Mike Portnoy

by Josh Buchignani Baard Kolstad kicked off his “Evening with Baard Kolstad” livestream on Saturday May 8th with an explosive playthrough of “The Sky is Red” from Leprous, the progressive metal group that Baard has been the drummer for since 2013. This track consists of a wide dynamic range and …

By Mike Waltz  Twenty-two years after their last recording together, Liquid Tension Experiment LTE3 (released today 4/16/21 on Inside Out Music) found a way to reunite in July of 2020 (pandemic be dammed) to write and record this monster album. Mike Portnoy (drums), John Petrucci (guitar), Jordan Rudess (piano, keys) …

Modern Drummer is rebooting its world-famous Drum Festival on September 12 at 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time with a live-streaming event honoring the late, great Rush drummer Neil Peart. Proceeds of ticket sales will benefit brain tumor research at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. The event, which will be produced and distributed …

LiveXLive to Produce and Distribute Live Pay Per View Show Featuring Incredible Lineup Reaching over 150 Million Social Media Fans — Taylor Hawkins, Chad Smith, Cindy Blackman-Santana, Thomas Lang, Alex Gonzalez A global platform for livestream and on-demand audio, video and podcast content in music, comedy, and pop culture, announced …

When I was two years old, my parents got tired of continually picking up pots and pans and wooden spoons off the floor.

Hi MD readers, Joey Aguirre here and I play drums in a progressive metal band called Sifting. It’s an honor to be featured here “On The Beat!”

Hi there, MD fans and fellow drum enthusiasts! My name is Frederik De Wilde and I’m currently living in Ghent, Belgium. Drumming has been the biggest passion in my life since I was nine years old.

SONS OF APOLLO are ready to ring in the new decade with a sonic boom with their second studio album, appropriately titled, MMXX (pronounced: 20/20).

My name is Steve and I play in the Offering, a heavy metal band based in Boston, Massachusetts. I have been a subscriber to Modern Drummer since I was fifteen, so having the opportunity to appear here “On The Beat” is an incredible full circle moment for me.

Jonathan Schang, drummer and leader of the neo-prog band District 97, has graciously invited Modern Drummer to premiere the group’s video to the song “Sleep,” from their upcoming album Screens.

Backstage Auctions, Inc presents the upcoming “All Access David Frangioni” auction event which will feature a host of impressive and historic rock and audio memorabilia including drums and drum kits, audio equipment, and more, from award-winning audio engineer, author, and collector David Frangioni.

Mike Portnoy’s Percussive Nation Music Camp 2019.

After recently inducting Judas Priest, Bill Ward, Doro, and other icons of rock and metal into the 2018 Hall of Heavy Metal History, it has recently announced the 2019 inductees.

Hey everybody! My name is Max Portnoy and I play drums for the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania-based progressive metal band Next To None. I’ve been playing drums for about fourteen years, and I’ve been playing with my band for close to six years now.

With Juniper, instrumental and percussion-heavy trio Square Peg Round Hole unleashes pondering melodies, brooding harmonic landscapes, and forward-thinking rhythms. Here, the group’s main drummer, Evan Chapman, discusses the concepts and influences behind the record’s broad sonic spectrum….

See what’s in the July Modern Drummer magazine 2016 Gear of the Year Issue.

See what’s in the July Modern Drummer magazine 2016 Gear of the Year Issue.

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 …

Progressive metal band Next to None’s debut album, A Light in the Dark, features Mike Portnoy’s son, Max, on drums. Here, father and son share their thoughts on the making of the album.

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, …

The Winery Dogs, featuring drummer Mike Portnoy, bassist Billy Sheehan, and guitarist Richie Kotzen, will be releasing their new album, Hot Streak, this coming October 2. Check out this drum cam video of Portnoy recording the album’s title track….

On course to sell out for the third year in a row, the 2015 “Cruise to the Edge,??? the annual Yes fan cruise and prog-rock experience is sailing the Caribbean this November…

Winery Dogs, featuring drummer Mike Portnoy, bassist Billy Sheehan, and singer/guitarist Richie Kotzen, are hosting the 2015 edition of Dog Camp this July 27 though 31 at the Full Moon Resort in Big Indian, New York. Modern Drummer readers are being offered a special discount of 10% off registration for …

Last Friday, March 20, longtime Twisted Sister drummer AJ Pero died in Poughkeepsie, New York, from an apparent heart attack while on the road with Adrenaline Mob.

Scheduled to coincide with the 2015 National Association of Music Merchants convention—the NAMM Show—the California Music Fest will present tribute concerts to Led Zeppelin drummer John “Bonzo??? Bonham, Ozzie Osbourne guitarist Randy Rhoads, and the Who’s great rhythm section, drummer Keith Moon and bassist John Entwistle.

What is the rhythmic essence of progressive music? What makes prog so different from other genres? Does it require a specific skill set on the drumkit, or does the nature of the music make it open to interpretation? MD posed these and other questions to the drummers in Spock’s Beard, …

Hi there, Modern Drummer readers, it’s Gabor ‘Gabs’ Dornyei here from London, UK, and it’s great to be given the opportunity by MD to share some insights of my career with you….

To celebrate the release of Second Nature, the new album by Flying Colors, with Mike Portnoy on drums, one lucky winner will receive a drumhead signed by the band members plus the new CD….

Our October 2014 Spotify Playlist kicks off with some great live cuts, including cover star Ian Paice’s famous solo vehicle, “The Mule,” from Deep Purple’s seminal in-concert recording, Made in Japan….

My search for a drum sound has been an active one. I’ve played everything from an old-school “tube??? Tama from the late-’80s to fusion-size Pearl, Yamaha, and PDP drumkits….

Drummer Mike Portnoy and his Winery Dogs bandmates, bassist Billy Sheehan and guitarist Richie Kotzen, have announced Dog Camp. The event, the group’s first annual immersive program for aspiring musicians of all ages and levels, is set for this coming July 21-25, at Full Moon Resort in Big Indian, New …

We’ve recently completed our second full-length album, Everything Is Awesome Nothing Matters, with producer Kurt Ballou (Converge) at Godcity Studio….

This year was perhaps the most challenging, yet incredibly gratifying, test to see how I could make various rewarding opportunities work in an already vigorous schedule….

The October 2013 issue of Modern Drummer magazine features an article in which seven MD Pro Panelists share some of their favorite “hidden gems.??? Here MD’s editorial staff weighs in on their personal favorites….

For the third consecutive year, Sabian is asking drummers around the world to help decide which new models the iconic cymbal-maker will release in 2014 – and once again, drummers around the world get a chance to play them before voting.

October 2013 Issue of Modern Drummer featuring Mike Portnoy Contents

Brian Thomas Tichy and his partner Joe Sutton have decided to bring the Bonzo Bash/John Bonham celebration to New York and New Jersey for three shows. The shows, co-sponsored by Modern Drummer, have been booked for May 30, May 31, and June 1 to pay tribute to John Henry Bonham …

My name is James Forsberg, and I am the drummer for the California rock band RapScallions.

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

Throughout September and October, drummers around the world will get to decide which new cymbals Sabian will release in 2013 – but this time around, many of you will be able to play them in person before you vote!

Check out this clip of Jason Gianni with Neal Morse at the 2012 Cornerstone Christian music festival in Bushnell, Illinois, playing “The Door??? from the prog-rock great’s Sola Scriptura album. Jason is currently subbing for Mike Portnoy on Morse’s world tour.

Bonzo’s Birthday Bash: A Tribute Concert to John Henry Bonham of Led Zeppelin, will be presented this coming Thursday, May 31, at the House of Blues in Los Angeles, California. (continue reading)

Video of Mike Portnoy playing at Guitar Center’s 2011 Drum-Off finale this past January 14, featuring Billy Sheehan on bass, Tony MacAlpine on guitar, and Derek Sherinian on keys.

The outrageous and ambitious Mike Mangini boldly announces his arrival on DT’s epic eleventh studio album.

The Mascot Label Group has announced a March 27 release date for the debut from Flying Colors (available the day prior overseas) on their Music Theories Label.

My name is Steve Moore, aka the Mad Drummer. Some of you might remember me as “the Drummer at the Wrong Gig??? on YouTube. To say I’ve had the best year of my life would be an understatement!

Sabian gives drummers from around the world the ability to choose the brand’s next four cymbals.

Find out what your favorite drummer is up to now (Web Update News 7/21/11).

As a result of the tremendous success of SABIAN U, SABIAN has just announced the launch of a Band & Orchestral curriculum. Comprised of 4 brand new courses, the new curriculum is specifically designed for retailers who sell Band & Orchestral instruments…

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….

Hey, MD readers, my name is Ryan Shutler, and I play drums for the metal act Lazarus A.D. I’ve spent the better part of this year touring in support of our new album, Black Rivers Flow.,,,

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 …

Photo by Marc Rouve You can probably guess I dabble a bit on the old drumkit myself, and it is always difficult trying to explain to someone what it looks like sitting on that throne—the best seat in the house. With my images in the book I try to give …

Photo by Marc Rouve You can probably guess I dabble a bit on the old drumkit myself, and it is always difficult trying to explain to someone what it looks like sitting on that throne—the best seat in the house. With my images in the book I try to give …

What’s up, MD readers! We’re just about ending our UPROAR Festival, and it’s been killer! It’s incredible to be out with so many amazing drummers. I still remember working in a drum shop and watching Mike Portnoy’s drum videos…now I’m onstage watching Mr. Portnoy rip it up with Avenged, Roy …

Hello, MD readers! My name is Steve Moore, aka “Drummer At The Wrong Gig.??? A few years ago someone shot video of me and uploaded it to YouTube, where it sat idle until last week, when someone renamed it “This Drummer Is At The Wrong Gig.??? In one week, it …

Greetings, MD readers! This is Matty Clark, drummer for Texas-based dirty southern rock band Anchored. We’ll be heading out on the road through April and May with Saliva, with plenty more dates to be posted after that….

Mike Portnoy is considered one of the finest prog-rock drummers in the history of the genre…

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….

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.

Mike Portnoy may very well be the hardest-working drummer in the business. His recent three-DVD set, In Constant Motion, speaks for itself. The undisputed king of progressive metal never sleeps!

In the wee morning hours of 2004, Jason Bittner put on his slippers, leashed the hounds, and left his Albany, New York home to pick up the latest issue of Modern Drummer….

When your first major tour includes a make-believe club date performing for surrealist director David Lynch and actor Nicolas Cage, you know your career has taken an unorthodox turn….

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 …