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March 2018 Issue – Volume 42 • Number 3

AHEAD (Advanced High Efficiency Alloy Drumsticks) was created in 1992 by Easton Company engineer Rick Grossman. Easton is best known for its innovative aerospace-grade aluminum sports products (arrows, baseball bats, hockey sticks), which were designed to replace wood in the manufacturing process. Being a drummer, Grossman set out to do the same for drumsticks and created a unique hybrid that utilizes an aluminum core and handle, threaded-nylon tips, and a replaceable sleeve made from injection-molded polyurethane. The exclusive distributor for these sticks, Big Bang, purchased the rights to AHEAD in 1997 and has since gone on to expand the brand to include cases, snares, practice pads, thrones, and hardware. This month, we have a selection of new stick and accessory offerings to check out. Let’s dig in.
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Articles in March 2018

Drum Fills: Keep It Simple, or Shred?

Drummers have to consider plenty of options when choosing an appropriate fill to play in a given situation. Factors such as voicing, subdivision, density, and speed comprise just a few of the choices. While keeping these options in mind, we…

Modern Drummer
Jan 31, 2018

Big & Rich's Keio Stroud

When national artists record in Nashville, they call on world-renowned studio greats like Paul Leim, Eddie Bayers, Lonnie Wilson, Greg Morrow, and Chad Cromwell to put down the ultimate version of a track. But when those artists need a sub…

Story by Aaron Strickland | Photos by Joey Tanner
Jan 31, 2018

Edit Bunker’s Zach Danziger

FROM FUSOID WILDCHILD TO ELECTRO-VISIONARY

Story by Ken Micallef | Photos by Lloyd Bishop
Jan 31, 2018

Professional Drum Shop

Hollywood, California

Interview by Patrick Berkery
Jan 31, 2018

The 2017 Hollywood Custom and Vintage Drum Show

Drum enthusiasts from around the globe convened at the Glendale Civic Auditorium in Glendale, California, this past October 7 to check out informative clinics and a plethora of new and vintage drumming gear. The stellar performance lineup included Jason McGerr…

Story and photos by Bob Campbell
Jan 31, 2018
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Jimmie Vaughan's George Rains

As music journalists, we try to avoid using superlatives, like, say, “the greatest living blues drummer.” At the same time, it’s inarguable that for those who’ve been in a room where the Austin drumming icon George Rains is playing, the…

by Cleve Warren
Jan 31, 2018

New Drum Gear from Simmons, Zildjian, Roland, Sound Percussion Labs, Tama and Sabian!

Simmons Mesh-Head Electronic Drumkit This full-sized five-piece electronic drumkit offers a 10" dual-zone, dual-ply snare; three 8" dual-ply toms; a 10" crash with choke capabilities; a 12" ride cymbal; and a 10" hi-hat pad with a pedal. The kick trigger…

Modern Drummer
Jan 31, 2018

Sugar Percussion - 2-12 Series Mahogany Snares

An experiment with shell depths yields surprising results.

by Michael Dawson
Jan 31, 2018

Seven-Over-Three Polyrhythms

Exploring the Space Between an Odd Grouping

by Aaron Edgar
Jan 31, 2018

Ulysses Owens Jr.

During his long tenures with the jazz stars Christian McBride and Kurt Elling, Ulysses Owens Jr. aspired to build his own standing as a leader. The dazzling and seriously swinging drummer has taken another strong stride in that direction on…

Article by Jeff Potter | Photo by Rayon Richards
Jan 31, 2018

John Convertino on Calexico’s The Thread That Keeps Us

A presidential election, a trip west to the coast, and an immersion in nature invigorate the indie mainstay’s latest foray into Tex-Mex-infused Americana bliss.

Article by Willie Rose | Photo by Eric Stoner
Jan 31, 2018
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John Clardy On Tera Melos’s Trash Generator

Diving Deep Into the Experimental Trio’s Latest Release

Article by Austin Burcham | Photo by Colin Eldridge
Jan 31, 2018

Web Exclusive! Alex Rüdinger of Good Tiger on the Group’s Sophomore Album, We Will All Be Gone

MD checks in with the former drummer with the Faceless, Threat Signal, and the HAARP Machine on the occasion of his current band’s highly anticipated sophomore album, which is due out on February 9.   MD: We Will All Be…

by Ben Meyer
Feb 1, 2018

Alesis - Strike Pro Drumset

A top-notch e-kit built to look and feel like an acoustic set while offering unlimited sonic capabilities.

by Michael Dawson
Jan 31, 2018

Phantogram’s Chris Carhart

ON STAGE AND UP CLOSE

Interview Michael Dawson | Photos by Nicholas Shelestak
Jan 31, 2018

Modern Drummer 2018 Readers Poll Winners

Hall of Fame Clyde Stubblefield James Brown He wasn’t simply a funky drummer, he was the Funky Drummer. And all you have to do to understand how he earned that famous nickname is to listen to the music he recorded…

Modern Drummer
Jan 31, 2018

Former Hole and Current Upset Drummer Patty Schemel

MD spoke with the former Hole and current Upset drummer just before the release of her new memoir, Hit So Hard, which recounts her early life, her rise through the Seattle music scene of the ’80s and ’90s, and her struggles with addiction.

Interview by Ben Meyer | Photo by Alex Solca
Jan 31, 2018

Drum Wisdom: Legendary Educator Michael Carvin

One could take issue with Michael Carvin’s insistence that he isn’t a jazz drummer. His credits as a sideman for Freddie Hubbard, Jackie McLean, and Pharoah Sanders, of course, suggest he’s wrong in that assertion. But in talking with him…

by Keith Carne | Photo by Rahav Segev
Jan 31, 2018
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The Failure Percentage

Preparation and Professionalism Always Win Out

by Russ Miller
Jan 31, 2018

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