September 2021 – Volume 45 • Number 9
On 30th Sep 2021
Articles in September 2021
How to Make Friends with Vocalists
I cracked up during one of Rat Scabies’ interview segments in the recently released Count Me In documentary. The Damned drummer related the following wisdom about performing punk rock back in the “OG era” of the mid 1970s: “If they…
PDP
Concept Select Series Snare Drums PDP’s new Concept Select Series is a collection of three beautiful metallic snare drums designed with DW Drums in California. PDP obviously sought to up its game with these metal glories, and, as a result,…
Creative Calamities
Ringo put a very fine point on it when he sang, “It don’t come easy.” Sure, there are lucky schmoes who seem to attract celebrity, accolades, and riches without appearing to have much talent, or even an ounce of ambition.…
Kenny Malone
August 4, 1938 – August 26, 2021 When it came to the artistry of drums, musicality, creativity, and imagination on a session or a gig, Kenny Malone offered up his soul every time he touched the drums. When he spoke…
Joey Jordison
April 26, 1975 – July 26, 2021 Metal maestro Joey Jordison—who had a seismic impact on aggressive rock as a drummer, guitarist, songwriter, and band leader—passed away on July 26, 2021. He was 46 years old, and had suffered from…
ROC Drums May 1986
Many years ago, a friend of mine told me these crazy awesome Stratocaster clones were being sold out of a storefront on Dorman Avenue in San Francisco. We decided to investigate, and a man who looked more like a teenager…
The Drummer as Entertainer
It doesn’t seem fair. The band is having a hot night. The singer is wailing, guitars are screaming, keyboards are thumping, and you and the bass player are locked in tight. Everything is falling into the pocket. But you look…
Cool Percussion Goodies
Just as guitar players always seem to be on the lookout for new pedals, percussionists appear to be forever seeking unique things they can add to their armory of stuff to shake, hit, and slap. Many of the products profiled…
Bernard Purdie
Excerpted from the November 1985 Cover Story Known as the “Father Time” of modern drumming, Bernard “Pretty” Purdie has drummed up an almost unbeatable record of more than 3,000 album credits—many of them smash hits. He has cut across all…
Donn Bennett’s Drum Vault
Logo Heads Several years ago, I made the decision to begin selling off my drum collection. I’d spent decades amassing one of the most extensive collections of rare and vintage drums in the world. One of the biggest factors leading…
Authentic Latin Rhythms
Listening implants music in a person at a very early age. Listening is accepting all different genres of music—from ethnic to jazz, rock, classical, Latin, African, and everything else. This is when we really begin to understand the different essences…
16th-Note-Triplet Hand and Foot Patterns
Excepted from Building Bass Drum Technique The patterns on the following four pages are built around hand and foot coordination with 16th-note triplets. The exercises become increasingly difficult as you work your way through. A slower tempo at the onset…
Rock Doc Drummers
Maybe there’s something in the water. Or the air. Or perhaps it’s simply the streaming services deluging us with content while everyone is looking for anything to take their minds off of the global pandemic. But, wow, a ton of…
Minna Koskenlahti
Casting Musical Spells “Stillness” is not a term typically applied to percussion. Stuff gets hit, walloped, thrashed, pounded, and otherwise pummeled, which suggests motion and dynamic kineticism. But on her debut solo album Toinen/Other , Finnish experimental-percussionist Minna Koskenlahti explores…
Matt Sorum
New Book, Celebrating Vinyl, Saving Animals, and Producing Billy Gibbons Matt Sorum has had about as cool a drumming career as one could possibly hope for. In a business that can be notoriously hard, Sorum has navigated the often-perilous world…
Tony Thompson
December 1985 “On The Power Station album, I’m beginning to approach what I’m shooting for. My drums sound bigger than life, and I’m getting to play so much—really blasting off, but still working that funk groove. There are a lot…
Russ Miller
Building an Empire One Brick at a Time Russ Miller is known throughout the music industry as a go-to session musician, top-level music creator, in-demand educator, and an incredibly successful businessperson. He has spent his nearly 40 years as a…
Hugh Syme’s Four Decades of Rush Dreamscapes
Rockers, art directors, and artists have made great teams since the glory days of album art—even right up to the slightly less awesomeness of tiny, non-tactile images on Spotify and other streaming services. From Reid Miles’ iconic Blue Note album…
Drum Show Roundup
Modern Drummer Revisits Two Pandemic-Era Drum Extravaganzas The past 20 or so months have devastated music tours, trade shows, club gigs, and just about any large gathering of humanity. The number of events cancelled or postponed during the global pandemic…
The Courage to Connect
In honor of National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, I want to look at the very uncomfortable topic of suicide. I realize this article isn’t something you would normally find in a musicians’ magazine, but think about it—how many incredible artists,…
