On the Beat
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.
Keith Harrison of the Pineapple Thief
Question: What do you call a guy who hangs out with musicians? Answer: A drummer! With the prospect of being the butt of such drummer jokes, I have to ask myself the question, “Why did I choose to play drums”?…
Michael Shrieve
Greetings, Modern Drummer readers! I’m writing to inform you about a new interview show that I have launched on an exciting Internet–only radio station called Jet City Stream. My show is called “Notes From The Field,” and I will be…
MD Pro Panelist Gerald Heyward on Vinnie Colaiuta
Hi MD! I’m excited about the latest issue and I want to let you know that Vinnie Colaiuta is one of my top-five favorite drummers! I started listening to him and watching him closely after the Zildjian Day video. He…
Supla Suplicy from Brothers of Brazil
When my brother Joao and I decided to play together about five years ago, I knew that I had to reinvent myself. I started as a drummer at about thirteen years old. My favorite drummers were people like Charlie Watts,…
Eric Slick of Dr. Dog
Hey, MD readers. My name is Eric Slick, and I currently play drums for the Philadelphia group Dr. Dog. I’ll give you a brief history of my past, but I’ll intertwine it with two essential parts of making music: challenges…
British Drummer/Educator Kyle Cullen
I’m a British drummer based in the town of Glastonbury, famous for its music festival. I’m currently splitting my time between teaching, gigging, and recording sessions for people all over the world. My latest offering comes in the form of…
Kenneth “Big Eazy??? Walker of the Lee Boys
My beat in music consists of giving back the gift that I was given. I started in music at a very young age, learning first from family. My mom told me that she and my dad discovered I had a…
Ian Kaplan of Motel Beds
My name is Ian Kaplan, and I’m the drummer for Motel Beds. We’ve been playing together for about nine years, and we’ve just released our new album, Dumb Gold. I’m really excited about it, and I hope you go and…
Drum Doctors’ Ross Garfield
Hi MD readers! This is my first ever blog, and I wanted to tell you how I got to work on the upcoming Superman soundtrack. The whole thing started when I got a call from film scorer Hans Zimmer’s assistant.…
Jason Dana of Bend Sinister
Hello MD readers! My name is Jason Dana, and I’ve been playing the tubs since I was a young child. I’m involved in a project called Bend Sinister. Our latest LP is titled Small Fame. The band is a modern…
Billy McCarthy of Ferocious Drummers
Hello, MD readers! I’m grateful for the opportunity to introduce my documentary film, Ferocious Drummers. As a drummer myself, I had a burning question, “Why is it we’ve never heard from the drummer’s personality and character on and off the…
Emil Amos of Grails, Om, and Holy Sons
Growing up in the ’80s, one was forced to pound the pavement and hit up older record heads for information on obscure and creative bands. You literally might have to locate someone who could remember who was drumming for Traffic…
Fabio Buitvidas of Shadowside
Hello dear fellow drummers, it’s an honor to be able to write for the Modern Drummer community. My name is Fabio Buitvidas, and I was born in the city of Sao Paulo. Despite being Brazilian, my musical roots are not…
Brit Turner of Blackberry Smoke
My name is Brit Turner, and I live in Atlanta, Georgia, with my wife, daughter, dog, two cats, one fish, and a snail. Great things have been happening for me lately. My band Blackberry Smoke is on one of the…
