Drummers
Modern Drummer is the world’s most widely read drum magazine, is dedicated entirely to the art of drumming and caters to the needs of amateur, semi-pro, and professional drummers.
Evan Johns of Hurt
Evan Johns says the last two and a half years have been a long journey for his band, Hurt. “There was a lot of not eating, yelling, and screaming, ‘I don’t know what I’m going to do, man,’” Johns reports.…
Billy Ficca of Television
After Television emerged from New York’s punk underground in 1977 with their landmark Marquee Moon album–a sly balance of dissonance and melody, which became a template for The Strokes, Sonic Youth, Interpol, and countless others–they never really toured much. Odd,…
Gavin Harrison: Porcupine Tree's Grand Illusionist
by T. Bruce Wittet Mind-twisting rhythms meet super-fat grooves? Gavin Harrison is a rare artist who knows how to do both. If you’ve stumbled across any of British drummer Gavin Harrison’s educational books or videos, you’ll know that he’s deep…
Rocky Gray of Evanescence
by Waleed Rashidi Rock stardom may be a cool thing, but to Rocky Gray, it’s the music–and playing his own parts–that matters. All it took was one wildly propulsive radio single to plaster drummer Rocky Gray’s performances all over the…
John Blackwell
John Blackwell had a problem most drummers wouldn’t mind dealing with. Does he wait around for Prince to decide what his next adventure will be? Or does he work on his solo record, Forever Jia (dedicated to his late daughter).…
Kaspar Rast
The versatile Kaspar Rast was born in Zurich, Switzerland in 1972, and has been playing drums since he was six years old. Rast trained at the famed JMS school in Zurich and at the Drummers Collective in New York City.…
Athena Kottak
Kottak’s Athena is a very funny, tell-it-like-it-is, beautiful woman who kicks ass behind the drumkit. Born a few years after her famous sibling—Mötley Crüe’s Tommy Lee—Athena is a cancer survivor, a mom, and the wife of Jimmy Ratchitt. Athena says…
Joe Tomino of Dub Trio
“Even though dub is at the bottom of every song you hear,” says Dub Trio drummer Joe Tomino, “we’ve never put any boundaries on it.” Indeed, the Brooklyn band’s recent LP, New Heavy, expands on its reggae-rich 2004 debut, Exploring…
Joel Stevenett
Joel Stevenett loves the variety of work he does as a drummer. One of his favorite gigs is playing drums on the soundtracks to videogames for Xbox and PlayStation. “It’s a big industry, and it’s a lot of fun,” Stevenett…
Travis Smith: The Sickest Feet in Metal
by Waleed Rashidi Trivium drummer Travis Smith’s career launched with a slightly rocky start. As a pre-teen growing up in Florida, Smith recalls having to be coaxed out of playtime with neighborhood friends by his father to attend his regular…
The Who's Zak Starkey: Channeling Keith-And More
by Ken Micallef “I am not a rock ’n’ roll star,” insists Zak Starkey. “I’m not famous, I suppose. But I am a very successful musician.” Deadpan, funny, and self-deprecating, as this quote shows, Zak Starkey is famous by both…
Black Stone Cherry Drummer John Fred Young
Black Stone Cherry drummer John Fred Young is quick to cite his uncle, Kentucky HeadHunters drummer Fred Young, as his biggest inspiration. But John Fred nearly blew it one day when he was young. “I went upstairs in The HeadHunters’…
Aaron Montgomery of Trapt
“I compare drumming to various spices. If the groove has too much salt or too much pepper, then you’re going to be all savored out.” So says Aaron Montgomery, the “chef” in Trapt’s kitchen. His style, his groove, and his…
Thomas Pridgen
Just one listen to trumpeter Christian Scott’s debut album, Rewind That (Concord Records), and you’ll be looking to see who the drummer is. Although the name Thomas Pridgen may not be familiar to everyone yet, his deep feel and exceptional…
