Ken Micallef
Modern Drummer is the world’s most widely read drum magazine, is dedicated entirely to the art of drumming and caters to the needs of amateur, semi-pro, and professional drummers.
Deftones’ Abe Cunningham
(from the July 2011 Issue of Modern Drummer Magazine) Story by Ken Micallef • Photos by Ashley Maile You play drums in a California alternative metal band whose members are constantly at war, and all the while you watch your…
Drumming On TV
by Ken Micallef The December 2009 issue of Modern Drummer featured the story “Drumming On TV,” an insider’s look at the ins and outs of the unique craft of the contemporary television drummer. The article featured SNL’s Shawn Pelton,…
Branford Marsalis' Take On Jeff "Tain" Watts
Reflections From Jeff Watts’s Longtime Collaborator by Ken Micallef Since Jeff “Tain” Watts’s first recording with Wynton Marsalis in 1981, saxophonist Branford Marsalis has been at the drummer’s side, providing material, inspiration, and employment. Tain has appeared on practically all…
Dave Lombardo: Metal And The Unconscious State
by Ken Micallef When it comes to recording, sometimes less is more. And sometimes, less results in an out-of-body experience. That was the case for Dave Lombardo when recording Slayer’s new album, World Painted Blood. Paring back his Tama…
Gavin Harrison: The Rhythmic Illusionist Is Now Elevating Two Bands, Porcupine Tree And King Crimson
by Ken Micallef “I stopped focusing on the muscles in my arms and started focusing on the big fat muscle in my head. That’s where the good stuff comes from.” Forty-five-year-old Gavin Harrison has led a drummer’s dream life. He’s…
Lars Ulrich: For The Greater Good
by Ken Micallef “The days of trying to outshine the band or outshine your peers, or checking to see where you show up in drummers polls, are over for me. Now it’s all about the greater good.” “Metallica is…
Cindy Blackman: The Lady Comes To Play
by Ken Micallef Last year, drumming dynamo Cindy Blackman left behind her big-ticket rock gig with Lenny Kravitz to unleash the jazz devil inside. Her drumming prowess is simply astounding–and is now finally on full display. Serial jazz and rock…
Darren King : Freedom To Fail
You’d never know it by listening to Mute Math’s terrific debut album, but drummer Darren King got his act together not by playing his best, but by playing his worst. In between demoing songs for the band’s forthcoming album in…
Ben Perowsky: Beyond Labels
(March 2003 Issue) The scene: a cold night in Williamsburg, Brooklyn at North On Sixth, a multi-level hole in the wall jook joint where the bathroom graffiti is more political than obscene. Attracting a crowd of Manhattan intellectuals and Brooklyn…
