"People are vibing": Vancouverites compete to win cash in street drumming challenge

Do you have the drum skills to pay the bills? Locals who recently encountered a famous YouTuber on the streets of Vancouver had the chance to win cold hard cash or an even bigger prize.

Jorge “El Estepario Siberiano” Garrido, an online drummer with nearly 3.5 million subscribers, was brought to town by Drumeo this holiday season to test Vancouverites’ drumming expertise.

In a video posted on Friday, January 5, Garrido set up at šxʷƛ̓ənəq Xwtl’e7énḵ Square and invited passers-by to show him what they got.

The prize: up to $20 in cash or even a brand-new drum kit.

Screenshot of Drum Set Independence Challenge | El Estepario Siberiano/Drumeo

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“This challenge has four stages,” El Estepario Siberiano explained in the video which has over 100,000 views as of this article’s publishing. “You play the hi-hat, that’s $5. Now, you can double it or nothing. You play the snare, you get $10. You play the bass drum as well, $20.

“And if you play and group everything together a little more complicated, you get to win this whole beautiful Alesis Drumeo Signature Electronic Drum Kit.”

Screenshot of Drum Set Independence Challenge | El Estepario Siberiano/Drumeo

Garrido has gained a huge following online for his drum lessons, blog-style videos, and covers of popular hits such as “Take On Me” by A-Ha and “Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd.

It took a little coaxing from the popular drumming influencer to get Vancouverites to try out the Independence Challenge, but he soon had a steady stream of contestants.

El Estepario Siberiano was even recognized by a few fans for his work, one of whom was one of the five winners of a brand-new Alesis Nitro Max E-Kit.

“People are vibing, a lot of drummers by the way,” Garrido added.

“I’ve been wanting to do it my whole life, and, oh my gosh, the fact that I just won a drum kit walking down the street,” said another winner. “You guys are spectacular, I’m a fan for life.”

You can watch the whole video online here.