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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.

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From the Track to the Stage: Breathing Life into a Recording

On tour with the indie/alternative/pop act Børns, Kristen Gleeson-Prata translates heavily produced and electronics-infused recorded drum parts onto the live stage. Here the drummer explains her approach and invites a few drumming colleagues to weigh in with their own perspectives…

by Kristen Gleeson-Prata
Aug 29, 2018

Damian Marley‘s Courtney “Bam“ Diedrick

It might have been a chance encounter that led to his working with one of reggae’s biggest stars. But his skills are no accident—a highly developed musical sensitivity and copious practice time made him the drummer he is today. TO…

By Robin Tolleson
Aug 29, 2018

Slayer’s Final World Tour

FivePoint Amphitheater, Irvine, California, May 11, 2018

Photos by Alex Solca
Aug 29, 2018

Lamb of God’s Chris Adler

On the touring front, the modern metal titan and his bandmates are spanning the globe on Slayer’s final world tour. Meanwhile, on the new Legion: XX album, released under their original moniker, Burn the Priest, Adler and company have rekindled…

Story by Ben Meyer | Photos by Alex Solca
Aug 29, 2018

Kendrick Lamar’s Tony “Rico” Nichols

For most musicians, the idea of playing with Pulitzer- and Grammy Award-winning superstar Kendrick Lamar would be a lesson in surviving the hot seat: an endless tour of stadium concerts and television shows, and globe-trotting, sleep-deprived, eye-of-the-hurricane schedules. Talk about…

Story by Ken Micallef | Photos by Alex Solca
Aug 29, 2018
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Bon Jovi’s Tico Torres

Bon Jovi already had on board keyboardist David Bryan and bassist Alec John Such, veterans of the fertile New Jersey music scene. When Such told him that he knew “the baddest-ass drummer in the land,” it didn’t take long for…

Interview by Billy Amendola | Photo by David Bergman
Aug 29, 2018
By Billy Amendola
Aug 29, 2018

Steve Schaeffer — Heard But Not Seen

Mention Steve Schaeffer around L.A. and you will probably hear comments such as these: Patty Fidelibus (Contractor, Warner Bros.): “Steve makes me feel very safe. If we have a 2:00 downbeat, at 1:30, Steve is already there, set up, ready…

by Robyn Flans
Aug 24, 2018

Ian Wallace — Keeping The Customer Satisfied

It would probably be easier to list all the musical things that fan Wallace hasn’t done than those he has. This unassuming Englishman has covered every aspect of pop drumming, beginning with pre-Beatles rock ‘n’ roll in England, and progressing…

by Rick Van Horn
Aug 24, 2018

Duran Duran’s Roger Taylor

Being a pop star isn’t easy. Twenty-four-year-old Roger Taylor breathes a sigh of relief as he says, “It’s so nice to be talking about drums.” It’s probably the first time that he’s had the opportunity, despite the countless interviews he’s…

by Robyn Flans
Aug 22, 2018

English Reggae

Mention the word reggae and immediately visions of sun-soaked Jamaica come to mind. Reggae is, after all, a Jamaican music form. Its birthplace is the back alley recording studios and steamy streets of Kingston, the island’s major city. But ever…

by Robert Santelli
Aug 22, 2018

John Von Ohlen

Since World War II, music lovers have been asking if big bands will ever come back. But big bands never really went away. Their ranks just thinned out—survival of the fittest. There was a time when the big band drummer…

by Scott K. Fish
Aug 22, 2018
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John Rae — Total Musicality

In this culture there is an adage that goes, “Jack of all trades, master of none.” John Rae is the exact opposite of that statement. In truth, Johnny is one of the San Francisco Bay Area’s busiest and most versatile…

Modern Drummer
Aug 22, 2018

The World Of Henry Adler

JD: How did you start playing drums? HA: Both my brother and sister played instruments. I was the youngest, I loved music, and I had a feeling for drums. I grew up during the Depression, so it was very tough…

by Jim Dinella
Aug 22, 2018
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