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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.
IN MEMORIAM
Mike Shapiro Frank Gambale and Mike Shapiro Mike Shapiro was a talented musician-drummer who died on November 14, he was 57 years old. Mike was known for his passion for Brazilian grooves and music, but it went much further than…
A Salute to Modern Drummer Festival 2021
The year 2021 is behind us, and 2022 arrives with many hopeful wishes—as well as the second virtual festival in Modern Drummer’s history. We put together the 20th edition of the Modern Drummer Festival—albeit virtually for the first time—on September…
Concentration
There is no way around it. If you want to succeed as a musician, you have to practice. It requires focus, drive, and concentration to turn your skill set from outstanding to legendary. That means removing distractions—all distractions—when you are…
Daniel Gollin’s Hodgepodge with History
Daniel Gollin has played in a lot of bands—Halfway to Gone, A Thousand Knives of Fire, 40 Pound Hound, and many more—and his kit salutes its owner’s musical mishmash by being comprised of bits and pieces. Some of those pieces…
Words Versus Nuts and Bolts
I’m literally happy to be sitting in the jazz-drumming-column chair for Modern Drummer. It’s a well-worn seat that I’ve occupied from time to time over the years. If I stand accused of being too wordy, well, then I plead “guilty…
A Bigger Boom
Producer Jacquire King on Reamping Drums Producer, audio engineer, and mixer Jacquire King is a multiple Grammy winner who has worked with Tom Waits, Buddy Guy, Kings of Leon, and many others. His commitment to crafting distinctive and idiosyncratic sounds…
A Message of Hope
Ricky Byrd and Bob Stander Look Back at Creating Soundscapes for Sobering Times When Rock and Roll Hall of Fame guitarist Ricky Byrd released Sobering Times in 2020, it celebrated his own 30+ years of being clean and sober, while…
Reissue of Keith Moon’s “Pictures of Lily” Drum Set
Keith Moon’s original 1967 “Pictures of Lily” Premier drum set was not only visually stunning, it was also likely the first customized-graphic kit put into use by a major rock act. Premier’s in-house publication, Talking Drums, states that Moon approached…
Thank You for Being There for Us in 2021!
What does a new year really mean? Should we fall in behind holiday tradition and write some adorable “New Year’s Resolutions” that promise bucketloads of personal evolution? It seems that everybody gets to believe their own marketing muse on the…
Motorheart, The Darkness
Rufus Taylor of the Darkness here. Motorheart is our hard-hitting new album, and we’re very proud of her. I used my old-faithful DW Collectors Series kit in maple-lacquer, specialty-pearlescent black with black chrome hardware. It has a 22×24 VLX kick—the…
David Lloyd Johnson Celebrates Frank Lloyd Wright
The backstory of David Lloyd Johnson’s one-of-a-kind Frank Lloyd Wright kit was initiated by three of his idols. After diving into drumming at 14 years old, Johnson became entranced by the playing of Idol #1—Ginger Baker—and he eventually acquired a…
PASIC 2021
The Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC) is one of the largest percussion events in the world. Concerts, clinics, panels, and presentations from world-class professionals attract more than 5,000 attendees annually. There are also more than 100 exhibitors showcasing the…
Grateful Drumming
Can being grateful make you a better drummer? It just might. Research shows that gratefulness positively impacts everything from sleep to heart health, feelings of depression, less fatigue, to even reducing materialism and improving eating habits. So, if you want…
Carmine Appice’s Custom Slingerland Kit
“This is a custom one-of-a-kind job that Slingerland made for me in 2004,” says Carmine Appice. “It’s a hand-painted, lacquer leopard finish—not a wrap—on three-ply maple shells. It features 8×12 and 9×13 rack toms, 16×16 and 16×18 floor toms, and…
