October 2018 Issue – Volume 42 • Number 10
Articles in October 2018
Paiste - Masters Dry and Extra Dry Rides
Ultimate articulation and control without sacrificing tone and expressivity.
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…
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…
New Drum Gear from Roland, Promark, Matoon Drums, Pearl, Zildjian, Melodics, and Gretsch!
Roland TD-17 V-Drums These electronic kits feature newly developed pads, coaching functions, and built-in Bluetooth connectivity. The head tension of the PDX-12 snare pad can be adjusted for natural rebound, while the height of the snare hoop is ideal for…
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!”
Sugar Percussion - Stave Mahogany Bop Kit
A gorgeous handcrafted instrument with supreme sonics to match its flawless appearance.
Lamb of God’s Chris Adler
Legion: XX (pronounced “legion twenty”) commemorates the twentieth anniversary of Lamb of God’s first album release. As most metal fans are aware, that original album was actually the self-titled debut of Burn the Priest; drummer Chris Adler, bassist John Campbell,…
From the Track to the Stage: Breathing Life into a Recording
Music creation has changed greatly since the days when musicians mostly tracked live in a studio. Because modern technology allows for a self-contained process of making music, it’s common for songs to be created in a home studio using very…
Drumset Ergonomics - Part 4: Snare and Floor Tom Positioning
If you’ve been applying the concepts we’ve discussed so far in this series, you should now be seated comfortably at your kit, with the throne and pedals placed so that your hips and back are in the safest possible positions.…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.…