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.
Randy Cooke
By Billy Amendola Photos by Rob Shanahan Randy Cooke was born in Toronto, Canada, and has been playing drums since he was a kid. Influenced by his dad, a snare drummer for The Toronto Scottish Pipe & Drum Band, Randy…
Doane Perry
A View From The Cymbals So many notes. Big notes, small ones, LOUD ones, and very quiet little guys. Fast flurries, slow ones, legato passages, and staccato accents, all living side by side in relative, undisturbed harmony and alternating discord.…
Jimmy Carl Black
Jimmy Carl Black, of Mothers Of Invention and Captain Beefheart fame, just turned seventy–and says last year was one of his busiest ever. First, there’s the band The Jack And Jim Show, which recently released The Jack And Jim Show…
Ben Gillies of Silverchair
In a wildly successful twelve-year career spanning five award-winning albums, Australian rock trio Silverchair have ridden an astounding creative musical trajectory. Few could have imagined that the “grunge version of Hanson” responsible for 1995’s breakthrough debut, Frogstomp, would metamorphose into…
Stan Lynch
by Patrick Berkery When Tom Petty was asked to describe original Heartbreakers drummer Stan Lynch in the 2005 book Conversations With Tom Petty, the bandleader responded with, “Stan. Now there’s a book in itself.” Any book about the fifty-two-year-old Lynch…
Han Bennink
Known to solo with anything that will instantly augment his kit, from clogs to a fire alarm, Han Bennink is Holland’s most radical drumming export. By turns profoundly traditional and wildly revolutionary, Bennink has worked with everyone from Cecil Taylor…
Homer Steinweiss
It’s been quite a year for the members of much-heralded New York City funk outfit The Dap-Kings. Powered by longtime drummer Homer Steinweiss, the band recently released their third full-length album with Sharon Jones, 100 Days, 100 Nights. They also…
Tony Pia with The Brian Setzer Orchestra
Tony Pia’s entrance into The Brian Setzer Orchestra, replacing drummer Bernie Dresel, was short and sweet. “I played like three songs,” the drummer recalls of his audition for Setzer, “and he shook my hand and said, ‘You’re in.’ Then he…
The Great Levon Helm
Story by Ken Micallef Photos by Paul La Raia “You have to play some good music to get the people on the floor. I want to hear the meat. Until you can do that, it’s suspect to me.” There are…
Gil Sharone
by Michael Dawson Even at this early stage in his career, energetic twenty-nine-year-old drummer Gil Sharone has a lot to talk about. After all, his respectable résumé already includes stints with funk/ska/metal masters Fishbone, 2 Tone ska creator Dave…
Jim Bogios of Counting Crows
Many drummers are aware that Jim Bogios left Sheryl Crow for Counting Crows back in 2003. But Jim hasn’t really talked about the transition, until now. “I would never have considered leaving Sheryl unless it was for an opportunity to…
Ira Elliot: Caught in the Web
Nada Surf is one of the smartest, freshest-sounding rock bands of the past ten/fifteen years. And like they say, behind every brilliant band is an equally crafty drummer. Kit man Ira Elliot is as sharp as they get. Before hooking…
Roger Taylor: Update
It shouldn’t really be much of a surprise that Justin Timberlake, Timbaland, and Nate “Danja” Hills all have production credits on Duran Duran’s new album, Red Carpet Massacre. After all, the band’s four founding members–keyboardist Nick Rhodes, singer Simon Le…
Torry Castellano: The Grip Of Death
Although Donnas drummer Torry Castellano still encourages the idea of being a self-taught musician, she’s quick to admit that she had to learn the hard way that improper technique can cause serious problems. A few years ago after a bout…
