June 2022 – Volume 46 • Number 6

Todd Sucherman’s Pearl Masterworks series Styx touring kit

The kit shown here is a Pearl Masterworks series outfit that Todd Sucherman used with Styx over 10 years of touring. It features a stunning Bubinga wood finish- with bass drum heads to match. The bass drum heads that match…

Karen Carpenter: Close To Her Drums

Karen Carpenter’s intuitive choice of instruments was drums, but she had to break down a few invisible walls, crack a few glass ceilings, and crash a few cymbals along the way. However, by the height of her career with her…

Tracktion Presents Chop Suey A New Kick Drum Plugin

Tracktion Corporation is proud to present Chop Suey, the new kick drum plugin from Dawesome and the renowned techno producer Björn Torwellen. Watch the launch video here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-SfZsc4fCY Sinee and Dawesome is a collaboration between mathematician and AI veteran Peter…

Donn Bennett’s Drum Vault: Bun E. Carlos’ Cheap Trick-Sgt. Peppers Ludwig Drum Set (and more…)

I first met Cheap Trick drummer, Bun E. Carlos in the early 1990s. We’ve been buying, selling, and trading each other drums for decades. When he taught a drum clinic at my shop in the late 1990s, he surprised everyone…

Zildjian Reflexx Pad

Since its initial release, the Reflexx practice pad has made waves in the drumming community. It is helping more drummers integrate conditioning into daily practice than ever before. With such high demand, a relationship with Zildjian seems like a natural…

Hayley Brownell

Making it to the world stage as a musician can be one of the most difficult things to do. Despite the challenge, there is a common theme among those who have successfully reached for the stars and landed. Hard work,…

Latin Percussion Expands Carlos Santana Signature Series, The Alex González Signature Cowbell

Latin Percussion (LP) is proud to announce another milestone collaboration with multi Grammy Award winner and philanthropist, Carlos Santana. The existing line-up of Santana branded drums and collectables now features Africa Speaks and Black Magic instruments to further complement the…

Alejandro Sanz’s HELEN DE LA ROSA

Playing with legends, virtuosos, and top touring musicians is unattainable for many, but for Helen De La Rosa, it is as natural as day and night. Helen has gone beyond playing it safe, her career is anchored in perseverance and…

Luna Percussion Vista Series Peruvian Style Cajon and Gig Bag

Blending the World of Fine Art with the Art of Advanced Instrument Building. Luna Percussion, a division of Luna Guitars, sent over their newest Peruvian Style Cajons, the Vista series Wolf and Deer models. These drums feature an incredible wood…

Peter Erskine-Lauren Ellis: Women in Drumming, Mentorship

This month’s Jazz Insights column focuses on my former USC student and teaching assistant Lauren Ellis. Her bio informs us that, “Lauren is a drummer, composer, and educator from Wellington, Aotearoa, New Zealand. There, she studied at the Te Kōki…

ProMark Drumsticks Partners with Anika Nilles to Launch Signature Stick

ProMark Drumsticks is thrilled to announce the launch of the Anika Nilles Signature Stick, available now. The Anika Nilles Signature Stick is made from hickory with an acorn wood tip. It measures .545”/ 13.8mm in diameter and 16” / 406.4mm…

Jordan West

Jordan West is a talented musician who is harnessing the power of creative midi controllers and electronic drums to help elevate and support the artists she tours and records with. Her videos that showcase live looping and hybrid drumming are…

Canopus Jonathan Pinson Signature Snare Drum

As an in-demand player, Jonathan Pinson needed a snare that suited his approach to jazz, while also being versatile enough to adapt to any musical situation. The result from his collaboration with Canopus drums is a practical, versatile, and vintage…

“How To Get What You Want” Breakdown

We were in the studio one day trying to get different drum sounds and I was playing this minimalistic beat to hear what was going on in the recording. When we were listening back to it, I said, ‘We should…

June 2022 - Volume 46 • Number 6

Karol G’s Giulliana Merello

When I met Giulliana Merello I didn’t know what to expect. In front of me sat a brilliant young woman who had one of the biggest drumming gigs in the world playing with superstar Karol G. I didn’t know what…

Sabian Anthology Cymbals

The new Sabian HHX Anthology series was designed to deliver the full spectrum of both ride and crash in each cymbal, without compromising sound or feel. Sabian and Jojo Mayer’s goal behind Anthology was to allow the individual to designate…

Behind the Legends

The Modern Drummer LEGENDS books are a rare opportunity for a drummer to talk about and examine his entire drumming career. Kenny Aronoff has been covered quite thoroughly in his many past Modern Drummer feature interviews. In those interviews he…

Ed Sheeran, Olivia Rodrigo And Wolf Alice Tours Use Porter & Davies

Porter & Davies are delighted to welcome more drummers to their ever growing family. Drummers that are using their Silent Tactile Monitors include new additions: Joel Amey of Wolf Alice, Jack Lawrence-Brown with White Lies, Ashton Irwin of 5 Seconds…

Touring Life and Lessons

For this month’s article, I’m going to share some of my experiences from over the years while on tour with various artists. I’ve been fortunate enough to have done many different “levels” of tours, everything from stadiums to smaller 200-300…