News

For those of you wanting to take drum lessons from Jeffrey McCormack, or are already taking lessons from him, please be advised that as of September 2010, Jeffrey will no longer be teaching at Kaleidoscope School of Music is Issaquah, WA. Plans are in the works for a multi-location teaching schedule in various areas from Bothell, Wa all the way to Normandy Park, WA.... but are yet to be confirmed..... so stay tuned...

FIFTH ANGEL has announced that Jeffrey McCormack will be handling drum duties for the band. A sought-after studio/touring musician from the Seattle area, McCormack joins Ed Archer (guitars), John Macko (bass), Kendall Bechtel (guitars) and Tim Branom (lead vocals) to complete FIFTH ANGEL's lineup. "Jeff's studio and touring experience is a positive addition to FIFTH ANGEL," said Archer. "It's a tall order learning the drum parts our former bandmate Ken Mary put down, and Jeff has approached the challenge head-on. We're all on the same page and can't wait to see what the future holds for FIFTH ANGEL." Jeff was one of many musicians that called the famous Music Bank studio in Seattle home in the late 1980s. McCormack cut his teeth with many of Seattle's elite musicians, including the late Layne Staley and Jerry Cantrell from ALICE IN CHAINS, John DeVol (CULPRIT) and even FIFTH ANGEL's current vocalist Tim Branom, just to name a few. Since 1992, Jeff has been featured on over 60 CDs worldwide. He's performed all across the United States, Canada, Europe and parts of Russia. In addition, fans may remember McCormack from his touring stint with classic metal legends HEIR APPARENT, as the band played sold-out shows in Germany and Greece in recent years. But FIFTH ANGEL was always a part of Jeff's musical style and aspirations. "Everyone has a soundtrack to their lives and FIFTH ANGEL was a huge part of mine," McCormack explained. "The music on the albums 'Fifth Angel' and 'Time Will Tell' was a huge influence on me as a drummer and playing for FIFTH ANGEL is honestly a dream come true. I can't wait to rock these songs live." FIFTH ANGEL will make its live debut at the Keep it True XIII festival in Lauda-Königshofen, Germany, on April 23 and 24, 2010. For more information, visit www.fifthangel.com.

Thanks to the MANY people who voted for me in the KING TV BEST OF THE NORTHWEST competition, in the category of Best Teacher! I am happy to announce that out of 100 participants, and with over 191,000 people voting, I came in a very happy THIRD PLACE!!!! If you want some drum lessons, or want to be a part of the METAL SHOP program... EMAIL ME!!!!

As of June 13, 2009, I am now an official inductee into the Christian Drummer's Hall of Fame! I'll be flying to Dallas, TX to accept the honor in person next month... stay tuned for more details!

SCREAMS OF ANGELS have been held up at RADIO POET STUDIOS in Seattle working on their debut album "INTO THE WARZONE". Tracking is nearly finished, and we expect release to be just after the new year. The video for "SINS OF THE FATHERS" is being synched to the final mix of the song, and will be available everywhere VERY SOON!!! If you happen to be in Chicago from December 27, 2008 thru January 1, 2009, stop into the Miracle Mile Marriott and say hello, as I will be performing with former Michael Card keyboardist Brian Moss and a really great team of musicians at the Intervarsity Ministries "FOLLOWING CHRIST CONFERENCE"... should be a really amazing time! ALSO: Just in case you didn't already know, I've already started teaching privately again at the Kaleidoscope School of music in Issaquah, WA. If you are near there and wish to take lessons, contact me at jeffreymcdrums@hotmail.com, or contact me through the school's website at www.issaquahlessons.com!

The video for "SINS OF THE FATHERS" is finally done, and will be available for viewing on YouTube, as well as the SCREAMS OF ANGELS website and MySpace pages in the first week of November! Official album tracking is nearly finished as well, and the album, titled "INTO THE WARZONE", should be in stores and available for download in early 2009.

August 20th, Screams of Angels will be filming the video clip for the song "SINS OF THE FATHERS" from our upcoming cd "INTO THE WARZONE". The clip is filmed for us by our good friends at STEAMBOAT VIDEO PRODUCTIONS,(www.steamboatproductions.com), the same folks who are working with me on my instructional DVD "THE WORSHIP DRUMMER'S TOOLBOX"... Release date coming soon!

It's official! I just signed on with a fantastic company called "DRUM STAR WEAR"! Can you believe it? Clothing made specifically for drummers! Stop by their website ( www.drumstarwear.com)and check out their outstanding shirts, hoodies and accessories for heavy hitters!

Just confirmed that I will be performing with Brett Williams at FREEDOMFEST 2008, the Pacific Northwest's 2nd largest Christian Festival. This performance, which launches Brett's newest album "GOD'S GOOD ROCKET", will take place at 5:00 on August 15th at Stocker Farms in Snohomish, WA. Tickets for the entire event are available at the festival website: www.freedomfest.org!

The new worship cd by BLOODGOOD bassist and founder Michael Bloodgood, his first solo effort, is in stores now... I had the privilege of playing drums on several tracks, as well as singing lead on the opening track.... The cd is chock full of guest musicians, and is a great addition to your worship library!

Check it out!!

Screams of Angels is nearly finished with preproduction, and will be tracking their debut album this June in Seattle. Demo tracks from the preproduction sessions are available for a limited time on their myspace page: myspace.com/screamsofangels... Screams of Angels t-shirts are available now by sending SOA a message through their myspace page... Send us a picture of you wearing the shirt (appropriately....) and we'll put your pic on our site!

Check it out!!

April 19-23, I will be in Nashville, TN for GMA (Gospel Music Association) week. I will be aiding my good pals from the most amazing drum company in the world (risendrums.com) and spreading their good news.... If you;re in the area, look for the guys in the swag with the bold RD symbol, then say hi!!

Check it out!!

The May edition of DRUM! Magazine hit the stands today, and I am featured in the "NEW BLOOD" column! Check it out at your local musical instrument retailer, or bookstore!

Check it out!!

I have just confirmed that I will be featured in the May edition of DRUM! Magazine, in a column titled "NEW BLOOD"!

Check it out!!

I'm quite fortunate to be jumping head-first into a metal project with an extraordinary guitarist songwriter named Craig Church, and his guitarist son Alex. We've begun tracking drums and guitars on a series of original metal songs written both by Craig and myself... Some "Old School" metal ... Some "New School... but ALL heavy! No release date is set yet for this album, but I will CERTAINLY keep you all posted! So far though.....

IT WILL NOT DISAPPOINT!

http://www.intervarsity.org/news/human-flourishing-release
I confirmed just this morning that I will be performing with former MICHAEL CARD keyboardist BRIAN MOSS at the Following Christ Conference in Chicago, IL. December 27-31. As I understand it , this is an incredibly huge event, full of extraordinary information, and (if I know Brian Moss like I think I do) outstanding worship music!

SEE YOU IN CHICAGO!!

We are finally gaining a great deal of momentum of the DVD. We've gathered an impressive sponsor list, we've locked the shooting location... AND have locked in the final musical cast which includes some seriously INCREDIBLE musicians... I'm so excited, I can barely stand it!!!

I will be in San Clemente, CA in late Spring with Promise Keepers veteran and Northwest favorite singer songwriter DAVE IRISH ... working on his 12th CD! At the studio helm for this effort once again is the astounding talents of mega-producer JOHN ANDREW SCHREINER (Third Day, Michael W. Smith, Fernando Ortega) Hopefully this disc will hit the shelves this Summer or early fall... then we get ready for the "AT HOME FOR CHRISTMAS ... with THE DAVE IRISH BAND" Holiday tour beginning in late November !
(Dates booking now.... check www.daveirish.com for contact info!)