Feature Stories
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.
Seeing Sounds, Part 2: The Deep, Fat “Thud??? (UPDATED)
July 2013 In the Studio Seeing Sounds Part 2: The Deep, Fat “Thud” by Donny Gruendler There’s been a trend in recent years of drummers going for deep, dark, heavily muffled tones, whether in indie rock or mainstream pop. Steve…
Bon Jovi’s Tico Torres Visits Modern Drummer Online, Part 2
In this Web exclusive video, Cam Patterson of DrumHang sits with Bon Jovi drummer Tico Torres and his longtime drum-tech, JD Derosz. For part two, the guys share stories about repairing Joe Morello’s roof, watching Elvin Jones, recording in the…
Modern Drummer’s 2013 Readers Poll Winners
The results are in for the longest-running, most prestigious drummer poll in the world. Without further ado, here are your winners for 2013. Bernard “Pretty” Purdie The renowned stylist continues to set an example of soulfulness and strength for…
Flecktones Drummer Roy “Futureman??? Wooten Chats With Fiddle/Sticks Creator Casey Driessen
Béla Fleck and the Flecktones drummer Roy Wooten, aka Futureman, recently got together with fiddler and occasional Flecktones collaborator Casey Driessen for a two-day jam session and conversation for the project Fiddle/Sticks, in which Driessen has been exploring the fiddle…
Bon Jovi’s Tico Torres Visits Modern Drummer Online, Part 1 (VIDEO)
“Hi, everyone at Modern Drummer, it’s great to be here! It’s a pleasure hanging out with you.” Tico Torres and his longtime drum-tech, JD Derosz, stop in at soundcheck to show us Torres' brand-new DW kit and talk about thirty…
Web Exclusive Interview With Meshuggah’s Tomas Haake
Web Exclusive! Meshuggah’s Tomas Haake by Dave Previ At the start of their North American tour, most of the members of Meshuggah had caught the same cold. We met up with drummer Tomas Haake before the band’s NYC show at…
Web Exclusive! GMS Drums: Looking Back and Stepping Forward With New York’s Original Boutique
GMS founders Tony Gallino and Rob Mazzella in 2012 Web Exclusive! GMS Looking Back and Stepping Forward With New York’s Original Boutique by Michael Dawson No fancy robots, no marketing focus groups, no overstated advertising campaigns—just great-sounding and great-looking drums,…
Billy Martin: What’s New Is “Old???
by Jeff Potter Last year Medeski Martin & Wood released Free Magic, a live document of the band’s 2007 acoustic tour. Here drummer Billy Martin discusses his unique equipment choices, which add color the funk/jazz trio’s ever-fascinating sonic palette.…
The Smashing Pumpkins’ Mike Byrne
photo by Alex Soca by David Ciauro In this exclusive MD Online interview, the drummer discusses his double life as arena rock god and basement-dwelling indie plebian. MD: You had already started the band Bearcubbin’ before landing…
Web Exclusive! Mark Guiliana’s Beat Music
photo by Deneka Peniston by RJ Johnson Mark Guiliana may be best known for his work as a sideman with jazz musicians such as Avishai Cohen and Brad Mehldau, but the drummer has been increasingly involved with his…
Zack B.’s Drum Cover of “The Hard Man Theme??? from Mega Man 3
MD Online was recently hipped to drummer Zack B.’s fantastic drum cover of “The Hard Man Theme” from the ’90s Nintendo video game Mega Man 3. We asked Zack why he chose this particular track to cover, and he took…
Zach Danziger and Owen Biddle TEDx Performance
Drummer Zach Danziger and bassist Owen Biddle of the group Mister Barrington recently conducted a unique performance for the TEDx series at UMass Amherst. By pre-recording their speech, Biddle and Danziger set out to challenge assumptions about live electronic…
25 Timeless Drum Books
What makes a great drum book? There’s no single answer, as different books have been written to address a wide variety of styles and techniques. But judging by a recent poll in which Modern Drummer readers were asked to name…
In the Studio: Seeing Sounds, Part 1: All-Purpose Pop/Rock
June 2013 In the Studio Seeing Sounds Part 1: All-Purpose Pop/Rock by Donny Gruendler All of us appreciate a signature and stylistically appropriate drum sound. This can range from the perfect overall kit tone on your favorite CD to a…
