05/15/05

ELOY LOPES WINS MODERN DRUMMER'S UNDISCOVERED DRUMMER CONTEST

Eloy Casagrande Lopes (left) with his teacher and fellow Mapex Endorser Aquiles Priester (right).

April 5, 2005 is sure to be an unforgettable day for Eloy Casagrande Lopes. On that day he was named the winner of Modern Drummer’s Undiscovered Drummer contest.

14 year old Eloy was born in Santo Andre, Spain on January 29, 1991. When he was 6 years old, his parents began to nurture his musical talents. Since then it has been a lot of practice and learning, under the guidance of many teachers. His playing has been recognized by many professional drummers and he has been invited to play on many television shows such as É Show on Rede Record, numerous shows on Rede Globo, Super Pop on Rede TV and Domingo Legal on Rede SBT.

Currently, Eloy is taking drum classes with Aquiles Priester of Angra, another Mapex endorser, and practices intensely every day. At his young age, it is hard to find other serious musicians around his age. He hopes to someday be in a band and play around the world.

This May, Eloy is going to own the stage with Mapex at the Modern Drummer festival. Eloy plays Mapex drums and is also a loyal user of Janus pedals. According to his teacher, Aquiles Priester, Eloy has been using his Janus pedals for a long time now and loves them. Mapex and Janus are proud to provide Eloy with gear that helps him feel confident and lets him focus on his playing. We look forward to even greater things from the young and talented Eloy.