December 5, 2011 MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM WWW.BRYANHITT.COM!

Hardcore REO fans already have this wonderful Christmas album and love it. In fact, I'm getting ready to listen to my copy right now. Tis the season! So for the new fans ... pick up your copy at Speedwagon.com and I know your season will be full of good Speedwagon cheer! TL

P.S. The album is so good that I heard Santa installed what they call an Ultra-Premium-HD-iCompatible-3D-1090P-Surround-5G-Lazer-Plazma-Sound-Guided-LCD-ABC-Music-Listening-System in the sleigh just so he could blast it LOUD while he and the Elves are delivering toys on Christmas Eve! And you know Santa ... he only uses the best equipment with the longest names ... and he only listens to the best in Christmas music;) SO KEEP ON ROCKIN' AND HAVE A GREAT HOLIDAY SEASON!

From the Hitt family to yours have a Merry Christmas and Joyful Holiday Season; Bryan, Cindi, Dakotah & Kayla...click here to see the Hitt family Christmas card.

August 29, 2011 NEW PHOTOS: HITTMAN AT NAAM ... AND MORE!

Pro photographer Michael Hacala took some awesome shots of Bryan mingling at the NAMM trade show earlier this year. Lots of smiles for sure. Click here to check out the photos of Bryan and the happenings!

I also received some spectacular shots of Bryan taken at the REO show in Erie, PA earlier this year. These photos were snapped up by pro photographer Adam Wilson. Wow! Click here to check them out!

And last but not least: What a scene it was as REO took the stage on a perfectly crisp cool summer night along the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia's beautiful Shenandoah Valley! I got a chance last night at the Woodstock, VA show to open the hood and look at the insides of the amazing machine we know and love as REO Speedwagon. I saw it all from stage left and watching the band and crew work together in perfect sync from beginning to end was a mind blowing ... jaw dropping ... mesmerizing REO-experience! And as for the fans ... you guys rocked as usual! What a great time it was at the Speedwagon show! TL

June 26, 2011 PRACTICE HARD! MORE ON BRYAN AT THE CHICAGO DRUM SHOW!

Hey Everybody ... I heard from Bryan recently and he was really excited about performing at the Chicago drum show. He wanted me to thank all of you that were able to attend. If you were unable to attend or want to relive some of the shows great Bry-moments click here to check out Bryan's Chicago Drum show page. Special thanks to pro photographer Alex Kluft and super fan Michael "Kelbut" Kelley for providing the photos. TL

June 15, 2011 WHEN HITTING BASEBALLS OR DRUMS ALWAYS REMEMBER TO HITT 'EM HARD!

Hey Guys ... I received some really cool photos from Jules Follett taken of Bryan and REO after the Tampa Bay Rays baseball game on April 30, 2011. The Rays beat the Angels 2-1 that day with each team having seven hits. The box score did not show how many hits Bryan laid on his drum kit that day but I bet there were a lot and I know they were hard! Kinda makes you wonder how many times Bryan strikes his kit for an average show doesn't it? Oh well, that's a project for another day! So click here now to see the Rays photos and read more interesting hitt-stuff!TL

May 22, 2011 BRYAN PERFORMS TODAY AT THE CHICAGO DRUM SHOW!

Hey Everybody ... Bryan gave a drum clinic today at the Chicago drum show. My bud and REO Speedwagon fan extraordinaire Michael "Kelbut" Kelley was live on the scene. Kelbut reports that Bryan did two songs and a long solo and it was awesome! He had front row seats and snapped the photo to the right of Bryan and his kit.

Stay tuned to www.bryanhitt.com for more details of today's show as they become available!

Thanks for the report Kelbut! TL

April 17, 2011 BRYAN AND REO SET TO APPEAR ON LOPEZ TONIGHT; TOMORROW NIGHT!

Everybody ... set those DVRs and get ready to watch REO Speedwagon on Lopez Tonight on TBS ... tomorrow night April 18, 2011 at 12 Eastern 11 Central!

I heard from Bryan today and he was very excited about last night's show in the great state of Arizona. He was equally stoked for the Majestic Fox Theatre show tonight in Bakersfield, CA and he was pumped about the taping of Lopez Tonight tomorrow. From what I'm hearing ... the band has a mash up of six or so REO hits put together for Lopez. Bryan said the arrangement was "intense" and he also said it was "fun to play!" We don't always see REO playing mash ups of their hit tunes, so this will be cool to see what the boys have in store. You guys rock!TL

February 24, 2011 REVELATION OF THE DAY: REO TIGHT LEADS TO REO RIGHT!

Guys ... after I heard from Bryan today this thought came into my head: it never ceases to amaze me all the little things that have to come together to make the drums sound tight to help make the REO show go right! If I may expand:

One thing you need for tight is ... technique ... and what better place to learn about technique than personal instruction! So I'm thrilled to let you know that Bryan will be giving a clinic at the Chicago Drum Show on May 22, 2011. If you are in the area ... stop by! This is the country's oldest and largest vintage & custom drum show and it is sponsored by the fine folks at "Rebeats" which is a business specializing in vintage and custom drum related items and activities. Click here to read the Press Release on the drum show.

OK ... another thing you need for tight is some COOL equipment. So I thought I'd let you know that Bryan is stoked to now be endorsing Evans Drum Heads and Gon Bops Cowbells and Percussion. Click here to visit evansdrumheads.com and GonBops.com to see all the puurrrrdy stuff! He is also now endorsing the Drumsetter Drum Rug made by American Recorder. So, click here to see what this high tech carpet looks like and get more information! Of course be sure to visit Bryan's endorsements page by clicking on the stick to the left to see all the equipment approved by the Hittman! Isn't it amazing how it all fits together ... to make us rock! You guys rule!TL

January 15, 2011 ABBEY ROAD LIVE PROVIDES US FANTASTIC RECORDINGS OF RAW REO!

Guys: I picked up the two recently released Abbey Road live recordings of REO Speedwagon. The shows were recorded on December 16, 2010 in Bloomington, IL and December 18, 2010 in Milwaukee, WI. Each package contains two CDs in a very sharp looking CD case. I even got a very nice letter from "M. Zach Bair, Jr." President of Abbey Road Live and a real nice hand written, "Thank You" from "Lynnai" on my receipt. What can I say ... I felt real REO special. No doubt I was feeling some of the love and care that went into creating these recordings. I'd like to give a big "thank you" back to Abbey Road Live because these recordings are a real REO treasure. From what I'm hearing ... you are getting the entire shows pretty much uncut. It's RAW REO and the band is captured at its best! In addition to all the standard REO hits we love like Time For Me To Fly and Roll With The Changes, I especially liked hearing and obtaining the songs, Golden Country, Poor Man, Gloria, and Like You Do, because these songs have not been released in any kind of CD format with Bryan on drums and Dave on guitar.

You can click on the image to the right to visit the Abbey Road website, find out more information, and order your copy! Rock on. TL

Order Your Copy!

November 17, 2010 REO SPEEDWAGON'S RE-RELEASE OF NOT SO SILENT NIGHT WILL HAVE YOU ROCKIN' IN A WINTER WONDERLAND!

Guys ... what can I say ... after taking in the sounds of the first release last Christmas and listening to the additional songs of the re-release; this is truly a wonderful Christmas album. The guys packed this CD with songs; it overflows just like the toys in Santa's sack! And as I discovered this week for myself; it goes down great with slinging up the holly and puttin' up the tree! For the past few days I've been trying to come up with the right words to describe this joyous rockin' masterpiece and I think this sums it up for me:

REO played their best for Him PA RUM-PUM-PUM-PUM!

You can order a wintry cool autographed copy from speedwagon.com by clicking the album to the right or here. This is what I did and I received it fast. Thank you Speedwagon.com! You can also order from amazon.com if you so choose or your favorite store. Anyway you order it ... it does not matter ... 'cause you guys rock! Enjoy time with family and friends this Holiday Season ... and enjoy this album! To read further details of the re-release click here.TL

Order Your Autographed Copy!

August 29, 2010 NEW PHOTOS: FUN ON THE RUN AT LOVE ON THE RUN!

I hear the band is having a great time on tour with Pat Benatar and crew ... and they are meeting up with some really cool folks along the way! Click here to see some neat Love On The Run tour photos! You make it happen! You guys are awesome! See you at the show! TL

July 1, 2010 LET US SIT BEHIND THE 2010 DRUM KIT OF BRYAN HITT! Click here to see photos of Bryan's new drum kit! TL

June 13, 2010 THE OH SO SILENT HITTMAN MOVIE!

To the left we have an intense collage of images and video related to the HITTMAN. I thought it would be neat to bring into one video some of the cool images and video of www.bryanhitt.com as well as other rockin' images and video not on the site to date; but exclude any audio. Some of the footage is quite rare and is from Bryan's early days with REO ... and since this film is only focusing on images and video ... check out what I call "THE OH SO SILENT HITTMAN MOVIE" .... enjoy it ... and Hitt 'em Hard!

Thanks to the not so silent rockin' fans and everyone else that made this possible!TL

Click here to see all the Hittman videos!

March 27, 2010 EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: BRYAN AT THE HOLLYWOOD DRUM SHOW!

We have a little surprise for you for being such great fans! We have uploaded three exclusive videos of Bryan at the Hollywood Drum Show filmed on October 18th 2009. The videos include Roll With The Changes, Everything You Feel, and a drum solo. In the Roll With The Changes and Everything You Feel videos, Bryan plays with recorded tracks of the band which do not include a drum track. And because the band likes to focus on playing all your favorite REO hits at live shows, this drum solo video provides a rare glimpse of the HITTMAN playing what many of you have also called for ... a Bryan Hitt drum solo! For the fans ... you'll love it. And if you are a drummer ... no doubt this will make you want to play your drums and Hitt 'em Hard!

So everybody ... click here to check out Bryan's video page ... and Keep on rollin'! TL

Click here to see the three Hollywood Drum Show videos

March 12, 2010 COME ON ... HITT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT!

Did you all hear the big news! The stage is set for REO to team with Pat Benatar this summer for a tour entitled "Love on the Run!" When I picture Bryan and REO touring with Pat Benatar the thought that comes to mind is "HITT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT ... and I do mean "HITT!" I caught up with Bryan this past week and he seemed calm ... cool ... collected ... and very pleased with how the recent shows had gone with .38 Special in Kentucky and Ohio, and STYX in Mexico, and he was eagerly looking forward to rockin' with PB and company and seeing you all ... the greatest fans in the world ... soon!

And get this ... I hear Bryan met the real "Sister Christian" ... well ... sort of ... so be sure to check out the new fan photos and stories recently posted. Thanks much to Cindi "Rawkin" Carter, Jeanette Schmitz, and Jose Jenaro for your submissions! Click here to see these photos!

OK ... now everybody stand in front of your computer and shout ... Keep on rollin'! TL

Bryan at the Hollywood Drum Show
Click here to see the latest photos

February 5, 2010 BRYAN AND FRIENDS HAVE A "NAMM GOOD TIME!"

Check out this photo of Bryan from the January 2010 winter NAMM show in Anaheim. I hear a "NAMM good time was had by all" and the smilin' faces in this photo back it up! The photo was taken at the Vic Firth booth autograph session and pictured from left to right are: Carmine Appice (Vanilla Fudge and Rod Stewart) Steve Smith (Journey and Vital Information), Vic Firth(legendary drummer/percussionist and company founder: Vic Firth), Bryan, and Mark Drubay (Survivor).

Rock On! TL

January 13, 2010 BRYAN APPEARING AT THE NAMM SHOW IN ANAHEIM, CA THIS WEEKEND!

Bryan will be at the NAMM (National Association of Musical Merchants) Show in Anaheim, CA on Friday, January 15th and Saturday, January 16th. The NAMM show is the largest convention of new musical products in the United States so if you want to see Bryan and all kinds of really cool music gear ... this is the place to be! Bryan will be signing autographs at the Vic Firth booth on Friday at 1:00 pm and he'll be at the Ludwig booth Friday and Saturday at 2:00 pm. Word is also that he will be at the Zildjian booth on one of the days at 3:00 pm. So if you are in the area ... get out there and give the Hittman a high-five!

REO fans are simply the best ... looking forward to rockin' with ya in 2010!TL

December 3, 2009 REO FINDS THEIR OWN WAY INTO A COOL NEW VIDEO GAME AND ON NBC, ABC, AND THE HALLMARK CHANNEL FOR CHRISTMAS SPECIALS ... HO-HO-WE-GO- WITH-REO! A new video game featuring REO Speedwagon entitled “Find Your Own Way Home” is out! I was hoping Santa would bring it to me for Christmas, but I don’t think I can wait that long so I plan on buying it now and acting surprised when Santa gives it to me on the 25th. You and I can purchase the new game by clicking here or on the images to the left.

ALSO, click here to check out this December 1st article about the game appearing on the New York Times website.

AND DON'T MISS THIS ... REO Speedwagon will be featured promoting their holiday album on ABC's Holiday of Stars. The holiday special airs on ABC across the country at 5pm(EST),4pm(CST),2pm (PST) on Sunday, December 6th.

AND IF YOU MISSED IT … Bryan wanted me to specifically mention that there will be a re-airing(originally aired on NBC on December 1) of Holiday Celebration on Ice on the Hallmark Channel. Click here or the show images to the right to visit the Hallmark Channel website for airing time and other information. TL

November 3, 2009 NOT SO SILENT NIGHT NOW AVAILABLE IN STORES AND ON THE WEB!

I asked Bryan if he could provide us a few thoughts on the new Christmas album. Check out the Hitt-bit:

The "Not So Silent Night" CD is better than I thought it could ever be. The band, and especially Joe Vanelli, the producer, arranger and engineer, did an incredible job. I went in and laid down my tracks and then everyone else did their things later. Have to understand this has been fit into our schedule around touring the last year. My personal favorite is Silent Night. I love how it turned out. The intro sounds like "Wish You Were Here." I hope you enjoy the new album ... Bryan

Click here to order your copy from www.speedwagon.com! REO Fans: Get ready for a rockin' joyous Christmas! You rule!TL

October 9, 2009 HITTMAN ENDORSES LUDWIG'S NEW "EPIC" LINE OF DRUMS!

I heard from Bryan and he is stoked to be endorsing Ludwig's new "EPIC" series of drums. A full page advertisement appears inside the front cover of this months issue of Modern Drummer Magazine. In case you have not made it to the magazine stand yet, we here at www.bryanhitt.com wanted to give you a look at it. You can see the ad in full by clicking on the image to the right. Rock on! TL

September 27, 2009 PA RUM-PUM-PUM-PUM ... HITTMAN ON THE DRUM!

REO Speedwagon's new Christmas CD "Not So Silent Night" is set for release on October 27, 2009! Click here to visit speedwagon.com for details. We hope to provide you with a little incite on this finest gift from the little drummer boy himself ... soon!

Click here to order the new REO Speedwagon Christmas CD from Amazon.com!TL

September 13, 2009 BRYAN HERE ... BRYAN THERE ... BRYAN EVERYWHERE!

In 2008 Bryan filmed an interview for the Vic Firth website, and it was recently published there. Click here to visit the Vic Firth Bryan Hitt Artist Page and to see the video. It's cool! Thanks VF!

Bryan has addressed more of your questions. I must say, I really enjoyed reading your questions and Bryan's answers. Excellent job HITTFANS! Click the "Ask Bryan" drumstick to the left to read them.

BryanHitt.com Web Advisor Ken McGee took your awesome photos and came up with this eye-thrilling-jaw-rocking collage of Bryan. See photo to the left and click it to enlarge. You the man Ken!

Last but not least we received some fan-reo-tastic photo submissions from Mike Tyler, "Amanda," and Jeanette Schmitz .... so ... click here to see these images. You all rock! Thanks! TL

August 26, 2009 BRYAN SET TO APPEAR AT THE HOLLYWOOD DRUM SHOW!

Bryan will perform at the Hollywood Drum Show being held October 17th and 18th at Raleigh Studios in Hollywood, CA. Along with Bryan, this event also features other drumming greats such as Todd Sucherman, Cindi Blackman, Bernie Dresel, Joe LaBarbera and Nick Rich.

A better time would be hard to "beat" ... so if you can make it, get out there and see the HITTMAN!  

June 30, 2009 BRYAN APPEARS AS FEATURED ARTIST ON LUDWIG DRUM WEBSITE AND CLASSIC DRUMMER MAGAZINE HAS "HITT" THE STANDS! The folks at Ludwig drums recently interviewed Bryan for their website. This is a fantastic interview and Bryan talks about things ... as Bryan/Speedwagon fans ... you are going to want to know about. Trust me on that. Click 'em hard here to read about the new guy in REO Speedwagon ... make that twenty years new.

As mentioned in April, be sure to pick up your copy of Classic Drummer Magazine which features Bryan! It's well written and Bry-formative! Click here to get it! TL

August 3, 2009 NEW PHOTOS POSTED: Click here to see two pages of cool photos submitted by John Powers! TL

June 19, 2009 BRYAN'S BIO NOW COMPLETE: Click here to read Bryan's Career Biography! TL

June 16, 2009 BRYAN RESPONDS TO YOUR QUESTIONS: Click here to read the latest "Ask Bryan" question/answers! TL

June 4, 2009 NEWS AND UPDATES: I received word that the Bryan Hitt issue of Classic Drummer Magazine goes to the printer "next week" and will then be shipped out from there. Look for it in your mail box after that. Meanwhile, the Can't Stop Rockin' tour has gathered a head of steam with stops this week in Kansas City, MO, Thackerville, OK, Oklahoma City, OK, and Houston, TX. Check www.speedwagon.com for tour details. Also, I hope to provide you with a tour update from Brian's perspective including the answer to everyone's question since the May 31, 2009 news brief (below): What kind of ice cream is Bryan eating on tour this year? Stay tuned for that and more! TL

April 19, 2009 BRYAN ON THE COVER OF CLASSIC DRUMMER MAGAZINE!

Bryan has made the cover of classic drummer magazine! I had a chance to preview the article ... and let me tell you ... it is fantastic! The article was written by Bryan's drum tech John Aldridge. John has toured with Bryan over the past few years and with his inside track; really gets to the gist of what it took ... and what it takes to be the drummer of REO Speedwagon. The folks at Classic Drummer Magazine always do a superb job with this publication and this is no exception. This is a must read for all of us ... the Hittman/REO faithful! Click on the cover photo to the right or click here to find out more and GET YOUR COPY! TL

April 12, 2009 HELLO FROM THE WEBMASTER

Hello my fellow REO Speedwagon family members and on behalf of Ken McGee and Bryan ... Happy Easter! This is Terry Lacny and I’m really excited to be working on Bryan’s site!  After hearing from some of you while working as photo editor on Dave Amato's site and seeing you rock out at the REO shows ... I have to say you are simply the best! No Lie! You make it happen! You make it fun! I look forward to hearing from you.

As for Bryan, to say the least, he is very enthused about the site! We will have “everything Bryan” for you here at this little rockin’club.  If  you are a fan of REO … this is the place to go when you are not at the show for all the latest on REO’s beat keeper. If you are a musician, drummer, drum collector, sound engineer, or just plain curious about how Bryan's drum kit works … we got ya covered. If you want to see some cool photos and video of Bryan and REO in action … we have it. If you want to pick up some cool tidbits and read some neat stories about Bryan and REO … we got it. One more thing: I'd like to say special thanks to Ken McGee (see Ken's writing below); for his creative energy in getting this site going! You rock Ken! TL

Late March 2009 News:    BRYAN HITT WEBSITE RETURNS!

March 23, 2009  The new staff of BryanHitt.com have been working hard to get this site up and worth looking at. We're off to a good start!  Everything is subject to change as we experiment with various formats. Your Webmaster is none other than the infamous Terry Lacny, who for 6 years has been the photo editor of DaveAmato.com. Terry is taking on a big responsibility in retaining his photo editor duties and adding Webmaster to his resume. Terry has a lot of ability & enthusiasm and is a huge REO fan. I'm sure he can handle it. Terry plays guitar and also took several years of drum lessons so he has a head start on familiarity with the world of the drummer, which seems to be a world of its own.  I, (Ken McGee, webmaster DaveAmato.com for 10 years) will be assisting Terry for the initial start-up.

A couple of other good people have offered to assist with information and photos: Bryan and Cindi Hitt will be contributors, and will verify what we post to be accurate.  Thanks Bryan and Cindi!

We also want to include all the great REO fans out there. Many we know from the Dave Amato site, and the new friends we will meet by presenting Bryan's Drummer site. Later we will be asking for photo contributions. So start looking through your old albums for some really great and unique photos.
Last but not least... I thank Jordan for her assistance in transferring this domain name.  Thanks Jordan!