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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.
Kurt Reifler of Kill Kurt Reifler
I play guitar and sing in Kill Kurt Reifler, a two-piece rock ’n’ roll circus of sorts. I write songs as a drummer (which is the instrument I really play) and translate the rhythms I hear in my head to…
Cory Procter of Free Reign
Hello to all MD readers! My name is Cory Procter, and I am the drummer in the heavy metal band Free Reign. We have a different dynamic than most bands in that three of the four members in our group play…
Brian Chase: Indie Invention, Jazz Heart
Brian Chase burst onto the scene at the turn of the millennium with the indie rock/garage punk band Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Chase first met vocalist/pianist Karen O while attending the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Ohio in the late ’90s.…
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…
Ryan Shutler of Lazarus A.D.
Hey, MD readers, my name is Ryan Shutler, and I play drums for the metal act Lazarus A.D. I’ve spent the better part of this year touring in support of our new album, Black Rivers Flow. I was born in Gurnee, Illinois,…
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…
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…
Jay Michaelis of State Line Empire
Hey Modern Drummer readers! I’m super stoked to be writing a blog for all of you, as I’ve been an avid longtime reader. I guess it all started when I was five, when I saw Buddy Rich and Animal from the…
Jason Reeves’ Billy Hawn
Hello fellow drummers, percussionists, and noise and ear candy makers! 2011 is off to an exciting start for me as I prepare for a short radio promo tour followed by rehearsals and tours throughout the year with singer-songwriter Jason Reeves.…
Listen to Sound Files of Meinl Classics Custom Cymbals
The complete review is on page 18 of the June issue of Modern Drummer magazine.
Scott Borrero of Misery
To all fellow and lady Modern Drummer readers, this is Scott Borrero from Long Island, New York. I’ve been studying drums and percussion professionally and as a student for over twenty years. I will always be a student. I love…
Temim Fruchter of the Shondes
Let’s get this out of the way right now: I don’t have one of those perfect love-at-first-sight drumming stories. In fact, the closest I’ve ever come to being “born to play drums” was being gifted with a puppet version of…