook directed me to the contest. It only took a few minutes to enter. Taye Drums: What is the name of your band and how long have you guys been playing together? Daniel: The name of the band is Bad Sports and we have been together for about 3 years now. Taye Drums: What did you think when you won the raffle? Daniel: We were totally excited. It came just in time. The band is getting ready to head out on a West Coast tour. Taye Drums: So that means you will be using the RockPro drum set you won? Daniel: Actually, we started using that set right away. We had some shows at SXSW and needed a kit that would fit in a smaller spot. Since we won a kit with an 18″ bass drum it worked out great! Taye Drums: You mentioned a West Coast tour. Does that mean there will be some Southern California dates? We are in Chino, California and probably not too far from a show or two. Daniel: Totally! We will be at McWorld in Anaheim on 6/29 and Que Sera in Long Beach on 6/30. It would be great to see you and your followers out at the show! Check out our Myspace page for more dates. Taye Drums: I guess I should ask if you are using Better Than The Van for the tour?
Daniel: Well, we were thinking about it, but we have been lucky enough to have a lot of friends in all the towns we are playing.
Taye Drums: Any last words before we finish up?
Daniel: We just want to say thank you to Taye Drums and all the other sponsoring companies. We are completely excited because this kit fits in the van and sounds amazing for its small size. It has already come in handy and we plan on taking it with us on our next tour in our new van! Better Than The Van helps bands find an alternative to sleeping in their van by partnering them up with fans of music who offer a safe environment for them to get their rest. Taye Drums has been building drums for over 35 years and continues to build quality drums. We believe that amazing quality drums need not cost a fortune. As the industry’s most Configuration FriendlyTM company, Taye has a drum “for every rhythm”.
