November 2020 Issue – Volume 44 • Number 11
Articles in November 2020
Identity Crisis…Embraced
“What do you do?” That’s such a common question, and one that’s often asked innocuously whenever I meet someone for the first time. But more and more, I’m having trouble answering as simply as I should. Am I a drummer?…
Stick Technique Revisited
Part 5: The Moeller Whip Stroke The Moeller whip stroke is named after Sanford “Gus” Moeller, a famous teacher from the early 1900s who became known for teaching a whipping motion used by Civil War drummers. In recent years, “Moeller”…
Zildjian, Atlantic Technology, LP, Vidami, Tama and more
Zildjian Planet Z Cymbals Crafted from brass, Planet Z cymbals are said to be bright and cutting, with a more controlled and focused sound. They are available in a 10" splash, a 16" crash, an 18" crash ride, a 20"…
Jimmy Cobb 1929–2020
“It just sounded good,” Jimmy Cobb told MD in a 1979 interview. “And it just seemed to get better as it got older.” This is a colossal understatement. The “good” album the humble drummer is referring to is Kind of…
Barrett Deems
The Self-Proclaimed “World’s Fastest Drummer” This month I’d like to talk about the great Barrett Deems. Barrett wasn’t as much of a household name in the big band world as Buddy Rich, Gene Krupa, or Louie Bellson, but he was…
In the Studio With Kenny Chesney’s Sean Paddock
When drummer Sean Paddock isn’t out playing stadium shows with country superstar Kenny Chesney, he’s in his newly built riverfront home studio making music. Paddock had a small area allocated for recording in his previous house, but moving to a…
Critique
RECORDINGS Theraphosa Transcendence Yet another debut from an international heavy-rock band that slays. A product of Paris’s ever-more-prolific metal scene, Theraphosa named themselves after one of the most “metal” inspirations we’ve seen recently: the largest genus of spider in the…
Rogers USA - Covington Series Drums
A faithful reproduction of the mid-century originals with a fewwelcome upgrades. Rogers is one of the oldest names in American drum manufacturing. Joseph Rogers founded the company in 1849 to make drumheads, but in the 1930s his son steered the…
Remembering Neil Peart
Part 3: The Professor’s Improvised Warm-Up Routine When Neil Peart came up with a series of topics to cover for his course on DrumChannel.com, he said he wanted to include his warm-up routine. I expected it to be a series…
The Earth Is a Drum
A Grammy-winning, world-traveling producer makes the case for looking beyond technology and academia for rhythmic and musical inspiration. A sage, veteran live-sound engineer in San Francisco used to joke that he could already tell how much a drummer was going…
Tony Allen
A Tribute to the King of Afrobeat Drumming Afrobeat pioneer Tony Allen’s contribution to modern music runs as deep as his groove. As the creator of an entirely new drumming style, his contributions are profound, and his influence has reached…
The Go-Go’s’ - Beauty and the Beat
Among the facts that the band’s recent Showtime documentary made clear: Without the crucial early leadership of drummer Gina Schock—or her crack drumming—we likely wouldn’t be talking about them forty years later, and the history of rock would be a…
“Sticks & Wires”
An extensive two-hour course on drum miking by top session/touring drummer Blair Sinta that covers everything from bare-bones one-mic setups to more intricate applications. After graduating from the famed music program at University of North Texas in 1995, Blair Sinta…
Joe Pollard
Syndrum Innovator Joe Pollard is a well-respected drummer who was part of the legendary group of Los Angeles–based session players in the 1970s known as the Wrecking Crew. He also toured with top R&B and pop artists, including Etta James,…
9 Reasons to Love Narada Michael Walden
One of the most successful record producers of the recent past is also among classic fusion’s most blazing drummers. Parallel with his ’70s career as successful producer and solo R&B artist, Narada Michael Walden was arguably the most emotional fusion…
Who’s Your Newest Favorite Drummer?
Stella Mozgawa By Robin Laananen Stella Mozgawa .Milan Brau George Daniel from the 1975.Rod Scherger Samus Paulicelli .Isaac Mc Conkey For the complete package of sounds and personality, I have to go with Aaron Sterling. Saw him live with John…
Turkish Cymbals - Cappadocia Series
Dry and funky, just like the region for which they’re named. Turkish Cymbals is—not surprisingly—a Turkish company that fabricates a wide array of contemporary and traditional-sounding cymbals utilizing a combination of ancient and modern processes. Each instrument starts from a…
Aynsley Dunbar
John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers and Jeff Beck in the 1960s. Frank Zappa, David Bowie, and Journey in the 1970s. Starship and Whitesnake in the ’80s. Any rock aficionado will recognize the legendary status of these artists. The connection between them? This…
Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker
Though Kevin Parker has handled pretty much every task on Tame Impala’s recordings since the earliest days, he’s always considered himself a drummer first. And getting the drums just so has always been Parker’s main objective even as his processes…