August 2020 Issue – Volume 44 • Number 8
Articles in August 2020
Thomas Lang’s Coordination and Counting Concepts
A Few Ways to Practice With or Without Drums “Independence, four-way coordination, and ambidexterity are such huge subjects,” says Thomas Lang in a recent video lesson filmed for Modern Drummer by DrumChannel.com. “One way of getting into this is just…
Thomas Lang
While “normal” drummers are figuring out how to keep good time behind that guitar solo or how to tune that second rack tom so it doesn’t sound like a cartoon sound effect, Thomas Lang is deeply concerned with something called…
Aahad Nayani
The Pakistani drummer has made a name for himself against considerable odds. Aahad Nayani is a bit of a miracle. The thirty-two-year-old is a self-taught, meticulous drumset player from Karachi, Pakistan, who despite years of government internet censorship, used banned…
Matt Laug on Alanis Morissette’s “You Oughta Know”
The existence of live and programmed drums on a track is commonplace today. Twenty-five years ago, though, it was such a fresh idea it could launch a career. If you were anywhere near a radio or MTV in the latter…
Bad Religion’s Jamie Miller
Sometimes the job you were meant to do comes about when you least expect it. For this drummer, the opportunity came decades after he first imagined it. In 2015, after relocating from Baltimore to California, and barely into a hiatus…
Innovative Percussion
LAX-1, SF-1, and MATT-1 Drumsticks and KDB-2 Cloud Beater Versatile drumset sticks and a modern take on the fluffy thumper. Nashville-based Innovative Percussion—one of the leading manufacturers of symphonic and marching sticks, mallets, and accessories—has been steadily growing its catalog…
Modern-Jazz/Rock/Fusion Powerhouse Ronald Bruner Jr..
Grammy-winning drummer, producer, singer, and songwriter Ronald Bruner Jr. is one of today’s most electrifying performers. His exciting “no holds barred” approach has gained the respect of some of the industry’s top artists, and his genre-busting style is a combination…
Koide - 703 and 10J Series Cymbals
Japan’s premier cymbal maker fuses centuries-old techniques with modern-day processes. Although relatively new to the international market for high-end cymbals, Japanese company Koide (pronounced “co-ee-day”) has a long history in metallurgy that dates back to 1947, when founder Toshio Koide’s…
Lana Del Rey’s Tom Marsh
Serving the singer onstage requires all of this multithreat’s many skills. Lana Del Rey currently ranks among the top pop singers in the world. Steadily releasing albums since 2012, her classic torch-song voice graces moody material with a modern sensibility.…
Evans - UV2 Drumheads
A beefier 2-ply version of the innovative ultraviolet-light-cured coated batter. Last fall Evans expanded its offerings featuring the new UV-cured coating to include a double-ply model, the UV2. These heads comprise two layers of 7 mil film and a thin…
Louie Bellson
Drummer, Composer, Bandleader, and Double-Bass Pioneer Last month we talked about the father of modern jazz drumming, Papa Jo Jones. This time we’re featuring one of Papa Jo’s disciples, the great jazz artist and drumset innovator Louie Bellson.Bellson was the…
Sean Reinert (1971–2020)
To those in the know, Sean Reinert was one of the most astounding heavy-rock drummers of all time, with timeless albums by Cynic and Death providing more supporting evidence than one would ever need. But from very early on, he…
Billy Cobham’s Spectrum
The ex-Mahavishnu phenom was out to prove he had the drumming and writing chops to stake his own claim with his 1973 solo debut. By the early 1970s, Billy Cobham had spent time drumming with several legendary jazz artists, including…
The Black Keys’ Patrick Carney
In the five years since the band’s last full-length album, the drummer has spread his creative wings as a producer of note. Here we talk about that growth, and spend time with the drummer’s partner, Dan Auerbach. The hiatus between…
LP, Mackie, Grover Pro, Roland, and more
Latin Percussion Stainless Steel Salsa Snares The new Salsa snares are fitted with stainless-steel rims, eight lugs, and twenty-four-strand wires. Available in 5.5x13 and 4.5x12 sizes, these drums are said to sound cutting and bright with a sharp attack.lpmusic.com Mackie…
Khruangbin’s DJ Johnson
At first listen, his drumming sounds simple. But his tone, touch, timing, and focused parts make the indie-world trio Khruangbin’s trance-like music groove hard in a way a lesser drummer would easily muck up and mire. Houston, Texas–based trio Khruangbin…
Stick Technique Revisited
Part 2: The Free Stroke The free stroke, which is also commonly referred to as the full stroke, rebound stroke, or legato stroke, is the most important technique you should learn, as it’s the foundation for almost every other stroke…
Be Your Own Shaman
As usual, it was a dame that turned my drumming all topsy-turvy…. Sorry, I’ve been watching too many Humphrey Bogart movies during this lockdown. But that lead is actually true. Besides overdosing on Bogey, I also recently started binge-watching Outlander,…
Alesis - Strike Pro Special Edition Mesh Kit
This eleven-piece set is as professional-grade as it gets, yet somehow keeps the cost-conscious consumer in mind. For a number of years, Alesis has positioned itself as the leading producer of affordable electronic drumsets, multipads, and drum machines best suited…
Donn Bennett’s Drum Vault
Elvin Jones’ Cymbal Collection Elvin Jones was one of the most influential, inspirational, and beloved jazz musicians of all time. Few artists have touched the world as deeply as he did. Though I only briefly met Elvin a couple times,…