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.
Tucker Rule: Bringing the songs of L.S. Dunes to Life
These days everyone wants to put music in a box, everything has to be compartmentalized, and then along comes a group like L. S. Dunes, and their new record Past Lives. Originally put together by the drummer from the band…
Clem Burke: Drummer, Band Member, Session Man, Medical Researcher
Finding a drummer that has led several cool bands and recorded several high-quality rock records with those bands might not be that hard. Finding a drummer that has done dozens of sessions with people like Pete Townsend, Iggy Pop, Nancy…
The Groove of Sarah Jones
For Sarah Jones, playing drums and grooving is a lifelong commitment. Her most recent gig has her rubbing shoulders with music royalty — whether it’s working out vocal parts with Stevie Nicks for a special version of “The Chain,” grooving…
Mike Portnoy The Winery Dogs and the Power of III
Mike Portnoy must be the busiest drummer in the business. He is an active touring and recording member of no less than ten different bands, and he does some sideman work. In the 12 years since he left Dream Theater…
Mark Pusey Ed Sheeran’s Rhythmic Conscience
If there was a singular word that could describe Mark Pusey it would be “hungry.” His appetite for drums and those who play them is nothing short of immense. Moreover, his ability to articulate the aspects of contemporary drumming in…
Joe McCarthy The New York Afro Bop Alliance Big Band The Pan American Nutcracker Suite
What’s a Connecticut Yankee doing residing in Little Havana (Miami, Florida)? Most likely teaching, winning Grammys, and leading an innovative, ground-breaking ensemble called New York Afro Bop Alliance Big Band. Like many, Joe McCarthy sought refuge from NYC due to…
Sigtryggur Baldursson: Sugarcube Drumming, Innovative Dialog
Some drummers don’t need an introduction, and some might. Let me introduce everyone to Sigtryggur Baldursson. In the late 70s, 80s and into the early 90s there was some extremely creative pop music being made. Bands like Jellyfish, XTC, Siouxsie…
Inside Scorpion Percussion
Modern Drummer had a chance to sit down and talk about Scorpion Immortal Series sticks with owner Doug “Smitty” Smith and one of Scorpion’s endorsers Pepe Magaña of the LA-based metal band, Kyng. We talked about the stick business and…
For Phil Ehart In Kansas, It’s Always About the Melody
After 50 years of success and creating some of the most popular songs in rock history, Kansas and drummer Phil Ehart are sounding incredible! As further proof of their continued popularity, Inside Out Records (one of the leading progressive rock…
Renaissance Woman: Tammy Glover
I enjoy talking to people like Tammy Glover. She is a successful drummer, songwriter, and a muti-instrumentalist. Tammy was the drummer in the celebrated band Sparks for 14 years, she just wrote a musical called Wendy, My Darling, and has…
Grammy Winner Terri Lyne Carrington
Everything is About Breaking Habits Terri Lyne Carrington is only the second drummer-bandleader to win a Grammy for Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group… and she has done it twice. The first was Art Blakey. Her first win was…
John Sparrow of Violent Femmes
Expect the Unexpected After spending 18 years as the Violent Femmes percussionist, John Sparrow has been playing drums in the band for a while now. But what is the musical training ground for playing drums in one of the most…
Play What You Love: A Look Inside the Craftsmanship of the A&F Drum Co.
Simple design, practical application, and brilliant sound, are the three pillars that stand as the foundation for the somewhat newly created (but by no means unfamiliar) A&F Drum Company. There are so many adjectives that come to mind when I…
Barry Kerch: Rock and Roll’s Eternal Student
Some people in the media that say Rock and Roll is dead. But those people haven’t heard or seen Shinedown playing to 15,000 people every night. Sometimes when I interview drummers while they are promoting their new records, we don’t…
