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.

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Kurt Reil of the Grip Weeds

Greetings from New Jersey! I sing and play drums for the Grip Weeds, and last year we released the double CD Strange Change Machine. We’ve received many great reviews and notices for it, along with lots of back-slapping from our fans,…

Modern Drummer
Oct 20, 2011

J.P. "Thunderbolt" Patterson: Punk Rock Renaissance Man

From copping Cozy Powell’s licks as a youngster in Afghanistan—where his father worked for the U.S. embassy—to carving out a dual career for himself in New York as both a drummer and an actor, it’s been a colorful life for…

Modern Drummer
Oct 18, 2011

Ian Paice: Influence

by Daniel Glass The first time I heard Ian Paice play the drums, I was a wide-eyed nine-year-old, just getting my musical sea legs under me. At the time, my best friend was three years my senior, and like an…

Modern Drummer
Oct 18, 2011

Back Through The Stack: Bill Rieflin

by Jon Wurster “Honestly, I don’t remember, sorry to say,” replies R.E.M. drummer Bill Rieflin when asked what it felt like the first time he counted off the band’s smash hit “Losing My Religion” before a paying audience. “On those…

Modern Drummer
Oct 13, 2011

Drummer to Drummer: Jimmy Chamberlin and William Mohler (w/ VIDEO)

As the original drummer in Smashing Pumpkins, Jimmy Chamberlin established himself as a kit-smith with burning chops and the ability to come up with signature drum hooks. In 2000, following the breakup of the Pumpkins, the drummer made his debut…

Modern Drummer
Oct 6, 2011
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New Bill Bruford Speaking Dates And Limited-Edition Autobiography

Bill Bruford, the recently retired drummer whose groundbreaking work with Yes, King Crimson, and Earthworks has earned him the respect of generations of drummers, has announced additional dates for his ongoing speaking engagement tour. There is no hands-on drumming in…

Modern Drummer
Oct 6, 2011

What You Need to Know About...Cymbal Alloys

  by Billy Brennan An alloy, in its most basic sense, is a blend of two or more metals. Since metals are not chemically bonded in their natural state, they are fused—and alloys are created—in a molten state, through melting…

Modern Drummer
Oct 4, 2011

What Do You Know About...? John Weathers

  by Will Romano   John Weathers is one of the unsung drumming heroes of the 1970s’ progressive rock era. Weathers’ ability to maintain a steady pulse as a dense, musical matrix unfolded around him helped ground the complex compositions…

Modern Drummer
Sep 30, 2011

Richard Christy: “Admire the Heroes??? Studio Footage

Richard Christy Performs “Admire the Heroes” from Cold Winds on Timeless Days, the New Album by Charred Walls of the Damned The December issue of Modern Drummer magazine contains an Update story on Richard Christy. In it, the drummer and leader…

Modern Drummer
Sep 28, 2011

Encore: Topper Headon on the Clash’s London Calling

by Jon Wurster Though their first two albums certainly made an impact in their native England and among some converts in the States, global domination seemed quite elusive for the Clash in 1979, especially considering their being widely hailed as…

Modern Drummer
Sep 23, 2011

Back Through the Stack: Harvey Mason

“I never really thought of being a professional musician,” says Harvey Mason. “Music is something I did for fun and enjoyment, and coming from a poor family, there was no way I was going to do anything that wouldn’t make…

Modern Drummer
Sep 22, 2011

Jimmy Chamberlin: The Ex-Smashing Pumpkins Drummer Takes a New Direction with Skysaw

by Stephen Bidwell A jazz and fusion fanatic with a mind for song craft, Jimmy Chamberlin was the perfect engine to power one of the boldest, most dominant rock bands of the 1990s, the Smashing Pumpkins. With their majestic rock…

Modern Drummer
Sep 20, 2011
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John Stanier of Battles

    by Billy Brennan   Experimental rockers Battles released their sophomore full-length, Gloss Drop, this past June. Their powerhouse drummer, who caught many drummers’ attention with the band Helmet in the ’90s, gives us a look behind the scenes…

Modern Drummer
Sep 19, 2011

In Memoriam: Woody “Sonship” Theus

by Gerry Gibbs Woody “Sonship” Theus, whose credits include work with McCoy Tyner, Charles Lloyd, John McLaughlin, Woody Shaw, Freddie Hubbard, Michal Urbaniak, and Pharoah Sanders, passed away this past March 18, at age fifty-eight. Among the pallbearers at his…

Modern Drummer
Aug 19, 2011
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