March 2018 Issue – Volume 42 • Number 3
On 01st Mar 2018
Articles in March 2018
Hüsker Dü’s Grant Hart: 1961-2017
It seemed that Hüsker Dü’s Grant Hart existed to dispel the moronic clichés informing most drummer jokes. The dude could seemingly do it all. Killer drummer. Great singer. Amazing songwriter. He was also a supremely talented visual artist who designed…
A Slingerland Unmasked
After purchasing and restoring the 1950s Slingerland bass drum pictured in this month’s featured kit, Marc Membreno was overtaken by the urge to flesh out the setup with other vintage Slingerland tubs. “I started with a 1958 blue sparkle bass…
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.
Alesis - Strike Pro Drumset
A top-notch e-kit built to look and feel like an acoustic set while offering unlimited sonic capabilities.
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…
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…
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…
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.
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…
Dream - Re-Fx Naughty Saucer
A recycled cast-off turned into a multi-purpose electro-inspired effect.
Bebop Syncopation, Part 3: Elvin Jones
Elvin Jones was a driving force behind John Coltrane’s explorations in the 1960s and is widely regarded as one of the most important figures in jazz drumming. This lesson applies the principles of his style to rhythms found in the…
Sugar Percussion - 2-12 Series Mahogany Snares
An experiment with shell depths yields surprising results.
Three Birds With One Stone - Optimize Your Practice Time
Time is tight for many of us. If we had unlimited time to shed, we’d probably spend hours behind the kit. But the reality is that life’s twists and turns can keep us busy. Therefore, I try to practice things…
Remembering Ben Riley, Frank Capp, Grady Tate, and Chuck Blackwell.
Ben Riley This past November 18, the American jazz-drumming great Ben Riley passed away at the age of eighty-four. A brief list of Riley’s credits includes Alice Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Stan Getz, Woody Herman, Ahmad Jamal, Kenny Barron, the New…
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…
