The Daru Sessions Vol.2
Influences and Hip Hop Drumming Daru Jones and I have returned with the second episode of The Daru Sessions. Daru Jones has just released a record called Daru Jones Play the Breaks (Live at Layman.) On it, he plays 25…
Joe Franco Double Bass Drum Renaissance Man
This year is the 40th Anniversary of one of the best drum books ever written, Joe Franco’s Double Bass Drumming. In 1964 Colin Bailey published Bass Drum Control. That was the first book that dealt with the subject of playing…
Dirk Verbeuren: The Drumming, the Legacy… and Megadeth
Dirk Verbeuren is a musical veteran and great drummer with a lot of knowledge to share. His drumming was first heard with bands such as Aborted and Sybreed. He co-founded Scarve, a forward thinking death metal band which released four…
Modern Drummer 2022 Readers Poll Winners
It is time to announce the winners of the 2022 Modern Drummer Readers Poll. Congratulations to all of the winners, and thanks for your artistry and contributions towards the history and evolution of modern drumming. Thank you for your recordings,…
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News
Keep up to date with the drum world via news items, interviews, lists, and more
5 Seconds of Summer Brings the Everyone's a Star Tour to Southern California
Sydney, Australia’s 5 Seconds of Summer recently played the Viejas Arena in San Diego, CA, and KIA Forum in Inglewood, with opener The Band Camino. 5SOS were an opener for One Direction back in 2014 and 2015 which was just…
Ringo Starr Celebrates His 86th Birthday with Peace, Love, and an All-Star Musical Tribute
On July 7th, Ringo Starr celebrated his 86th birthday at his Peace & Love Statue in Beverly Hills, CA with current and former All Starr band members, friends, and celebrities. The event started when Starr, his wife Barbara Bach, and…
Drummer Nic Collins (Phil Collins’ Son) Learns and Performs RUSH’s Epic “2112” Suite in One Sitting: Watch
The folks at Drumeo are putting Nic Collins through the wringer. First, they challenged him to play Opeth’s mammoth “Ghost of Perdition” as he heard it for the first time, and now they’ve made him learn and play RUSH’s absolutely…
Wolfgang Van Halen Breaks Down His Uncle Alex’s Drumming, Plays Van Halen Songs: Watch
Wolfgang Van Halen stopped by the Drumeo studio for a new video feature about his uncle, Alex, the drummer of Van Halen. In the 20-minute clip, Wolfgang opens up about his uncle’s legacy as a somewhat underrated facet of Van…
Tour Kit Rundowns
Your favorite drummers walk you through every detail of their drum setups.
Metal Sticks
Dedicated to interviewing iconic artists, educating drummers of all styles and genres, amplifying young talent, and showcasing Nicko McBrain’s archive of iconic gear & memorabilia, Metal Sticks aims to inspire all generations of heavy metal fans.
1984 Is When I Finally Got My Drum Sound #vanhalen #alexvanhalen
Gear
Detailed assessments of the latest drum kits and accessories
Celebrating America’s 250th Anniversary… with Drums
This year, The Chicago Drum Show hosted my museum exhibit celebrating America’s 250th Year Anniversary. The exhibit featured drums that I have collected dating from 1780 to 1976, the time of the American Revolution to the Bicentennial of 1976. The…
OCDP ADRIAN YOUNG SIGNATURE SNARE, SABIAN STRATUS DRY COLLECTION, DW HARDWARE, BEYERDYNAMIC PROFESSIONAL IN-EAR MONITORS, AKAI STANDALONE MPC SYSTEMS
Limited Edition Adrian Young Signature Snare Launching exclusively at Guitar Center, the Adrian Young Signature OCDP Snare is a limited-edition, USA-made collaboration designed from scratch with the No Doubt drummer. Inspired by Adrian’s Tragic Kingdom-era touring kit, the snare features…
Yamaha Recording Custom Drums: Redefining the Classic, Signature Sound!
Yamaha drums have made a huge impact on the drumming world since its inception about 60 years ago. From the get-go, the Recording Custom kits were always a top pick for recording drummers and performers alike. But for a period,…
JC Drumsticks: Celebrating the USA’s 250th Anniversary
John Crocken, the mastermind behind JC Drumsticks, recently sent Modern Drummer a set of the newly minted, handmade, commemorative America 250th Anniversary Drumsticks. The sticks are made of solid ebony wood measuring at 17” in length. They have a shaft…
Elvin Jones’ First Set of 1982 American K Zildjians with Embossed Bag
Shortly after Elvin Jones passed in 2004, his wife Keiko invited me to help her with the massive collection of drum gear Elvin had amassed throughout his career. The collection filled an entire apartment in their New York City apartment…
Speed-A-Beat: Universal Bass Drum Pedal Roller-Ball Module
Can you double your foot speed? That’s what John Crocken’s Speed-A-Beat sets out to answer. The patented module is built around a single mechanical idea: replace the friction between foot and footboard with a bed of free-spinning steel bearings and see what happens. John Crocken, known…
Kit of the Month
Kenn’s Custom Designs
This month’s Modern Drummer Kit of the Month comes to us from drummer Kenn Youngar. Kenn hand built his own drums. The custom drum riser and cymbal stands were created by a friend,…
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Hall of Fame
A look back at the legendary drummers elected to Modern Drummer’s Hall of Fame
Keith Moon Elected to Hall of Fame in 1982
Excerpted from the September 2003 issue In his last interview, published posthumously in October 1978, Keith told International Musician and Recording World, “You can’t work out things too much. We do certain build-ups and things, but you can run into…
John Bonham Elected to Hall of Fame in 1981
Excerpted from the John Bonham tribute issue, July 1984 John Bonham played, for the most part, a very simple drumkit, consisting of a 14x26 bass drum, a 12x15 small tom—at first mounted on a snare stand and later on the…
Buddy Rich Elected to Hall of Fame in 1980
Excerpted from the January 1977 issue When it comes to interviewing Buddy, one must learn to expect the unexpected. You can end up with a first rate story, or no story at all. He’s a very intense human being, with…
Gene Krupa Elected to Hall of Fame in 1979
Excerpted from the October/November 1979 issue “I’m happy that I succeeded in doing two things: I made the drummer a highpriced guy, and I was able to draw more people to jazz.” The above quote of drum master Gene Krupa…
Danny Thompson - Alan Parsons - Tour Kit Rundown
Modern Drummer Official 5.2K views June 22, 2026 6:00 PM