When young Eloy Casagrande set sticks to heads at the 2005 Modern Drummer Festival Weekend he had the crowd in the palm of his hand. And it wasn’t just the novelty and self-effacing attitude of a fourteen year old shining through but the mature pulsation of a serious drummer, who had obviously studied both the indigenous rhythms of his country and the most contemporary of fusion rhythms as played by drummers across the globe.
Eloy Casagrande Lopes was born in Santo Andre, Sao Paulo, Brazil on January 29, 1991. In 1997, his parents recognized the youngster’s budding rhythmic sensitivity and purchased him a toy drum so that Eloy could march around the house. Progress was quick and a year later Eloy received a professional drum and commenced lessons. Again he made quick gains and garnered recognition on local television shows and from media outlets. He was a true drumming prodigy, rounding out his percussive prowess in musical situations such as priest Leo Comissari’s prominent youth choir.
Things began to happen for Eloy in April 2003 when he appeared on TV Globo’s national talent contest. With thirty seconds to wow the judges, Eloy won top place. More television spots followed. Throughout 2004, he solidified his standing by appearing at musical seminars, workshops, music fairs, and at various corporate activities. Trade publications such as Batera and Modern Drummer took notice and featured profiles on the young Brazilian drummer.
To ensure that he was competent in a contemporary musical sense, and wasn’t simply banking his career on flashy solos, Eloy began taking lessons with prominent drummer Aquiles Priester, who had gained national recognition in prominent bands. Aquiles became such a friend and confident that he accompanied Eloy to New Jersey for a landmark appearance at the Modern Drummer Festival Weekend 2005. Here Eloy performed to great applause and took home the award for Top Undiscovered Drummer in the under 18 category.
One of the youngest LP artist, Eloy employs a variety of LP instruments, especially bells and blocks necessary to perform Latin and fusion rhythms on drumset. Eloy thanks Gustavo Meli, Virgil Donati, Vera Figueiredo, and Dom Famularo for their influence and encouragement.
“I would like to encourage teenagers to explore music,” says Eloy. “Music not only brings love, peace and happiness but also can be a professional option for many.”
