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.
Buckcherry's Xavier Muriel
Story by Billy Amendola “When I practice, I don’t do it to rock ’n’ roll. I’ll put on old Prince, Kool & The Gang, or Michael Jackson records. I think a lot of people forget how incredibly grooving those…
Tony Palermo: Web Exclusive Interview
by Billy Amendola No one who knows him would argue that Papa Roach's Tony Palermo wasn't one of the hardest-working drummers around this past summer. Touring with Papa Roach on the Cruefest was a dream come true for Tony. In…
Dick DiCenso
The well-known drummer/teacher reflects on his sixty-year love affair with the drums. Thanks to my parents, Americo and Anna DiCenso, Santa Claus brought me my first drumset. It was a toy kit complete with tin shells, paper heads, and a…
Patrick Keeler of The Raconteurs and The Greenhorns
by Patrick Berkery “That’s the hardest thing about being in this band; everybody’s a damn drummer!” Behind most supergroups, there’s usually a fantastic drummer. Though in a supergroup setting, sometimes a fantastic drummer’s talents get obscured by the star power…
Styx's Todd Sucherman
by Ken Micallef “Anyone who has to honestly play Styx music will realize that there’s more here than meets the eye. I get to play a lot of drums in this band.” Great drummers often come from the most unlikely…
Billy Bob Thornton: Thinking Inside The Box
(October 2008 Issue) While many only know Billy Bob Thornton as an Academy Award–winning actor, he’s in fact been a musician far longer, ever since growing up in Arkansas. Thornton’s been playing drums since the age of nine, has released…
Patrick Carney of the Black Keys
While The Black Keys’ latest offering, Attack & Release, retains much of the DIY ethos the Akron, Ohio duo has honed since its early days, it’s clear that drummer Patrick Carney and singer/guitarist Dan Auerbach wanted to mix it up…
Spencer Smith of Panic At The Disco
Panic At The Disco might be “all the rage” right now, but drummer Spencer Smith divulges that the band routinely gets inspiration from rock’s distant past. While touring behind their debut album, Spencer says, they experienced a creative epiphany listening…
Joachim Cooder of Hello Stranger
For Joachim Cooder, this is a very exciting time in the life of Hello Stranger, a group he started several years ago with bandmate Juliette Commagere. They’re finishing up their second record with Mike Elizondo at the helm, and they’ve…
Ryan Hoyle of Collective Soul
Ryan Hoyle knew deep in his heart at a very young age that he would make a living playing drums. Growing up, he dreamed of becoming a studio musician—which he successfully did, both in Nashville and in LA. It was…
Adam Phillips and the 10 Commandments of Modern Drumming
The 10 Commandments Of Modern Drumming 1. Honor thy mother & father. —Because you’ll probably be living in their basement for a long, long time. 2. Strike thy kit or be deemed a bastard. In my many years as…
Web Exclusive Interview Blind Melon’s Glen Graham
(September 2008 Issue) Blind Melon’s Glen Graham talks to MD Online about the band’s dramatic resurrection, and the release of their first album in thirteen years, For My Friends. Blind Melon signed to Capitol records in 1991, and in two…
Glen Graham: Back With Friends
It’s a hard thing to lose a loved one, especially when not only is it a close friend, but also the front man and voice of your top-selling band. “It was a very difficult thing to go through,” admits Blind…
Mike Bennett with Hilary Duff
We weren’t kidding when we featured Mike Bennett in our On The Move section a couple of years ago. Back then, Bennett was occupied with a host of gigs in the LA music scene. But this year’s handed him the…
