I just spent the last couple of days with Matt Halpern of Periphery. I picked Matt up at the Memphis airport and we spent all of Tuesday at the world famous Memphis Drum Shop. Matt spent the majority of the day filming videos for MDSâ mycymbal.com. From the time I picked Matt up Monday night at the airport to dropping him off on Wednesday morning back at the airport, Matt and I were able to get some much-needed hang time in. Itâs always a joy getting to spend time with Matt. He is full of energy, ideas, drive, and is 100% easy as can be to work with. If Matt didnât have one gear manufacturer sponsoring him, he would still make the part of his career that happens in the drum world happen anyway. And thatâs one of the aspects of Matt as an individual that makes working with him so easy. He never expects anything and is always appreciative of what comes his way. When he started touring with Periphery years ago, he was playing on broken cymbals, but he still made it work. He knew that he had to make a name for himself on the road with his band - the old fashioned way - to some degree before he could come to a company and ask for any level of gear support. When he did approach Meinl Cymbals for a possible endorsement contract, he did so with humility and with very low expectations; he was just happy to get his foot in the door. This attitude made me that much more sure about working with Matt. That and the fact that he is a great drummer, in a great band, with a great work ethic, and a willingness to always ask what he can do to help Meinl. His awareness of the reciprocal nature of endorsements was with him from the beginning of the Matt Halpern / Meinl Cymbals relationship and has never wavered, even as Periphery has scaled some pretty lofty heights in their career. So why the Love Fest over Matt Halpern? Well, because after a few days of hang time with him that involved some solid work and some time to break bread together and have some great in-depth conversations about everything under the sun, I was reminded of some simple truths about what makes an artist one that a company wants to work with. I felt that anyone out there with aspirations for a career in music and particularly an aspiration to one day align themselves with their dream companies for gear support should take note of all of the qualities that makes Matt great to work with. Humility, flexibility, gratitude, a willingness to say âhow can I help?,â and a natural inclination to make things happen for himself rather than waiting on others to do it for him. All of these qualities are what Matt possesses. Thanks Matt for all that you have done and continue to do for Meinl Cymbals. We REALLY appreciate it buddy. A LOT!  - Chris  #meinlcymbals #matthalpern #periphery #meinl #drums #cymbals #drummer #drumming
