April 2020 – Volume 44 • Number 4

November 1981 — Jim Keltner

A few years ago, Emil Richards took me and my wife to see Buddy Rich play at a musician’s night in a restaurant in Glendale. All the musicians in town were there, especially drummers. So after his set—which was incredible—we…

Mobius’s Adrien Brunet

Being from one of the most exotic locales on earth proves to be a helpful background for a drummer interested in exploring the cross-sections of world music styles—even one with a heavy-music heart.   World-music metal? Sure, why not? The…

New Gear from Alesis, Tama, Gretsch, Innovative Percussion, and more

Alesis Strike Pro Special Edition Eleven-Piece Mesh Kit The new Strike Pro Special Edition drumset utilizes all-new dual-zone mesh heads for the snare and toms. The 16" ride cymbal, 14" crash, and 14" movable hi-hat are covered with a new…

Joe Clegg’s You’re So Hybrid: Ableton Live for Drummers

Ellie Goulding’s drummer and music director has taken away our excuses for not embracing electronic-drumming technology. For a dyed-in-the-wool acoustic drum player, it’s been difficult to avoid the news that professional drumming has become hybridized. Whether the gig is with…

Eric Kretz on Stone Temple Pilots’ Perdida

STP’s eighth studio album exchanges the group’s trademark driving rock sound for a melancholy ’60s and ’70s vibe, realized with an array of vintage instruments.   Written primarily by guitarist Dean DeLeo and bassist Robert DeLeo during Stone Temple Pilots’…

INDē Drum Lab RESoArmor Drumset

A trifecta of classic do-all tone, sleek and innovative hardware, and a gorgeous, nearly bulletproof finish.   Independent Drum Lab (aka INDē) is an American company founded in 2015 by drummer/designer/engineer Josh Allen, who got his start in the industry…

April 2020 – Volume 44 • Number 4

Sepultura’s Eloy Casagrande

Power. Passion. Precision. Eloy Casagrande was only twenty years old when he joined the legendary Brazilian metal band Sepultura. The group has roots in metal that date back to the days of MTV’s Headbangers Ball, and Eloy was born the…

10 Reasons to Love Jimmy Cobb

In the pantheon of late-1950s master jazz drummers, Philly Joe Jones had rudimental brilliance; Art Taylor an immaculate sense of time-feel burn; Elvin Jones, combustible triplet ferociousness; Roy Haynes, intellectual brilliance; and Shelly Manne, musical inventiveness. But when it came…

Gretsch 5.5x14 Brooklyn Standard Snare

A classic maple/poplar option designed to be one drum you can’t leave home without. Gretsch recently teamed up with endorsing artist Mike Johnston to develop a snare drum that would be extremely versatile, have a wide dynamic range, and be…

The 2019 Hollywood Drum Show

A year shy of twenty, the popular gathering offered its usual mix of classic gear, new offerings from contemporary manufacturers, and thrilling performances. The nineteenth Hollywood Drum Show was held this past October at the Glendale, California, Civic Center. Packed…

Meinl Artist Concept Super Stack and 16" Sand and 8" Crasher Hats

Specialized pairings designed with two of today’s most distinct and discerning players. It’s been thirty years since Meinl first teamed up with one of its endorsing artists to develop some signature models. While that original collaboration, the Tri-Tonal series, has…

Drew Christopherson and Ben Ivascu With Polica

MD contributor Lia Braswell, who recently replaced all snare drum parts with samples on tour with the band TR/ST, finds out how the dual drummers in Minneapolis’s favorite indie-dance-rock band fare with a similar challenge. As Polica presents their new…

Percussion Playing for Drummers

Part 1: Congas, Bongos, and Timbales As a working drummer, it’s likely that you’re going to be asked to play some hand percussion instruments at some point. This could range from overdubbing a simple 16th-note shaker part to pulling off…

In the Studio with Nashville Veteran Tommy Harden

When Tommy Harden moved to Nashville in 1991, he hit the ground running. “I was a newlywed, and my wife, Lorrie, and I had to decide where to go to best further our musical careers,” he says. “L.A. and New…

New Releases by Charles Lloyd Quartet, Antoine Fafard, Dor Herskovitz, and More.

RECORDINGS Charles Lloyd Quartet Montreux Jazz Festival 1967 Live JACK DEJOHNETTE at a career crossroads. By the time master drummer Jack DeJohnette joined the Charles Lloyd Quartet in 1966, he’d earned sporadic cred with notable jazz leaders. But it was…

Social Distortion’s Dave Hidalgo Jr.

Dave Hidalgo Jr. joined Ludwig in 2010 shortly after becoming a full-time member of legendary punk band Social Distortion. “It’s pretty rad to become a part of something that you grew up listening to and being a fan of,” says…

Maná's Alex "El Animal" González

Mexican rock band Maná is huge. But there’s a good chance you’ve never even heard of them. And “huge” is not hyperbole, because Maná has sold millions of records since its formation in 1986, and today continues to sell out…

Wilco’s Glenn Kotche

For a drum journalist, it was the greatest unboxing ever. Well, it would have been, if the kit that Wilco drum tech Ashwin Deepankar was about to unveil was ours to keep. Of course it wasn’t. It belonged to Glenn…