Search
Advertisement

March 2018 Issue – Volume 42 • Number 3

As music journalists, we try to avoid using superlatives, like, say, “the greatest living blues drummer.” At the same time, it’s inarguable that for those who’ve been in a room where the Austin drumming icon George Rains is playing, the notion is tough to ignore. Rains’ credentials in the world of blues are impeccable. In addition to backing Jimmie Vaughan since 1993, he was the house drummer at Antone’s blues club for a decade, and has played behind just about every blues artist you can think of from the early ’80s onward.
TO READ THE FULL STORY:

Articles in March 2018

Marty Beller With They Might Be Giants

The drummer and composer stokes an already roaring blaze underneath a raucous group’s latest worldwide trek.

Article by Willie Rose | Photo by Erik Rosengarten
Jan 31, 2018

Remembering Ben Riley, Frank Capp, Grady Tate, and Chuck Blackwell.

Ben Riley This past November 18, the American jazz-drumming great Ben Riley passed away at the age of eighty-four. A brief list of Riley’s credits includes Alice Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Stan Getz, Woody Herman, Ahmad Jamal, Kenny Barron, the New…

Modern Drummer
Jan 31, 2018

John Clardy On Tera Melos’s Trash Generator

Diving Deep Into the Experimental Trio’s Latest Release

Article by Austin Burcham | Photo by Colin Eldridge
Jan 31, 2018

The 2017 Hollywood Custom and Vintage Drum Show

Drum enthusiasts from around the globe convened at the Glendale Civic Auditorium in Glendale, California, this past October 7 to check out informative clinics and a plethora of new and vintage drumming gear. The stellar performance lineup included Jason McGerr…

Story and photos by Bob Campbell
Jan 31, 2018

Drum Fills: Keep It Simple, or Shred?

Drummers have to consider plenty of options when choosing an appropriate fill to play in a given situation. Factors such as voicing, subdivision, density, and speed comprise just a few of the choices. While keeping these options in mind, we…

Modern Drummer
Jan 31, 2018
Advertisement

Professional Drum Shop

Hollywood, California

Interview by Patrick Berkery
Jan 31, 2018

The Chick Corea & Steve Gadd Band, Arturo O’Farrill and Chucho Valdés, Good Tiger, Quartet NL, and more!

RECORDINGS Courtesy of Steve Gadd The Chick Corea & Steve Gadd Band Chinese Butterfly Two iconic instrumentalists reunite, striding further. In a highly anticipated reunion, keyboardist Chick Corea and STEVE GADD co-lead a top-flight band in a mix of electric…

Modern Drummer
Jan 31, 2018

Modern Drummer 2018 Readers Poll Winners

Hall of Fame Clyde Stubblefield James Brown He wasn’t simply a funky drummer, he was the Funky Drummer. And all you have to do to understand how he earned that famous nickname is to listen to the music he recorded…

Modern Drummer
Jan 31, 2018

Appreciation and Gratitude

Photo by Jeff Smith Happy New Year! It’s that time again, when we reflect back on the past year and appreciate all the wonderful opportunities we’ve been blessed with. Time has always fascinated me. Maybe being a drummer has something…

by Billy Amendola
Jan 31, 2018

Alesis - Strike Pro Drumset

A top-notch e-kit built to look and feel like an acoustic set while offering unlimited sonic capabilities.

by Michael Dawson
Jan 31, 2018

Former Hole and Current Upset Drummer Patty Schemel

MD spoke with the former Hole and current Upset drummer just before the release of her new memoir, Hit So Hard, which recounts her early life, her rise through the Seattle music scene of the ’80s and ’90s, and her struggles with addiction.

Interview by Ben Meyer | Photo by Alex Solca
Jan 31, 2018
Advertisement

The Fundamentals of 5/4 Rock

Backbeat and Ghost Note Placement

by Joel Rothman
Jan 31, 2018

Web Exclusive! Alex Rüdinger of Good Tiger on the Group’s Sophomore Album, We Will All Be Gone

MD checks in with the former drummer with the Faceless, Threat Signal, and the HAARP Machine on the occasion of his current band’s highly anticipated sophomore album, which is due out on February 9.   MD: We Will All Be…

by Ben Meyer
Feb 1, 2018

Big & Rich's Keio Stroud

When national artists record in Nashville, they call on world-renowned studio greats like Paul Leim, Eddie Bayers, Lonnie Wilson, Greg Morrow, and Chad Cromwell to put down the ultimate version of a track. But when those artists need a sub…

Story by Aaron Strickland | Photos by Joey Tanner
Jan 31, 2018
by Michael Dawson
Jan 31, 2018

Phantogram’s Chris Carhart

ON STAGE AND UP CLOSE

Interview Michael Dawson | Photos by Nicholas Shelestak
Jan 31, 2018

Dream - Re-Fx Naughty Saucer

A recycled cast-off turned into a multi-purpose electro-inspired effect.

by Michael Dawson
Jan 31, 2018

A Slingerland Unmasked

After purchasing and restoring the 1950s Slingerland bass drum pictured in this month’s featured kit, Marc Membreno was overtaken by the urge to flesh out the setup with other vintage Slingerland tubs. “I started with a 1958 blue sparkle bass…

Modern Drummer
Jan 31, 2018
Advertisement

John Convertino on Calexico’s The Thread That Keeps Us

A presidential election, a trip west to the coast, and an immersion in nature invigorate the indie mainstay’s latest foray into Tex-Mex-infused Americana bliss.

Article by Willie Rose | Photo by Eric Stoner
Jan 31, 2018

Advertisement