JEFF OLY OLSON To Judge Guitar Center Drum-Off This Month

THE SKULL drummer and keyboardist Jeff “Oly” Olson (TROUBLE) has been chosen to be a judge for the annual Guitar Center Drum-Off – the world's premier drum competition - this September in Portland, Maine. The Guitar Center Drum-Off is an annual search for the top undiscovered drummer. Now in its 26th year, the Drum-Off competition was developed to inspire and support drummers in the pursuit of their musical aspirations, and is committed to rewarding and recognizing talent by providing a launching pad for a professional career as a drummer. Olson comments: "I’m excited and honored to be a part of this! I been drumming for well over thirty years... this is going to be a lot of fun.” The competition will be judged on skills/technique, groove, originality, stage presence and overall performance. The grand prize is $25,000 cash plus thousands of dollars in prizes and endorsement deals. Interested drummers can get more information at www.drumoff.guitarcenter.com or visit their local Guitar Center store directly. Olson has been writing and recording in the music industry since the formation of TROUBLE in 1979 and holds a Bachelor of Music degree in film scoring, cum laude, from Berklee College of Music. Olson is also an alumnus of The Blue Stars Drum and Bugle Corps and is endorsed by ddrum and Vic Firth. As recently reported, THE SKULL — the band Olson formed with fellow original member of doom-metal legends TROUBLE vocalist Eric Wagner, alongside longtime former TROUBLE bassist Ron Holzner, guitarist Lothar Keller (SACRED DAWN), and guitarist Matt Goldsborough (PENTAGRAM) — will release its debut album, "For Those Which Are Asleep", on November 4 via Tee Pee Records. "For Those Which Are Asleep" is the first full-length album to feature Wagner, Holzner and Olson since the 1995 release of TROUBLE's critically acclaimed LP "Plastic Green Head". "For Those Which Are Asleep" track listing: 01. Trapped Inside My Mind 02. The Touch Of Reality 03. Sick Of It All 04. The Door 05. Send Judas Down 06. A New Generation 07. Till The Sun Turns Black 08. For Those Which Are Asleep 09. Sometime Yesterday Mourning 10. The Last Judgment In celebration of the 30th anniversary of TROUBLE’s landmark debut "Psalm 9" (which Wagner and Olson co-wrote and performed on), THE SKULL will perform the influential album in its entirety at the following shows.  September 19  - Uninvited Festival – Brooklyn, NY October 10 – Day of Doom Festival – Barcelona, Spain October 11 – Side B - Lisbon, Portugal October 13 – The Underworld Camden – London, England Additional performances will be announced soon.