interview
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.
Robert Wyatt: 2007 Web Exclusive Interview
by Adam Budofsky Since leaving the groundbreaking British psychedelic band Soft Machine in 1971, Robert Wyatt has released a succession of remarkable solo albums filled with artfulness and surprise. His latest, Comicopera, is a worldly, three-part meditation on modern profundities.…
The Evolution of Jimmy Chamberlin: Still Smashing
by Ken Micallef As a self confessed “elder statesman of music,” and one of the most influential drummers of the past fifteen years, Jimmy Chamberlin has a thing or two to say about the state of the instrument. He…
Bill Bruford: Our Prog Forefather
by Ken Micallef Progressive rock’s evolution from its nascent days in London’s university halls and local clubs to stadium-filling global phenomenon has its roots in the tumultuous melting pot of 1960s rock and psychedelia. Upon the release of The Beatles’…
Jeff Ballard
Fresh Perspectives On Jazz Drumming by T. Bruce Wittet This much is unanimously agreed upon: In the hierarchy of jazz drummers, Jeff Ballard has climbed so high he can clearly see the summit. What’s more, he’s making edgy, contemporary music…
Marco Minnemann: Beyond Chops
by Mike Haid A new breed of drummer has emerged over the past decade. This elite group of international super-drummers has changed the face of drumming and raised the bar on speed, ambidextrous technique, soloing, stick tricks, multi-pedal coordination, and…
Jason Bittner: Man or Machine?
by Ken Micallef In the wee morning hours of 2004, Jason Bittner put on his slippers, leashed the hounds, and left his Albany, New York home to pick up the latest issue of Modern Drummer. “The fans have spoken!” is…
Rich Beddoe of Finger Eleven
by Adam Budofsky Four years after their gold-selling, self-titled third album, Finger Eleven’s new one, Them Vs. You Vs. Me, finds dynamic lefty Rich Beddoe once again delivering the goods, with more multi-limb surprises and an even sharper ear for…
Curt Bisquera
Curt Bisquera has been a first-call studio drummer since 1991, appearing on recordings or playing gigs with Mick Jagger, Tom Petty, Celine Dion, Morris Day, Ronan Keating, The Dixie Chicks, Seal, Bonnie Raitt, The Spice Girls, Boz Scaggs, Johnny…
Elton John's Nigel Olsson: That Classic Feel
by Robyn Flans No one plays a pop song like Nigel Olsson, and his triumphant return to Elton John’s band has allowed the veteran musician to inspire drummers all over again. When news hit in the mid-’80s that Nigel Olsson…
Athena Kottak
Kottak’s Athena is a very funny, tell-it-like-it-is, beautiful woman who kicks ass behind the drumkit. Born a few years after her famous sibling—Mötley Crüe’s Tommy Lee—Athena is a cancer survivor, a mom, and the wife of Jimmy Ratchitt. Athena says…
Travis Smith: The Sickest Feet in Metal
by Waleed Rashidi Trivium drummer Travis Smith’s career launched with a slightly rocky start. As a pre-teen growing up in Florida, Smith recalls having to be coaxed out of playtime with neighborhood friends by his father to attend his regular…
Xavier Muriel
By Billy Amendola How many rock bands can take a break for three years and come back stronger than ever? Nothing against the former members of Buckcherry, but the current lineup—which features original lead singer Josh Todd and founding guitarist…
Harry Judd of McFly Interview
MD: When did you start playing drums? Harry: I started when I was sixteen, so I’ve been playing for four years now. I tried playing guitar when I was fourteen, but the teacher was only teaching me nursery rhymes. But…
Joey Zehr of The Click Five
Last summer I got to experience what it might have been like at Beatles concert at the height of Beatlemania. On separate occasions I saw shows by two new bands: The Click Five, from America, and McFly, from the UK.…
