April 2021 – Volume 45 • Number 4
On 23rd Apr 2021
Conjuring Mood Grooves with Dire Straits
Called “the biggest British rock band of the ‘80s” by Classic Rock magazine—and with sales of more than 100 million albums and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018—the story of Dire Straits’ rise to fame from pubs to huge stadiums begins with its co-founder, drummer David “Pick” Withers. The distinctive sound of the band is certainly tied to guitarist Mark Knopfler’s sparkling Fender Stratocaster tone and gruff baritone vocals, but Wither’s innovative grooves are an essential element, as well. His restrained yet extraordinarily supportive approach to driving the band—and augmenting Knopfler’s guitar lines and songs—was showcased on four classic Dire Straits albums, Dire Straits, Communiqué, Making Movies, and Love over Gold, before Withers left to pursue other interests in 1982.
Nicknamed “Pick” when he was in a band with two other Davids—the members thought he looked like a character out of Charles Dickens’ The Pickwick Papers—Withers became a professional musician at 17 years old. He toured Germany with the Berkeley Squares and Italy with the Primitives, before landing the house drummer gig at Rockfield Studios in Wales. Withers was still doing sessions and sideman gigs when he signed on full-time with Dire Straits after the band signed its major-label contract with Vertigo/PolyGram late in 1977.
After exiting Dire Straits, Withers played with a number of musicians—including Robert Plant, Joan Baez, and Gerry Rafferty—and he recently formed a new band, Slim Pickin’s, to perform classic R&B covers.
Articles in April 2021
Eric Leiderman
Late Night with Seth Meyers Producer Puts Drums Up Front Why is the TV producer from Late Night with Seth Meyers featured on the cover of Modern Drummer, you ask? Eric Leiderman was a drummer first, and he has been…
Hendrix Drums - Player’s Stave Series 6.5x14 Rock Maple Snare
The big, beefy sound you’d expect from a thick shell and then some. Hendrix is a Houston, Texas-based company specializing in crafting premium stave and ply-shell drums that provide professional-grade sound and performance at working drummer prices. The flagship line,…
Realistic Reggae Rock
Hi-Hat Patterns, Part I Starting with this month’s issue, Modern Drummer is offering a three-part series curated from Carmine Appice’s brilliant book, Realistic Reggae Rock . Get those hi-hats grooving, gang! Part I consists of hi-hat patterns that apply to…
Applying Musical Concepts to the Drumset
By Thomas Lang. Presented by Drum Channel. In order to take what you are practicing and apply it musically to the drumset, you have to develop facility, technique, and independence first. Then, you can transition to playing more freely—almost like…
“Rocking with a Radio King”
Calgary teen isn’t precious about gigging with his 1960 Slingerland kit. Taylor Miles is just 15 years old, but he has already earned veteran status with his band, Exit Division. The Calgary, Alberta, alternate-rock group has played tons of gigs…
Give the Drummer Some!
Hi, everyone! Welcome to the April 2021 issue of MD. I was hoping by the time I would be writing this editorial we’d be back to some sort of normalcy. Unfortunately, such is not the case yet. Fortunately, day-by-day, it’s…
“Gaucho”
Transcription and Text by Joe Bergamini In It’s About Time: Jeff Porcaro, The Man and His Music, author Robyn Flans relates the story that the title track to Steely Dan’s Gaucho album was nearly cut when the musicians couldn’t get…
Zildjian, Latin Percussion, GrooveTech, DW and more
Zildjian Armand’s Personal Collection In celebration of what would have been Armand Zildjian’s 100th birthday, Zildjian is releasing vintage cymbals from the Zildjian family vault for the first time. This release features 200 hand-selected vintage 20" cymbals from Armand’s collection.…
Sheila E - Modern Drummer, July 1991
A lot of percussionists—and drummers, too—have that problem of overplaying. The way you overcome it is by developing discipline. I learned all about discipline when I became a session player. I’d go into the studio and the producer would say,…
C&C Custom Drums - Maple/Gum Series
A timeless classic shell formula tailor-made for the stage or studio C&C Custom Drums is a custom drum shop based in Gladstone, Missouri. Despite claiming to be a small company, they boast an impressive and growing roster of endorsees from…
Pat Petrillo Music - The Practice Station
A simple, sturdy stand to keep your woodshed space organized. The Practice Station by noted New Jersey–based drummer/educator Pat Petrillo provides an easy solution for arranging all of your daily practice tools into one tidy place. All of the components…
Jeff Porcaro
It’s About Time Initially, we were scheduling a short review of long-time MD contributor Robyn Flans’ book on Jeff Porcaro, It’s About Time: Jeff Porcaro, The Man and His Music. Then, we thought about it for a second. This is…
Mono - 24" Cymbal Bag
Simple, comfortable, and durable—everything you need to transport your prized pies with ease. For most of us drummer, a cymbal bag is a necessary piece of gear but one of simple utilitarian nature. Most of us skimp out and go…
RECORDINGS
Jochen Rueckert Stars and Garters Forty-four-year-old German-born drummer/composer Jochen Rueckert has released five swinging and visceral jazz records—all with top New York City players, and all tinged with the drummer’s left-of-center approach. Stars and Garters—which refers to awards and medals—is…
Milford Graves 1941-2021
John Zorn once called Milford Graves a “20th-century shaman.” It wasn’t just because the pioneering free-jazz drummer created an extremely personal approach to drumming that included ferocious explosions of churning beats across his entire kit, complementary vocalizations, and mid-performance narratives.…
Matt Chamberlain
Changing Things Up with Bob Dylan After joining Bob Dylan’s band in 2019, and playing on his latest album, Rough and Rowdy Ways, Matt Chamberlain was supposed to be spending much of 2020 on the road with the legendary singer-songwriter.…
Fred Armisen
The Multitasking Marvel ofLate Night with Seth Meyers If Fred Armisen was “just” the band leader, drummer, and former guitarist of The 8G Band on Late Night with Seth Meyers, it would be a pretty monumental accomplishment. But Armisen is…
Who Are the Hippest Drummers to Watch in 2021?
We reached out on our socials to see which drummers the Modern Drummer community is most excited about this year. Here are some of your thoughts… It looks like Daru Jones is the right answer. — Sam Brewer Ruy Adrián…
How It Feels to Be Something On
Sunny Day Real Estate From the cover art alone, you get the sense that something was burning at Sunny Day Real Estate’s core when they released How It Feels to Be Something On in September 1998. The sun image on…
