August 2020 Issue – Volume 44 • Number 8
Articles in August 2020
Bad Religion’s Jamie Miller
Sometimes the job you were meant to do comes about when you least expect it. For this drummer, the opportunity came decades after he first imagined it. In 2015, after relocating from Baltimore to California, and barely into a hiatus…
Innovative Percussion
LAX-1, SF-1, and MATT-1 Drumsticks and KDB-2 Cloud Beater Versatile drumset sticks and a modern take on the fluffy thumper. Nashville-based Innovative Percussion—one of the leading manufacturers of symphonic and marching sticks, mallets, and accessories—has been steadily growing its catalog…
Thomas Lang
While “normal” drummers are figuring out how to keep good time behind that guitar solo or how to tune that second rack tom so it doesn’t sound like a cartoon sound effect, Thomas Lang is deeply concerned with something called…
Alesis - Strike Pro Special Edition Mesh Kit
This eleven-piece set is as professional-grade as it gets, yet somehow keeps the cost-conscious consumer in mind. For a number of years, Alesis has positioned itself as the leading producer of affordable electronic drumsets, multipads, and drum machines best suited…
Readers Platform
Neil Peart I am a longtime subscriber to Modern Drummer and have been eagerly awaiting the May 2020 issue ever since I read that you were writing a tribute to Neil Peart. Neil has been one of my biggest drumming inspirations…
Khruangbin’s DJ Johnson
At first listen, his drumming sounds simple. But his tone, touch, timing, and focused parts make the indie-world trio Khruangbin’s trance-like music groove hard in a way a lesser drummer would easily muck up and mire. Houston, Texas–based trio Khruangbin…
Jost Nickel’s Snare Book
At Jost Nickel’s website, the drummer/clinician/composer posts about his latest instructional publication, Snare Book (Alfred). “I am happy to tell you that my brand new Snare Book is now available,” Nickel states. “It’s in English so you don’t have to…
LP, Mackie, Grover Pro, Roland, and more
Latin Percussion Stainless Steel Salsa Snares The new Salsa snares are fitted with stainless-steel rims, eight lugs, and twenty-four-strand wires. Available in 5.5x13 and 4.5x12 sizes, these drums are said to sound cutting and bright with a sharp attack.lpmusic.com Mackie…
Stick Technique Revisited
Part 2: The Free Stroke The free stroke, which is also commonly referred to as the full stroke, rebound stroke, or legato stroke, is the most important technique you should learn, as it’s the foundation for almost every other stroke…
Donn Bennett’s Drum Vault
Elvin Jones’ Cymbal Collection Elvin Jones was one of the most influential, inspirational, and beloved jazz musicians of all time. Few artists have touched the world as deeply as he did. Though I only briefly met Elvin a couple times,…
Thomas Lang’s Coordination and Counting Concepts
A Few Ways to Practice With or Without Drums “Independence, four-way coordination, and ambidexterity are such huge subjects,” says Thomas Lang in a recent video lesson filmed for Modern Drummer by DrumChannel.com. “One way of getting into this is just…
Aahad Nayani
The Pakistani drummer has made a name for himself against considerable odds. Aahad Nayani is a bit of a miracle. The thirty-two-year-old is a self-taught, meticulous drumset player from Karachi, Pakistan, who despite years of government internet censorship, used banned…
Lana Del Rey’s Tom Marsh
Serving the singer onstage requires all of this multithreat’s many skills. Lana Del Rey currently ranks among the top pop singers in the world. Steadily releasing albums since 2012, her classic torch-song voice graces moody material with a modern sensibility.…
Evans - UV2 Drumheads
A beefier 2-ply version of the innovative ultraviolet-light-cured coated batter. Last fall Evans expanded its offerings featuring the new UV-cured coating to include a double-ply model, the UV2. These heads comprise two layers of 7 mil film and a thin…
Matt Laug on Alanis Morissette’s “You Oughta Know”
The existence of live and programmed drums on a track is commonplace today. Twenty-five years ago, though, it was such a fresh idea it could launch a career. If you were anywhere near a radio or MTV in the latter…
Louie Bellson
Drummer, Composer, Bandleader, and Double-Bass Pioneer Last month we talked about the father of modern jazz drumming, Papa Jo Jones. This time we’re featuring one of Papa Jo’s disciples, the great jazz artist and drumset innovator Louie Bellson.Bellson was the…
Modern-Jazz/Rock/Fusion Powerhouse Ronald Bruner Jr..
Grammy-winning drummer, producer, singer, and songwriter Ronald Bruner Jr. is one of today’s most electrifying performers. His exciting “no holds barred” approach has gained the respect of some of the industry’s top artists, and his genre-busting style is a combination…
The Jon Christensen Approach
Developing a Modern Straight-8th Concept In this article we’re going to explore the broken, straight-8th feel that the late, great Norwegian drummer Jon Christensen utilized to majestic effect on many classic albums for German jazz label ECM. The exercises included…
Billy Cobham’s Spectrum
The ex-Mahavishnu phenom was out to prove he had the drumming and writing chops to stake his own claim with his 1973 solo debut. By the early 1970s, Billy Cobham had spent time drumming with several legendary jazz artists, including…
Be Your Own Shaman
As usual, it was a dame that turned my drumming all topsy-turvy…. Sorry, I’ve been watching too many Humphrey Bogart movies during this lockdown. But that lead is actually true. Besides overdosing on Bogey, I also recently started binge-watching Outlander,…