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.

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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…

Modern Drummer
Jun 24, 2011

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,…

Modern Drummer
Oct 20, 2009

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…

Modern Drummer
Aug 21, 2009

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 Artstar…

Modern Drummer
Jul 17, 2009

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…

Modern Drummer
Nov 20, 2008
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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…

Modern Drummer
Oct 20, 2008

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…

Modern Drummer
Apr 18, 2008

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…

Modern Drummer
Apr 18, 2008

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…

Modern Drummer
May 12, 2004
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