With registrants coming from all corners of the globe to attend the first post-pandemic January winter NAMM event, it was a welcome return to its traditional slot, which followed on from 2023's April show, 2020's biggest ever NAMM, and 2019’s event, which saw the music world light up in the California sun.
Following a preview day on Wednesday 24th, Winter NAMM 2024 kicked off proper on Thursday 25th January, with almost 20,000 exhibitors from start-ups to the behemoths of the industry sharing their latest products, services, and happenings.
From Celestion's big red London bus which greeted entrants at Hall C, to Martin Guitars' luxuriously carpeted booth, to Yamaha, who had on display a bespoke piano designed for Prince, and Cream Guitars, whose pink mannequins were unmissable, the exhibitors were out to make a huge splash across the expansive exhibition space.
And it wasn't just the big name companies who were making big noises. New York based manufacturer of guitar and bass effect pedals, amps, and DI boxes Tech 21 had brand ambassador Frank Bello on hand to talk about his Street Driver 48 pedal. Speaking to eonmusic, the Anthrax bassist said; "They call this; 'a sans amp on steroids', which I'm really proud of. I love this thing. People are coming up to me in NAMM today and telling me about my pedal, and that makes me feel good because we took our time and we made sure it was right".
Going on to talk about how the pedal has made a big mark on the forthcoming Anthrax album, he continued; "my tracks are done on the new Anthrax record, and I'll tell you from Jay Ruston our producer, it's the best bass sound we've ever had. It has to cut through the guitars and the drums. It's really full-sounding, and it's actually deeper than it's ever been. I'm very, very proud of what we have going on".
When asked about the sound of the new Anthrax album he added; "It's heavy. It's heavy, and you'll like it!"
eonmusic interviewee Devin Townsend meanwhile gave a live performance at Xvive, with booth 4344 abuzz throughout the weekend as the likes of Bon Jovi's Phil X and The Haunted's Ola Englund demoed the latest gear form the wireless audio / video company.
For metalheads, the floor was alight with players from Thursday night's Metal Allegiance gig at the nearby House of Blues, with Exodus man Gary Holt, Sepultura's Andreas Kisser and Paulo Pinto, and former Megadeth members David Ellefson and Chris Poland wandering and taking in the NAMM atmosphere.
Also spotted, guitarist and producer Roy Z enthused about the forthcoming Bruce Dickinson solo album 'The Mandrake Project', while Annihilator main man Jeff Waters, who was on hand at Ellefson Coffee Co. bigged up the forthcoming activity from the Canadian speed metal act.
With events going on well into the night, from the drum up for music-making at the annual All-Industry Drum Circle with percussion instruments provided by drum legends Remo, to the annual Parnelli Awards - the “Oscar®” of the live event industry - to the nightly Yamaha Concert on the Grand Plaza stage, there was scarcely a dull moment as the event reached it's midpoint.
He continued; "NAMM has been very gracious to us. I think I'm the only artist on the floor who has a booth. It's nice when the music community will welcome these things in. It plays well to crossing the bridge for both sides".
Going on to talk about late Megadeth drummer Nick Menza, who was in the band from 1989 - 1998, and is the subject of the forthcoming documentary 'This Was My Life: The Story of Nick Menza', Ellefson continued; "Nick is the beloved son of the legacy, he really is. That was such a great era of the group because we were very collaborative, we were together as a team, we were super prolific, and it was just a fantastic moment in that band's career."
He continued; "What you'll see in the film is, with Nick, it was his charm and his personality that came through. It wasn't just a musician playing the music, and I think that's a thing that you'll see. I think it's great to keep Nick's legacy alive, and although he's no longer here with us, it's as if he's sitting next to us. When you see the trailer, and certainly when the film comes out, you'll feel like Nick is in the room next to you."
*Stay tuned for the full interview with David Ellefson.
It was bass amp specialists Ashdown Engineering however, who brought the big guns to their booth, as endorsees James LoMenzo (Megadeth), Shavo Odadjian (System of a Down), and Geezer Butler (Black Sabbath) talked about the product range, posed for photographs, and signed autographs.
Into the night, the Women’s International Music Network (the WiMN) honoured Debbie Gibson, Laura Karpman, Britt Lightning, Kelsy Karter and Sylvia Massy at the She Rocks Awards presented by Bangles' icon Susanna Hoffs, while the NAMM TEC Awards saw Wu-Tang Clan mastermind RZA receive the 2024 NAMM Innovation Award.
Founded in 1901, as the 'National Association of Music Merchants', NAMM has evolved from a national retail association into an international association whose members now include commercial companies, distributors, affiliates and manufacturers.
Check out our gallery from NAMM 2024 below. All shots courtesy of NAMM.org.