October 2018 Issue – Volume 42 • Number 10
On 01st Oct 2018
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Articles in October 2018
Conrad Choucroun with White Denim
The longtime Austin drumming workhorse reflects back on touring and recording with the stylistically diverse rock band.
Jonathan Barber, Kobie Watkins Grouptet, Bobby Sanabria Multiverse Big Band, Jack DeJohnette, and more!
RECORDING Taking the Reins Photo by Gulnara Khamatova Jonathan Barber VisionAhead The debut recording from the top Up & Coming drummer in this year’s Readers Poll isn’t your typical young-gun-goes-for-the-jugular release. Jonathan Barber’s feel is light and propulsive. You can…
Bernard Purdie
On every track of his new album, Cool Down, the iconic R&B drummer burns like a house on fire in a live-in-the-studio setting. “And would you believe,” the pretty one adds, “with no overdubs at all!”
Train’s Drew Shoals
Train’s Drew Shoals played two different kits this past summer to highlight Ludwig’s 45th Anniversary Vistalite series. Both the Green Sparkle set he used at the start of the tour and the Tri-Band Black one shown here were ideal for…
Damian Marley‘s Courtney “Bam“ Diedrick
(Featured Image by Francesco Sciolti) Courtney “Bam” Diedrick grew up in Brown’s Town, St. Ann, Jamaica, only a few miles from the birthplace of Bob Marley, the leader of the Wailers, reggae’s most iconic band. Diedrick couldn’t have imagined that…
Canopus - Hybrid Series Hardware
This new line provides strength and stability with significantly less heft.
Jethro Tull’s Stand Up
As the drummer for the progressive/folk/hard rock band Jethro Tull in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Clive Bunker infused the group’s music with a frenetic, raw energy. Body twitching, using the butt end of his sticks, Bunker beautifully brutalized…
The “Bam Bam” Kit
The Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based drummer Patrick “Pattycake” Morris custom ordered this 3.1 mm aluminum-shell drumset from Trick Drums. The kit features a unique pine-tree wrap, which the drummer specifically requested from the manufacturer. “My idea for the kit came from being…
Kendrick Lamar’s Tony “Rico” Nichols
Perpetually relaxed, and seemingly never breaking a sweat, Rico Nichols plays a once-in-a-lifetime mega gig with a broad pocket, enviable self-composure, and a nimble touch that can alternately be described as creamy, mellow, and deep. Born and raised in Chicago,…
Bon Jovi’s Tico Torres
When singer Jon Bon Jovi quit his cover band to front the New Jersey originals group the Rest, most who witnessed his passion and drive knew it wouldn’t take long for the charismatic frontman to put his own band together…
John “Jabo” Starks: 1938-2018
“He had that ‘stop-your-heart’ groove.” That’s how Fred Wesley, former bandleader for the “Godfather of Soul,” James Brown, describes the drumming of John Starks, who died this past May 1 at the age of seventy-nine. And the description is apt.…
Perfect Beings’ Sean Reinert
Sean Reinert made his name drumming up a storm with experimental death metal bands Death and Cynic—playing with fire, precision, and a serious level of technical facility. Last year Sean joined forces with progressive rock/pop group Perfect Beings, after they…
Remembering Pat Torpey, Learning to Read Music, the 1978 Issue, Roy Burns, and Dropped Beats
Remembering Pat Torpey Thank you for your article on the Nashville Drummers Jam tribute to the late Pat Torpey . For the longest time I felt like I was the only drummer who considered Pat to be a huge influence.…
Sugar Percussion - Stave Mahogany Bop Kit
A gorgeous handcrafted instrument with supreme sonics to match its flawless appearance.
Pre-Gig Calibration
Photo by John Leiby Being an employable drummer in 2018 carries more demands than it did in 1918, especially when it comes to melding live performances with the variety of A/V technology being used by most pop, rock, and R&B…
Industry Happenings, Who's Playing What, and more
Photo by John Abott Jazz Drummer and Composer Matt Wilson Awarded Two 2018 Jazz Journalists Association Honors The Jazz Journalists Association, an international professional organization of writers, photographers, broadcasters, videographers, and new media content providers, recently honored New York–based jazz…
