Our Story
Who we are and what we do
About Mattoon Drums and Percussion:
Mattoon Drums and Percussion was founded in 2012 as a small shop designed to produce the highest quality modern drums and vintage restorations, however the story began long before that. Chris Mattoon, owner and founder, began studying drums at the age of 12. Through a series of great teachers and family guidance, his love of both the art of music and the craft of the instrument itself grew into a lifelong passion.
While the natural progression of this passion would lead many to study music at a college level, Chris instead developed his interests in sciences while at the University of Massachusetts and elsewhere, obtaining degrees in Mathematics, Physics and Engineering. Through out his college career, studies in music outside academia continued in New York City and Boston, MA with prominent teachers and mentors.
Upon graduation Chris returned to the family-run wooden boat restoration shop on the east coast to hone his craftsman skills and gain the knowledge needed to help propel the small boatshop to national and international acclaim, fulfilling both private and museum contracts and winning national recognitions along the way. As is the way sometimes in life, good things come to an end, and while Chris retired from the nautical life in 2013, this allowed him to concentrate his efforts on Mattoon Drums and Percussion full time.
No drum shop in the US or elsewhere currently has the depth of knowledge, experience, and skill that Mattoon Drums and Percussion does. By combining graduate-level sciences, over a decade of previous high-end craftsmanship, and 20+ year as a professional player and teacher, Chris’s shop is like no other and the instruments speak for themselves. Offering new instruments of acme caliber, vintage restorations with factory-restorative results, and new and vintage sales and service, you will be glad you relied on Mattoon Drums and Percussion for your needs.
About Chris Mattoon:
Chris Mattoon is in demand throughout the Midwest and northeast as a drummer and percussionist. With thousands of hours of live performance and studio work experience, Chris knows how to deliver what your song needs. A student of R&B legend Bernard “Pretty” Purdie and former Boston Symphony Orchestra member W. Lee Vinson, Chris has a diverse educational background. He has performed with the Berkshire Theater Group, the Schenectady Symphony Orchestra, Barry Goudreau, Matt Beck, Donna McKechnie, Chip Zien, Another October, Keri Lynch, Tony Lee Thomas, Jack Waldheim, A Sign Before, Sweet J Band, Brena, and many others. He is a teacher and published author; articles by Chris have been featured on the Vic Firth Educational Team’s website and he is a contributing writer for Drum! Magazine and Drumhead Magazine, both major publications with nation-wide distribution. 2014 Teacher of the Year at the Grand Rapids Academy of Music of Grand Rapids, Michigan, he was also the co-director of the Young Musicians Workshop’s Rock On! Band Camp in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, for 18 years. Chris currently maintains a healthy student roster exclusively at R.I.T. Music in Grand Rapids, MI, the county’s largest independent music store. Chris currently performs across the midwest with Main Street Dueling Pianos, Great Scott, Project 90, and more. Chris also owns and runs Mattoon Drums and Percussion, a high end full service drum shop and custom instrument manufacturer in Michigan.
2026 Performance Calendar (as of 01/01/2026*)
*More Dates To Be Announced
- 01/16/2026 – Great Scott – Private Event – Grand Rapids, MI
- 01/24/2026 – Main Street Dueling Pianos – Franke Center for the Arts – Marshall, MI
- 02/21/2026 – Main Street Dueling Pianos – Private Event – Owosso, MI
- 02/23/2026 – Main Street Dueling Pianos – Private Event – Muskegon, MI
- 03/27/2026 – Main Street Dueling Pianos – Private Event – Grand Rapids, MI
- 04/25/2026 – Great Scott – Private Event – Macatawa, MI
- 04/27/2026 – Main Street Dueling Pianos – Lansing Brewing Company – Lansing, MI
- 05/08/2026 – Great Scott – Best Of Grand Rapids Awards Party – Grand Rapids, MI
- 05/14/2026 – Main Street Dueling Painos – Private Event – Holland, MI
- 05/16/2026 – Main Street Dueling Pianos – Private Event – Grand Rapids, MI
- 05/23/2026 – Main Street Dueling Pianos – Private Event – Kimball, MI
- 06/13/2026 – Main Street Dueling Pianos – Private Event – Sparta, MI
- 06/20/2026 – Great Scott – Private Event – Grosse Point Farms, MI
- 07/01/2026 – HOLD
- 07/03/2026 – HOLD
- 07/11/2026 – Great Scott – Private Event – Lake Leelanau, MI
- 07/17/2026 – Great Scott – Private Event – Brighton, MI
- 07/30/2026 – The House Cats – Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival – Grand Haven, MI
- 08/01/2026 – Great Scott – Private Event – Ludington, MI
- 08/06/2026 – Great Scott – Trestle Park – Prudenville, MI
- 08/19/2026 – Great Scott – Private Event – Ada, MI
- 08/21/2026 – Great Scott – Private Event – Wayland, MI
- 08/22/2026 – Main Street Dueling Pianos – Private Event – Traverse City, MI
- 09/06/2026 – Great Scott – Private Event – Charlevoix, MI
- 10/16/2026 – Main Street Dueling Pianos – Private Event – Jackson, MI