Tré Cool

Female Drummers wanted! Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp unveils its first ever WOMEN ONLY Rock Camp! This ground-breaking camp will take place in Los Angeles, CA over the Grammy® weekend, January 27-30, 2022 with special headlining mentors including Melissa Etheridge, Nancy Wilson, Kathy Valentine, Orianthi and even more to be announced in the coming weeks. …

  Brian Tichy (Whitesnake, Billy Idol, Foreigner, Ozzy Osbourne and more) recently recorded a play along and lesson video for Modern Drummer as a tribute to the great Alex Van Halen and the Modern Drummer Legends Vol 2 featuring AVH. Modern Drummer caught up with Brian for a brief Q …

  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! …

by Fred W. Gretsch This past Saturday, September 12 saw the return of one of drumming’s great events: The Modern Drummer Festival. Not held since 2011, this year’s Festival marked the 20th in its iconic history. Of course, given the nature of the times, the 2020 Festival couldn’t be held …

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!”

My name is Morgan Bauer and I’m the drummer in A Killer’s Confession (AKC). We released our single “Numb” on September 20, 2019 and our second album, The Indifference of Good Men, on October 18.

Hello MD readers! I’m the drummer for the reunited band Hollywood Stars. We are a Los Angeles band originally assembled in 1973 by legendary rock ’n’ roll artist/manager/songwriter Kim Fowley.

Hello Modern Drummer readers! Having been a subscriber since the ninth grade, it’s always an honor to be somewhere within the world of MD. A big thanks to Billy Amendola for all his support since we met so many years ago.

Hey MD! Vince Wilburn Jr. from Miles Electric Band here. This has been a huge year for recording, album releases, and the new Miles documentary Birth Of The Cool, directed by Stanley Nelson.

Hello, my fellow drummers! When I’m not playing with the Hooters (next year will be our fortieth anniversary), I have my own band called David Uosikkinen’s In The Pocket.

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

Hello Modern Drummer magazine voyeurs. Rich Pagano here to talk briefly about what has been happening and a couple of nice events that I am honored to be a part of in the near future.

Hello Modern Drummer readers, it’s Corky Laing here again. This time I would like to tell you a story about an album that almost didn’t happen.

Hey there MD! Just touching base with a quick update on some fun stuff that’s been going on. Holy cow, does time ever fly! I’ll soon be going into my twentieth year playing with Glass Tiger, the Canadian rock band known for “Don’t Forget Me (When I’m Gone).”

Hello MD! My name is Adrian Varady and I play with my dad and brother. I’m fifteen years old.

A massive hello to all you MD readers, Manny Elias here and it’s great to chat with you again! As some of you may remember I’m the original drummer from Tears For Fears (The Hurting and Songs From The Big Chair).

What’s up everyone! Tyler Ritter here from the Nashville-based band Moon Taxi. I’m super pumped to be here discussing a few things for “On The Beat” and would like to deeply thank Modern Drummer for having me.

Hello MD! Fortunes is an album I’d been wanting to make for a long time. My last solo drum album, Origins, was released back in 2014, so it’s been a while.

Hello my fellow Modern Drummer’s! My name is Nigel Dupree and I play drums for the rock band Wayland.

Hey MD Readers! This is Steph Barker, drummer for the Los Angeles indie pop duo Coast Modern. I have been a huge fan of Modern Drummer since I started drumming back in sixth grade, so I am over the moon and absolutely honored to contribute to “On The Beat.”

Hey, Modern Drummer readers! Fred Eltringham here. I recently played some special shows that I think quite a few of you will enjoy, especially if you are a ZZ Top fan.

Hello MD readers! I’m Cyrus Bolooki, drummer for the band New Found Glory, and I’m writing this while in the middle of our Twenty Years of Pop Punk anniversary tour.

The June issue of Modern Drummer magazine features an interview with three-time Grammy Award–winning producer Russ Titelman who in his long career has worked with musical giants including Little Feat, Randy Newman, James Taylor, Brian Wilson, Cyndi Lauper, Graham Central Station, Rickie Lee Jones, George Harrison, Chaka Khan, the Bee …

Hey there, Modern Drummer readers! I’m Jamie Perkins, the drummer for the Pretty Reckless. We’re a rock ’n’ roll band that has been steadfastly irritating the online hipster community since about 2009.

Hello MD readers! I’ve been drumming with “Weird Al” Yankovic since late-1980, and if you’d told me I’d still be doing that thirty-seven years later, I would have said you were crazy! And when I tell someone that I play drums for Weird Al, the response is often, “is he …

When I was a kid, I decided to stop hitting my brother and start hitting the drums. Now we’re kicking ass and taking numbers together.

Modern Drummer magazine’s September 1999 issue featured famed James Brown drummers Clyde Stubblefield and John “Jabo” Starks on the cover in a dual interview. We’ll be presenting Clyde’s half of the piece in an upcoming post; here we share quotes from three prominent drummers who went on record in that …

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 …

Hello Modern Drummer world. My name is Adam Chase and I’m the drummer and bandleader for the Chase Brothers, Jazz Is Phsh, and the James Brown Dance Party, as well as a studio drummer and multi-instrumentalist. As a long-time touring drummer, I’ve had the good fortune to share the stage …

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 Part 1 of our new interview with the iconic drummer Bill Stevenson, we discussed the latest Descendents album, the major lifestyle changes he’s made, and solving the drummer/producer dichotomy. Here we trace the early developments of his long and illustrious playing career, and learn about the broad range of …

More than a decade after taking over kit duties in the progressive jam band Umphrey’s McGee, the group’s current drummer sings the praises of recently released work by the man who came before him, a gifted player who died way too young.

This past October 7, post-hardcore group Dance Gavin Dance released its seventh full-length studio album, “Mothership”. Throughout the record’s thirteen cuts, founding drummer Matt Mingus weaves a unique, genre-defying sense of feel between intricate breakdowns and pounding unison guitar riffs.

Well, 2017 seems to be approaching fast! There are a lot of great music performances and some tours and recordings to talk about.

In this Modern Drummer exclusive, Blue Devils snare drummer Brandon Olander talks practice, preparation, and dealing with a camera crew.

Longtime New York City drummer Tony Leone is currently on the road with the Chris Robinson Brotherhood.

There’s a lot of anticipation surrounding the October release of Swedish extreme metal band Meshuggah’s eighth full-length album, The Violent Sleep of Reason.

Steven Wolf is, without doubt, truly one of today’s modern day drummers. He has all the technique and chops, he can groove like a feel-good metronome, and his programmed drum parts make you think, are these real drums or not?

Metal and pop-punk mainstays A Day to Remember are getting set to release their sixth studio album, Bad Vibrations, in early September. MD Online asked drummer Alex Shelnutt, the band’s powerful backbone, about the influences and techniques he calls on to propel the band.

Hello “On the Beat??? readers, Lynn Coulter here. I just got back from two weeks out with the fabulous Rita Coolidge doing dates in the New England area. Rita just released her memoir, Delta Lady.

When you follow a drummer like Rat Scabies into a band, as Andrew “Pinch??? Pinching of British punk institution the Damned did, it’s easy to figure that to some extent, you’re always going to be viewed as “the new guy.???

Dan Pawlovich is currently on the road with pop-rock group Panic! at the Disco in support of its latest album, Death of a Bachelor. Here Modern Drummer Online asks Pawlovich about backing a band that seamlessly sifts through multiple sonic landscapes while still staying on top.

It’s not a stretch to say Tony Thaxton’s drumming is just as vital to Motion City Soundtrack’s DNA as frontman Justin Pierre’s infectious melodies and neurotic internal monologue. Trust me—my band shared a Minneapolis practice space with Motion City in the early aughts, when they cycled though timekeepers at a …

Brooklyn-based indie-rock band We Are Scientists’ fifth album, Helter Seltzer, released digitally this past April 22 and physically on June 3, is an advanced-level course in hook-ology.

Hey guys and girls! My name is Matthew Parkitny and I play drums in the band Hands Like Houses. I’m super stoked to be writing a little number here on the Modern Drummer “On the Beat??? feature, so here we go!

Hi MD! I’ve been meaning to send you a little blurb about Elton John’s latest record and what we’ve been doing. The album Wonderful Crazy Night was released February 2016 and we have been playing promotional concerts starting in Los Angeles, then over to London and Paris….

Hey-o, Modern Drummers! My name is Joey Sulkowski and I play drums for Mainland, a Brooklyn based rock band that just finished a tour with Canadian superheroes Marianas Trench. A large part of my life has been spent with various bands in vans, buses, and planes, traveling around the world …

Gary Clark Jr. By Frank Maddocks by Will Romano   The last time I talked with Gary Clark Jr., it was over a decade ago and he was fitting a harp into a harmonica rack at Antone’s blues club, in Austin, Texas, where I was doing research. Gary was quiet …

Blackberry Smoke provided one of the year’s crossover album hits, topping country and rock charts with the Brendan O’Brien–produced Holding All the Roses. And once again, the Turner brothers, bassist Richard and drummer Brit, locked it all down with a sultry Southern swagger. MD caught up with Brit before a …

MD Online caught up with Parks before his New York City Technoself debut at Rough Trade to learn about the exciting new project.

With a résumé that includes Blue Öyster Cult, Rainbow, Quiet Riot, Black Sabbath, and more recently, Mountain guitarist Leslie West and the Axel Rudi Pell Band, Bobby Rondinelli remains a mega-force in heavy-rock drumming….

Hi Modern Drummer readers! 2015 has been a huge year full of opportunity and struggle—but you think we musicians have it tough? Let me tell you about a group of kids I was honored to meet this year when I thought I was having a hard time

Ben Koller has had his busiest gigging year in 2015, logging miles with Mutoid Man—which also released its Bleeder LP in June—as well as with Killer Be Killed and All Pigs Must Die. He’s also done two tours with the group he’s best known for, Converge. Writer Stephen Bidwell caught …

With the holiday season upon us, there’s no better time to step back and look at all the different gift options that are available. In this first installment of our 2015 holiday buyer’s guide, we specifically want to focus on drummer gifts that are under $20. These items are perfect …

Hi MD! For the past months we’ve played shows in all sorts of places across America. Large theatres. Small clubs. Sports bars. Board rooms. Radio stations. You name it, we’ve played it. But nothing beats Friday June 12, 2015 in Orlando, FL opening for the biggest rock ’n’ roll band …

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….

During an all too brief tour break, Bordin took a moment to talk to Modern Drummer about why Faith No More got back together, the DIY ethos that drove the making of Sol Invictus, how he manages to deliver such a physical set every night, and much more….

Joe Vitale is currently touring with Joe Walsh as well as starring in the movie Ricki and the Flash, featuring Meryl Streep. We continue talking with Joe about a few practice tips as well as some of his influences….

Hello! I’m Blake Davies and I play drums in Turbowolf. As I write this, I’m cleaning my Yamaha Maple Custom kit for another summer of shows and remembering festivals gone by. It got me thinking about inspiration and from where we draw it….

Antemasque’s Drummer on Education, Listening Skills, and Knowing Who You Are.

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, …

Hi MD readers! My name is Nate Arling, and I live in Chicago, Illinois. I play drums in the Last Vegas and Urge Overkill. I also do studio work and have played 1,000-plus shows in fifteen-plus countries at clubs, garages, arenas, festivals, strip clubs, barns, basements, and theatres….

Proggy fusion that’s light on seriousness but heavy on the musicianship of Marco Minnemann and company.

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 again, fellow MD fans! In my last entry to this page, I wrote about some of the less obvious things I’ve found to be useful (and easy to carry) on the road. I got a good response about the things and tips I shared last time, and I wanted …

Supertramp has always been tough to categorize. Is it a pop band with a fondness for complex arrangements, a progressive-rock band with impeccable pop smarts, or something else entirely? One thing’s for sure: Difficulties categorizing the group seemed not to hurt its popularity, as a string of hit albums, including …

Snare drums are easily the most recognizable voice in the drumkit. The practice of studio drummers using a different snare for every song, in order to change the overall voice of the kit, shows this theory in action. Some players have signature snare sounds that identify them immediately, where others …

Recording with Black Sabbath was the first surprise; now the ex-Rage/Audioslave drummer dashes expectations again with the Last Internationale….

I’m the drummer and primary composer of the Chicago-based progressive rock band District 97 featuring 2007 American Idol female finalist, Leslie Hunt. You may remember me from the 2012 Modern Drummer Readers Poll, when I placed in the Best Up and Coming drummer’s category….

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….

Drummer Bill Stevenson is among the most influential musicians associated with West Coast punk rock, on any instrument. After making his name with seminal hard-core band Black Flag in the ’80s, Stevenson proceeded to set a standard for punk drumming with the Descendants and All, later spreading his reputation even …

Hello, Modern Drummer readers! It’s been a while since I last checked in from “the North Woods.??? I see all is great in drum land—so many amazing new talents every day!

Here, as a companion to our August 2014 Influences piece on Mason, we speak with the drummer about his new album, his early days, the drummers who inspired him, and more….

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 …

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 …

My relationship with the drumkit and all it represents is different than most drummers I know. For me, there is a before, and there is an after.

Hey MD drummers! I’m writing this from our tour bus. We recently finished up on the North American leg of the Ingrid Michaelson Lights Out tour. It’s hard to believe it’s my eleventh year as Ingrid’s drummer and live programmer….

  This cool new kit from SJC features a custom zombie theme. The kit features 8×12, 13×15, and 14×16 toms, and a 16×24 kick. All of the drums are built using smoked-black acrylic shells and have a custom blood splatter and distressed finish and programmable LED lights. There are die-cast …

The two bands I’m currently in are very different from each other. One is an all-girl indie-pop band called the Prettiots. The second band is Larry & the Babes. It’s a garage rock band—very raw and rocking….

The two bands I’m currently in are very different from each other. One is an all-girl indie-pop band called the Prettiots. The second band is Larry & the Babes. It’s a garage rock band—very raw and rocking….

2014 began as an amazing journey in New Zealand and Australia for the Big Day Out festival. Throughout the three weeks spent on the road there, I not only became more confident as a drummer but also as a human….

Check out this video clip of the band Soule Monde, featuring drummer Russ Lawton and keyboardist Ray Paczkowski, both members of the solo group led by Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio. The clip was filmed in July 2013 at the Slide Brook Lodge & Tavern in Warren, Vermont, a favorite haunt …

Fun Fun Fun Fest had its eighth go-round this past November 8–10, and it was three days of great music for fans of metal, indie, hardcore, electro, and hip-hop, as well as wrestling, comedy, skateboarding, and BMX….

Fun Fun Fun Fest had its eighth go-round this past November 8–10, and it was three days of great music for fans of metal, indie, hardcore, electro, and hip-hop, as well as wrestling, comedy, skateboarding, and BMX….

Jazz drummer Foreststorn “Chico??? Hamilton died this past Monday at the age of ninety-two. Hamilton was notable for his refined approach to the drumset, which leaned more heavily on creative orchestrations than on flash, an approach that in the 1950s inspired the movements of cool and chamber jazz. Notably, Hamilton …

Thirty years into a career of trailblazing thrash drumming, Gene “The Atomic Clock??? Hoglan shows no signs of slowing down. Between touring and/or recording with Testament, Dethklok, and Meldrum, conducting drum clinics, and filming an instructional video, he’s as busy as ever….

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….

I’m Alex Sassaris from the NYC rock band Eve to Adam. We are gearing up for the release of our fourth studio album, Locked and Loaded, which comes out September 17 through our label 3 for 5 Records/MRI/Sony RED….

I wanted to share a bit of what’s been happening with me as of late. 2010 found me recording We All Bleed with Crossfade and Order of the Black with my buds in Black Label Society. I also got the opportunity to tour with BLS for a bit before getting …

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….

Just great-sounding and great-looking drums. That’s been the GMS way since the Long Island company began building custom drums twenty-six years ago. Click here to read more.

Hi, MD readers! I have had many firsts in the past year as the drummer for Alabaster….

See what’s in the June 2013 Issue of Modern Drummer Magazine! Featuring Joey Waronker.

Hey, everyone! Andrew Tkaczyk from the Ghost Inside here. Just checking in after a long three-month tour through Europe and the U.S. Feels good to be home and relax for a while!

I’m in a band called Everything Everything, which is based in Manchester, England. We’ve been lucky enough to play all over the world, including the United States recently.

Pinback has been traveling constantly this past year in support of the new album, Information Retrieved. We were planning the final leg of our US tour when the opportunity came up to play on Jimmy Fallon’s show in New York. The tour had been planned originally as a mostly southern …

I last wrote a blog for moderndrummer.com in 2009, when Owl’s debut album came out, and I wanted to share a little about our latest recording, The Right Thing, due out April 9.

How did I get asked to be the drummer to play with Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler and Joe Perry at the John Varvatos–hosted 10th Annual Stuart House Benefit show? Well, I’ll tell you.

Click here to check out what the MD Education Team members have to say about setting up your drumset for maximum results….

Click here to check out an article on minimal miking techniques for achieving a natural drum sound.

Hi! I’m Josh, and I play drums in a band called Twenty One Pilots. It’s the most fun thing I’ve ever done in my life—except for maybe swimming in the ocean once with dolphins in sight….

It’s that time of year again, when the makers of dreams—or at least the equipment that helps them come true—show off the latest and greatest gear that will be available in the upcoming months. What’s the catch? Not everyone is invited! Never fear, the Modern Drummer editors have it covered. …

Well, it’s 2013. I will say that 2012 was a good year full of music for me. I spent most of the year touring with the Texas Tornados….

My names Brendan and I play drums for the band Diamond Youth.

We’re quite spoiled as music lovers in Austin, Texas. Touring bands don’t really skip our city, and we’re treated to several major festivals a year. While I enjoy all of them, Fun Fun Fun Fest has become one of my favorites.

We’re quite spoiled as music lovers in Austin, Texas. Touring bands don’t really skip our city, and we’re treated to several major festivals a year. While I enjoy all of them, Fun Fun Fun Fest has become one of my favorites.

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

Hi MD readers! This is my first ever blog, and I wanted to tell you how I got to work on the upcoming Superman soundtrack.

My name is Brit Turner, and I live in Atlanta, Georgia, with my wife, daughter, dog, two cats, one fish, and a snail. Great things have been happening for me lately.

Hey, hey drum lovers and random readers! My name is Dave and I play drums in Sister Sin, a heavy metal band all the way from Gothenborg, Sweden.

For the past three years I’ve played drums in the instrumental metal band Behold the Arctopus. Some people like to lump us into the vague category of “technical metal,??? but I’m not sure we really fit there.

This has proved to be an exciting year for the Stationary Set and for me as a drummer. We just released our third studio album, Haunt On, and have a busy fall/spring schedule lined up in support of the new record.

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.

Hello, MD readers! My name is John Montgomery, I’m a drummer living in Los Angeles…and I love it.

I play drums with the Neil Cowley trio, from London, England. We released our fourth album this year, The Face of Mount Molehill, and things have been rocking along nicely….

The September issue of Modern Drummer magazine features Cult drummer John Tempesta offering ten tips on navigating a journeyman career and growing as a drummer. Here he elaborates on those topics and talks about his most recent projects, including the Cult’s new album, Choice of Weapon….

My name is Richard Wouters, and I play drums for a band called Civil Twilight. We’re a four-piece originally from Cape Town, South Africa, currently living in Nashville, Tennessee….

Hi there! My name is Jordan Plosky, and I play drums for Big Time Rush. We’re embarking on a two-and-a-half-month headlining summer tour across the U.S. and Canada.

As Jane’s Addiction continues its successful Theatre of the Escapists tour, a new generation of fans is being hipped to the ecstatic tribal glam event that is a Jane’s show—and to the uniquely galloping drumming approach of Stephen Perkins. In the latest installment of Modern Drummer magazine’s Influences series, we …

Here are some of the coolest new products coming down the pipeline for 2012, all of which were on display at the annual Winter NAMM Show in Anaheim, California, this past January (Part 4).

On March 30, I did my first show at Jesus Christ Superstar on Broadway. The current revival opened in New York on March 22, with New York/Broadway veteran Clint DeGanon on drums.

Here are some of the coolest new products coming down the pipeline for 2012, all of which were on display at the annual Winter NAMM Show in Anaheim, California, this past January (Part 2).

New Gear For 2012! Highlights From Winter NAMM (A–D) Here are some of the coolest new products coming down the pipeline for 2012, all of which were on display at the annual Winter NAMM Show in Anaheim, California, this past January.

My name is Eric Boudreault, and I am a drummer from Montreal, Canada. I’ve had a chance to play with many incredible musicians—John Patitucci, Alex Acuña, John Beasley, Michel Cusson, Ron Di Lauro, and many more—and it helped me to become a better musician.

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??? …

Talking with Jonathan Mayer, longtime drummer and music manager at Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc., about the eccentric drum-centered score for the PlayStation 3 exclusive inFAMOUS, we were surprised to learn how much emphasis SCEA placed on ensuring that the soundtrack was as interesting and unusual as the game itself…

As I flailed away behind my drums that chilly London evening in the early spring of 1996, I tried to put the events of the previous month in perspective. The club was packed and the crowd was rocking; it was a nice way for Superchunk to end a grueling six-week …

I’ve been drumming with a band for the past five months, and the bandleader recently said I wasn’t performing enough on stage. When I asked what she meant, she said my drumming was fine but I had no personality on stage…

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 …

Perhaps the Mayans were right after all. The End of Days must be upon us when we live in a world that finds the Atlanta-based metal band Mastodon’s latest album, The Hunter, debuting on Billboard’s top ten and the single “Curl of the Burl??? being nominated for a Grammy. Drummer …

This article originally ran in the September 2005 issue of Modern Drummer magazine.

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 …

Hello, Modern Drummer readers, this is Gregg Potter. It’s been a while since I’ve graced the pages or computer screens of MD. This is definitely a high point of any drummer’s existence, being allowed to communicate with the coolest, most up-to-date drumming community on the planet!

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

Hey, everyone! My name is Zach Mullings, and I’m from Miramar, Florida. I’m one of the four drummers who were picked to audition for the Queen Extravaganza in L.A. First off, let me say how thrilled I am to be featured on Modern Drummer’s website. I have been a big …

It’s more than a thrill to be announced as the drummer for Queen Extravaganza! Roger Taylor, one of my favorite and most inspirational musicians, picked me as their new drummer! It’s insane. And I found out while I was on a roof, no less!

My name is Lev Weinstein. Growing up, I was an avid reader of Modern Drummer, and it was a feature on Morbid Angel’s Pete Sandoval that pushed me from thrash (which I’d been devouring since I stole my brother’s copy of …And Justice For All when I was eight) into …

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.

Ben Riley commands respect from the moment he hits the bandstand. While he is best known (and beloved) for his years spent in Thelonious Monk’s quartet at the peak of that master’s powers, Riley has also recorded and performed with many other jazz greats.This article orginally ran in the February …

Hüsker Dü’s drummer/singer created a template—and quickly broke it—for a generation of alternative rockers.

In a Web-exclusive addendum to MD’s December 2011 cover story, we continue our conversation with Rush’s Neil Peart, discussing, among other topics, “drum solo week??? on Letterman, Neil’s surprise appearance at the KoSA Drum Camp, and the new Taking Center Stage DVD.

MD Pro Panelist Daniel Glass on the magic of Deep Purple’s Ian Paice.

Learn the drums by copping beats that are part of the everyday musical landscape.

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 …

I’m Nick Brennan from the Static Jacks and I’m twenty-one years old. I feel honored to be sharing my drumming experience with you! I started playing the drums in third grade at Wilson Elementary, when the music teacher asked me if I had any musical talent. I told him I …

Living Colour’s drummer reminisces about his hero Tony Williams, the jazz and fusion great whose story kicks off Modern Drummer magazine’s brand-new Influences feature series.

’Tis the season for Chad Smith followers, with new Chili Peppers and Chickenfoot music blowing up all over the place. MD and the Bombastic One recently grabbed some grub and talked about some of his favorite classic-rock albums.

More with the world-renowned right-hand man to rock’s singer-songwriter royalty, who is featured in the Different View column of this month’s issue of MD.

Read an excerpt from Humble Pie drummer Jerry Shirley’s brand-new book, Best Seat in the House: Drumming in the ’70s With Marriott, Frampton and Humble Pie.

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….

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 …

Hello, moderndrummer.com readers! My name is Ezra Oklan, and I’m a thirty-three-year-old drummer based out of Brooklyn, New York. I’ve been writing music, recording, and playing since I was eight years old. I studied at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in NYC. I’m versed in many different …

Hello, moderndrummer.com readers! My name is Ezra Oklan, and I’m a thirty-three-year-old drummer based out of Brooklyn, New York. I’ve been writing music, recording, and playing since I was eight years old. I studied at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in NYC. I’m versed in many different …

From the pages of the July 2011 Issue…It took a tragedy to make the members of Deftones stop their bickering and get back to the business of making music. Still, the band’s drummer reveals that some things—good and bad—never change….

Hi! My name is John Longstreth. I play drums for Origin, Gorguts, and Dim Mak. I can say a few things about myself, and I will, but what I would really like to do is talk about a lot of the myths and truths, the good and bad of what …

Greetings, Modern Drummer Online readers! My name is Mark Stepro, and I’m a twenty-nine-year-old musician. I split time between New York and Los Angeles, touring and recording with Ben Kweller, Bobby Long, Tim Easton, the Madison Square Gardeners, and Taurus. Playing the “Big Time Late Night Talk Show” gig is …

Greetings, Modern Drummer Online readers! My name is Mark Stepro, and I’m a twenty-nine-year-old musician. I split time between New York and Los Angeles, touring and recording with Ben Kweller, Bobby Long, Tim Easton, the Madison Square Gardeners, and Taurus. Playing the “Big Time Late Night Talk Show” gig is …

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 …

by Bob GirouardIt seems that since Danny Seraphine made a comeback of sorts of the 2006 Modern Drummer Festival, he’s kicked the current phase of his drumming career into high gear, appearing at events like Drummers for Jesus, the 2009 Chicago Drum Show, and a Terry Kath tribute, and making …

Hey there, everyone! I’m very excited to be included here on the MD Blog. I’m a long-time reader of Modern Drummer magazine and love most things that are related to drums and drumming. I’ve been playing for quite a while now, and you may have heard my drumming with the rock …

Hey, MD readers! My name is Ryan Cooney and I play drums in a band called the Gallery. We’re from Massachusetts, but have been touring the U.S. and spending extended periods of time in Florida and California the last few years. We recently recorded our new EP, Come Alive, at Swinghouse studios in …

More with the phenomenal drummer/educator, who was featured in the January 2011 issue of MD. His is one of the most closely observed careers in R&B, fusion, gospel, and pop drumming, with acts like Israel Houghton & New Breed, Chaka Khan, Christina Aguilera, Babyface, Patti LaBelle, Randy Brecker, and New …

Hello, fellow drummers, I’m David Moore of Charlotte Harbor, Florida, a drummer/vocalist/guitarist who you can find in the Modern Drummer archives in the June 1992 issue. I’m flying home from my tenth NAMM trade show and a once-in-a-lifetime chance to be in a recording studio with rock legend Todd Rundgren….

It is my privilege to be invited to contribute here at moderndrummer.com, as I’ve looked forward to each new issue of the magazine for over twenty years! A little update: This past summer was pretty cool. May through August found me once again on the road with Ray Manzarek and …

Hey Modern Drummer, Ryan “Legs” Leger here from Buffalo, New York, hardcore band Every Time I Die. I was born and raised in Cornwall, Ontario, Canada, but currently reside and spend my off time doing session/studio work in Toronto. Rather than give you guys my life story or rack tom …

Interview by Robyn FlansRead the Little Feat drummer’s cover feature from October 1995. MD: You have a unique playing style with Little Feat. Can you describe that style and where it came from? Richie: My style has grown with the band. It started out heavily influenced by blues, rock ’n’ …

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, …

Hi, MD readers! The making of Toph-E & the Pussycats’ new CD, No Ordinary Day, featuring Clifford Carter on piano, Will Lee on bass, Ralph MacDonald on percussion, David Mann on tenor and soprano saxes, and me on drums, was a long project, stretching over a year and a half. …

Hi, MD readers! The making of Toph-E & the Pussycats’ new CD, No Ordinary Day, featuring Clifford Carter on piano, Will Lee on bass, Ralph MacDonald on percussion, David Mann on tenor and soprano saxes, and me on drums, was a long project, stretching over a year and a half. …

Hello, my name is Jamie Miller. Like the rest of the entries on the site, I will begin by saying I have been a huge fan of Modern Drummer magazine for a very long time and am pretty stoked to be writing this! With that said, I will give a …

Hey, MD world, I’m Paul Wandtke, and I’m here to tell you what I’ve been up to, as it’s been a while since I’ve spoken to my MD friends….

This year I decided to promote the DAD Program and my Modern Drummer Drum Therapy Column on the 2010 Warped Tour. We couldn’t have done it without the help from Modern Drummer, Pro-Mark, Paiste, and Sony Music/Mustache Mania. All of them went above and beyond to help bring the DAD …

Associate Editor Michael Parillo Ah, Gong. For me there are times when nothing else will do. Some days I just need to hear a lot of notes — a lot of well-played, precisely ordered, yet totally rocking notes. I have only two of the European prog/fusion band’s many albums, 1975’s …

If you ask Steve Jordan who his favorite drummer is, be prepared to get hit with a never-ending list of influences, ranging from the obvious—like jazz greats Kenny Clarke and Philly Joe Jones and funk innovators David Garibaldi and Stephen Ferrone—to the more obscure, like Motown/disco session drummer Andrew Smith, …

Hey, everyone, my name in Kevin Figueiredo, and I am the drummer for Extreme. I’ve been playing drums professionally for the past fifteen years, and my main influences include John Henry Bonham, David Garibaldi, Dennis Chambers, and Dave Grohl, among many others. I never went to music school, but I’ve …

Week two of Mayhem is in the books. Last week we were on our way to Las Vegas, Nevada, to play an off-date show with our bus mates, Shadows Fall, when Jeff the bus driver had to pull over because our Star Trek doors stopped working and John from SF …

It’s fun being on a metal tour—most of the bands on Mayhem this year we’ve toured with in the past, and it’s great to see them again. The heat early in the tour was brutal—the sunscreen I put on my face was getting in my eyes and burning like I …

Hey, everyone! The 2010 Mayhem Festival is going by way too fast. We’re playing the Silver Star Stage with Atreyu, In This Moment, Winds Of Plague, and 3 Inches Of Blood. Everyone is super cool, and we’ve had amazing shows and crowds to start the tour. We’re playing a very …

By the looks of the divots in my drumheads after the first day of Mayhem, the energy will be raging this summer. After a month in Europe on my scaled-down kit, it’s nice to get back to the big dog. This tour is definitely a tour of massive drumkits. I …

I am elaine bradley (I don’t like capitalizing my name because I love lowercase e’s). I drum and sing backup vocals for Neon Trees, and we have been on tour with 30 Seconds To Mars and Mute Math. Basically, what that means is that I get to be around really, …

Ciao, MD readers! Let me just savor this moment…. Wow! I could never imagine, not even in my wildest dreams of glory as a teenage drummer, that one day I’d have been given the chance to write a blog for Modern Drummer! Okay, what can I tell you? My name’s …

When it comes to punk bands, the Damned may be the most influential of them all, and their original drummer Rat Scabies among the most stylishly destructive sticksmen ever. Formed in 1976 in the U.K., the Damned is credited as the first punk band to release a single (“New Rose”) …

(August 2010 Issue) Lamb Of God drummer Chris Adler, who answers more reader emails in the August 2010 issue of Modern Drummer, recently produced the searing new album by This Or The Apocalypse. In this MD Online exclusive, read what Chris has to say about working with drummer Grant McFarland, …

Photo by Robert Alford Hello, fellow noise-makers! Well, we’ve just finished a new album that’s particularly close to my heart, Last Train Home. We had a couple of extra musos giving us a helping hand on this one. My older brother Colin is playing piano, and we don’t always get …

The cleverly inventive timekeeper for the Doors discusses the documentary When You’re Strange and the inner workings of his legendary band.

Hello, Modern Drummer readers, this is Laura Petracca, the drummer from Hunter Valentine. Our new album, Lessons From The Late Night, was just released on May 11, and I’m itching to get back on the road and finally get a chance to kick up dirt trekking across America in Vanna …

I don’t care so much about difficulty or technicality. I like style, passion, creativity, and all that kind of stuff. Here are some videos that always challenge and inspire me no matter how many times I watch them….

As a drummer I think playing all the time is crucial. And not just rehearsing, but playing for an audience…

As a drummer I think playing all the time is crucial. And not just rehearsing, but playing for an audience…

I started playing drums at the age of eight, when my father introduced me to the Beatles.

I started playing drums at the age of eight, when my father introduced me to the Beatles.

What’s up, Modern Drummer readers. I would first like to thank Modern Drummer for giving me the opportunity to write this blog. My name is Frank Jargiello, I’m from Scranton, Pennsylvania, I’m twenty-one, and I’ve been playing drums since I was fourteen. My first band was called Hope Fails You. …

For eighteen years, Kiss’s drummer has helped his world-famous band stay in our hearts and on the radio by doing what he does best—being himself. In this special online extra from his May 2010 MD cover story, we begin by asking Eric about…The Band’s Younger Fans. In 2004 we did …

Even though Steven Drozd originally joined the Flaming Lips in 1991 strictly to man the skins, it wasn’t long before the multi-talented musician’s “try anything??? twist on songwriting and arranging became as crucial to the band’s successes as his bombastic drumbeats. In addition to the various topics we covered with …

h, hey ya’ll, it’s Merica Lee from the Naked Heroes—a foot-stompin’, ass-shakin’, rawkus rock ’n’ roll band from Brooklyn, New York. We recorded our album 99 Diamond at Deadverse Studios in Union City, New Jersey, and it was produced by the mighty Dean Rispler and engineered by Alap Momin…

h, hey ya’ll, it’s Merica Lee from the Naked Heroes—a foot-stompin’, ass-shakin’, rawkus rock ’n’ roll band from Brooklyn, New York. We recorded our album 99 Diamond at Deadverse Studios in Union City, New Jersey, and it was produced by the mighty Dean Rispler and engineered by Alap Momin…

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

I’m Christopher Smith, drummer/backup vocalist for Chicago punk/rock band AM Taxi…

The supercharged Avenged Sevenfold timekeeper keeps old-school metal alive with brute force, machine-like precision, and a flair for the dramatic…

Slightly Stoopid is proof that if a band works hard and performs consistently, audiences will continue to grow…

Hi to all in MD world. This is my first blog ever, and what an honor to share it with my fellow drumheads on the Web page of the best drum magazine in the world.I have been a diehard fan of Modern Drummer magazine since I came to New York …

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

I’m sitting at Tommy Lee’s Atrium Studio in Calabasas, CA, where Street Drum Corps is doing preproduction for our Interscope Records debut double album, due out in early 2010.

I’m sitting at Tommy Lee’s Atrium Studio in Calabasas, CA, where Street Drum Corps is doing preproduction for our Interscope Records debut double album, due out in early 2010.

Things haven’t changed much for Dave McAfee. He played the drums as a kid, and he plays the drums as an adult. He moved around a lot as a kid, and he moves around a lot now. Really, the only difference is that he just happens to be drumming with …

I am Brandt Frenchman, and I’ve been a drummer for most of my life. I love all types and styles of music, although I’ve always gravitated toward the heavier rock side of things.

Talking with Perkins, you get the vibe that the L.A.–based rocker’s life is way more than hitting the skins for the duration of a show or recording session….

It’s Anthony Biuso here, checking in with a blog to let you know what’s been going on in my world. I left (hed) p.e. in August of 2008 to devote more time to my previous band, T.S.O.L. I had a great time touring and playing with (hed) p.e., and it …

It’s Anthony Biuso here, checking in with a blog to let you know what’s been going on in my world. I left (hed) p.e. in August of 2008 to devote more time to my previous band, T.S.O.L. I had a great time touring and playing with (hed) p.e., and it …

Greetings! The first time I sat in front of drums was the day of my thirteenth birthday, when my brother came home at night and surprised me with a fourth-hand drumkit. It was an old black Pearl Forum Series. On this I learned to play, and every day I spent …

Greetings! The first time I sat in front of drums was the day of my thirteenth birthday, when my brother came home at night and surprised me with a fourth-hand drumkit. It was an old black Pearl Forum Series. On this I learned to play, and every day I spent …

In this online exclusive, we continue our conversation with Gerald Heyward, Aaron Spears, Cora Coleman-Dunham, and Nisan Stewart.

I'm Josh Trager from Montreal, and I play drums in the Sam Roberts Band. We just came off a pretty solid eight months of touring our new record, “Love At The End Of The World.”

Tony gives Modern Drummer associate editor Billy Amendola a drum-centric, song-by-song breakdown of Papa Roach’s new album, Metamorphosis.

Chris Bailey was born in Sheffield, England, on January 5, 1974, and has been surrounded by music his whole life. His dad played guitar and his mom sang, and early on Chris discovered he had an uncanny talent for the drums. At age eight he was already playing in his …

It’s Jason Graham writing from Los Angeles, and I’m excited to let you know about a couple of electronic rock projects I’ve been working with. My main group, Taxi Doll, has a new album, Here And Now, out February 23.

The March issue of MD (out now) features Billy Ward’s fascinating conversation with Simon Phillips, Doane Perry, Marco Minnemann, Thomas Lang, and Jerry Marotta about the grooves that inspired them to play drums early on, and that continue to today. It seemed to make perfect sense for MD’s editors to …

Spend just a few minutes watching Aaron Gillespie perform Underoath songs on stage from the comfort of your home computer via live footage posted on YouTube.

“Metallica is a bunch of guys having the time of their lives,??? Lars Ulrich proclaims…

I'm Jay Nazz and I've been playing drums in Reckless Kelly for over twelve years. I'm fortunate enough to play with incredible musicians who I also love to hang out with.

My name is Anthony Zimmitti and I am the drummer in The 88. I was born and raised in Van Nuys, California. Drums have been a part of my life from the time I was about two years old….

Adam Phillips of the Architects lays down the 10 Commandments of Modern Drumming.

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….

Drummer and tour blog of Aaron R. Gillespie of Underoath.

Well, here we are again: Machine Head is out on the road and trekking across the US. We’re on about month 19 of the tour cycle for our new(est) album, The Blackening, with no end in sight. So that means things are pretty damn good in Machine Head-land these days….

Twenty-four year old Thomas Pridgen unleashes the most rabid drumming in recent memory on The Mars Volta’s The Bedlam In Goliath. Of course, the band’s fans have come to expect madness and mastery from the innovative Long Beach, California group…

Just returned from a clinic tour of the UK, my second in four months, and it went real well.

Hey everyone, Jayson Brinkworth here writing from Canada. If this magazine doesn't get you fired up about playing drums, you must not have a pulse!

Hey everyone, Jayson Brinkworth here writing from Canada. If this magazine doesn't get you fired up about playing drums, you must not have a pulse!

Drummer Gene Hoglan didn’t have much downtime after guitarist Devin Townsend put Strapping Young Lad on hiatus in early 2007. (continue reading)

Hello, everyone, Ed Toth here, with the inside scoop on The Doobie Brothers' tour with Chicago. It's very exciting in that, for the encore, both bands will be on stage together playing each other's songs….

So in case you just got here, here's the story so far. Started on a practice pad at ten learning Haskell W. Harr and Stick Control from Stan Pappas at the mall music store….

Hey, everybody! My name is Steve Bolognese, and I play drums with Into Eternity….

We just finished our tour and we're back home for a few weeks before embarking on the Mayhem tour with Slipknot….

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 …

It was the beginning of February, and I'd just shoveled my driveway for the second time when I got the message about a tour offer in April. “My Chemical Romance would like you to be main support during their final tour for The Black Parade.”

How did I, a young lad from Fife, end up in The Wedding Present? (continue reading)

Hi to all you Modern Drummer cyberspace visitors. My name is Wayne Proctor and I am from the U.K….

Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith takes a much-needed rest—for a minute—and fills MD in on the many cool side projects he’s involved in…

If you've discovered Lady Clown, and their debut record First Lady Clown, you've discovered well-crafted songs, mind-racking yet flowing lyrics, screaming guitars, system-exploding bass noise, sensitive ballads, and a whole new edition to the New York indie scene that hopefully creates another brand of cool….

‘Sup, guys! This is my very first blog for the Modern Drummer page but fingers crossed it won't be my last, so here goes….

My name is Ryan Yerdon, and I play with Puddle of Mudd. It’s been a crazy year for us Mudd kids. We’ve been touring since April ’07.

I was lucky enough to land a national tour at a young age about a year after I moved into New York City to pursue my drumming career. How excited I was to step onto that tour bus for my first time as we rolled out for a tour of …

Nada Surf is one of the smartest, freshest-sounding rock bands of the past ten/fifteen years. And like they say, behind every brilliant band is an equally crafty drummer. Kit man Ira Elliot is as sharp as they get.

Happy New Year, fellow MD readers. I’m honored to have been asked to do a blog for MD Online, and I decided to go with a road-blog. I’m currently in rehearsals and pre-production for the next Cracker record….

2007 was an extremely busy year for me. I played eighty-four shows in the Northeast, Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, and New Orleans, with several recording projects and a zillion songwriting sessions and rehearsals….

It shouldn’t be much of a surprise that Justin Timberlake, Timbaland, and Nate “Danja??? Hills signed on to co-produce Duran Duran’s latest CD, Red Carpet Massacre. After all, the band—keyboardist Nick Rhodes, singer Simon Le Bon, bassist John Taylor, and drummer Roger Taylor (guitarist Andy Taylor decided to bow out …

In 1989 Drum Workshop vice-president John Good asked me if I could throw a curve ball. “You bet,” I said. And that was my welcome into the DW family. I was now an official Drum Workshop artist, the quintessential symbol of a professional drummer who made it…

MD managing editor Adam B here again, sharing some of releases on high-rotation in the Budofsky home—and car—and office—and gym. That’s right, the music never stops, and this week I’ve been obsessing on some old-school and old-world sounds….

In the February 2007 issue of Modern Drummer, we ran a feature called “Double Drumming’s 25 Greatest Hits.??? At the time we asked MD readers to submit their own favorite double-drum performances, which we’d post online at a later date. Well, the time has arrived, double-drum fans—the floor is yours!

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 …

Since their debut album in 2002, Minus The Bear have staked an undeniably unique place on the music map. The band’s brand-new third studio album, Planet Of Ice, sees their formidable mix of imaginative odd-time manipulation and mega-precise performances scaling even further heights….

Deerhoof may be flirting more than ever with mainstream success, but its loose-limbed timekeeper isn’t about to start planning things now….

When most folks think of extreme-metal drumming, they tend to picture a guy like Peter Wildoer, especially during his days with the progressive metal band Agretator….

Kottak’s Athena is a very funny, tell-it-like-it-is, beautiful woman who kicks ass behind the drumkit. Born a few years after her famous sibling—Mötley Crüe’s Tommy Lee—Athena is a cancer survivor, a mom, and the wife of Jimmy Ratchitt. Athena says she knew she would marry Ratchitt—aka James Kottak, former Kingdom …

MD Online spoke with the busy drummer mid-tour about what it’s been like going from rebuilding motorcycles to playing on hit records and sold out shows around the world….

Lee Crystal, drummer for Joan Jett & The Blackhearts from 1981 to 1986, is just a regular guy from Brooklyn–except that he’s so much cooler than the rest of us….

Rick Marotta is no stranger to MD readers. And he’s certainly familiar to anyone who’s had the pleasure to see him play or crack jokes while hosting Yamaha’s Groove All Star show….

In the early ’90s, The Spin Doctors burst onto the music scene with a fresh, funky rock sound that generated several hits and millions of record sales. The band graced the cover of Rolling Stone magazine, and drummer Aaron Comess became one of the most talked-about drummers of the time, …

Not many people get to do exactly what they love and get paid for it – much less with two of the biggest artists in the world. Mickey Curry toured and recorded with Hall & Oates at the peak of their career, laying down a solid backbeat with perfect feel …

Mark Hudson has the coolest job in the world right now, because he gets to be in a band with a Beatle. The reason Mark became a musician [he started on drums] was because he wanted to be like his hero, Ringo Starr.

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…

Steve Jordan has accomplished more in his drumming career than he ever could have imagined. Of the big names he played with, a short list would include Ashford & Simpson, Chuck Berry, Keith Richards, Sheryl Crow, Stevie Nicks, The Pretenders, James Taylor, Bob Dylan, B.B. King, David Sanborn, Tom Scott, …

Tommy Lee is in a great mood, and he has every reason to be. His new CD, appropriately titled Never A Dull Moment, has just been released, and it’s off the hook! We recently caught up with Tommy while preparing for his upcoming tour.

MD Online caught up with Trey to get his thoughts on his new band, Oysterhead, and to gain some insight to the singular Stewart Copeland….

Storming out of Tulsa, Oklahoma with their major-label debut, Middle Of Nowhere, featuring the “Can’t get it out of my head” hit “MMMBop,” drummer Zac Hanson and his brothers Isaac and Taylor became the biggest-selling teen idols of 1997. Zac, only eleven years old at the time, found himself a …

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….

The last time we spoke to Tico Torres (November 2000), Bon Jovi had just made a triumphant return to the limelight with its eighth album, Crush. That CD’s success brought their total album sales to over 90 million. In 2003, Bon Jovi will celebrate its twentieth year in the music …

Paul Allen is very busy these days. The drummer began last year touring with first-season American Idol runner-up Justin Guarini and winner Kelly Clarkson, who went on to become one of the biggest stars of the year….

For Mastodon drummer Brann Dailor, playing in a band named after a huge prehistoric beast makes perfect sense. “When I’m performing or writing,” Dailor says, “I sometimes think, That definitely sounds like a Mastodon part.”

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 …

When Tim Alexander left Primus in 1996, he was ready to move from the wacky, experimental frenzy of rhythms that had made the band a household name to a more structured rock format. He started his band Laundry to be able to do just that. Little did Alexander realize that …

It’s ironic that Jimmy Eat World, one of indie rock’s front-runners (alongside peers like The Promise Ring and The Get Up Kids), a band that’s seen their fan base swell in exponential proportions in the past year, have never released a full-length album on an independent label. Unlike their contemporaries …

“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….

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….

After working as drummer and musical director for 98′, Teddy Campbell was asked to join The Backstreet Boys band by Ricky Miner, who put both bands together.

Tom Hambridge’s life has changed quite a bit over the last two years, since artist Susan Tedeschi asked the drummer to produce and play on her first record….

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 …

By just looking at Tre Cool you can tell there’s a touch of the devil in him. Listening to Warning, the latest collection of tunes he and his Green Day cohorts put out in October, it’s obvious Beelzebub rears his horns once Cool gets behind the kit and the adrenaline …

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

Four years ago, when John Otto was first featured in Modern Drummer, the then twenty-three-year-old spoke with a wisdom and knowledge that belied his age….

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

Watch twenty-three-year-old Fabrizio Moretti in action with The Strokes, and you’ll see an elegant simplicity, an economy of motion, and an almost machine-like precision. Read more…

Ten years after his passing, the drumming and music community still feels the loss of the studio giant.

Like all the masters of psychedelic pop, The Flaming Lips blow your mind with the most ordinary of devices. These seem-to-be eccentrics, who’ve recently won a Grammy for the instrumental “Approaching Pavonis Mons By Balloon (Utopia Planitia),” are really just a bunch of hard-working regular guys, using modest tools: a …

Daniel Glass says leaving a major record label has had a lot of ramifications for Royal Crown Revue…