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.
The Evolution of Jimmy Chamberlin: Still Smashing
by Ken Micallef As a self confessed “elder statesman of music,” and one of the most influential drummers of the past fifteen years, Jimmy Chamberlin has a thing or two to say about the state of the instrument. He…
Jason Sutter with Smash Mouth
Smash Mouth drummer Jason Sutter wasn’t looking to jump ship when he was asked to sit in on a third-call audition for vocalist Chris Cornell. Cornell, who left Audioslave earlier this year, needed a band to tour with in support…
Tony Allen: Afrobeat Legend
As the most important drummer in African music, Tony Allen provided the Afrobeat pulse for Fela Kuti’s Africa ’70s band and recorded a clutch of solo albums (Jealousy, Progress, Lagos No Shaking). Currently Allen works for UK supergroup The Good,…
David Bergander of Celebration
Greetings! I'm David Bergander of the band Celebration. We're very excited that our second album, The Modern Tribe, is out now on 4AD. We've learned many things creating this record, the most important being, follow your heart, trust your gut,…
Drummer Blog: Marc Norgaard
Hello, fellow drummers, from Baltimore, Maryland! My name is Marc Norgaard, and I have been running a successful drum session-via-the-Web business for a number of years. I've had the opportunity to play on everything from demos to jingles to complete…
Dave King of The Bad Plus
Great musicians, regardless of style, should electrify and challenge. The Bad Plus’s Dave King achieves both goals on the trio’s fourth album, PROG. They create intricate improvisations from material as diverse as David Bowie’s “Life On Mars” and Rush’s “Tom…
Mark Zonder of Slavior
After spending over two decades performing in progressive metal acts such as Warlord and Fates Warning, Mark Zonder could be pigeonholed as a one-trick slammer. But if the recent self-titled release of his newest band Slavior is any indication, Zonder’s…
Ian Mosely of Marillion
After spending the past few years writing, recording, and mixing their fourteenth studio album, Marillion is back on the road to let the world hear Somewhere Else. As such, it means a resumption of percussive duties for their long-time drumming…
Mike Portnoy: In Constant "Progressive" Motion
by Mike Haid Mike Portnoy may very well be the hardest-working drummer in the business. His recent three-DVD set, In Constant Motion, which focuses on the past few Dream Theater releases, a slew of Mike’s side projects and tribute bands,…
Gavin Harrison: Displacing Rhythms In Cyberspace
It’s not as if Gavin Harrison needs to lurk on the Internet. He’s popular. You like him! On the strength of his books, DVDs (including the recent Hudson release, Rhythmic Horizons) and performances with UK progressive band Porcupine Tree, you…
Bill Bruford: Our Prog Forefather
by Ken Micallef Progressive rock’s evolution from its nascent days in London’s university halls and local clubs to stadium-filling global phenomenon has its roots in the tumultuous melting pot of 1960s rock and psychedelia. Upon the release of The Beatles’…
Virgil Donati
MD recently connected with drumming great Virgil Donati to catch up on his slew of current activities, including new CD and DVD releases, international touring, and his recent MD readers poll award for best clinician. We also asked Virg for…
Prog-Rock Master Drummer Pat Mastelotto On The Whats And Whys Of His Home Studio Arsenal
This month’s Modern Drummer features a Woodshed interview with drummer/“home recording enthusiast” Pat Mastelotto, of King Crimson, KTU, Mastica, TU, Tuner– basically, an unending succession of fascinating musical projects. Here’s Pat’s first-person description of the gear he keeps in his…
Stephen Flinn
Stephen Flinn spent the ’70s gigging in hard rock bands, and the ’80s immersed in honing his jazz technique. Today he considers himself an “avant-garde-ist.” Aside from the ambient, minimal, often Asian-flavored soundscapes found on Flinn’s latest recording, Square Circle,…
