Update
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.
Clyde Stubblefield
In his September, 1999, cover story on John “Jabo” Starks and Clyde Stubblefield, funk and soul architect James Brown’s famous tandem drum team, writer Ken Micallef wrote, “Clyde’s groove exists in the perfect space all drummers seek but hardly ever…
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,…
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…
Billy Cobham Update
Billy Cobham is a living legend of the drumset, revered for his ultra-dramatic, muscular, and bar-raising work with fusion pioneers the Mahavishnu Orchestra. Since the ’60s Cobham has appeared on over 300 recordings, including those by pop and rock icons…
Bobby Rosengarden: The Stylish Rhythm Of TV’s Golden Age
Bobby Rosengarden was a well-traveled and well-recorded drummer whose career spanned the ’40s, ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s and included work with musical giants such as Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Tony Bennett, Stan Getz, Benny Goodman, and Astrud Gilberto. But Rosengarden…
Jason Gianni: Diversity And Dedication
by Mike Haid Early on in Jason Gianni’s life, his father passed along a very caring but cautious piece of advice, saying, “Whatever you want to do, just be the best you can be, follow the rules, and do it…
Thomas Pridgen: Buzz Inspiring
Thomas Pridgen has inspired more buzz among Modern Drummer readers than almost anyone else working today. Even diehard Mars Volta fans were unprepared for the frenetic wall of drumming Pridgen produced on the band’s 2008 album The Bedlam In Goliath.…
Han Bennink: Things No Drummer Has Ever Done
In his video, Solo, Dutch phenomenon Han Bennink does things no drummer has ever done in any performance, much less on video. Han ties ropes around a drumset and then crashes the drums and cymbals together like dominoes spinning in…
Elvin Jones: The Great Liberator
When Elvin Jones moved from his home town in Michigan to New York City in 1956, the jazz-listening world wasn’t quite ready for the drummer’s outer-space conception. His loping, circular sense of swing and abstract, barline-blurring breaks weren’t easy to…
Gene Krupa: The Man Who Made It All Happen
If anyone can be considered the founding father of modern drumset playing, it’s Gene Krupa. Krupa legitimized a collection of instruments known as the “traps” at a time when both the instrument and its players were barely tolerated. He led…
Buddy Rich: The World's Greatest Drummer
Buddy Rich has been called the greatest jazz drummer of all time—a statement that few would argue with. Buddy was born on September 30, 1917, and his drumming career spanned seven decades, beginning when he was just eighteen months old…
Municipal Waste and Burnt By The Sun Drummer Dave Witte: Exclusive In-The-Studio Performance
When photographer Scott Kincaid shot Municipal Waste drummer Dave Witte for the October issue of Modern Drummer, he brought along his video camera and filmed Dave playing along to two tracks. Here Dave gives us the rundown of his approach…
Neil Peart: More Reasons To Love
When we threw out the net asking drummers to share with us the reasons why they love Neil Peart’s drumming, so many wanted to chime in, we couldn’t fit everyone’s comments in the story. So we held our interviews with…
Brian Tichy: Speed-Baggin’
During a recent break from touring, recording, and writing with Billy Idol, multi-instrumentalist Brian Tichy rejoined Foreigner for their upcoming record and tour. Tichy also recently rediscovered his longtime obsession with getting into shape by using a speed bag. How,…
