Hey MD readers, I hope you’re all well! I’m stoked and honored to be a part of “On The Beat.” I’ve always loved Modern Drummer and I’m excited to share a bit about myself with all of you!

My name is Josh Devine and for several years I was fortunate enough to tour the world as the drummer for One Direction. I got to perform at some of the biggest stadiums in the world, including three sold-out nights at Wembley Stadium in the UK. I believe that were about 85,000 people a night, which was a genuine dream come true for me.

I may have toured for years playing pop music, but I’ve always been a rock drummer at heart. I currently play drums for my new band ZFG. We are a four-piece rock band from Los Angeles, California, consisting of Jules Galli on vocals, Trev Lukather on guitar, and Sam Porcaro on bass. We all started messing around in the studio for fun, writing and recording music that we wanted to create—no boundaries, no rules, and no outside influence of “radio friendly or what sounds hot today.” So we called the recording session ZFG which stands for Zero F*cks Given and it stuck! Before we all knew it, it just became undeniable, and we knew it was something that we needed to commit to, thus the band was officially born. For those who know me from my previous session work, this band is definitely going to be a shock and a serious departure from what you’re used to seeing and hearing me do. With ZFG I get to let loose behind the kit and play some real rock music. This is me and this is definitely what I was born to do.

We are just starting the release cycle of our first single, “Special.” It’s a song that we almost didn’t record while working on our EP, but it was a last minute decision to cut it and we pretty much arranged and wrote it on the same day as we went along. The most incredible moment for me while recording this song was having the legendary percussionist and complete badass Lenny Castro lend his taste and groove to the track. Having Lenny on this song is one of the most incredible things for me because I’m such a big fan of his playing (as I’m sure most of us here are). He just brought such magic to the groove. I left the track very open in regard to my playing because I didn’t want to crowd it up too much. I let Lenny do his thing, and he came in and took it to the next level. We are beyond honored to have him featured on the song. Advertisement

When it comes to my go-to gear, I’m very blessed to be an endorsee of some of the best brands out there. I have been a Mapex, Paiste, and Vater artist since 2007 when I was sixteen years old, and I have never looked back! I also proudly endorse Roland, AKG Harman mics, Hardcase cases, Ultimate Ears, and Acura. I play a Mapex Saturn V; I use two 18×22 kick drums, 8″, 10″, 12″, 13″, 14″, and 16″ toms, a 14″ Black Panther Black Widow snare (which is my go-to snare for all my sessions), and Chris Adler’s 12″ Warbird as my auxiliary snare.

For years I played my signature stick series with Vater, but over the years and with how my playing has evolved and developed, I’ve been using different variations of a 5B/55BB. I have too many Paiste cymbals on my kit to list out, but they mainly consist of Signatures, the PSTX stacks, and a few Dark Energy cymbals. I like having the options with cymbals and drums, even if I don’t have them all set up at once. I guess that’s the session player in me!

This year I joined Gibraltar’s roster, and have been working with them to build a tour stealth rack as well as a rack for my monster studio kit. I will definitely provide you all with some pics on my Instagram (@joshdevinedrums)! I also recently signed a new endorsement deal with Evans Drumheads and I’m stoked! My drums have never sounded so good! Advertisement

We’re about to embark on our first couple of US tours, supporting Adelitas Way and the legendary Winery Dogs throughout April and May. So check out our tour dates and come hang with us! I’m very excited to head out on a support tour, it’s been a long time since I’ve played these kind of venues and I’m pumped to be doing it with my brothers in ZFG!

Thanks for reading, thanks to MD for all the support, and I hope to see you on the road!

Watch the Official Lyric Video for ZFG’s new single “Special” here: 

For all things ZFG, including upcoming tour dates and news on the band’s upcoming EP, head to www.ZFGband.com.