Mark Griffith
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.
Vinyl Me, Please
Matt Fiedler is the CEO of Vinyl Me, Please (VMP.) But what is Vinyl Me, Please? It is a combination of a record retailer, a reissue label, and a music distributor. But more than anything, Vinyl Me, Please is a…
EL ESTEPARIO
TRUST THE PROCESS Photos courtesy of Alesis Drums / El Estepario With over 5,000 online drumming video clips and millions of subscribers, Valencia, Spain’s El Estepario (Jorge Garrido) has become a worldwide drumming sensation. Today it seems like every drummer…
Obsession
Last month I suggested the idea of becoming “obsessed” with music and drumming. Unfortunately, the word obsession has gotten a bad reputation. Obsession is defined as a “compelling motivation.” Compelling means, “evoking interest, attention, or admiration in a powerfully irresistible…
Yamaha’s Matt Rudin and Drummer Charles Ruggiero Talk About the EAD10
There hasn’t been a product that is as intriguing and as mystical as the Yamaha EAD10 in quite a while. The EAD10 came out at NAMM 2018 and the product had been building awareness prior to the Covid lockdown. The…
Gerry Brown: Groove Reverence
In this business NOTHING beats longevity, a big gig or two doesn’t hurt either. Drummer Gerry Brown has had all of that plus a whole lot more. Gerry had early aspirations to become a classical percussionist, but after seeing the…
Nick Buda Created a Path and Kept Going
From Dolly Parton, to Lionel Richie, to Taylor Swift, to Kenny Chesney… Coming to Nashville from South Africa is a unique musical path. Nick Buda’s mom didn’t want their family to have anything to do with apartheid, and she didn’t…
Dave Elitch
Getting and Staying Out of the Way Talking in-depth to Dave Elitch has been a long time coming. He’s a successful working drummer with credits like The Mars Volta, M83, Killer Be Killed, Miley Cyrus, and Weezer. He is a…
Don’t Put All Your Eggs in One Basket
Both, Dave Elitch and Nick Buda uttered this phrase in their interviews this month, and it’s an important one. The older readers of Modern Drummer probably know what this phrase means and have heard it a million times. But the…
FLORRIE
The British Pop Drummer is Lost No More! Photos by Archie Campbell Florrie is a true multi-instrumentalist, but at her core, she is a drummer, singer, and songwriter. Her journey through the music industry reads like a rollercoaster ride. Starting…
Marlon Simon
Blending Jazz with the drumming of South America There is a long tradition of fantastic drummers who have created the Latin drum set tradition and applied it to the jazz lineage. It started with Guillermo Baretto and Walfredo de los…
Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson
Trying to Dial Back the “King of Yes” Photo by Christian Germoso In 30 years, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson has evolved from a drummer to an influential drummer and bandleader, to part of the music establishment, to now becoming a respected…
The Power of Yes and No
In this month’s feature interviews, both Questlove and Florrie mention the merits of saying “Yes,” and learning the benefits of saying “No.” Peter Erskine has loosely addressed this in his Modern Drummer Jazz Insights column as well. When a musician…
Whom Gods Destroy’s Bruno Valverde
From Maracatu to Metal Brazil is known for its rhythmic contributions to the music world. In music you can’t ignore the Brazilian styles of Samba, Bossa Nova, and Maracatu. But recently Brazil’s contribution to Heavy Metal drumming has been overwhelming…
Tina Raymond - Musical Divinations and Educational Heritage
Tina Raymond is a musical force of nature. With over 20 records (as a leader and a side person) to her credit, she can play anything. Her newest record called Divinations is one of the best drummer-led records I’ve heard…
