
Matt Chamberlain

Celebrate Your Choices for the Extraordinary Drummers of the Past Year It’s that time again for the Modern Drummer staff to thank the community for making possible our annual Readers Poll. Your enthusiasm for all things drumming, your knowledge of drum culture, and your well-considered votes are what have steered …

Changing Things Up with Bob Dylan After joining Bob Dylan’s band in 2019, and playing on his latest album, Rough and Rowdy Ways, Matt Chamberlain was supposed to be spending much of 2020 on the road with the legendary singer-songwriter. Then, the pandemic hit, and Chamberlain’s 2020 plans changed. But …

I like the idea of being influenced by one thing while you’re playing something totally unrelated. Maybe on your drive to a session with a singer-songwriter, an N.W.A. song comes up on the radio and influences you to try some nasty groove over the top of a mellow song with …

The musician, who is perhaps best known for playing on the Honeycombs’ 1964 hit, “Have I the Right?” was one of the very few female drummers to emerge from the British Invasion movement of the 1960s.

“Content” is not a word that exists in this perennial MD favorite’s lexicon, who balances his day job as a top studio drummer with chasing the muse with creative artists like Brian Haas and Bill Frisell, as well as through his own man-machine solo projects.

Chad Smith, Mike Mangini, Sammy Figueroa, Peter Erskine, Tyler Stewart, David Lauser, Linda Pitmon, Craig Randolph, Willie Green, Mike Portnoy, Phil Collins, Matt Chamberlain, Roger Odell, Russ McKinnon, Chet Doboe, T. Bruce Wittet, Rick Van Horn, Frederick Bay, Daniel Glass, Ron Hefner, Matt Peiken

Matt Chamberlain, John Guerin, Armando Peraza, Vinne Amico, Bill Bruford, Carl Palmer, Jacob Slichter, Mark Zonder, Kim Zick, Steve Johns, Randy Castillo, Steve Smith, Dave Weckl
Abe Laboriel Jr., Matt Chamberlain, Jack DeJohnette, Don Alias, Nir Zidkyahu, Jeremy Taggart, Brendan Hill, Ben Perowsky, Pat McGann, Denny Weston Jr., Ken Tondre, Eric Singer, Roy Haynes

In this Issue: Roy Haynes, Matt Chamberlain, Greg D’Angelo
Posted: March 10, 2020

Delta Rae's Mike McKee
Hello Modern Drummer! Mike McKee here and it’s an honor to be “On The Beat” for a second time.
Posted: October 10, 2017

On The Beat with Grammy Winning Producer-Drummer-Guitarist-Songwriter Clif Magness
Hi MD. My love affair with drums began in my mother’s car. When I was around six years old, I was pounding away “Wipe Out” on the headrest when she decided then and there to rush me into drum lessons. A few years later, my parents bought me the Yamaha …
Posted: August 31, 2016
Mark Stepro on Recording With Butch Walker
Mark Stepro is an in-demand studio and live performer who handles everything from alt-country to rock. The drummer, who placed in MD’s 2016 Readers Poll in the Pop/R&B category, can be heard on new records from Gaslight Anthem’s Brian Fallon, the Wind and the Wave, and Butch Walker, who calls …
Posted: June 30, 2016

August 2016 Issue of Modern Drummer magazine featuring Slipknot’s Jay Weinberg
(Available in print and digitally June 30, 2016) Print Copy ○ iTunes ○ Amazon ○ GooglePlay ○ Subscribe On the Cover Slipknot’s Jay Weinberg “They didn’t want a copycat, so I needed to play it in my own way. I can’t play it any other way.” Taking the place of …
Posted: June 30, 2016
August 2016 Issue of Modern Drummer magazine featuring Slipknot’s Jay Weinberg
(Available in print and digitally June 30, 2016) Print Copy ○ iTunes ○ Amazon ○ GooglePlay ○ Subscribe On the Cover Slipknot’s Jay Weinberg “They didn’t want a copycat, so I needed to play it in my own way. I can’t play it any other way.” Taking the place of …
Posted: October 14, 2015
Evan Burrows of Wand on 1,000 Days
The Los Angeles–based group Wand, featuring drummer Evan Burrows, singer and guitarist Cory Hanson, and bassist Lee Landy, are among the most prolific of the current crop of galaxy-gazing garage-rockers, producing three full-lengths in just over a year. Burrows makes the most out of the group’s ambitious music-world view, muscularly …
Posted: October 31, 2014
Drummer Blog: Paul Amorese of goodbyemotel Talks New Single, Album, and Tour
Hi, MD blog readers! My name is Paul Amorese, and I am a professional drummer based in New York City and now a full-time member of the Aussie rock group goodbyemotel….
Posted: September 19, 2014
Drummer Blog! Eric Jackowitz on Playing Different Styles With Caleb Hawley
Playing Caleb’s tunes is a pleasure. The first record is more Motown inspired, and his second record has a more funk/synth/Prince-y vibe, so I’ve been getting to let out my inner Ndugu Chancler/Steve Jordan/Questlove….
Posted: July 28, 2014
Check out the Loop Loft’s Matt Chamberlain Drums, a Collection of Loops, Multi-tracks, Samples, and MIDI by the famed session drummer.
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….
Posted: March 26, 2014
May 2014 Issue of Modern Drummer Featuring Jim Riley
See what’s in the May 2014 issue of Modern Drummer Magazine featuring drummer Jim Riley…
Posted: July 1, 2013
Mike Dillon’s Adam Gertner
My name is Adam Gertner. I’m twenty-three years old, and for the past eighteen months I’ve been touring with drummer and percussionist Mike Dillon….
Posted: December 18, 2012
Michael Shrieve
I’m writing to inform you about a new interview show that I have launched on an exciting Internet–only radio station called Jet City Stream. My show is called “Notes From The Field.???
Posted: November 7, 2012
Memphis Drum Shop to Host 25th Annual Vendor Day Expo
On November 10, 2012, Memphis Drum Shop will host their 25th Annual Vendor Day Expo, the biggest sale of the year, both in store and online….
Posted: March 19, 2012
Tim Walsh of the Stepkids
I’m Tim Walsh of the Stepkids, and I’m excited to be on here and hope to add to the wealth of knowledge that is MD’s awesome thirty-five-year history…
Posted: January 20, 2012
25 Great Double-Drumming Tracks
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 …
Posted: December 19, 2011
Dec Web Update News
Drumming news from around the web for December 2011.
Posted: December 6, 2011
Updated! Matt Chamberlain on the Making of a Career in the Studio
In his January 2012 Modern Drummer cover story, we dig deep with the drummer into the mentality of what it takes to be one of the most in-demand session players of the past twenty years.
Posted: October 13, 2011
Back Through The Stack: Bill Rieflin
After thirty years, R.E.M. has officially called it quits. In April of 2005, though, MD was grilling the most recent addition to their lineup.
Posted: September 20, 2011
Jimmy Chamberlin: The Ex-Smashing Pumpkins Drummer Takes a New Direction with Skysaw
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 …
Posted: July 1, 2011
MD Readers Poll 2011 Results
Welcome once again to the MD Readers Poll, where the greatest drummers on the planet are honored by the most educated drum fans around. Let’s get right to it: the envelope, please….
Posted: June 29, 2011
Daniel Bédard of Sharcüt
Hi, drummers! My name is Daniel Bédard, and I’m a drummer from Montreal. I’ve been drumming now for around sixteen years, and I’ve played with a lot of different artists here in Québec. I’m writing to talk to you about my band Sharcüt, a trio composed of guitar, bass, and …
Posted: June 24, 2011
Elias Logothetis with Ryan Star
I’d like to thank the folks at Modern Drummer for inviting me to share a little bit of history and a few of the upcoming events going on with Ryan Star. I’ve been playing drums with Ryan for a little over a year and a half now. I started back …
Posted: November 29, 2010
Sarab Singh of Harper Blynn
Greetings, fellow MD readers! My name is Sarab Singh, and this is my first-ever blog post for MD. I am truly honored and grateful to be doing this! A bit about myself: I live in Brooklyn, New York, got my music degree from the University of Miami, and am a …
Posted: August 11, 2010
Bell Gardens’ Charlie Woodburn
Hello, Modern Drummer readers! I’m Charlie Woodburn, and I am a session drummer in Los Angeles, California. First, I would like to say thank you to Modern Drummer for letting me add to the blog because I have been reading the magazine since I was fifteen years old. MD has …
Posted: March 8, 2010
Tegan And Sara’s Johnny Andrews
Well, why don’t I introduce myself. My name is Johnny Andrews (aka Johnny 5). I hail from Victoria, BC, Canada. I do studio sessions and live playing for a bunch of bands. In the past I have worked with Holly McNarland, Starfield, Laura Smith, and dbClifford, but I’m probably best …
Posted: February 11, 2010
Dave Abbruzzese: Pearl Jam And More
Pearl Jam was months into their first U.S. tour, their second name, and their third drummer before most people had even heard of them.
Posted: October 20, 2009
Drumming On TV
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…
Posted: January 16, 2008
Best Of ’07
I’m convinced that, ten years from now, we’re going to look back at 2007 as an unusually fertile time in music and in drumming.
Posted: September 25, 2007
Craig Macintyre
Drummer Craig Macintyre is in the middle of a two-year tour with Josh Groban, promoting the star vocalist’s latest album, ‘Awake’….
Posted: August 15, 2007
Prog-Rock Master Drummer Pat Mastelotto On The Whats And Whys Of His Home Studio Arsenal
This month’s Modern Drummer features a Woodshed interview with drummer/“home recording enthusiast??? Pat Mastelotto, of King Crimson, KTU, Mastica, TU, Tuner– basically, an unending succession of fascinating musical projects. Here’s Pat’s first-person description of the gear he keeps in his big, bustling semi-attached wonderland of drumdom….
Posted: June 1, 2006
An Interview with Lisa Loeb
The very beautiful and talented singer/songwriter Lisa Loeb talks drums on MD Online….
Posted: July 19, 2005
David Northrup
Growing up on a mix of R&B, pop, rock, and country, David Northrup, originally from Syracuse New York, moved south in the early ’90s playing sessions and gigging the Florida club scene. One of those gigs led him to meeting and working with ace session guitarist Les Dudek…
Posted: May 12, 2004
In The Loop With The Pros
With all of the samplers, prerecorded loops, and programmers in the studio, how much of what we hear today from a drummer is actual acoustic drums or electronics? MD asked some of the best “hired guns” in the business to comment on their current role and gear requirements in the …
Posted: March 23, 2023

John DeChristopher Live From My Drum Room With Matt Chamberlain
John’s guest is legendary session drummer, Matt Chamberlain! Matt’s recording credits reads like a ‘who’s who’ of recording artists. He was voted #1 Studio Drummer in the Modern Drummer Readers Poll in 2016, 2019, and 2021. John and Matt do a deep dive into Matt’s long and stellar career, going …
Posted: March 24, 2017
Episode 85: Essential Grooves, Matt Chamberlain, Provenance Snare, and More
In this episode, Mike and Mike discuss the grooves that they feel are most important for working drummers to have at their disposal. The featured artist is session great Matt Chamberlain.
Posted: November 28, 2016
Episode 69: Favorite Warm-Ups, Jerry Marotta, SPD-SX, and More
In this episode of the Modern Drummer Podcast, Mike and Mike share their favorite daily warm-up exercises. The featured artist is Jerry Marotta, who played with prog/pop great Peter Gabriel on several of his landmark albums in the ’80s. Up for review is Roland’s SPD-SX multipad. After fielding a few …
Posted: October 28, 2016
Episode 65: Ralph Peterson, Zildjian Avedis Series, and More
In this episode, Mike and Mike share two more of their favorite drum tracks before diving into the topic of practicing and knowing when to move on. Next they crack open the December 2016 issue of Modern Drummer and discuss jazz great Ralph Peterson, who’s featured on the cover. Up …
Posted: October 23, 2015

Episode 13: Groupings and Subdivisions, Robert “Sput??? Searight's GhostNote, Pearl’s Wood Fiberglass Drumset, Matt Chamberlain’s Endorsement Changes, and More
In this episode, Mike and Mike talk about studio great Matt Chamberlain’s recent drum and cymbal endorsement changes, the difference between groupings and subdivisions, Snarky Puppy drummer Robert “Sput??? Searight’s new project GhostNote, Pearl’s reissued Wood Fiberglass drumset, and some picks of the week.
Posted: October 23, 2015
Episode 13: Groupings and Subdivisions, Robert “Sput??? Searight’s GhostNote, Pearl’s Wood Fiberglass Drumset, Matt Chamberlain’s Endorsement Changes, and More
In this episode, Mike and Mike talk about studio great Matt Chamberlain’s recent drum and cymbal endorsement changes, the difference between groupings and subdivisions, Snarky Puppy drummer Robert “Sput??? Searight’s new project GhostNote, Pearl’s reissued Wood Fiberglass drumset, and some picks of the week.