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.
On Tour: Cage the Elephant’s Jared Champion
For ten years, Jared Champion’s backbeat-infused, no-frills grooves have propelled the alternative chart-crushers Cage the Elephant. The group’s current tour runs through August, with additional select dates in September and October. MD Online recently asked Champion about the band, his…
Brian Kantor of the Fruit Bats on Absolute Loser
Brian Kantor, who has worked with indie fave Vetiver, ex-Cardigans singer Nina Persson, and Shudder to Think guitarist Nathan Larson, has for the past couple years been a member of the Fruit Bats, the band led by multi-instrumentalist Eric D.…
Keith Carne on We Are Scientists’ Helter Seltzer
by Adam Budofsky Brooklyn-based indie-rock band We Are Scientists’ fifth album, Helter Seltzer, released digitally this past April 22 and physically on June 3, is an advanced-level course in hook-ology. Vocal choruses, guitar lines, keyboard figures, and, yes,…
Guitarist Paul Gilbert on Mike Portnoy
Mr. Big founder and ex-Racer X guitarist Paul Gilbert is releasing his seventeenth solo album today, I Can Destroy, featuring Thomas Lang on drums. Gilbert has performed in a number of musical projects over the years with Mike Portnoy, including…
Dick DiCenso Passes
We at Modern Drummer were saddened to hear of the passing of Dick DiCenso, the father of renowned drummer Dave DiCenso and the founder of Dick DiCenso’s Drum Shop, which was founded in 1982 and for twenty-three years served the…
Purple’s Hanna Brewer on Bodacious
Texas trio Purple has released its second album, Bodacious, which makes for another great showcase for Hanna Brewer’s many talents. Modern Drummer Online asked Brewer about the making of album, and about her background as a singing drummer. …
Iconic Singer, Songwriter, and Multi-Instrumentalist Prince Dies at Age Fifty-Seven
Prince from the January 2005 issue of Modern Drummer; photo by Afshin Shahidi As music fans are still reeling from the recent passing of music legends David Bowie, Maurice White, Merle Haggard, Glen Frey, Paul Kantner, George Martin, and Keith…
’70s-Era David Bowie Drummer Dennis Davis Passes
Longtime David Bowie drummer Dennis Davis passed away yesterday. Davis appeared on a string of Bowie studio albums in the ’70s, beginning with Young Americans in 1975 and ending with 1980’s Scary Monsters. The run of recordings, which also includes…
MD Spotlight w/Mini Documentary: Remo Belli
This excerpt is taken from the complete article that appears in the May 2016 issue, which is available here. Spotlight Remo Belli How Time and Circumstance Gave Rise to the King of the Mylar Drumhead Remo is one of the…
Tim Wyskida of Blind Idiot God on Before Ever After
From left: Tim Wyskida, Andy Hawkins, Will Dahl; Photo by Peter Gannushkin; by Will Romano This April New York experimental dub-metal band Blind Idiot God is embarking on the Raise the Titanic tour of Europe in support of…
Drive Like Jehu’s Mark Trombino
Mark Trombino By Chris Valle by Stephen Bidwell Pioneering San Diego post-hardcore band Drive Like Jehu made an indelible musical mark during its original active period between 1990 and 1995, influencing many hardcore and indie bands in the…
Aric Improta’s “Drum Chain??? Video
by Ben Meyer For drummers who’ve learned to thrive in the YouTube era, the creation of fresh, sharable content that will grab viewers’ attention often enough to keep their buzz buzzing is a crucial piece of the puzzle.…
Video Tour: Building a Teaching Business with Jeff Salem
This excerpt is taken from the complete article that appears in the April 2016 issue, which is available here. Teacher's Forum Building a Teaching Business From Breaking Ground to Finding Students I’ve owned and operated my own teaching school,…
Online Feature with Video: Jeff Ryan on Pleasant Grove’s The Heart Contortionists
Online Feature Jeff Ryan on Pleasant Grove’s The Heart Contortionists by Adam Budofsky Jeff Ryan has logged studio and stage time with St. Vincent, the War on Drugs, Daniel Johnston, and Sarah Jaffe, his band the Baptist Generals, and his…
