April 2020 – Volume 44 • Number 4
On 01st Apr 2020
LOG IN
Digital Access
$4.99 /month or $49.99 /year
SAVE $10 | Yearly Subscription
- Digital Monthly Magazine
- 47 Years of Archives (500+ Issues)
- 40+ Drum Channel
All Access (Print + Digital)
USA $179.99 / year (Billed Annually)
- Digital Subscription
- 6 physical copies of Modern Drummer, sent bi-monthly
- Access to exclusive giveaways and meet and greets
- Modern Drummer t-shirt / Modern Drummer hat
- Modern Drummer Masterclass
Articles in April 2020
Modern Drummer 2020 Readers Poll Winners
HALL OF FAME Nicko McBrain Past Hall of Fame Winners 2019: Dave Grohl 2018: Clyde Stubblefield 2017: Peter Erskine 2016: Vic Firth 2015: Ian Paice 2014: Carmine Appice 2013: Bernard Purdie 2012: Phil Collins 2011: Jim Chapin 2010: Hal Blaine…
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…
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…
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…
MD Reader's Weigh In
How old were you when you first started playing drums? Three years old. Haven’t looked back since! Herman Watson Four! It’s the best thing in the world being a student of this amazing instrument. It has given me so much.…
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…
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…
The Flower Kings’ Mirkko DeMaio
The Flower Kings—the name alone conjures images of prog-rock luminaries like Genesis and Yes, who in the late ’60s planted the seeds for all the fantasy-laden symphonic rock to come in the following decades. Swedish prog ensemble the Flower Kings…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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’…
Drumbite Music, Jerusalem, Israel
Being a drum retailer anywhere in the world is tough. But given the divergent religions and political instability of the region, the challenges of operating a drum shop on the border of East and West Jerusalem are a bit more…
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…
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…
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…
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…
