They work with our products

PERCUSSION INSTRUCTOR AND PERFORMER

More than 50 thousand subscribe to his weekly A Percussion Life YouTube channel. His videos have been viewed more than 5 million times and since 2016, he has elevated the skills of percussionists globally. Eric Perez is an influencer whose endless reserve of percussion patterns is laced with a hefty dose of the history and of the creators behind those patterns and MOPERC is over-the-moon-excited to have Eric as an endorsed artist!

Listen to Eric play. His speed, technique, articulation and musicality, all inspired by the greatest percussionists, are a pleasure to hear. But just watch him teach and witness his skill to masterfully dissect even the most complicated combinations, presenting them in a logical, easy-to-understand manner.

Percussionists know at an early age how we need to express, and for Eric, it was the cowbell given to him by his Salvadoran parents at 7 years old that sent him down the path.

Eric has stepped up to the MOPERC family, and we couldn’t be happier!

ARTIST RELATIONS AND SALES REPRESENTATIVE

When your good friend, Poncho Sanchez, trusts you to identify a new conga manufacturer to partner with you, take the job seriously. It would have been easy for Joey Sevilla to call any of the mass production manufacturers to secure a high-end deal for Poncho to play their instruments, but Joey’s long military and law-enforcement background taught him that the easy way isn’t necessarily the best. After conversations with most of the small “craft” artisans, Joey discovered MOPERC and an enduring partnership, moreover friendship, began.

Joey grew up in New York City where the “can do” mindset is a key survival tool, so when he tells you that he’ll do something, take it to the bank. He also knows people. If he doesn't know you yet, give him five minutes and you'll be friends. But get him talking about his passion for MOPERC drums and get ready to “need” one for your collection. This is what makes Joey such a valuable MOPERC Ambassador.

While his passion for MOPERC drums is immense, his friendship is immeasurable and he is an invaluable member of the MOPERC team.

COMPOSER, PERCUSSION INSTRUCTOR AND PERFORMER

Percussionist. Vocalist. Composer. Producer. Teacher. Lazaro Martinez. He does it all and at such a high level it’s scary, and he’s not even out of his 30’s. Sure, growing up in Cuba, he had the benefit of learning from great teachers like Jose Luis Quintana “Changuito, but a teacher can do little more than to show the path, it is the student who must walk, or in Lazaro’s case, run it.

At 15, Lazaro won consecutive awards for his first appearances at the prestigious and highly competitive Havana Drums : Fiesta del Tambor international competition. Then, at 22, he recorded and produced his first album (Ko-Lash) and later, he became the percussionist and vocalist for Cuban group Los Jovenes Clásicos del Son.

It is a joy, and somewhat (OK, a lot) humbling to hear the fusion of timbale with the American kit that Lazaro creates, and if you can, don’t miss an opportunity to catch one of his Houston or Montreal performances.

Mr. Martinez stepped up to MOPERC 15 years ago, and he’s been family since. New videos are coming!

PERCUSSION INSTRUCTOR, PERFORMER AND MUSICAL ARRANGER

One bio describes him as a “A jaw-droppingly brilliant percussionist,” but listen to his work and you’ll see how short that description falls. He’s quick. He’s tasty. His patterns inspire awe. But for him, his skills as a musician are second to him being a good person.

Chendy grew up in San Antonio de los Baños, Cuba, and like many percussionists, his mother’s heartbeat while in the womb was his first musical experience. He describes his parents as “incredible human beings and his most important musical influence,” as they provided him unlimited access to dance and to listening and playing opportunities.

Currently based in Toronto, Canada, he continues to collaborate and play with local artists such as Amanda Martinez, Hilario Duran, Sultans of String, Alex Cuba, Jesse Cook, Dominic Mancuso, Elmer Ferrer, etc…

The mutual endorsement that MOPERC and Chendy have is perfect: each represents the other to a high degree through their quality and their integrity.

LEGENDARY BAND LEADER AND PRODUCER

Twenty years is a lifetime in popular music. Yet the impact of Buena Vista Social Club, The Afro-Cuban All Stars´ A Toda Cuba Le Gusta and Introducing Ruben González, three albums recorded by a small independent label with a modest budget in Havana in two weeks in March and April of 1996, can still be felt.

Juan de Marcos Gonzalez led Afro-Cuban All Stars from the beginning and directed the Buena Vista Social Club in the only concerts of the original line up at the top theatres ‘Le Carre’ in Amsterdam, New York’s Carnegie Hall and Mexico’s Auditorio Nacional.

Considered by many specialists as the head of the Cuban musical revival , Juan de Marcos has been using Moperc congas, bongos and timbales in many tours in the last 15 years and continues to use them in his current productions under his label ‘’DM AHORA ! RECORDS’’

Currently based in Toronto,Canada, Amadito is a rumbero from Habana, Cuba. He was a member of the famous grupo Clave y Guaguanco.

TV HOST, DRUMMER AND MUSICAL DIRECTOR

Mélissa Lavergne has performed in several shows and events in addition to accompanying many artists for the last 15 years (Sur invitation seulement, Lara Fabian, Ariane Moffatt, Les Trois Accords, Kevin Parent, Papagroove, Angélique Kidjo, etc…) One can see her perform every week on the the TV show Belle & Bum as she is the percussionist and co-host of the show.

Apples don’t drop far from their trees and neither do the children of great musicians. By the time he was just three years old, Adrian Areas had already played on stage with Santana and was a regular drummer for a regional children’s TV show. Three years old. And why not? His dad, Jose Chepito Areas, a founding member and composer for the Santana Band, had already been teaching Adrian for two years!

To hear Adrian play now is pure joy. His unique style on conga, timbale and bongo seems to fit well in a wide variety of music, giving it that special sauce that makes listeners stop and take notice. The list of top musicians he’s played or recorded with is long, so here’s just a few: Tito Puente,Carlos Patato Valdes, Santana, Journey, Doobie Bros., Steve Miller, Joe Satriani, Arturo Sandoval, Michael Franti, and the list goes on, and on.

We’re proud to have Adrian as an endorsed artist, and we’d like to think that MOPERC drums add just a little bit of spice to Adrian’s special sauce. Catch Adrian live with his Adrian Areas Latin Jazz Ensemble when they perform in the San Francisco Bay area.