We decided to be part of the 100,000 to descend upon NAMM in Anaheim.

There are two things I look forward to in January of each year - the procession of the long awaited three day weekends and of course NAMM. Today marks the fifth year NAMM has allowed Noisy Cavern to roam the halls of the Anaheim Convention Center in search of new music products from the big names, new gear from the startups, and the mass amounts of talented musicians.

Arriving early to these types of things is almost a must every year and this year was no exception. The excitement of anticipating whats in store is enough to have us up before the sun even peeks over the Santa Ana Mountains. Plus, the thought of being parked on surface streets waiting to find parking is encouragement enough to make it there before the crowds begin.

The conventioneers arriving early were greeted to the sounds of Wild Ire playing on the Yamaha Grand stage.

The group made the trek from Salem, Oregon, and were performing at NAMM for their first time. Surely they found it odd that Southern California natives were bundled up in layers as though experiencing freezing temperatures. The group definitely looked to be enjoying the situation, and the music was just right to get those who weren't quite awake yet that in-your-face burst of energy.

Thursday's are usually reserved for soaking up all the activity happening around the campus. Figuring out who is who and where everything is at is time consuming, and coming up with the game plan requires some patience. This year there were definitely a lot of younger performers taking charge of their sponsors' stage. Two notable performers were young Jayden Tatascoire killing it on the Gibson stage and Asia's Got Talent, Feng E. showing his skills on the Mahalo Ukulele platform.

As usual, the Mixing with the Masters and Universal Audio booths were well attended.There was a lot of buzz surrounding UA due to the launching of their newest analog-style production software and virtual instruments under the name LUNA. All their employees were donning retro NASA inspired jackets which added to the mystique surrounding their product. The display at the entrance of UA stage as well as the decorative theme was brilliant, and we will have to wait to see if the product lives up to the expected standards.

Performances were a plenty, and forgetting to wear earplugs is an easy recipe for a weeks worth of tinnitus. Sennheiser had talent that was softer on the ears providing more intimate sets. The Campbells out of Venice Beach provided a softer brand of their rock and roll sound, and LA based Shelita Burke serenaded the crowd with her unique sounds.