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Modern Drummer is the world’s most widely read drum magazine, is dedicated entirely to the art of drumming and caters to the needs of amateur, semi-pro, and professional drummers.
Justin Foley: Killswitch Engage’s Rulebreaker
Killswitch Engage drummer Justin Foley doesn’t quite fit in with the normal metal drummer stereotypes. For one, he’s classically trained, having received his undergraduate degree in percussion from the University of Connecticut and his master’s degree from the prestigious Hartt…
Ryan Luciani of Empires
Hey, all, my name is Ryan Luciani, and I play in the Chicago rock band Empires. I’m very grateful to have been asked to write a blog for Modern Drummer, since I’ve been reading the magazine for years. First things first!…
Mike Mangini of Dream Theater
by Mike Haid The announcement that Modern Drummer Hall of Famer Mike Portnoy had left his longstanding position as the reigning king of prog-metal drumming with Dream Theater sent shockwaves through the drumming community. Who could replace such an iconic figure…
Nate Morton of The Voice
Hi, MD readers. I thought I had faced musical challenges and done difficult gigs. And I believed I knew what it was like to learn a large amount of material in a short time—recording ten songs in a day seemed like…
Danny Seraphine: Update 2011
By Bob Girouard It seems that since Danny Seraphine made a comeback of sorts of the 2006 Modern Drummer Festival, he’s kicked the current phase of his drumming career into high gear, appearing at events like Drummers for Jesus, the…
Susan VanHecke, author of Raggin’ Jazzin’ Rockin’: A History of American Musical Instrument Makers
Hey, drumheads! So, you already know that Zildjian cymbals and Ludwig drums are among the world’s finest. But how much do you really know about the people behind the famous names? I’ve recently written a book to clue us all…
Listen To Sound Files of Joyful Noise Elite Series Snares
This sound sample is from the Esprit Elite snare drum. See the review on page 25 of the March 2011 issue of Modern Drummer.
What Do You Know About…John Weathers
(January 2011 Issue) Weathers On Record: Classic Giant Tracks, 1972–77 by Will Romano To connoisseurs of daring first-wave progressive rock, Gentle Giant was hugely important—as awe-inspiring, in its own way, as ELP, Genesis, and Yes. Here we look at…
Jean-Paul Gaster: Web Exclusive: Plenty more with the Clutch powerhouse
(from the November 2010 Issue of Modern Drummer, available here) by Billy Brennan In the January issue of MD, Clutch drummer Jean-Paul Gaster reflects on the band’s reissues of its three DRT Entertainment releases—From Beale Street To Oblivion (2007), Robot…
Chad Clark of Heaven Below
This year you can find me with my prized black-on-black Noble & Cooley drums touring with Heaven Below throughout the U.S. and Canada in support of our EP. The first single, “When Daylight Dies,” is gaining airplay across the country.…
Joe Vitale: Joe Walsh, the Eagles, & More!
Hi, everyone in drum land, Joe Vitale here. As a fellow fan of Modern Drummer magazine, I’m so happy to be part of this wonderful community. For those of you who might not know who I am, I’ve toured and…
Matt Greiner of August Burns Red
For me, drumming is like breakfast: You either like it or you don’t. Much like breakfast, I want to play drums first thing in the morning and don’t ever lose interest in playing throughout the day. Some folks think it’s…
Carol Bui
Hi! I’m Carol Bui and I’ve been writing, recording, and performing music for at least a decade now as a “solo artist” but with collaborators both live and in the studio. I have two full-length releases under my belt and…
Rod Morgenstein: Cross-Genre Ripping
Rod Morgenstein is best known as the blazing left-handed drummer with the influential fusion band Dixie Dregs and the pop-metal band Winger. Rod’s professional career began in 1975 while he was still a student at the University of Miami, which…
