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September 2020 Issue – Volume 44 • Number 9

RECORDINGS Sweet Spirit Trinidad The latest release by one of Austin’s sharpest and most prolific musical troupes finds drummer Danny Blanchard focusing on the groove. Sweet Spirit is the dance floor–friendly pop inverse of fellow Austin band A Giant Dog. Both groups feature mostly the same members, notably the human hurricane that is lead vocalist Sabrina Ellis, but drummer Danny Blanchard shelves A Giant Dog’s early punk playbook in favor of Steve Gadd and LinnDrum vibes for Sweet Spirit. The closest Sweet Spirit gets to the music from the namesake island of their new LP, Trinidad (Merge Records), is the synthy slow calypso “No Dancing,” which Blanchard executes to sound like programmed parts, complete with overdubbed cymbal crashes and tom fills. Similar 1980s vibes, like the offbeat accented 6/8 groove on “Fingerprints” or the programming on “Only Love,” might make you wonder if you just walked into a high school […]
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Articles in September 2020

Remembering Neil Peart

Part 1: “Malignant Narcissism” When it comes to breaking down the drum parts on the instrumental song “Malignant Narcissism” from Rush’s 2007 studio album, Snakes & Arrows, there’s no better place to go than the man who played it, Neil…

Modern Drummer
Aug 1, 2020

Paiste - Formula 602

New Additions to a Classic Line In 1959, Paiste debuted the Formula 602 series as its first high-end cymbal line. These models ushered in a level of sonic consistency that has since become a signature of the Swiss company’s engineering.…

Modern Drummer
Aug 1, 2020

Bill Bachman

Bill Bachman is a world-renowned educator with twenty-five years of teaching experience, including more than fourteen years in online education. He specializes in hand technique and rudimental drumming. MD: What came first, providing online content or offering online lessons?  Bill:…

Modern Drummer
Aug 1, 2020

Live-Streaming Setups

As much of the world continues to be locked down due to COVID-19, professional educators and performers of all ranks are having to quickly adopt new ways to deliver their instruction and art in high-quality digital form. Here we outline…

Modern Drummer
Aug 1, 2020

Istanbul Mehmet, Latin Percussion, Gruv Gear, and more

Istanbul Mehmet Bossa and Crystal Ride Cymbals The Bossa ride has an unlathed top and a fully lathed bottom and is said to have a dark, washy sound and offer clear stick definition. The JB 15" Crystal ride, designed in…

Modern Drummer
Aug 1, 2020
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Stick Technique Revisited

Part 3: Downstrokes, Taps, and Upstrokes If we used only free strokes, our playing would become pretty dull, since every note would be played at the same stick height and dynamic level. In order to add accents and dynamic contour…

Modern Drummer
Aug 1, 2020

ddrum - Dominion Birch with Ash Veneer Drumset

A gorgeous mid-priced lacquer-finish kit with high-quality features and pro-level tones. Earlier this year, ddrum reintroduced the Dominion series, which is the company’s birch-shell counterpart to the all-maple Dios line. These drums are designed to provide professional-grade sounds and performance…

Modern Drummer
Aug 1, 2020

18 Drummers to Follow on Instagram

Worldwide pandemic or not, we’re all spending more time online nowadays, and there’s plenty of drumming action happening on the social media platform Instagram, which allows users to upload photos and videos. With a video length restriction of sixty seconds,…

Modern Drummer
Aug 1, 2020

The Charleston

The Root Rhythm of Jazz and Beyond The Charleston was a popular dance rhythm during the 1920s that got its name from the popular composition of the same name by pianist/composer James P. Johnson. The syncopated Charleston rhythm is one…

Modern Drummer
Aug 1, 2020

In the Studio With Brothers Osborne’s Adam Box

Adam Box moved from Meridian, Mississippi, to Nashville in 2010. He has a musical background, having grown up playing drums at church and in his dad’s band. Box is also adept enough on other instruments to mix, arrange, and produce.…

Modern Drummer
Aug 1, 2020

Don Lombardi

Drum Workshop founder Don Lombardi launched Drum Channel in 2008, and since then it’s been one of the premier sources of drum education on the Internet. Drum Channel boasts content from some of the top names in drumming history, including…

Modern Drummer
Aug 1, 2020

Kentville Drums

Australia’s Preeminent Instrument Restorer and Kangaroo-Hide Drumhead Producer Vintage drums are revered by drummers, producers, and studio owners all over the world, providing time-tested tones that are often preferred over the sound of modern kits in nearly any musical setting.…

Modern Drummer
Aug 1, 2020
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On the Road to Rockford

This month we present Joseph Ciucci’s Ludwig Mod Orange Club Date set and Acrolite snare. Both were manufactured in December of 1967 and purchased from famed Cheap Trick drummer Bun E. Carlos, who is a well-known vintage drum enthusiast. “On…

Modern Drummer
Aug 1, 2020

Dom Famularo

Dom Famularo is affectionately and deservedly known as “Drumming’s Global Ambassador.” He’s an acclaimed performer, educator, author, and motivational speaker. Dom is also one of the pioneers in online education, starting back in the early ’90s with the birth of…

Modern Drummer
Aug 1, 2020

Odd Groupings on the Offbeats

Alternative Rhythmic Placements for More Adventurous Options If you’ve been working through my articles over the past few years, you’ve been exposed to a good number of odd subdivisions, particularly quintuplets. We almost exclusively start those advanced rhythms on the…

Modern Drummer
Aug 1, 2020

BACK THROUGH THE STACK

Drums…gymnastics…everything I picked, I got really obsessive with. So now that I’m writing and I’m a bandleader, I’m obsessive with that. That obsessiveness helped me a lot when I was getting my stuff together. And, you know, back then there…

Modern Drummer
Aug 1, 2020

Beats and Fills

A Smattering of Favorites from a Few Top Pros This month we’ve gathered a collection of favorite beats and fills from some of the top drummers in the world.Each of these transcriptions was pulled from a Modern Drummer exclusive video…

Modern Drummer
Aug 1, 2020

Joe Russo

When you search his name on the internet, you’ll be surprised to find a website claiming that he was knighted by Prince Charles some years back because he’d given the royal such inspiring drum lessons. He himself will be the…

Modern Drummer
Aug 1, 2020

Bill Rieflin (1960–2020)

Bill Rieflin did more than just adapt his drumming skills to fit musical settings as vastly different as the Revolting Cocks and Robyn Hitchcock. He used those skills to make significant contributions live and in the studio to three incredibly…

Modern Drummer
Aug 1, 2020
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Wood and Weather Drum Shop

Indian Orchard, Massachusetts Joe Barthelette is proof that you don’t need to be in or near a major city to have a successful vintage drum business. Enticed by a drool-inducing Instagram feed and website showcasing the various crown-jewel kits, snares,…

Modern Drummer
Aug 1, 2020

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