News
Keep up to date with the drum world via news items, interviews, lists, and more
Guitar Center Music Foundation Relief 4 Musicians Online Fundraiser to Feature Russ Kunkel
As part of its ongoing effort to provide needed funding relief to musicians and music programs suffering loss of resources as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Guitar Center Music Foundation has announced that legendary session/touring drummer Russ Kunkel…
Remembering Joe Porcaro (November 1994 Feature)
With the passing of studio great Joe Porcaro, we’ve gone back into the vault for his November 1994 Modern Drummer feature, in which we learned about his path to the top of the L.A. studio scene, and got an inside…
Famed Jazz Drummer Billy Hart to Conduct Free “Evolution of Contemporary Jazz Drumming” Zoom Presentation
On Sunday, July 19, at 5 p.m. Pacific Time, world-renowned drummer and educator Billy Hart will conduct a free Zoom presentation, “The Evolution of Contemporary Jazz Drummers.” Hart has recorded over six hundred albums, including seminal dates with Miles Davis,…
Drummers on Record: Current and Upcoming Releases of Note
Louis Cole Live 2019 (Louis Cole) Louis Cole has released Live 2019 (Brainfeeder), an aural and visual compilation of live performances from last year. It includes Louis’s last major, big band shows from 2019, live from Lodge Room in L.A., and…
Ringo Starr To Celebrate 80th Birthday with Starr Studded Charity Broadcast, “Ringo's Big Birthday Show”
The event, which benefits Black Lives Matter Global Network, the David Lynch Foundation, MusiCares, and WaterAid, airs on Youtube July 7 and featured performances by Ringo, Paul McCartney, Joe Walsh, Gary Clark Jr., Sheryl Crow, Sheila E, and Ben Harper.…
A Raffle by Drummers for Equality
Inspired by their West Coast colleagues, seven New York City–based drummers created the NYC edition of A Raffle by Drummers for Equality. Each drummer is raffling different pieces of gear in order to raise donations to the following organizations: NAACP,…
Today is "Release Day" for Nick D’Virgilio's Invisible Album
We've been teasing a few singles from Invisible all week, and today the complete album is officially released. Modern Drummer has been thrilled and honored to work with Nick D’Virgilio and Sweetwater to bring you the first four play-through videos…
Autographed Modern Drummer Tribute Issue Offered at Peart Family Memorial Fund Auction, July 1
Our Neil Peart Tribute signed by his parents Betty and Glen Peart. It was a wonderful surprise to see two issues of Modern Drummer's Neil Peart Tribute issue put up for bidding at the Peart Family Memorial Fund Auction in…
Hit Like a Girl 2020 World Champions Announced
World champions named in the 2020 Hit Like A Girl contestfor female drummers and beatmakers. Six of today’s most exceptional amateur drummers and beatmakers from Russia, Indonesia, Malawi, China, and the United States were recently announced as the World Champions…
First-Ever GearFest Online Launches this Friday and Saturday
In the midst of the world-wide pandemic, Sweetwater is bringing its annual GearFest event completely online this Friday, June 26 and Saturday, June 27. All gear-obsessed musicians are invited, and no registration is required for GearFest2020. Featuring guest appearances, workshops,…
Nick D’Virgilio Play-Through #4: "Where's the Passion"
For "Where's the Passion" D’Virgilio opted for a DW Santa Monica kit in birds-eye maple. If you've been following the series (and you should be), you already know that Nick D’Virgilio and Sweetwater produced a bounty of content around the…
McStine & Minnemann Debut Album Due July 3
Marco Minnemann photo by Hreinn Gudlausson. Aristocrats drummer Marco Minnemann has teamed up with multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Randy McStine to release McStine & Minnemann on July 3, 2020. The duo initially met in 2018 while working with other artists, but as they…
Melkbelly's James Wetzel on Time and Space
Wetzel conjuring new vistas of time and space. Hello, Modern Drummers! My name is James Wetzel, and I play drums in the noise rock band Melkbelly, along with a few other projects (Ree-Yees, Mode Hexe). I’m honored to contribute here,…
Nick D’Virgilio Play-Through #3: "Money (That's What I Want)"
Nick used a Tama Star Maple kit to bring home the "money." If the reaction of Modern Drummer readers is any indication, Nick D’Virgilio must have a smash hit on his hands with his new album, Invisible . The community…
