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WFLIII Drums, the company started by the legendary Bill Ludwig III (or B3 to his friends) in 2014, producing high quality drums, are all FIRED up for their biggest year to date … 2023! Under the direction of Bill, together with new business partner Cloburn Ltd, owned and run by …

Combining two of the world’s best acoustic and electronic drum companies to focus on delivering new innovation for drummers; Drum Workshop will operate as a standalone unit with pioneering founders retaining leadership positions. Roland Corporation and Drum Workshop, Inc. today announced a definitive agreement for Roland to acquire all outstanding shares of Drum …

Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) in art, music, and technology are here to stay.  Owner/CEO of Modern Drummer Magazine David Frangioni finds himself uniquely positioned. Frangioni is a self-made success in the music technology industry, a drummer, a producer/engineer, a publisher, a consultant, and a sophisticated collector. He and his team have spent a …

Review By Rob Coen St. Louis, home of great bar-b-que, the Gateway Arch, the Chesterfield Jazz and Wine Festival and drumming legend himself, Dave Weckl. Filmed and recorded at the 2019 Chesterfield Jazz and Wine Festival, this The Dave Weckl Band Live album is a triumph of musical mastery. Accompanying …

Hit Like A Girl— the global contest for girls, women and gender expansive drummers and beatmakers—is on now! The 2021 Hit Like A Girl Contest designated as HLAG-X (since 2021 is the 10th Anniversary of the groundbreaking, online program), will include the 10th edition of the contest, ten of today’s …

  To my fellow drummers, I feel your pain…literally. I am a practicing physician that completed medical school about ten years ago and subsequently trained at Northwestern Medicine into a specialty called physical medicine and rehabilitation, also known as physiatry, with a background in kinesiology and sports medicine. That’s right! …

Photo by Craig M. Renwick We all have bad days. Some stick with us forever. Some bad days effect millions of people at the same time. When JFK, MLK, RFK, and John Lennon were taken, it was a series of collective bad days. People remember where they were when great people …

This past May saw the release of New Jersey–based progressive metal band Binary Code’s sophomore album, Memento Mori, their first featuring drummer Austin Blau. The album was inspired by the suicide of founder/guitarist Jesse Zuretti’s girlfriend; all proceeds from sales of the album will be donated to suicide prevention causes. …

With the passing of studio great Joe Porcaro, we’ve gone back into the vault for his November 1994 Modern Drummer feature, in which we learned about his path to the top of the L.A. studio scene, and got an inside view of what it was like during the heyday of …

Marco Minnemann photo by Hreinn Gudlausson. Aristocrats drummer Marco Minnemann has teamed up with multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Randy McStine to release McStine & Minnemann on July 3, 2020. The duo initially met in 2018 while working with other artists, but as they discovered their shared passion for an assortment of rock, pop, …

Don’t let this be an allegorical representation of your drum mixing skills! Home recording can be a fabulous oasis of no rules, no judgement, no fear, and no regrets, because YOU are the benevolent dictator of your own audio kingdom. You alone make the determination on how to best achieve …

This drummer is confident, accurate, expressive, and most importantly, is generously making it work by playing things that fit into the musical environment and keep everything moving in the appropriate direction.

Dan Kerby is from Melbourne and wanted to show me around his city. He asked me to bring along a pair of sticks and said that we were going to document the day.

The son of Billie Joe Armstrong, the lead singer and guitarist of Green Day, checks in about his latest recording sessions.

Hello MD! I said rock and roll was a young man’s game. It is. I said I’d retire at thirty. I did.

After years of lying low, Semisonic has been busy of late. We’ve played a series of shows in Minneapolis, our hometown, and I’m hopeful that in the next eighteen months we’ll perform in other states and time zones.

Hey everyone at Modern Drummer! I’m the drummer of a melodic metal band from Canada called Borealis. Our latest album The Offering was released March 2018 worldwide and we’re excited for everyone to hear it. I think it’s some of the strongest material we’ve ever written.

Thank you Modern Drummer for being naive enough to trust me with my second “On The Beat.” Just kidding. I have such a profound love and appreciation for this magazine that I will most certainly rewrite this one hundred times before it is published.

Hello MD! I’m back with another Such Gold drum play-through video. The band also has two brand new music videos premiering this month, and in May we’re touring out to Montreal’s Pouzza Fest and back.

Hey MD readers! Pat Gerasia here, drummer for Red Sun Rising. We couldn’t have been more excited to release our sophomore album Thread this past March 30.

Drummer Nick Zamora’s driving feel, blazing yet apt chops, and Motown-inspired grooves are supporting the Houston, Texas, soul collective the Suffers on their current March tour. Since forming in 2011, the ten-member group has enjoyed a steady rise in popularity, thanks in part to television appearances on such shows as …

On Nathan East’s second solo album, Reverence, he once again steps into the spotlight as bandleader. Produced by East and Yamaha Entertainment Group of America founder Chris Gero, it’s no surprise that shortly after its debut (less than one month ago), the album hit the number-one spot on both the …

This past January 20, the anthemic emo-punk band AFI released its self-titled album, aka The Blood Album, the group’s tenth record over the course of its twenty-five-year history. Along with searing hooks from vocalist Davey Havok, brilliant production and riffs from guitarist and keyboardist Jade Puget, and bassist Hunter Burgan’s …

In a week that was already rocked by the deaths of Can’s Jaki Liebezeit and Spooky Tooth’s Mike Kellie, the drum world was shaken for a third time by news this morning of the passing of founding Allman Brothers Band sticksman Butch Trucks.

“The first time I heard Jaki Liebezeit’s playing with Can,” says Wilco drummer Glenn Kotche, “I was hooked. You can tell instantly that there was so much going on with his playing just under the surface.

British drummer Mike Kellie, whose credits included Traffic, Jerry Lee Lewis, Joe Cocker, Peter Frampton, Jim Capaldi, Paul Kossoff, George Harrison, Maurice Gibb, Neil Innes, Pat Travers, Andy Fraser, and Johnny Thunders, and who was a member of the bands Spooky Tooth and the Only Ones, has passed.

Duran Duran drummer Roger Taylor and bassist John Taylor collaborated with at-risk youth from the charity Road Recovery to produce, mix, and record an original dance-rock song, “No Rewind.” The song is available to purchase exclusively at CrowdRise through a download-for-donation campaign.

Hello fellow Modern Drummer readers! My name is Jon Busby. I want to first say how humbled I am to write an On The Beat web post for Modern Drummer magazine. Ever since I started playing drums at the age of twelve, it was always a goal of mine to …

Greetings, earthlings! Emily Estefan here wanting to share a little bit about my musical journey. I grew up on the sides of stages watching some of the most incredible musicians playing their instruments for the world to hear—I was literally feeling the vibrations under my feet from a thunderous live …

Blonde Redhead formed in downtown Manhattan in 1993 around Japanese art students Kazu Makino (vocals) and Maki Takahashi (bass) and Italian twin brothers Simone (drums) and Amadeo Pace (guitar and vocals).

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.

Former Avenged Sevenfold drummer Arin Ilejay recently took over drum duties in Greenville, South Carolina, rap-rock band Islander, and appears on the group’s second album, Power Under Control.

Hello, Modern Drummerville! I’m Nate Walker, the drummer of Another Lost Year. We’re a rock band from Charlotte, NC and I’ve been in our lovely and always freshest of the fresh band van since April of 2013, originally as our FOH sound engineer/tour manager, then joining the dudes onstage in …

Mr. Big founder and ex-Racer X guitarist Paul Gilbert is releasing his seventeenth solo album today, ‘I Can Destroy’, featuring Thomas Lang on drums. Gilbert has performed in a number of musical projects over the years with Mike Portnoy, including the drummer’s Beatles tribute group Yellow Matter Custard, which played …

Hey everyone, Daniel Glass here. I am thrilled to announce the inaugural Daniel Glass New York Jazz Intensive, which will be happening at the Drummers Collective in NYC, June 3-6, 2016. Right now we’re offering Modern Drummer readers a $100 discount off the registration fee (just put in the promo …

Greetings fellow drummers, it’s been a few years since my first MD blog and the release of my DVD Concept and Philosophies. My educational passions still continue to forge ahead….

Modern Drummer sat down with drummer Tim Wyskida, formerly of the doom/avant-garde band Khanate, to get the lowdown on his drumming, the tracking of Before Ever After, and the band’s strangely sophisticated mixture of drone, noise, funk, prog rock, dub, and a host of other genres.

  (Available digitally February 26, 2016; in print February 2, 2016) Print Copy    ○   iTunes     ○    Amazon     ○    GooglePlay     ○     Subscribe   On the Cover Joe Saylor “The place you really learn how to play is on the bandstand. And it helps learning with people who …

  (Available digitally February 26, 2016; in print February 2, 2016) Print Copy    ○   iTunes     ○    Amazon     ○    GooglePlay     ○     Subscribe   On the Cover Joe Saylor “The place you really learn how to play is on the bandstand. And it helps learning with people who …

See what’s in the March 2016 Issue of Modern Drummer magazine featuring Barry Kerch.

Modern Drummer caught up with Milton to get to the roots of her playing style and rhythmic choices….

Daughter’s sophomore effort, Not to Disappear, came out this January, and we got a chance to shoot Aguilella some questions as he was getting ready for a tour-filled 2016….

See what’s in the March 2016 Issue of Modern Drummer magazine featuring Barry Kerch.

This past November 11–14, the Percussive Arts Society held its annual international convention in San Antonio, Texas. This milestone event marked the fortieth anniversary of PASIC and the first year that live-streaming passes were offered. Within the convention, attendees had access to an expo hall filled with the latest gear …

In this installment of our 2015 holiday gift guide, we’re taking a look at fifteen DVDs that every drummer should own. These are the videos that drummers are going back to time and time again for inspiration and edification. Whether you’re looking for new creative ideas behind the kit, technical …

Over the course of his forty-year career traveling the globe to teach, perform, and conduct clinics, Dom Famularo has interacted with some of the finest drummers and drum instructors in the world. The following list contains many of those names, organized by country/continent. If you’re looking for top-notch drum instruction, …

My name is Max Frost, and I’m a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and producer on Atlantic Records from Austin, TX. My career has had a broad focus but drums are my original, underlying obsession. I play drums on all my records (when necessary) and consider drum production the most essential part of …

Hello, Modern Drummers! I’m a drummer who happens to play guitar and sing. It has been said that drumming may be the first music man ever made. In my case it has been a source of who I am. I was born in the “summer of love” on September 20, …

We asked the members of the Modern Drummer Education Team if they felt that it’s important for drummers to learn to play other instruments (piano, bass, guitar, etc.), or should they focus on honing their craft at the kit exclusively? Here’s what they had to say….

My name is Sammy Dent. I’m a Los Angeles–based composer and the drummer for the band Mercies. I grew up playing classical percussion in symphonic orchestras and percussion ensembles. So getting behind the drumkit meant that I could let loose, play fast, and hit hard.

Original Lynyrd Skynyrd Drummer Bob Burns, one of the founders of the legendary Southern-rock band, was killed last week in an auto accident in Georgia, at age sixty-four.

World-renowned Amsterdam-based Instant Composers Pool (ICP) Orchestra and famed experimental drummer Han Bennink are celebrating the release of their recent CD, East of the Sun…

Hey guys and girls! My name is Josh Manuel, and I’m the drummer of the very genre-confused band Issues. In early 2014, we released our first full length, and to our surprise it peaked at number nine on the Billboard Top 200. We spent the rest of the year on …

Modern Drummer was saddened to hear of the passing of Bruce Crump, drummer for the popular southern rock band Molly Hatchet….

  This article originally ran in the July/Aug 2010 issue of Drum Business.   by Fran Azzarto   Counterhoops are among the more mysterious elements of a drumkit. Some drummers aren’t even aware that there are different types, and among those who are, there is often confusion or outright ignorance …

For fans of world percussion and dancehall/hip-hop drums, there will be two shows on Monday, February 9, 2015 at the Blue Note Jazz Club, 131 W. 3rd Street, New York, NY 10012. The 8 pm show will feature Vinx and Rhythm Nomads with special guest Swiss Chris….

We asked the members of the Modern Drummer Education Team if they felt that it’s important for all drummers to study Latin music and other musical genres, even if they don’t intend to ever perform those styles. Here’s what they had to say….

Hello, MD readers! “Faced??? should feel like a sophisticated pop song cloaked in the sounds and forward-motion of a melodic hardcore punk band. In other words, we strived to use the sound of fury in the service of craft songwriting. That’s the way I hear our new album, The New …

Hello, MD readers! “Faced??? should feel like a sophisticated pop song cloaked in the sounds and forward-motion of a melodic hardcore punk band. In other words, we strived to use the sound of fury in the service of craft songwriting. That’s the way I hear our new album, The New …

Peter Erskine shines on this (almost completely) restored presentation of an all-star live event….

Modern Drummer recently chatted with longtime Jethro Tull drummer Doane Perry while doing research for an article on drummer Dean Zimmer. Perry spoke at length about his relationship with Zimmer as well as his great friendship with the late, great Mark Craney, who, in addition to preceding Perry in Tull, …

What I’ve learned from drumming and the music business is that hard work and practice always pay off. It is important to give back to your community and to always treat people how you would like to be treated: with kindness and respect….

Following a two-hour private drum lesson awarded by composer and multi-instrumentalist Stewart Copeland to one very lucky local high school student, the founder of world famous rock band the Police openly wondered why his celebrity status keeps growing. The sixty-two year old Copeland, whose Facebook fan base tops 76,000, continues …

As one of the most in-demand session drummers of the past twenty years, Matt Chamberlain’s extensive list of recording credits reads like a veritable who’s who of the music industry: Peter Gabriel, the Wallflowers, Fiona Apple, Kanye West, David Bowie, and Elton John, just to name a few….

Following a two-hour private drum lesson awarded by composer and multi-instrumentalist Stewart Copeland to one very lucky local high school student, the founder of world famous rock band the Police openly wondered why his celebrity status keeps growing. The sixty-two year old Copeland, whose Facebook fan base tops 76,000, continues …

Protection Racket is pleased to announce the launch of its completely redesigned website. The site is now more closely aligned to the company’s philosophies of keeping things simple, easy-to-use, and fun….

Hello, MD! My name is Joey Doino, and I’m the drummer for the Brooklyn-born, Nashville-based rock band Arc & Stones. We’re gearing up for loads of summer tour dates in support of our sophomore EP, As You Were, which was released on June 10….

Hello, MD! My name is Joey Doino, and I’m the drummer for the Brooklyn-born, Nashville-based rock band Arc & Stones. We’re gearing up for loads of summer tour dates in support of our sophomore EP, As You Were, which was released on June 10….

Click here to check out Rich Redmond’s video accompaniment for his video on rhythmic displacement basics.

World-renowned drummers, educators, authors, and instructional DVD creators Mark Schulman (Pink/Foreigner), Daniel Glass (Brian Setzer/Bette Midler) and Bruce Becker (Mike Stern/Ron Carter) will a drum camp this July 18–20 at the Hilton Woodland Hills/Los Angeles, located at 6360 Canoga Ave., Woodland Hills, CA….

Filmmaker/drummer Travis Satten recently released this video expounding on Jojo Mayer and his drumming philosophy. Modern Drummer caught up with Satten to ask a few questions about the film….

Click here to check out part 1 of a Jazz Drummer’s Workshop series by Steve Fidyk focusing on ways to develop coordination on the drumset using Ted Reed’s classic book Syncopation.

Due to deadlines, Nate Morton wasn’t able to complete his behind-the-scenes journal about his unique job drumming on the hit television talent show The Voice before his cover story was published in the June 2014 issue of Modern Drummer. Here’s his final entry….

Hello, readers of MD! I’m a session drummer from Chile. I’m twenty-five years old, and I work on some TV shows, do educational drum clinics, and also play sessions. One of my most special jobs has been with the TV talent show Super Estrellas on Chilevisión, a talent show for …

On Sunday, March 30th, some of the biggest names in drumming will come together for an afternoon you won’t forget. Russ Miller joins Ray Luzier, Mike Johnston, Greg Hutchinson and John Riley for the Drum Daze line-up.

Over the last three decades, drummer Will Calhoun’s creativity has stretched genres, mediums, and continents, from his Grammy-winning work with Living Colour to his solo work and drummer-led jazz recordings. His latest release, AZA (www.willcalountart.com), shows the artist exploring a new medium of rhythm on canvas….

Gallant Entertainment Inc., with the support of Yamaha Corporation of America, presented featured drumline performances at Super Bowl XLVIII, held at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, February 2, 2014. The drummers performed in the tailgate area and also appeared in the stadium throughout the game….

I’ve been playing drums for Ella (Lorde) for almost one year now. It has been the fastest and most exciting year of my life. I’ve managed to tick many of my musical aspirations off in that year and have so many more exciting shows and travel ahead….

At its recent Grammy-awards show performance with Kendrick Lamar, Vegas-based alternative rock band Imagine Dragons featured a 36″ concert bass drum. Following the show, Infinity Drumworks donated the drum to Hard Rock to become a permanent part of the brand’s world-famous memorabilia collection. The drum will be available for fans …

Sam Ulano, a beloved yet controversial player and instructor who Modern Drummer readers will recognize from the many ads he ran in the magazine over the years, passed away last week, at the age of ninety-three. MD published an interview with Ulano in the September 2011 issue, which we’ve reprinted …

Hello MD readers! It has been some time since we last visited here. I am still enjoying life in Nashville, juggling touring, recording, producing, writing, and teaching. I love this life we live as modern drummers!

What’s up, MD readers? I’m a New York City–based drummer, instructor, and speaker as well as the artist relations manager for Boso drumsticks.

My name is Patrick Wheeler, and I play drums in a little family affair called Wheeler Brothers. We just released our sophomore album, Gold Boots Glitter….

My name is Luke Roberts, and I’m a drummer, vocalist, and composer based in London. My current drumming post is performing as Ringo in the Broadway and West End show Let It Be.

Modern Drummer is sad to announce that Steve Berrios died this past week at the age of sixty-eight at his home in Manhattan. The drummer was among the most innovative musicians to fuse Afro-Caribbean and jazz. Berrios had an impressive career, featuring work with influential Afro-Cuban percussionist Mongo Santamaría, jazz …

We asked the members of the MD Education Team to share their thoughts on how they prefer to tune their drums. Here’s what they had to say….

Calzone/Anvil Cases announced that it acquired the assets of Ascot Superior Flight Cases on May 31, 2013. Ascot Cases was founded by Rob Cooksey thirty-two years ago in Newbury Park, CA….

Last year Medeski Martin & Wood released Free Magic, a live document of the band’s 2007 acoustic tour. Here drummer Billy Martin discusses his unique equipment choices, which add color the funk/jazz trio’s ever-fascinating sonic palette….

Greetings, fellow drummers. Bruce Becker here. I am currently residing in Los Angeles and have been recording and gigging with my brother David for thirty years. I am very involved in teaching as well….

What makes a great drum book? There’s no single answer, as different books have been written to address a wide variety of styles and techniques. But judging by a recent poll in which Modern Drummer readers were asked to name their favorite volumes, a few characteristics stand out….

Philly Drum Project’s monthly event, Beats, Brews, & Banter, will continue on Monday, May 6th at The R Bar (formerly Roosevelt’s Pub) at the corner of 23rd and Walnut in Philadelphia. The event will run from 7-9pm and feature Allison Miller….

My name is Mike McKee, and I’m from Raleigh, North Carolina. It was serendipity that led to me meeting one of the founders of my full-time gig, Delta Rae….

Ex-Chimaira drummer Andols Herrick covers the ground that drummers who play heavy music must tread.

We asked the members of the MD Education Team if they think it’s important for their students to study jazz. Here’s what they had to say….

An exclusive web-interview with Dave King of the Bad Plus.

I subconsciously make weird faces when I play the drums. Sometimes I stick my tongue out. Because of this, some photographers claim they’ve never gotten a good picture of me.

A number of people have asked me, “What is Drum Guru, and how and why did you come up with it????

Nashville percussionist Richard Farrell Morris died on Thursday, October 4, 2012, after a long battle with lung cancer. He was seventy-four….

Is traditional grip a useful technique that drum students should learn? We asked the members of the MD Education Team if they think traditional grip is relevant in today’s teachings. Here’s what they had to say.

When the motive is to create a feeling that pans between the extremes of raw emotion, the methodology follows suit.…

Roxy Music covered much ground in their relatively short life span. A new box set reveals the power and the glory of the prog/glam progenitors, and of drummer Paul Thompson.

A New York prog band picks and chooses wisely from forty years of classic art-rock sounds.

We asked the MD Education Team if feel could be taught. See what they had to say….

To Speak of Wolves spent two years on the road in support of our first album, so when it came time to focus on material for Find Your Worth, Come Home, we just exploded with ideas.

Rich Teeter, who served in two New York hard rock institutions—Twisted Sister and the Dictators—passed away on April 10 following a battle with esophageal cancer….

Hey there! A quick update on things in my world. I’m currently working on Third Eye Blind’s fifth record, cutting drums in London; we started on my mom’s birthday, March 11. Happy birthday, Mom!…

Hello, everybody! My name is Devin Gray. I am a drummer, composer, and improviser living in Brooklyn, New York. As a full-time musician, it’s becoming very important for me to budget and use my time productively…

Despite the prevalence of educational books, DVDs, and online lessons, most drumming information is still passed down the old-fashioned way: from one player to another, while shooting the breeze at the drum shop. A lot of what we hear, we take at face value, and we repeat these drumming “absolutes??? …

“You didn’t play anything worth a damn.” This was my first lesson from master drummer Michael Carvin. His instructions were simple: Play a drum solo. What I played was loud, fast, and meaningless. What I did not play was the first lesson of many that Mr. Carvin taught me. He …

“You didn’t play anything worth a damn.” This was my first lesson from master drummer Michael Carvin. His instructions were simple: Play a drum solo. What I played was loud, fast, and meaningless. What I did not play was the first lesson of many that Mr. Carvin taught me. He …

This is an excerpt of an article that originally ran in the December1986 issue of Modern Drummer magazine.

Two drummers working it out, face to face—trading licks, contributing to a massive groove, spurring each other on—it’s one of the great musical traditions, and surely it goes back to the very invention of the drumkit at the beginning of the last century. This group of tunes focuses on tracks …

I studied my heart out and began lessons with Peter Erskine when I was sixteen years old. He was as much a friend as a mentor. Peter not only taught me behind the kit but also took me to countless recording sessions to watch a true master working with all …

Hello to the Modern Drummer blogosphere! This is my first blog here, with hopefully many more to come. My name is Jason Holmes, and I play drums in a band called Black Taxi. We all live, work, and rehearse in Brooklyn, New York, but go out on tour as often …

Milestones were bountiful in 2011 for NYC thrash icons Anthrax and their founding drummer.

A baker’s dozen of the best hard rock albums released over the past year.

We present the Jack Irons Live Performance Video for the Track “Doubloons???.

The father of modern drumming kept his bag of tricks safely hidden. Thank goodness his playing spoke for itself.

We present a second live performance video from Jack Irons, for the track “Sonic Tonic.???

MD Online recently spoke to Jack about the process of making his new EP, including the making of the video for the track “Outer Space Dream.???

Hello, MD! It is a great honor to tell you that I will be inducted into the Indianapolis Jazz Foundation Hall of Fame. I am truly humbled. There are so many people to thank, especially my mother. That’s right, mom! When I saw Ringo on TV as a kid, I …

Chamberlin is focusing on a new band, Skysaw, with whom he gets to revisit drumming concepts he’s long been interested in—but in a distinctly new format. In the November 2011 issue of Modern Drummer magazine, we honor Jimmy’s career accomplishments in the second installment of our Influences feature series. Here …

Experimental rockers Battles released their sophomore full-length, Gloss Drop, this past June. Their powerhouse drummer gives us a look behind the scenes of this unique band.

My name is LaMel Randolph; I play drums in the band Lionize, based out of Silver Spring, Maryland. This year we released our latest album, Destruction Manuel, we played the Warped tour and Bonnaroo Festival, and we’re already writing and recording a new batch of songs.

I started playing percussion in fourth grade and then drumset in seventh grade. The bulk of my education comes from my high school’s extracurricular activities like marching band…

This is not a drum blog posting in that you’re not going to find me charting out grooves or getting heavy into sticking technique or how we got the…

MD recently spoke with the prog-drumming giant Carl Palmer while he was on tour with Asia. Palmer, whose career spans four decades, says he has no plans to slow down anytime soon.

Hey, MD readers! It really means a lot to me to be a part of this blog. First let me introduce myself and tell you a little bit about my history. My name is Robert Platz, and I’m nineteen years old…

Hey, everyone. I’m Justin Lack and I’m a professional drummer and drum teacher from Chicago, Illinois. I’m the drummer for the industrial metal band Fashion Bomb. I also play with singer/songwriter Matt Ryd and a number of other groups in and around Chicago. I endorse Ahead drumsticks and Paiste cymbals. …

My name is Adam Gray, and I play drums for a band called Texas in July. I started playing at a very young age, using pots, pans, and sticks from the woods. At age four I received my first drumkit, then another at age six. Since then it’s been a …

Hey, everyone, I’m back to let you all know about some big developments that have happened over the last year—and believe me, there have been quite a few! The first thing is that I have become an official endorser of Hammerax cymbals and hybrids. If you are at all familiar …

by Mike HaidThe announcement that Modern Drummer Hall of Famer Mike Portnoy had left his longstanding position as the reigning king of prog-metal drumming with Dream Theater sent shockwaves through the drumming community. Who could replace such an iconic figure in such a legendary band? Could this be the end …

Hi, MD readers. I thought I had faced musical challenges and done difficult gigs. And I believed I knew what it was like to learn a large amount of material in a short time—recording ten songs in a day seemed like a lot, and a ten-hour day was long. But that …

Let’s get this out of the way right now: I don’t have one of those perfect love-at-first-sight drumming stories. In fact, the closest I’ve ever come to being “born to play drums??? was being gifted with a puppet version of the percussively inclined Muppet Animal when I was around two …

We revisit a 2005 interview featuring memories of George Harrison, John Lennon, and Yes. As Yes continues their world tour – featuring the return of keyboardist Rick Wakeman, signifying the reborn “classic??? lineup – the band simply gets hotter and hotter. Drummer Alan White recently sat down with Modern Drummer, …

Hey, MD readers! I’m here to talk about the latest single from Egypt Central, “White Rabbit.” This is the title track off our sophomore record. We’re extremely excited about this record and single and we hope you all enjoy it. Although the song’s inception was relatively quick, we rolled up …

The March 2011 issue’s “Get Good: Studio Sounds??? feature concerns itself with helping you get the drum sounds that you have in your head onto the final recording. Among the experts we spoke to were Steven Nistor, who’s recorded with studio heavies Danger Mouse, Steve Albini, and Daniel Lanois; T …

Paul Wertico first grabbed the world’s attention as a member of jazz guitarist Pat Metheny’s group, with whom he recorded ten CDs and won seven Grammys between 1983 and 2001. Other jazz greats Wertico has played with are Eddie Harris, Bob Mintzer, Sam Rivers, Ramsey Lewis, Larry Coryell, and Jeff …

by Billy Brennan In the January issue of MD, Clutch drummer Jean-Paul Gaster reflects on the band’s reissues of its three DRT Entertainment releases—From Beale Street To Oblivion (2007), Robot Hive/Exodus (2005), and Blast Tyrant (2004)—and the foursome’s current status with its own Weathermaker label. In this exclusive online interview, …

Hey, everybody, Nate Morton here with a quick update. I’ve been performing with Cher in Las Vegas at Caesars Palace, and the performances have been amazing, truly an extravaganza! I’m often asked what it’s like working with Cher, and the best response I can think of is, she is exactly …

We’ve split up the set on Warped Tour, playing three songs from our first record and three from our new record. The three off Selfish Machines are the fastest and most aggressive songs on the record, which becomes somewhat of a challenge for me playing live….

In the ’70s, David Garibaldi’s drumming with Tower Of Power was a revelation. Not only did he lay down some of the baddest beats ever played, the master drummer expanded the vocabulary of the instrument. Give a listen to some of those classic grooves, like “Squib Cakes,??? “What Is Hip?,??? …

The greatest rock ’n’ roll drummer in history was a soul drummer. Despite all the deserved attention paid to his brilliant soloing ideas, his rhythmic sophistication, or his bass drum prowess, John Bonham was, above all else, a groover….

If I have an identity as a drummer, it’s “always play for the song.??? For example, Paul Manousos’ current release, C’mon C’mon, one of the drumming projects I’ve done recently that I’m most proud of, required me to use my skills both as a drummer and an arranger. I like …

Hello, fellow Modern Drummers! My name is Giann Rubio, and this is my first blog entry ever! I’m sure there are some of you who haven’t heard of me, so I’ll bring you up to speed.

Deftones came to prominence in the early ’90s for blatantly contrasting super heavy guitars riffs and screamed vocals with more melodic, emotional elements. To many listeners, Abe Cunningham’s thunderous yet musical and precise drumming helped set the band miles apart from the many nu-metal acts they’re often, and for the …

Greetings, Modern Drummer faithful! My name is Ben Shanbrom, and I play drums and (yikes!) sing in the progressive alt-metal band Bushwhack. I started annihilating pots and pans at the ripe age of two and proved too bad-ass for pre-school when I was diagnosed by the idiot teachers there as …

When I train and certify drum instructors, doctors, and therapists in the Drum Therapy curriculum of the DAD Program…

Hi, Modern Drummer readers. My name is Sammy Baker. Thanks for reading my blog entry. I hope it gives a little insight. I have played professionally for over thirty years. Being conversant in many different styles of music has helped to keep me playing, and I’ve always had more than …

(June 2010 Issue) Hip-hop’s greatest band might be spending most of its energies rehearsing and performing on Fallon. But the Roots’ new album proves they’re still an awesome force in the studio. Here Quest, in his own words, gives us the inside dope on his best recordings. Common featuring Erykah …

Dennis Chambers was born on May 9, 1959, and started playing the drums at the young age of four. By his sixth birthday he was already playing in nightclubs. Strictly self-taught, at the age of eighteen Dennis went straight from high school to playing with George Clinton’s Parliament Funkadelic, where …

My name is Rob Chianelli and I play drums in a pop/rock band called We Are The In Crowd.

My name is Rob Chianelli and I play drums in a pop/rock band called We Are The In Crowd.

It’s safe to say that nobody swung harder than Art Blakey. Just check out any recording with the hard-bop pioneer at the throne, and you’re bound to find the drummer’s primal groove at work…

It’s day four of the AP Fall Ball tour with the Academy Is…, Set Your Goals, the Secret Handshake, and You Me At Six. I couldn’t be more stoked to be out on the road with my friends and family again…

In celebration of the great, sometimes groundbreaking drumming performances of TV’s golden age, we present to you highlights along the illustrious Drumming On TV timeline…

His current gig may not call for much in the way of subtlety, but the well-rounded drummer knows how to tailor his touch to suit each project.

A hell of a lot has been going on for me and the_Network in the past year.

Hello, everyone, this is Eddie from OneRepublic, and I’m on my way to L.A. for a photo shoot. As of today we’re almost finished with our sophomore album, Waking Up.

Greetings to all fellow drummers and readers of Modern Drummer! My name is Sampsa Väätäinen and I play the drums in Rubik, from Helsinki, Finland. I definitely did not expect to be writing on this blog, but man, what a pleasant surprise! I would say we’ve had our share of …

It’s been a busy year, creating a new living space, surgery, touring, and completing my debut CD, Ray’s Way…

My name is Stephen Nicholson. I grew up in the city of Cleveland Heights, Ohio. I became interested in drumming around the age of nine….

Mitch Mitchell was not alone in blending jazz and rock drumming styles, but he may have pushed the combo further than anyone who came before him. Here a number of noted drummers provide further insight into Mitch’s influence….

When F5 bassist and founder David Ellefson needed a drummer for the group’s sophomore CD, it was a no-brainer to enlist his former Megadeth rhythm section partner Jimmy DeGrasso.

I'm a drummer/percussionist, producer, engineer, and writer. I've worked on over a thousand records since I started professionally at the age of fifteen

Kelly Murphy here from the band Temperedcast. For those who aren't familiar with us, we're a heavy melodic rock band from Seattle.

My name is Richard Hoak, and I’ve been playing drums since 1992. Currently I’m playing with Total F**king Destruction and with Brutal Truth.

My name is Richard Hoak, and I’ve been playing drums since 1992. Currently I’m playing with Total F**king Destruction and with Brutal Truth.

Behind most supergroups, there’s usually a fantastic drummer. Though in a supergroup setting, sometimes a fantastic drummer’s talents get obscured by the star power of the outfit’s more recognizable members. For proof, look no further than The Raconteurs’ Patrick Keeler.

While many only know Billy Bob Thornton as an Academy Award–winning actor, he’s in fact been a musician far longer, ever since growing up in Arkansas…

Panic At The Disco might be “all the rage??? right now, but drummer Spencer Smith divulges that the band routinely gets inspiration from rock’s distant past….

I've recently released a new CD, Robert Castelli/Boom Quartet, which is my first as a leader. (continue reading)

I started off as a rock drummer, but over time I’ve evolved into classical, jazz, and world-music playing styles…

I, as you can read above, am Donnie Yale. I play drums in the NC band The Sammies. (NC is better b/c we are on top for all of you reading this in SC). Our sophomore album, Sandwich, is set for release on September 23….

The resurgence of progressive rock has opened the door for younger drummers to rediscover the more technically challenging aspects of this classic art rock culture….

Though Brian Reitzell is known in some circles as a drummer first, he maintains a “second??? career as a film music producer, choosing and in many cases composing and recording soundtrack music to many of the most highly regarded films of the past several years, including Friday Night Lights, Stranger …

Drumming legend Simon Phillips will simply not slow down, and his star-studded drumming career continues to grow and evolve.

My first experience with drums was stealing my brother’s sticks and playing to MTV videos on a drumset I made out of pillows on my living room floor….

My name is Benjamin Schaefer, and I drum for national touring band We The Living. I’ve set many goals in life, and each revolves around my ability to further my musical career….

First off, thank you for reading this! I’d like to share with you some of what has been going on in my life the last few months. It’s been studios, stages, and teaching for me….

I was thirteen when I got my first Modern Drummer magazine. I had just started to learn how to play drums, and every month I looked forward to getting the magazine to read more about drummers like Tommy Lee and Will Calhoun….

Aaron Gillespie had things he wanted to say. As drummer and lead vocalist for the screamo outfit Underoath, he was one sixth of the equation. With the recent release of his debut solo opus, Southern Weather, Gillespie grabs his guitar, locks a groove on drums, and shows why he had …

Soon after moving to the New York area in the early ’80s, Carl Allen landed a dream gig with post bop trumpeter Freddie Hubbard. That gig established the then nineteen-year-old drummer as a leading light among a select group of eager young musicians who were looking to breath new life …

When Ian Matthews got his first drumkit at age four, he was lucky that his babysitter was also a professional drummer. “He’d teach me a few rudiments and how to read a bit,??? Ian remembers….

A new breed of drummer has emerged over the past decade. This elite group of international super-drummers has changed the face of drumming and raised the bar on speed, ambidextrous technique, soloing, stick tricks, multi-pedal coordination, and independence to levels that seem unimaginable to most drummers….

by Adam Budofsky Four years after their gold-selling, self-titled third album, Finger Eleven’s new one, Them Vs. You Vs. Me, finds dynamic lefty Rich Beddoe once again delivering the goods, with more multi-limb surprises and an even sharper ear for detail. Though Rich Beddoe wasn’t the original drummer with the …

Neil Sanderson is all about taking it in. “I’m a sponge on tour, hanging out with other drummers,??? he says. “I look at the way they present themselves onstage as well as off.???

“Without giving too much away, I’m actually playing the role of Colonel Sanders in the show,??? confesses drummer Brooks Wackerman, speaking of his current gig on tour with the musical/comedy duo Tenacious D.

“I compare drumming to various spices. If the groove has too much salt or too much pepper, then you’re going to be all savored out.???

Trevor Friedrich’s band Eighteen Visions (Epic) has just released their self-titled sophomore opus, a mishmash of heavy meets melodic, which then meets metal….

Few jazz drummers have had careers as rewarding and successful as Jeff Hamilton’s. And with several new releases and projects in the works–and an MD Readers Poll win–2006 may be one of his finest years yet.

Last summer I got to experience what it might have been like at Beatles concert at the height of Beatlemania. On separate occasions I saw shows by two new bands: The Click Five, from America, and McFly, from the UK. Not since I saw Hanson a few years ago did …

Last year, Modern Drummer Festival attendees learned what legions of devoted heavy metal fans have known for years: There’s something special about Lamb Of God’s drummer, Chris Adler.

When Spencer Seim was a kid, he spent hours each day riveted in front of the family television, tirelessly playing video games on his Nintendo Entertainment System. Beyond the games’ sense of fantasy, action, and adventure, Spencer became obsessed with the complex and quirky electronic tunes soundtracking each game.

Billy Hart is one of the unsung giants of jazz. He’s recorded over six hundred albums, including seminal dates with Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Stan Getz, Joe Zawinul, Sam Rivers, Pharoah Sanders, John Scofield, Lee Konitz, Hank Jones, Pat Martino, Charles Lloyd, Dave Liebman, and most recently, heavy hitters like …

The SoCal band Sugar Ray, with poster-pinup lead singer Mark McGrath, guitarist Rodney Sheppard, bassist Murphy Karges, DJ Craig “Homicide” Bullock, and drummer Stan Frazier, have definitely proved to all the critics who once labeled them “one-hit wonders” that they are here to stay….

I saw the California-based pop band Rooney perform live before I was familiar with their music. Besides featuring some very powerful, tasteful drumming, I found them to be extremely melodic, with hooks that stuck in my head for days after the show….

Audioslave’s Brad Wilk had plenty to say for MD’s April ’03 cover story. But there’s more! Check out the hard-hitting drummer’s comments on topics ranging from Audioslave’s incredible first video to the surprising similarities between The Police and Rage Against The Machine. (continue reading)

As Yes continues their world tour – featuring the return of keyboardist Rick Wakeman, signifying the reborn “classic” lineup – the band simply gets hotter and hotter. Drummer Alan White recently sat down with Modern Drummer, inaugurating the magazine’s brand-new Playback column, in which the world’s greatest players reflect on …

Jeremy Hummel is equal parts bombast and finesse. He’s just as likely to ride hard on his China as he is to tap out an intricate riff on a 6″ effects cymbal. He’s as interested in “bringing back the gong” as he is in developing more finesse and subtlety on …

‘Ever since I was a kid, I knew I was destined for this,’ says System Of A Down drummer John Dolmayan. ‘I used to go to shows and think, ‘I’m going to be on that stage one day.'”

Billy Hart is one of the unsung giants of jazz. He’s recorded over six hundred albums, including seminal dates with Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Stan Getz, Joe Zawinul, Sam Rivers, Pharoah Sanders, John Scofield, Lee Konitz, Hank Jones, Pat Martino, Charles Lloyd, Dave Liebman, and most recently, heavy hitters like …

With Blink-182 on an “indefinite hiatus,” master slammer Travis Barker has his sights set on his next release with another group, the sophomore album from The Transplants.

Thomas Lang was standing at the door of his dressing room, waiting to take his spot at the last Modern Drummer Festival Weekend. The thirty-four-year-old, Austrian-born drummer, now a resident of England, was an unknown quantity to this discriminating crowd. By rights, he ought to have been quaking in his …

In 1999, as Gary Burton was celebrating his fiftieth year as a vibraphonist, the vibraphone itself turned seventy-five years old. Burton felt the time was right to pay tribute to the instrument and the players who pioneered jazz vibraphone. The result is his recent album on Concord, For Hamp, Red, …

On the Butthole Surfers’ latest album, Weird Revolution, precise digital editing replaces the band’s famous idiot-savant studio trickery….

“I don’t want to let anyone down at the magazine, but I’m not a very technical drummer,” Chuck Comeau explains, while chatting it up with Modern Drummer in the posh lobby of the Westin New York hotel in Midtown Manhattan….

Literally a few days before our interview with Sam Loeffler, the news came that Chicago trio Chevelle had just been awarded platinum status (sales of one million copies) for their sophomore effort, Wonder What’s Next. And that’s exactly the question that’s been on the minds of Chevelle fans – after …

Two-thousand-two was a wild ride for Memphis rockers Saliva-world tours, Grammy nomination, platinum sales of their 2001 debut Every Six Seconds, and vocalist Josey Scott singing co-lead with Nickelback’s Chad Kroeger on “Hero,” the massive hit from Spiderman. When it rains, it pours….

“We always thought we were more of an alternative band, like Jane’s Addiction,” Sam says. The drummer’s powerful, yet intricate, and tribal drumming, which permeates the band’s latest release, Year Of The Spider, certainly supports that view….

South London rockers Moke are enjoying increased stateside visibility with their sophomore release, Carnival, due largely to the band’s relentless touring….

In viewing the Compositional Drumming DVD by Washington, DC born Sean Rickman, one is immediately taken aback by his advanced drumming skills. No question, he is in a league with fusion greats Dennis Chambers, Steve Smith, and Dave Weckl. Rickman, also a talented multi-instrumentalist, composed the complex music and played …

When Phil Jordan sits down behind the kit for his band, UK rockers The Music, he has one goal in mind: making people dance. Jordan says the secret is in the dynamics….

At a 1999 Birdland performance with The Dave Holland Quintet, Billy Kilson led band and audience in a rousing chorus of drum worship. Holland, one of jazz’s most celebrated bassists and composers, has played with all the innovators, from Tony and Elvin to Jack DeJohnette and Billy Higgins. So you …

A case can be made that Stewart Copeland is the single most influential drummer of the last twenty-plus years. A good case….

With Till The Medicine Takes, Widespread Panic move way beyond their reputation as merely a jam band. Not that they’ll necessarily be jumping up the Billboard Top-40 charts any time soon….

The candle that burns twice as brightly burns half as long. That saying seems appropriate when discussing the flare-out of a staggeringly influential band like LA’s alternative rock pioneers Jane’s Addiction…

One of the factors that distinguishes this Kansas City quartet is its powerful but nimble drummer, Ryan Pope

With Till The Medicine Takes, Widespread Panic move way beyond their reputation as merely a jam band. Not that they’ll necessarily be jumping up the Billboard Top-40 charts any time soon. But the album does show a tighter grip on songwriting and a wider palette of sounds than the band …

Mike Portnoy is no longer the new kid on the progressive-rock block. The once proclaimed “next Neil Peart” has proven himself many times over to be worthy of acknowledgement. This isn’t so much for the commercial success of his band Dream Theater. Rather, it’s for his consistent progression of new …

Though Coheed & Cambria’s drummer Josh Eppard grew up playing along to Sly & The Family Stone’s sticksman Gregg Errico, and also cites The Cars as a musical influence, the band’s progressive rock underpinnings challenge him….

When you meet with Abe Laboriel Jr., you can’t help but smile the entire time. It’s not just hearing about his success stories, it’s that his presence exudes a glow and inner kindness that is both spiritual and contagious…