Blue Man Group and Florida Music Festival Host Third Annual Drum-Off

ORLANDO, FL--(Marketwired - Mar 30, 2016) - Blue Man Group will hold their third annual Drum-Off event with the Florida Music Festival at Wall Street Plaza in downtown Orlando on Friday, April 22.

"Blue Man Group is thrilled to partner with the Florida Music Festival to create an opportunity for musicians to show off their skills to thousands of fans at the event, and hopefully, head home with an incredible prize package," remarked Ola Wawryn, resident general manager of Blue Man Group at Universal Orlando.

Interested drummers must submit their audition video at www.floridamusicfestival.com/drumoff by Monday, April 18 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Semi-finalists will be chosen based on creativity, technical ability as well as musicality. Once selected, musicians will play in front of a live panel of judges. Five finalists will move on to the last round and will perform a 90-second session in front of the roaring crowds on the festival's main stage immediately prior to the headlining band. 

The judges and the audience will determine the grand prize winner, who will take home a prize package worth over $3,000 from Blue Man Group, including four show tickets and a signed copy of Blue Man Group's latest album, THREE, DW Drums and more from the production's partners. The judging panel consists of Orlando Blue Man Captain Wes Day, Resident Music Director Dave Traver and drummer Colin Robinson.

Blue Man Group is an international sensation known not only for the three bald and blue characters but also for the live music that propels the show to an unforgettable climax. Over the years, some of the most talented musicians in the world have played for Blue Man Group including Tim Alexander (PRIMUS), Blas Elias (SLAUGHTER), Bruce Gordon (I MOTHER EARTH) and Fred Armisen (Saturday Night Live, Portlandia).

More information about the Florida Music Festival, taking place Thursday, April 21 through Saturday, April 23, the contest, official rules and entry form can be found at www.floridamusicfestival.com. Fans can also keep up with Blue Man Group through Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or the hashtag #DareToLive.

DW Drums is the exclusive Blue Man Group drum of choice. 

TWEET IT: Calling Florida drummers! Compete in @BlueManOrlando's Drum-Off event @2016fmf 4/22! www.floridamusicfestival.com

ABOUT BLUE MAN GROUP
In 2016, global entertainment phenomenon Blue Man Group celebrates 25 years of living in full color with a series of new projects and appearances. The company is best known for the award-winning Blue Man Group show, performed in 15 countries and seen by more than 35 million people worldwide since 1991. A dynamic combination of music, comedy and technology, the show appeals to a broad range of age groups and cultural backgrounds. It is continually refreshed with new music, fresh stories, custom instruments and state-of-the-art technology.

The company developed through a creative collaboration among three close friends, Chris Wink, Phil Stanton and Matt Goldman on Manhattan's Lower East Side. Blue Man Group now has permanent theatrical productions in Las Vegas, Orlando, Boston, Chicago, New York and Berlin, a North American tour and a World Tour.

This creative collective is part of the pop culture zeitgeist. Beyond the stage show, they have toured the globe with the "Megastar World Tour" rock concert parody, released 6 albums, including the upcoming Three, and the Grammy-nominated Audio, and contributed to numerous film and TV scores. They've served as the face of branding campaigns for Intel and TIM/Brasil and appeared countless times on hit shows like "The Tonight Show", "Arrested Development", "Ellen", "Schlag den Raab" (Germany), "WOWOW" (Japan), and "Caldeirão do Huck" (Brasil).

Based in New York City, Blue Man Productions has extensive production facilities, recording studios and a 6,000 square foot Research & Development Lab with numerous new creative projects in the pipeline. 

ABOUT UNIVERSAL ORLANDO RESORT
For 25 years, Universal Orlando Resort has been creating epic vacations for the entire family -- incredible experiences that place guests in the heart of powerful stories and adventures. Guests can soar above Hogwarts with Harry Potter, swing above the streets with Spider-Man, grab a Krusty burger in Springfield, join the ranks of the Minions and so much more.

Universal Orlando's two theme parks, Universal Studios Florida and Universal's Islands of Adventure, are home to some of the world's most exciting and innovative attractions. Its on-site resort hotels, Loews Portofino Bay Hotel, the Hard Rock Hotel, Loews Royal Pacific Resort, and Universal's Cabana Bay Beach Resort are destinations unto themselves. Its entertainment complex, Universal CityWalk, offers dining and entertainment for every member of the family. And just minutes away is Wet 'n Wild, a family water park.

Universal Orlando Resort has unveiled 18 new guest experiences in the past five years -- powerful attractions, incredible dining opportunities and a dramatically themed hotel. And more is on the way. Coming in 2016 is Universal Orlando's fifth on-site hotel, Loews Sapphire Falls Resort; and Skull Island: Reign of Kong, a groundbreaking attraction in Islands of Adventure. And in 2017 will come Universal's Volcano Bay, an entirely new water theme park experience; and Fast & Furious: Supercharged, a high-octane journey that will bring to life one of the most successful movie franchises of all time.

Universal Orlando Resort is part of NBCUniversal, a Comcast company. Follow us on our blog, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

ABOUT THE 16^th ANNUAL FLORIDA MUSIC FESTIVAL & CONFERENCE
The Florida Music Festival celebrates its 16^th year of promoting creativity on and off the stage, with over 150 artists and bands showcasing their music for hundreds of attending music industry representatives and thousands of music fans. Well known artists utilized the FMF stages to showcase for industry early in their careers, from a 14-year-old Taylor Swift, to up and coming indie acts like Say Anything, Manchester Orchestra, Anberlin among others. Off the stage, the Conference side of FMF educates and enlightens music business students, musicians and aspiring industry reps, with major players offering advice through two days of seminars. Past speakers have included a who's who of reps, from uberproducers like Rodney Jerkins (Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Kanye West) to festival promoters like Jonathan Mayers (Bonnaroo), Kevin Lyman (Warped Tour) to label heads like John Janick (Interscope CEO), Monte Lippman (Universal Republic Founder) among others. Check out www.FloridaMusicFestival.com for more information on the Showcase and Industry Conference Schedule.

ABOUT DW DRUMS
Founded in 1972, Drum Workshop, Inc. is a family-owned and operated musical instrument company. Best known for designing and manufacturing award-winning drums, pedals, hardware and accessories under the DW and PDP banner. In 2014, the company expanded to include other iconic American instrument brands such as Gretsch Drums®, Latin Percussion®, Toca Percussion®, KAT® Technologies, Gibraltar® hardware and Ovation® guitars. DW's wide range of products are endorsed by many of the world's top artists including: Neil Peart, Charlie Watts, Phil Collins, Sheila E., Melissa Etheridge, Mick Fleetwood, Don Henley and Dave Grohl among others. Drum Workshop, Inc. is headquartered in Oxnard, California. For more information visit www.dwdrums.com