Feature Stories

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.

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Brendan Buckley on Tour With Tegan and Sara

Brendan Buckley, who initially grabbed the attention of many of us as the drummer with the international superstar Shakira, is seemingly in constant motion. The past few years have seen him backing Miley Cyrus, alt-roots vet Shelby Lynne, actress Minnie…

Modern Drummer
Sep 11, 2016

The October 2016 Modern Drummer Playlist

Listen to tracks from the October issue of Modern Drummer magazine, including cover star Shannon Forrest playing with the Dukes of September and Mindy Smith, New York hit maker Steven Wolf with Miley Cyrus and Daniel Merriweather, Mark Stepro with…

Modern Drummer
Sep 9, 2016

Q&A: Islander's Arin Ilejay

by Ben Meyer Former Avenged Sevenfold drummer Arin Ilejay recently took over drum duties in Greenville, South Carolina, rap-rock band Islander, and appears on the group’s second album, Power Under Control. Ilejay’s not the only fresh face. Like its predecessor,…

Modern Drummer
Aug 31, 2016

Mark Stepro on Recording With Butch Walker

Mark Stepro is an in-demand studio and live performer who handles everything from alt-country to rock. The drummer, who placed in MD’s 2016 Readers Poll in the Pop/R&B category, can be heard on new records from Gaslight Anthem’s Brian Fallon,…

Modern Drummer
Aug 31, 2016

Great ’80s Drum Tracks, Part 1: New Wavers and Classic Rockers

The October 2016 issue of Modern Drummer magazine, out now, includes the six-page feature Great ’80s Drum Performances, Part 1: New-Wavers and Classic Rockers. Check it out, and listen along at our exclusive Spotify Playlist.  

Modern Drummer
Aug 31, 2016
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Navene Koperweis of Entheos: “Neural Damage" Drum Playthrough

The October issue of Modern Drummer magazine, which features, among many other stories, an interview with ex–Animals as Leaders drummer Navene Koperweis about his new band, Entheos, won’t be on sale for a couple weeks. But this playthrough video of…

Modern Drummer
Aug 10, 2016

Alex Shelnutt of A Day to Remember on Bad Vibrations

  by Willie Rose   Metal and pop-punk mainstays A Day to Remember are getting set to release their sixth studio album, Bad Vibrations, in early September. MD Online asked drummer Alex Shelnutt, the band’s powerful backbone, about the influences…

Modern Drummer
Aug 1, 2016

On Tour With Chris Turner of Oceans Ate Alaska

  by Willie Rose Since its debut release Lost Isles landed in early 2015, British technical metalcore band Oceans Ate Alaska has enjoyed a relatively accelerated rise in popularity. The group, driven by primary composer and chop-blurring drummer Chris Turner,…

Modern Drummer
Aug 1, 2016

Evan Chapman of Square Peg Round Hole: Juniper Album, “Name Not One Man??? Video World Premiere

Square Peg Round Hole, from left: Sean M. Gill, Evan Chapman, Carlos Pacheco-Perez   by Willie Rose With Juniper, instrumental and percussion-heavy trio Square Peg Round Hole unleashes pondering melodies, brooding harmonic landscapes, and forward-thinking rhythms. Here, the group’s main…

Modern Drummer
Aug 1, 2016

Backbeats - Woodstick Groove 2016

 This excerpt is taken from the complete article that appears in the September 2016 issue, which is available here. Backbeats Woodstick Groove 2016 This past April, Groove Music for Youth and the Emerald Queen Casino held their annual nonprofit drumming…

Modern Drummer
Jul 29, 2016

The Damned's Pinch

When you follow a drummer like Rat Scabies into a band, as Andrew “Pinch” Pinching of British punk institution the Damned did, it’s easy to figure that to some extent, you’re always going to be viewed as “the new guy.”…

Modern Drummer
Jul 1, 2016

Stephen Perkins on Jane’s Addiction’s Twenty-Fifth-Anniversary Ritual De Lo Habitual Shows

  Modern Drummer Online caught up with Stephen Perkins while he was prepping for a clinic tour and some dates with Jane’s Addiction, commemorating the twenty-fifth anniversary of the group’s watershed album Ritual De Lo Habitual. Just like when you…

Modern Drummer
Jul 1, 2016
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Carl Allen: Learning From the Giants

  By Jeff Potter In the August print issue of Modern Drummer magazine, on sale now, topflight jazz drummer Carl Allen is spotlighted in our “Catching Up With…” series, where he talks about one of his many ensembles, the Art…

Modern Drummer
Jun 30, 2016

Tony Thaxton Returns to the Road with Motion City Soundtrack…One Last Time

  by David Jarnstrom It’s not a stretch to say Tony Thaxton’s drumming is just as vital to Motion City Soundtrack’s DNA as frontman Justin Pierre’s infectious melodies and neurotic internal monologue. Trust me—my band shared a Minneapolis practice space…

Modern Drummer
Jun 14, 2016
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