Drew Simpson and Lance Kindl will return to Athens this Friday night to perform in “Blast!,” an upbeat show of percussionist, brass and visual elements.

Like the Pollack and Greene of drumming, both are from Snellville, grew up taking lessons from the same drum studios, marched in rival Gwinnett high school bands, and drummed together in the Redcoats.

Simpson graduated from the University in May with a degree in music education, and Kindl has one semester left of student teaching, also in music education.

Now they are touring the country together in the second North American tour of “Blast!”

“It’s pretty cool because most everybody in the cast is from all different parts of the country,” Simpson said. “(Kindl and I) came into the cast already knowing each other.”

“Blast!,” which is a musical performance based on colors, won a Tony Award in 2001 for “Best Theatrical Event” and a 2001 Emmy Award for “Best Choreography.”

“It uses music and visual elements, like dance and lighting, to kind of convey the emotion that would go with that color,” Simpson said.

For example, the color blue is matched with a blues number and a slow ballad, while yellow is conveyed through circus-style jumping and bouncing and hip-hop and techno music.

Simpson plays the backbeat for percussion and Kindl is a snare soloist.

Kindl will perform a four minute solo where he stages tricks with his drum sticks, bouncing the sticks off his shoulder and ear and juggling them throughout all his fingers.

Kindl has been drumming for about 13 years and was Redcoats drum line captain for three years. Simpson has been drumming even longer.

“My Dad plays the drums, so I’ve really been playing since I was born,” Simpson said. “I guess I really started when I was about five.”

“Drew is like the heartbeat for the show – he keeps everything together,” said Bryan Sutton, manager of the visual ensemble and member of the original cast from the first North American tour of “Blast!” “And Lance is one of the most talented snare drummers I’ve ever seen – he holds the crowd in the palm of his hand.”