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May 2018 Issue – Volume 42 • Number 5

Bopworks is an Austin, Texas–based company that started in 2006 with an objective to provide accurate reproductions of the thin sticks used by top jazz drummers in the 1950s and ’60s. There’s the pencil-thin Birdland and more moderately sized West Coast and ’40s Swing models, as well as signature Mel Lewis 7D and Art Blakey 8D sticks. The Bopworks catalog was expanded in 2017 to include two thicker models (Memphis R&B and Rhythm & Groovz) and a pair of vintage-style Spread-Lok wire brushes. We were sent a sample of each to review. The Originals The thinnest Bopworks stick is the .500″x15.3125″ Birdland model. According to company owner Chris Bennett, this is an exact duplicate of a stick from the 1960s. It has a long taper and a small, elongated oval tip. This stick is meant for players who require a super-light stick that won’t produce a ton of overtones on […]
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Articles in May 2018

Five-Note Phrasing

Part 1: Creating Rhythmic Tension

by Marc Dicciani
Mar 28, 2018

Yamaha - Tour Custom Drumset

An aptly named series designed to bring full, versatile tones to any stage and at an economical price.

by Michael Dawson
Mar 28, 2018

Smashing Pumpkins’ Jimmy Chamberlin

For the second incarnation of the Jimmy Chamberlin Complex, as heard on its new album, The Parable, the mighty drummer, who came to prominence in the ’90s with the Smashing Pumpkins, gathered players from East and West Coasts to create…

by Ken Micallef
Mar 28, 2018

101 Drums - 5.5x14 Woodfiber Snare

Lightweight and weather-resistant shell with a big, robust sound.

by Michael Dawson
Mar 28, 2018

Paramore’s Zac Farro

Spending your teenage years making records and touring the world on a rocket ship to stardom is every young musician’s fantasy. Choosing to jump off that rocket while it’s still on a steady ascent may seem like madness. For this…

Story by David Ciauro | Photos by Lindsey Byrnes
Mar 28, 2018
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Next to None’s Max Portnoy

Within the international drumming community, the name Portnoy is synonymous with progressive metal. Through his work with Dream Theater, Liquid Tension Experiment, Flying Colors, Transatlantic, and, most recently, Sons of Apollo, Mike Portnoy has garnered every award and accolade imaginable…

Story and photo by Mike Haid
Mar 28, 2018

St. Vincent’s Matt Johnson

A Profound Evolution

Story by Patrick Berkery Photos by Alex Solca
Mar 28, 2018

Terri Lyne Carrington with Lewis Porter, Blake Richardson with Between the Buried and Me, Virgil Donati with IceFish, and More!

RECORDINGS Between the Buried and Me Automata Part I The progressive metal veterans release their highly anticipated eighth full-length album. Drummer BLAKE RICHARDSON somehow takes it up a notch. Once again Blake Richardson’s fluent, musical playing is rendered brilliantly by producer…

Modern Drummer
Mar 28, 2018

What’s Your Favorite 1980s Metal or Hard Rock Drumming Album?

This month we dive into the third installment of our series on great ’80s drumming performances with a focus on metal and hard rock tracks. As usual we asked MD readers and social media followers for their take on the…

Modern Drummer
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Belle and Sebastian’s Richard Colburn

For a touring band, life can imitate This Is Spinal Tap in any number of ways, from getting lost backstage to prop and gear malfunctions to, of course, drummers spontaneously combusting. And then there are predicaments that not even the…

by Patrick Berkery
Mar 28, 2018

Finding a Balance

Drummers often grapple with certain questions or problems that could be answered by simply finding the right balance between two choices. For example, a popular debate among drummers is the choice between using traditional or matched grip. Or some players…

by Willie Rose
Mar 28, 2018

Tune-Bot - Studio Digital Tuner

A more accurate, user-friendly, and feature-laden version of the groundbreaking digital drum tuner.

by Michael Dawson
Mar 28, 2018
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Guitar Center Destination Drum Shops

With more than 280 stores from coast to coast offering just about everything in the way of musical instruments, accessories, and audio gear, you’d think that the retail giant Guitar Center could easily rest on its laurels. “No way,” says…

Interview by Bob Girouard | Photos courtesy of Guitar Center
Mar 28, 2018

Santiago “Jimmy” Vela III on the Sword’s Used Future

Monstrous grooves underlie heavy riffs and Black Sabbath–inspired melodies on the group’s latest release.

Article by Willie Rose | Photo by Dean Dickinson
Mar 28, 2018

Do You Need to Read Music?

Weighing the Pros and Cons in an Age-Old Argument

by Russ Miller
Mar 28, 2018

The 42nd Annual Percussive Arts Society International Convention and Cascio Music Drummerfest 2017

The 42nd Annual Percussive Arts Society International Convention Clinics and performances abound as the industry’s biggest names gather for drumming’s largest event This past November 8–11, thousands of drummers and percussionists of all levels gathered at the Indiana Convention Center in…

Modern Drummer
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Rod Morgenstein with the Dixie Dregs

The prog-rock flag bearers reunite their classic 1970s Free Fall lineup for a spring U.S. tour.

Article by Ben Meyer | Photo by J. Mimma Photography
Mar 28, 2018

The Elf’s Giant

For Eddie “the Elf” Piotrowski of Edison, New Jersey, it took more than ten years of collecting and assembling to build this month’s monster setup. Piotrowski explains that his extensive collection of individual drums and reclaimed sets, which includes a…

Modern Drummer
Mar 28, 2018
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Eric Clapton's Jamie Oldaker

After forty years, the famed Eric Clapton cohort’s career is coming full circle.

Interview by Bob Girouard | Photo by Phil Clarkin
Mar 28, 2018

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