Features

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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TONY VERDEROSA:

Let’s call them, CREATIVE PERCUSSION CONTROLLERS! Tony Verderosa has performed and recorded with Dream Theater’s John Petrucci, Cold-Cut, Michael Brecker, Katy Perry, Joe Perry (Aerosmith,) Dave Samuels, Donny McCaslin, Philippe Saisse, and Angelique Kidjo. He is known for combining acoustic…

By Mark Griffith
Feb 28, 2022

Ready for Our Close-Up!

Kits & Cymbals on Camera at the MD Festival So many amazing drummers contributed to our 21st Modern Drummer Festival. But they were not alone. The co-stars of the big show were the kits and cymbals used by the performers…

Modern Drummer
Feb 1, 2022

On the Road Roundtable

How Collective Soul’s Johnny Rabb, Better Than Ezra’s Michael Jerome, and Rich Scannella Approached Touring in the COVID Era This past summer, I played drums with Tonic, who were special guests on the Just Looking Around Tour with Collective Soul…

By Rich Scannella
Feb 1, 2022

Gallery of Groove

Photos from the 2021 Modern Drummer Festival For the second year in a row, the global pandemic chased the Modern Drummer Festival to an online venue. But we were unbowed. Presented by the MD team and produced by Thom Mozloom’s…

Modern Drummer
Feb 1, 2022

Mareike Wiening

The Sounds of Emotion German composer, producer, and drummer Mareike Wiening views music as a series of conversations. Given her flawless command of the musical storytelling on her recent, eight-song release Future Memories , it may be convenient to envision…

By Michael Molenda
Jan 14, 2022
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Yoron Israel

Dreaming of Hope, Joy, and Aspiration Crystal balls always seem to be in short supply as we attempt to make sense of the world around us, but Yoron Israel must have had a cell-phone connection to the future when he…

By Michael Molenda
Jan 14, 2022

Pegasus Warning

Inspiration and Versatility on The Late Late Show Normally a professor wouldn’t be on national TV every night of the week playing drums, but Guillermo E. Brown—known as Pegasus Warning—can be seen as the house drummer for the Emmy award-winning…

By Billy Amendola
Jan 14, 2022

Mike Mangini

The Making of Dream Theater’s A View from the Top of the World It certainly does not suck to be Dream Theater. Founded 37 years ago, the band continues to cast a mammoth imprint across the progressive-metal field. Starting back…

By Michael Molenda
Jan 14, 2022

The Art of Drum Replacement

Producer Jerry Stucker Shares his Sampling and Triggering Techniques Recording drums in the studio is far from a snap. Close mics on the toms, kick drum, and snare may introduce signal-phasing gremlins that can interfere with producing a muscular drum…

By Michael Molenda
Jan 14, 2022

8 Tips for Playing Live Drums with Loops

Producing commercial drum tracks—especially in the pop, urban, and dance fields—typically means combining live and digital drums. Drum loops harness a world of sound that’s impossible to create on an acoustic kit alone, and there are infinite ways to use…

By Clementine Moss
Jan 14, 2022

The MD Guide to Home-Studio Gear

If only you were a singer/songwriter. Then, all you’d need in your studio is a simple two-channel audio interface, one or two microphones, and GarageBand. But you’re not. You’re a drummer. So, welcome to the world of multichannel interfaces and…

By Michael Molenda
Jan 14, 2022

Remembering Ron Spagnardi

Quotes from the Original Fearless Leader No plan. No staff. Just a grand passion, the personal savings of Ron Spagnardi and his wife Isabel, and the sweat entity of his dad and their daughter. There was little hope that a…

Modern Drummer
Jan 10, 2022
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By the Numbers MD Covers Reveal Drum-Culture Stats

Forty-five years provides a lot of perspective on the artists, styles, and techniques Modern Drummer has covered, as well as how those subjects informed the drum community from year to year. Any magazine editor will tell you that choosing cover…

By Michael Molenda
Jan 10, 2022

Toppermost of the Poppermost

Pop-Culture Triumphs, 1977-2021 Modern Drummer has reported on a colossal number of drummers in its 45-year history, but pop-culture doesn’t revolve solely around drums and drumming. (Drats!) Creativity does not exist in a vacuum. Other events tend to inspire, inform,…

By Michael Molenda
Jan 10, 2022
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