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Will Kennedy

Will Kennedy






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Note: Some MD articles are only available in pdf format. Those articles do not appear in this list. Subscribers to Digital and All-Access can view every Modern Drummer issue in their available formats. Browse all MD issues from our archive here.
August 2021:
Get Into the Groove

To further celebrate the soulful, timekeeping majesty of this month’s cover artist Earl Young, we dove into the Modern Drummer archives to find ten other groove masters talking about how they make the music move. Greg Errico, October 2011 “Sly Stone had great producing chops, and the songs would morph …


August 2017:
Pearl Nashville Drum Day

This past March in Nashville, the drum manufacturer Pearl Corporation held a luncheon for local drummers to try out some of the company’s newest offerings. An estimated 150 attendees demoed five different Masterworks Sonic Select Recipes drumsets, which comprise the latest additions to the company’s high-end Masterworks series, along with …


October 2016:
Catching Up With…Will Kennedy
Will Kennedy

The future was a mystery for Will Kennedy at the turn of the millennium, after he announced that he’d leave the high-profile electric jazzers Yellowjackets to focus on other projects. Now, after returning to the band in 2010, he’s sounding fresher than ever all over the group’s latest release, Cohearence.


March 2017:
Great 80s Drum Performances, Part 2: Jazz and Fusion

The ’80s might not be anyone’s first reference point for the golden age of jazz, but a closer examination reveals wonders under the surface. Sure, traditional acoustic jazz was no longer in favor, though some of the established innovators of the ’60s and ’70s were still playing at a high …


December 2000:
December 2000 – Volume 24 • Number 12

Will Kennedy, Stefanie Eulinberg, Paul Doucette, Jeff Hamilton, Al 3, Dave Buckner, Richie Hayward, Tony Fagenson, Vinnie Amico, Cody Dickinson, Vinnie Colaiuta, Akira Jimbo, Ian Paice, Butch Trucks, Andrew Barr, Eric Kalb, Michael Travis, Joe Russo


October 1998:
October 1998 – Volume 22 • Number 10

Harvey Mason, Barrett Miller, Dave Weckl, Terry Bozzio, Will Kennedy,  Eddie Bayers, Carey, Jo Jo Mayer, Jeff Hamilton, Glen Velez, Philly Joe Jones, Pete Sandoval, Dan Rieser, Kenny Aronoff, Harvey Sorgen , Ian Wallace, Petur Smith, Billy Lee Lewis, Rod Morgenstein



Posted: May 4, 2022

Category: News
Drumathon Live

High profile drummers, along with thousands of semi-professionals are limbering up to play for 250 hours non-stop, raising millions for mental health charities.  DrumathonLIVE 2022, the event for all drummers is set to raise millions for mental health charities, live streamed on social media channels the full week between 14th – 21st May …


Posted: November 11, 2021

Category: News
Next Jazz Legacy For a More Inclusive Jazz Future

New Music USA Partners With Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice to Launch New Program Next Jazz Legacy For a More Inclusive Jazz Future Three-Year Program – With Major Funding From The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation – Will Increase Opportunities For Women and Non-Binary Musicians Through Apprenticeship, Financial Support and Promotion NEA …


Posted: April 9, 2021

Category: News
The Dave Weckl Band Live in St. Louis at the Chesterfield Jazz Festival 2019 – Album Review – April 9th, 2021

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 …


Posted: October 28, 2020

Category: News
Top Drummers Pay Tribute to Revolutionary War Soldiers

Almost as soon as the pandemic hit this past spring, Sean J. Kennedy had the idea of recording some rudimental classics with a bunch of friends, virtually. The initial group was composed of brass players and percussionists, which Kennedy called the Rolling Buzzards Brigade as an homage to the musicians …


Posted: August 21, 2020

Home Page
Category: News
Drummers on Record: Jon Wurster, Jay Lane, Austin D’Amond

The Mountain Goats Getting into Knives (Jon Wurster) This past March 1, the Mountain Goats’ Jon Wurster (also drummer with Bob Mould and Superchunk), bassist Peter Hughes, multi-instrumentalist Matt Douglas, and singer/songwriter John Darnielle entered the legendary studio Sam Phillips Recording in Memphis, Tennessee, with producer Matt Ross-Spang, who engineered …


Posted: August 6, 2020

Dave Weckl On The Beat
Category: Drummers, On the Beat
On The Beat with Dave Weckl: Talks Making the Singer Happy

Hey all! I wanted to share a project that is a little different than my usual jazz/fusion content. Although I don’t get the opportunity too much these days, I’ve always loved playing with, for, and behind great vocalists. I really enjoy finding the right drum part and feel for the …


Posted: January 11, 2018

Kenny Beedy Eyes Smith
Category: News, News and Events
Blues Music Awards Honors Top Drummers

The nominees for the 39th Annual Blues Music Awards, presented by the Blues Foundation, represent a prestigious collection of acclaimed performers and rising stars that reflect the breadth and diversity of today’s blues m


Posted: September 28, 2017

John Mader
Category: Drummers, On the Beat
On The Beat with John Mader of Hamilton: Talks Versatility and Getting the Gig

Hello Modern Drummers! John Mader here. I’m the drummer on the first national tour of Hamilton. I am thrilled to be speaking to you via MD, as I have been a reader for long time. I have been very fortunate to have been selected to audition, perform live, and/or record …


Posted: August 29, 2017

Dave Weckl
Category: News, News and Events
Dave Weckl Launces New Online School

The all-new Dave Weckl online school includes HD video lessons with sound mixed by Dave, full play-along packages, and exclusive live footage from current tours with “lessons from the hotel room.”


Posted: August 24, 2017

Lee Falco
Category: Drummers, On the Beat
On the Beat with Lee Falco of Donald Fagen and the Nightflyers: Landing the Gig of a Lifetime

Hello! On July 31, we played our first show as Donald Fagen and the Nightflyers, kicking off a two-month tour (twenty-eight shows) around the US and Japan. It was a monumental night for my bandmates and me as we had spent the last eight months preparing and a lifetime dreaming …


Posted: March 16, 2017

Fantasy Camp
Category: Clinics and Events, News, News and Events
Rock 'N' Roll Fantasy Camp featuring Heart's Nancy Wilson with Special Guests Steven Adler and Gregg Bissonette

Nancy Wilson of Heart with special guests Steven Adler (Guns N’ Roses) and Gregg Bissonette (David Lee Roth Band)- headline the next Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy Camp June 29-July 2, 2017 in Los Angeles, CA


Posted: March 16, 2017

Category: Clinics and Events, News, News and Events
Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy Camp featuring Heart’s Nancy Wilson with Special Guests Steven Adler and Gregg Bissonette

Nancy Wilson of Heart with special guests Steven Adler (Guns N’ Roses) and Gregg Bissonette (David Lee Roth Band)- headline the next Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy Camp June 29-July 2, 2017 in Los Angeles, CA


Posted: August 30, 2016

Category: Drummers, Issues
October 2016 Issue of Modern Drummer magazine featuring Toto’s Shannon Forrest

See what’s in the October 2016 Issue of Modern Drummermagazine featuring Toto’s Shannon Forrest!


Posted: April 13, 2016

Category: Clinics and Events, News, News and Events
News: Dave Weckl, Sonny Emory, Harvey Mason, and Will Kennedy to Judge Online Competition

Grammy-winning guitarist/producer Lee Ritenour will host the biennial Six String Theory Competition for the fifth time with applications accepted in guitar, bass, piano/keyboards, and drums. Registration is open until May 15, 2016 on the website by submitting two YouTube videos….


Posted: November 2, 2015

Category: Feature Stories
Dom Famularo’s Teachers List

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, …


Posted: October 14, 2015

Category: Drummers, Feature Stories
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: April 10, 2015

Category: Drummers, On the Beat
Drummer Blog: Translator’s Dave Scheff Talks Past Influences and Upcoming Shows

Though I’ve drummed my way across the spectrum, with acts as disparate as comedian Jerry Van Dyke, icon Joan Baez, and Dead Kennedys, my one true musical love has always been the band I started with Steve Barton, the ’80s cult fave Translator….


Posted: December 22, 2014

Category: Clinics and Events, Drummers, News and Events
News: Rich Redmond Hosts Second-Annual “Drummer’s Weekend???

This past November, Jason Aldean drummer, Rich Redmond, led a weekend of drumming education, inspiration, and entertainment in Nashville. Highlights of this second-annual event included hands-on training with Liberty Devitto (Billy Joel), Chris Fryar (Zac Brown Band), and Sean Paddock (Kenny Chesney). Other teachers included percussionist Billy Hawn (Colbie Callait) …


Posted: September 24, 2014

Category: Drummers, On the Beat
Drummer Blog: Jason Aldean’s Rich Redmond Gears Up for Drummer’s Weekend

Hello there, MD readers! I am very excited to be hosting my second “Drummer’s Weekend??? in Nashville this October 31 through November 2….


Posted: July 1, 2014

Category: Clinics and Events, Drummers, News, News and Events
Louie Bellson Ninetieth-Year Celebration

Jazz drumming great Louie Bellson, who passed away in 2009, will be honored with a ninetieth-year celebration of his enduring works, organized by the Louie Bellson Legacy. There will be a full year of activities, beginning on Bellson’s birthday, July 6….


Posted: April 1, 2014

Category: News, News and Events
Lee Ritenour Announces All-Star Judges For 4th Bi-Annual Six String Theory Competition

Legendary GRAMMY® winning guitarist/producer Lee Ritenour has announced the stellar list of musicians assembled as judges for the 4th Bi-Annual Six String Theory Competition.


Posted: November 27, 2013

Category: Drummers, Feature Stories, News, News and Events
Chico Hamilton: 1921–2013

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 …


Posted: October 18, 2013

Category: DVD/Video Reviews, Drummers, Reviews
Gorden Campbell
Secrets of the Working Drummer

What makes a working drummer? Here, the top R&B player Gorden Campbell defines the gig in artistic and practical terms….


Posted: August 21, 2013

Category: Drummers, On the Beat
Mike Kennedy of the Wonder Years

Hello there! My name is Mike Kennedy, and I am a twenty-five-year-old drummer for the band the Wonder Years….


Posted: February 21, 2013

Category: Drummers, News, News and Events
The Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Chad Smith Joins Music-Ed Advocacy Trip To D.C.

This March 19 and 20, Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers will join former New York Yankee and Latin Grammy-nominated jazz guitarist Bernie Williams, plus leaders of the music instrument and products industry, in Washington, D.C., to lobby Congress on the importance of comprehensive music education in our …


Posted: November 20, 2012

Category: Drummers, News, News and Events
Patrick Kennedy Named U.S. Champion at V-Drums World Championship

Held on the eve of the annual Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC), the U.S. finals for the 2012 Roland V-Drums World Championship exposed exceptional drumming talent….


Posted: September 13, 2012

Category: News, News and Events
Led Zeppelin 2007 Reunion Concert Out Soon in Multiple Video and Audio formats

On December 10, 2007, founding Led Zeppelin members John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page, and Robert Plant, joined by late Zep drummer John Bonham’s son Jason, headlined a concert at London’s O2 Arena in tribute to their dear friend, Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun….


Posted: September 7, 2012

Category: Clinics and Events, Drummers, News and Events
Legendary Drummer Chico Hamilton Continues Monthly Concert Series At NYC’s DROM

DROM presents Euphoric – Celebrating the Life & Music of Chico Hamilton.


Posted: June 15, 2012

Category: Drummers, On the Beat
Bruce Cox of Fred Wesley and the New JBs

This past winter has been a bit slow but productive. I’ve taken advantage of the calm pace to finally complete my latest CD, Status Cymbals.


Posted: June 12, 2012

Category: Drummers, On the Beat
LeeAnet Noble

Hey, MD readers. I’m percussionist/ performing artist LeeAnet. I’ve opened for Alicia Keys, Bono, Sheryl Crow, Gwen Stefani, and Chaka Khan, and I can be seen in Rihanna’s video for “What’s My Name??? and in the film Downtown Express.


Posted: May 16, 2012

Category: Drummers, Feature Stories, Influences
Influences: Jane’s Addiction’s Stephen Perkins

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 …


Posted: January 23, 2012

Category: News, News and Events
Jan Web Update News

Ringo Starr’s seventeenth solo studio record, Ringo 2012, will be released on January 31 in the United States and January 30 internationally. The album, which was produced by Starr, was recorded in L.A. and mixed in England by Ringo and Bruce Sugar. For more, visit www.ringostarr.com. Kenny Aronoff is still …


Posted: January 23, 2012

Category: Drummers, Education Team Members
Marc Dicciani

Marc Dicciani is Dean of the College of Performing Arts and is Professor of Drumset and Music Business at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia….


Posted: January 17, 2012

Category: Back Through the Stack, Drummers, Feature Stories
Back Through The Stack
Teddy Campbell

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


Posted: July 1, 2011

Category: Drummers, Feature Stories
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: September 10, 2010

Category: Drummers, On the Beat
Paul Wandtke with Kill Hannah

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….


Posted: July 7, 2010

Category: Drummers, The Greats
Dave Weckl: Continuously Astounding

Very few drummers have had as dramatic an impact on the entire drumming industry as Dave Weckl…


Posted: May 26, 2010

Category: Drummers
Jason Aldean’s Rich Redmond

It’s all about rocking three-chord riffs for Jason Aldean’s neo-country drummer. Here, some of Redmond’s close musical associates provide insight into Rich’s talents….


Posted: November 24, 2009

Category: Drummers, On the Beat
The Four Tops’ Drew Schultz

I’m a drummer and percussionist from Cleveland, Ohio, and I’ve been touring with my favorite group, the Four Tops…


Posted: November 24, 2009

Drew Schultz of The Four Tops : Modern Drummer
Category: Drummers, On the Beat
The Four Tops' Drew Schultz

I’m a drummer and percussionist from Cleveland, Ohio, and I’ve been touring with my favorite group, the Four Tops…


Posted: November 25, 2008

Category: Drummers, Feature Stories
D.H. Peligro: The Undead Kennedy

Though legendary hardcore punks The Dead Kennedys are still officially together (minus frontman Jello Biafra), they’re currently enjoying a self-imposed hiatus.


Posted: October 30, 2008

Kill Kill Kill's NaNa : Modern Drummer
Category: Drummers, On the Beat
Kill Kill Kill's NaNa

Konnichiwa, everybody! My name is Nanami (a.k.a. NaNa)! I’m from Kagoshima, Japan. I’ve moved to America to take over the US music scene! Ha ha ha! Just kidding! Well—maybe it’s true!? I think US music scene is boring! Everything is about $. Anyway, I moved to LA when I was …


Posted: October 30, 2008

Category: Drummers, On the Beat
Kill Kill Kill’s NaNa

Konnichiwa, everybody! My name is Nanami (a.k.a. NaNa)! I’m from Kagoshima, Japan. I’ve moved to America to take over the US music scene! Ha ha ha! Just kidding! Well—maybe it’s true!? I think US music scene is boring! Everything is about $. Anyway, I moved to LA when I was …


Posted: July 18, 2008

Category: Drummers, Feature Stories, Update
Thomas Pridgen: Turning Bedlam Into Beats

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…


Posted: April 25, 2008

Category: Drummers, On the Beat
Marcus Baylor of The Yellowjackets

Hello, MD family! 2008 has been a blessed and busy year, with more great things to come! My name is Marcus Baylor, and I am the drummer with The Yellowjackets.


Posted: January 26, 2008

Category: Drummers, On the Beat
Craig Pilo with Frankie Valli

It's always a pleasure to punch in with my fellow drummers and the MD community. We are all fortunate to belong to a group that takes interest in one another, shares and swaps ideas, and above all, makes friends!


Posted: January 16, 2008

Category: Feature Stories
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: December 11, 2007

Category: Drummers, On the Beat
Liberty DeVitto Checking In

I have a hard time when I hear a drummer say, “I saw you play with Billy Joel fifteen times, and there were so many questions I wish I could have asked you….”


Posted: February 15, 2007

Category: Drummers, Feature Stories
Carmine Appice: Power Drumming Forever!

With several projects coming to fruition, Carmine Appice seems poised to reclaim his throne as one of the baddest heavy rock drummers ever….


Posted: May 12, 2004

Category: Drummers, Feature Stories, Update
Andy Granelli of The Distillers

Punk-rock revivalists The Distillers have hit on a musical formula that could spell big success for their much buzzed-about major-label debut. Coral Fang infuses the old-school passion and lyrical relevance of hardcore punk legends like LA’s Germs and Black Flag with melodic, radio-friendly pop appeal….



Posted: September 16, 2016

Category: Mike and Mike Podcast, Multimedia, Podcasts
Episode 59: Kick Pedals, Will Kennedy, and More

In this episode, Mike and Mike discuss the various types of bass drum pedals. The featured artist is fusion great Will Kennedy of the band Yellowjackets. The gear review segment focuses on Index Drums’ unique Forest King wooden drumheads. After going over a few listener submissions, the show concludes with …