Steve Sutherland is a great example of the diversity employed at Ellis Drumshop — where else in the Upper Midwest can you find such a thorough expert in Scottish snare music? When he was but a young lad, Sutherland was invited (by the Countess of Sutherland, no less) to work for a summer in the coastal village of Golspie, located in the far northern reaches of Scotland. It was here he witnessed the raw power of Scottish bagpipe bands up close.
A studio instructor of “Highland Drumming” at Macalaster for the past 12 years, Sutherland is most definitely a master of this nifty niche of the drum world. Need more proof? Okay — his marching band has placed tops in the Midwest Pipe Band Association finals four out of the last six years.
Sutherland has worked at Ellis since 2007. He is the web and social media specialist, as well as a salesperson at the Richfield location. If you mosey into the Richfield Ellis Drumshop while he’s working, you’ll might find Sutherland practicing on a pad or (heaven help you) on one of his gunshot-loud Premier HTS700 marching snares.