Sweetwater Sound’s annual GearFest  returns in an online-only format Friday, June 24, running through Saturday, June 25, featuring exclusive product launches, artist interviews and performances, as well as deals on gear and much more.

A Virtual Event

Sweetwater will livestream  the festival, with a number of notable content creators uploading exclusive backstage content to their YouTube channels under the hashtag #GearFest. 

During the two-day livestream, Sweetwater will give away more than $10,000 worth of gear to select fans watching online. Two lucky winners will receive a Home Studio Collection, which includes a UA interface, microphones, keyboard controller, and more. 

Fortunate online attendees could also win the Guitar Player’s Dream package, which includes guitars from Breedlove and Epiphone, the Line 6 Helix Multi-effects Floor Processor, Supro combo amp, Bose PA, and more. Beyond the giveaways, shoppers and gear enthusiasts can take advantage of sweet deals on music gear and audio equipment throughout the stream.

Viewers will not want to miss the wide variety of artists who will be interviewed and perform. The star-studded lineup of nearly 20 artists includes guitarist Greg Koch of the Koch Marshall Trio and legendary blues artist Buddy Guy.

Meet the Influencers

Multi-instrumentalist and YouTuber Rob Scallon will also be one of the artists featured on the livestream. 

In 2019, Scallon partnered with Sweetwater to build the largest guitar effect pedalboard, earning a Guinness World Record with a total of 319 pedals, 34 pedalboards and over 500 feet of cable. Outside of breaking records, Scallon is well known for his 2014 symphony cover of Pharrell Williams’ “Happy,” which he compiled using several videos recorded on the video-sharing app Vine.

Various other content creators will go behind the scenes at GearFest starting as early as June 20, with more potential videos being released through July 5. These creators plan to produce exclusive content available on YouTube, which fans can find by following #GearFest on the platform. 

One of these content creators that fans will be able to follow is popular YouTuber Coop3rdrumm3r. The creator is known for his energetic drum covers of hit music, original songs, and drum lessons. He boasts 2.68 million subscribers and has uploaded seven videos with over 10 million views. His 2014 cover of Ellie Goulding’s “Burn,” in which he plays his drums with flaming drumsticks, amassed over 35 million views. 

Rhett Shull will also produce content for fans. On his channel, Shull offers his subscribers advice on equipment, discusses guitar tone, and teaches aspiring guitarists how they can take their playing to the next level. He also offers paid lessons online, as well as his own line of equipment and gear presets.

Drummer Zack Graybeal, also known as ZackGrooves, will make some exclusive content for subscribers and fans on his YouTube channel. Groves had been playing small jazz clubs and bars before he became one of the fastest growing drum channels on YouTube. According to GearFest, “There are a lot of jokes involved, but an even equal amount of love for music. This has led him to new opportunities such as an album that he’s working on, endorsements, and more gigs.”

Peter Dankelson is another content creator who will feature the scoop from GearFest on his channel during the event. The mission of his channel and business, Pete’s Diary, is to spread “positivity and self-acceptance.” According to his website, the 21-year-old has undergone 37 surgeries to correct birth defects from Goldenhar Syndrome. After picking up the guitar in 2015, Dankelson has taken advantage of his talents, social media, and musical abilities to spread his message and motivational videos to “over half a million followers daily.”

YouTuber Robert Baker will also post content to his channel. Baker, a professional guitar instructor, songwriter, and video producer started posting his original music and lessons on YouTube, and has built his subscriber base of 425,000 over the last 15 years. By the age of 21 he was a full-time guitar instructor. According to his bio, Baker is “forever the student,” saying that if he isn’t writing or teaching music, he’s studying it.

Organizers invited the ever-talented Corey Congilio to cover backstage events at GearFest 2022. Congilio has experience as a touring guitarist and educator, and is versed in all contemporary styles. According to GearFest, the artist has performed with Joss Stone, David Lee Murphy, Lucie Silvas, Radney Foster, Cassadee Pope, Derek St. Holmes, Danielle Bradbery, Laura Bell Bundy, and others. While his YouTube channel is known for weekly guitar lessons, he also tests our new gear for his followers, which makes him the prime source to follow for exclusive and informative content from GearFest.

For more information or to sign up for GearFest email updates, go to www.sweetwater.com/gearfest.