On the Beat
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.
On the Beat with Tazz Washington: “Promise of the Sun”
Hello MD, Tazz Washington reaching out with a video that I am very excited to share with you. The “Promise of the Sun” is a piece that signifies the awakening of the human spirit, the warrior spirit, and the spirit…
On The Beat with Daniel Adair of Nickelback: Singing and Playing the Drums
Hello, MD! For those of you who don’t know my story outside of Nickelback, here’s a short introduction. My roots go back to Vancouver in the ’90s when I was a workaholic playing with three to five bands at any…
On the Beat with Richard Christy of Charred Walls of the Damned: Talks New Album
Hey there MD, my name is Richard Christy and I’m currently playing in my band Charred Walls of the Damned. I’m a former member of Death, Iced Earth, and many other bands and I’ve been playing drums for thirty-two years…
On the Beat with Corky Laing of Mountain and West, Bruce and Laing: Looking Back and Facing Forward
Hi there MD readers, Corky here. As some of you may know, I have been a professional drummer for half a century. You might remember me from such bands as Mountain and West, Bruce and Laing. What I find wonderful…
On the Beat with Damon DueWhite: Five Tips When Starting Out and More
Hello Modern Drummer readers, my name is Damon DueWhite. Before I get into my background let me first thank Billy Amendola and Modern Drummer magazine for providing me with this opportunity to introduce myself to you—especially considering the circumstances…
On the Beat With James Michael McLester: Help, Hope, Live: A New Lease on Life
Hi everyone! Modern Drummer first featured me in a blog in 2010, and my last one was in 2014 (see link below). Since then, here is a bit of what’s been going on. My original project Supernova Remnant released our…
On the Beat With Sammy Merendino: Talks Kinky Boots, Cyndi Lauper, and Tour
Hello everyone! I’m writing this on a tour bus on my way to Northern California. For the past three and a half years, I’ve spent most of my time on the fifth floor of the Al Hirschfeld Theater playing drums…
On the Beat With Brian Delaney of Melissa Etheridge: Talks Tours, Spain, and David Bowie
Hey there, MD readers! I’m psyched to write an On the Beat entry for you. I was out this summer with the fabulous Melissa Etheridge. We went as a trio, with Melissa on guitar/vocals, David Santos (Billy Joel, John…
On Tour: Tony Leone With the Chris Robinson Brotherhood
Longtime New York City drummer Tony Leone is currently on the road with the Chris Robinson Brotherhood. The Californian blues-rock group, whose members also include Black Crowes vocalist Chris Robinson, guitarist and vocalist Neal Casal, keyboardist and vocalist Adam…
On the Beat With Joe Fitzgerald of Pugwash: Talks Latest Release, Tours, and Favorite Drums
Hi, MD readers! My name is Joe Fitzgerald and I’ve been drumming with the Irish pop band Pugwash since 2010. Pugwash’s Play This Intimately (As If Among Friends) is on Omnivore Recordings. It was our first worldwide release and featured…
On the Beat With Paul Figueroa of Crobot: Talks Drummers, Gear, and Tours
Greetings MD! My name is Paul Figueroa and I play drums for Crobot, a hard rock riffy groove band based out of Pottsville, PA. This year we recorded and released our second album, Welcome to Fat City, and are revving…
On the Beat With Robby Cosenza of Vandaveer: Talks Influences and Studio Sessions
Wow, MD—it’s an honor! I’m a touring musician (Vandaveer, Horse Feathers, and Small Batch, among others) and the session drummer at Shangri-la Productions with producer Duane Lundy in Lexington, Kentucky. I started playing drums at age eight. It began with…
On the Beat With Richard Wicander of Fire From the Gods: Narrative
What’s up, Modern Drummer readers! I am Richard Wicander and I play drums for Fire From the Gods. We recently released our debut album Narrative on Rise Records. I am beyond excited to see the world’s reaction to this record…
On the Beat With Vinny Appice: Talks Bands, Tours, Projects, and More
Hi, everyone! For years I have been in a couple of very successful, famous bands and it has kept me busy with full schedules of endless touring and recordings. The music industry was in good shape back then, but times…
