December 2020 – Volume 44 • Number 12
Bennie Rodgers II is a veteran of the American R&B, hip-hop, and pop scenes. Since the early 2000s his professional career has been on a steady climb, with credits including tours and recordings with Ginuwine, Keri Hilson, Childish Gambino, Chanté Moore and Kenny Lattimore, Lloyd, Brandy, and a five-year stint with pop/R&B diva Mariah Carey.
For the past few years Rodgers has been lighting up some of the biggest stages in the world with K-pop chart-toppers Big Bang, G-Dragon, and Blackpink. Since breaking into the scene, the challenging work has been virtually non-stop for Rodgers. But with his elaborate rig featuring acoustic drums, pads, and triggers, and a tech named Lee backing him up, he’s achieved a mastery of navigating these state-of-the-art arena and dome tours while maintaining his cool and keeping things fun.
Rodgers spoke with Modern Drummer from his Florida home, where he continues to write, produce, and record music for various artists as well as his own projects.
Articles in December 2020
In the Studio with Drummer/Producer Evan Hutchings
Evan Hutchings made the move from Fort Smith, Arkansas, to Nashville in 2006, enrolling at Middle Tennessee State with a plan to be a studio musician. “I wanted to be Steve Jordan,” he says. “That was the goal.” Like many…
Childish Gambino’s Dani Markham
With hard-core academic training in her back pocket, the drummer/percussionist has dipped her toes in every imaginable musical scenario—and, crucially, trusted her instincts. Dani Markham lives in perpetual motion. The New York City–based, Louisville, Kentucky–born percussionist/mallet player spent the last…
What Now?
The Four E’s As I write this, we are smack dab in the middle of the COVID crisis. This pandemic has affected us all now for many months. I mention this because it’s had a massive impact on musicians working…
Chris Frantz’s Remain in Love
The Talking Heads never fit neatly into the grimy mid-’70s New York punk scene that bore the Voidoids, the Ramones, and Johnny Thunders’ Heartbreakers. Transplants from the Rhode Island School of Design, the band’s initial clean-cut aesthetic ran contrary to…
Jonas Brothers’ Jack Lawless
New Jersey native Jack Lawless started out as the drummer of Joe Jonas’s chart-topping alternative-pop group DNCE. When the Jonas Brothers got back together, Lawless got the call for that tour as well. We were able catch up with him…
Get on the Good Foot!
Hi-Hat Comping Riffs in 3/4 Welcome to the second part of this three-part series on hi-hat comping. In this lesson we’ll explore repetitive hi-hat motifs in 3/4. The phrases included here are intended to help develop dynamic balance between the…
Gene Krupa
The Swing Era’s Brightest Star For this series, we’d be very remiss if we didn’t discuss the great swing drummer Gene Krupa. Gene was one of the most prominent people to bring drums to the forefront in an ensemble. Prior…
Sonor - Benny Greb Signature Snares
A duo of high-performance drums set to meet—if not exceed—all your backbeat needs. Ten years ago, Sonor introduced the original 5.75x13 signature beech snare for top endorsing artist Benny Greb. Greb and Sonor recently revisited that incredibly popular model to…
Critique
RECORDINGS Louisiana’s LeRoux One of Those Days The latest from this funky southern-rock institution shows the group still has get-up-and-go. LeRoux, sometimes known as Lousiana’s LeRoux, enjoyed some major-label success with their 1978 Capitol debut and have remained regionally active.…
Marla Leigh
Having “good time” can mean many things to a musician. For this veteran frame drummer, waiting for the right moment to execute a plan, even if that means years, can turn out to be the best decision. For twenty years,…
Simon Phillips
On Reading and Four-on-the-Floor “Not from Here” is one of the songs on a DVD/download titled The Gannin Arnold Project that Drum Channel produced featuring Gannin Arnold, Tim Landers, and Billy Mohler, along with five guest drummers: Taylor Hawkins, Jimmy…
Gretsch, Latin Percussion, Steinberg, Peavey and more
Gretsch Brooklyn Series Drumkits Two new Nitron finishes have been added to the Brooklyn series: Blue Burst Pearl and White Marine Pearl. Constructed from 6-ply North American maple and poplar, Brooklyn series drums are finished with 3 mm double-flanged 302…
Khari Parker (1974–2020)
Drummer Khari Parker passed away on June 27. He was forty-six. Widely respected for his diverse musical skills and top-flight professionalism, Parker was a first-call player for many of the top bandleaders and producers in Chicago and throughout the country.…
Bill Bruford - Part 1: One of a Kind
Trailblazing West Coast swing drummer Shelly Manne once mused that a true jazz musician never plays it the same way once. Throughout his stellar career, the iconic progressive rock and jazz drummer Bill Bruford had adopted Manne’s paradoxical mantra as…
Drum City Guitarland
Wheat Ridge, Colorado A former professional drummer who once played drums for Frank Sinatra, Ronny Kae lived and breathed drums. In 1964, with only $50 in his pocket, Kae moved from Brooklyn, New York, to Colorado, where he bought a…
The Classic Recordings of Ginger Baker, Part 3: The Solo Albums
Following a prolific period when Ginger Baker made his name with Cream, Blind Faith, and Ginger Baker’s Air Force, and collaborated with Fela Kuti, the mid ’70s found the drummer setting up a recording studio in Africa, playing polo, trying…
Vic Firth Re-Mix Brushes
A quartet of interchangeable implements for varying degrees of attack, tone, and volume. Vic Firth recently expanded its catalog with four pairs of uniquely designed Re-Mix brushes/rods made from different types of organic material, ranging from soft and subtle broomcorn…
The D.I.Y. Guide to Drums by Lisa Schonberg
While it was always a quirky addition to pedagogic literature, this hugely expanded 2020 volume retains the handmade charms of the original ’zine and leverages the author’s years of teaching experience to deliver an approachable, delightful roadmap for beginners and…
Terry Bozzio
I knew I had to make my own statement or go on for the rest of my life depending on someone else to be the creative genius. I didn’t want to live with myself that way. It’s funny, in the…
