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.
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Mel Lewis
The Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra and the Village Vanguard just seem to go together. For one thing, they both represent longevity. The Vanguard is the oldest club in New York City; Mel’s band has one of the longest- running gigs…
Mark Brzezicki Big Country Beat
A lot has been written about Big Country’s guitar sound, almost to the exclusion of everything else about them. While it’s undeniable that the band’s guitar sounds have captured a lot of people’s attention, their drummer is not exactly out…
Mick Avory — Knowing The Job
The Kinks Konk Recording Studio sits on the edge of London in an area hardly recognizable to a city visitor. Located a good 40 minutes from Picadilly Circus by public transportation (i.e., underground and bus), the studio is on an…
Nigel Olsson — The Heart of Nigel Olson
Nigel Olsson speaks from the heart. In fact, there seems to be nothing he does that doesn’t revolve around his heart. As he plays and sings on stage with Elton John, he uses his entire body to complement the artist’s…
Bill Lombardo
Bill Lombardo has had an interesting career already, and he hasn’t hit 35 yet. Beginning in the early ’60s as a rock drummer, Bill participated in the San Francisco psychedelic scene. He went on to play funk, country, and top-40…
Jimmy Bralower — Creating Illusion
Some people think of Jimmy Bralower as the enemy. Why? Because the man makes his living programming drum machines for records. This is the guy who’s putting drummers out of work. Or is he? Jeff Porcaro once remarked that he…
Nick Mason - Finding His Own Way
The name Pink Floyd conjures up all sorts of memories—some very distant and others not so long ago. Over a span of 17years, they have given us such classic records as A Saucerful Of Secrets (1968), The Dark Side Of…
Ollie Brown — Breakin’ Out
Every once in a while you stumble across someone who is articulate and personable, and who will talk about drums and drumming ’til the cows come home without becoming boring. Ollie Brown is such a person. Big in size, he…
