MAY 2021 CHAD SMITH LEGENDS • SEE PAGE 79 M O D E R N D R U M M E R M A G A Z I N E • • Of Excellence THE WORLD’S #1 DRUMMING RESOURCE DAVE WECKL ON INNOVATION, EVOLUTION, AND CHICK COREA BROOKE COLUCCI POWERS PLUSH DIRTY HONEY’S COREY COVERSTONE DENNY SEIWELL REVISITS PAUL M c CARTNEY’S RAM THOMMY PRICE ROCKING THE HITS GEAR YAMAHA DTX6K3-X ELECTRONIC DRUMS FROM THE ARCHIVES TONY WILLIAMS • SLY DUNBAR THE SILVERMAN BROTHERS CELEBRATE 10 YEARS OF AUTUMN HILL RECORDSGrain orientation technology is key to producing a purpose-driven shell configuration. The more tension on each shell ply, the higher the pitch. The less tension, the lower the note. In this instance, the goal was to realize the lowest fundamental tone possible—throughout the drumset. Physics said it couldn’t be done, but with the help of a 3-ply Purpleheart core with horizontal center ply, the concept became reality. At it’s core, Purpleheart provides the strength and shell integrity to pull off this drum-making miracle. But hearing is believing. Play PurpleCore and experience low end response like never before. Only from the Drummer’s Choice® ©2021 Drum Workshop, Inc. All Rights Reserved.©2021 Drum Workshop, Inc. All Rights Reserved. CALI SHOPTHE NEW ALBUM, "LIVE IN ST. LOUIS AT THE CHESTERFIELD JAZZ FESTIVAL 2019" AVAILABLE NOW ON ALL DIGITAL PLATFORMS! WE ARE EXCITED TO WELCOME "THE DAVE WECKL BAND" INTO THE AUTUMN HILL RECORDS FAMILY! AUTUMNHILLRECORDS.COMVolume 45 • Number 5 Cover and contents photo by © Brendan Joyce Photography 16 DAVE WECKL A career retrospective from the drum legend. Weckl remembers the NYC session scene, details some of his early projects, celebrates the genius of Chick Corea, talks gear, and more! Bonus interview with Autumn Hill Records owners Michael and Rob Silverman, who just released Weckl’s Live in St. Louis at the Chesterfield Jazz Festival 2019. By Mike Haid. 30 BROOKE COLUCCI Still just a teenager, Brooke Colucci (who was featured in MD’s On the Beat when she was 15) runs down her groove strategies for the all-female rock powerhouse Plush. By Michael Molenda. 34 DENNY SEIWELL For the new RAM ON tribute, the former Wings drummer revisits Ram—the 1971 album by Paul and Linda McCartney— on its 50th anniversary. Plus, Billy Amendola talks to RAM ON co-producer Fernando Perdomo. By Bob Girouard. 40 COREY COVERSTONE The Dirty Honey drummer goes track- by-track through his band’s self-titled album. Coverstone also discusses his solo projects, mentors such as Nate Morton, and his yoga routine for drumming. By Billy Amendola. 46 THOMMY PRICE Rocking on! Thommy Price on drumming for Mink DeVille, Billy Idol, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Scandal, and other top rockers. By Rich Scannella. 52 MD45 CLASSIC INTERVIEW: TONY WILLIAMS Revisit this deep dive with the late drum master (1945-1997) from the January 1978 issue. By Aran Wald. M O D E R N D R U M M E R M A G A Z I N E • • Of Excellence THE WORLD’S #1 DRUMMING RESOURCELESSONS 72 CRASHES IN YOUR FILLS From Chart Topping Drum Fills by Dawn Richardson . 74 FOUNDATIONAL BRUSH TECHNIQUE Ed Soph on grip and other fundamentals. Presented by Drum Channel . 76 THE IMPORTANCE OF WRITING NOTATION A personal journey. By Billy Ashbaugh. 78 BUILDING ENDURANCE From Master Studies II. By Joe Morello. 82 REGGAE DRUM FILLS From Realistic Reggae Rock. By Carmine Appice. 86 MD45 DEVELOPING SPEED NATURALLY 11 tips for taking off. From the February 1984 lesson by Roy Burns. GEAR PRODUCT CLOSE-UPS 60 Yamaha DTX6K3-X Electronic Drumset. 62 Doc Sweeney Legends Series Solid Beech Drumset. 64 Earthworks DK7 Drum Mic Pack. 58 NEW AND NOTABLE 66 COLLECTOR’S CORNER The Paul “Jamo” Jamieson Collection. By Donn Bennett. 70 MD45 VINTAGE AD Rogers Memriloc from January 1977. DEPARTMENTS 4 AN EDITOR’S OVERVIEW David Frangioni on Dave Weckl. 6 READERS’ PLATFORM Who Is Your Favorite Post-Beatles Drummer on Any Former Beatle’s Solo Albums? 8 KIT OF THE MONTH Kenny Kuzniar builds his 30th anniversary drumset. 10 MD45 BACK BEATS 10 tips from the archives by Art Blakey, Buddy Rich, Ginger Baker, Anika Nilles, Prince, and more! 12 ENCORE Fanny Hill by Fanny, 1972. 88 IN MEMORIAM Don Heffington, Ralph Peterson Jr. 92 BACK THROUGH THE STACK Sly Dunbar, April 1985.Modern Drummer May 2021 4 CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Donn Bennett, Michael Dawson, Bob Girouard, Mike Haid, Will Romano, Rich Scannella, Ilya Stemkovsky. MODERN DRUMMER magazine (ISSN 0194-4533) is published monthly by MODERN DRUMMER Publications, Inc., 1279 W. Palmetto Park Rd PO Box 276064 Boca Raton, FL 33427. PERIODICALS MAIL POSTAGE paid at Fairfield, NJ 07004 and at additional mailing offices. Copyright 2021 by MODERN DRUMMER Publications, Inc. EDITORIAL/ADVERTISING/ ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES: MODERN DRUMMER Publications, 1279 W. Palmetto Park Rd PO Box 276064 Boca Raton, FL 33427. Tel: 973-239-4140. Email: info@moderndrummer.com. MODERN DRUMMER welcomes manuscripts and photos but cannot assume responsibility for them. SUBSCRIPTION CORRESPONDENCE: Modern Drummer, 1279 W. Palmetto Park Rd PO Box 276064 Boca Raton, FL 33427. Change of address: Allow at least six weeks for a change. Please provide both old and new address. Call 973-239-4140 Phone hours, 9–5 EST Monday–Friday, or visit www.moderndrummer.com. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Modern Drummer, 1279 W. Palmetto Park Rd PO Box 276064 Boca Raton, FL 33427. Canadian Publications Mail Agreement No. 41480017 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: PO Box 875, Stn A, Windsor ON N9A 6P2 MEMBER: National Association of Music Merchants, Percussive Arts Society THE MD PRO PANEL/ADVISORY BOARD: Chris Adler, Kenny Aronoff, Eddie Bayers, Gregg Bissonette, Jason Bittner, Bill Bruford, Will Calhoun, Terri Lyne Carrington, Matt Chamberlain, Peter Erskine, Daniel Glass, Benny Greb, Matt Halpern, Horacio Hernandez, Gerald Heyward, Taku Hirano, Susie Ibarra, Jim Keltner, Paul Leim, Peter Magadini, George Marsh, Pat Mastelotto, Allison Miller, Rod Morgenstein, Andy Newmark, Stephen Perkins, Dafnis Prieto, Rich Redmond, Brian Reitzell, Jim Riley, Antonio Sanchez, Gil Sharone, Chad Smith, Steve Smith, Todd Sucherman, Billy Ward, Kenny Washington, Dave Weckl, Paul Wertico Music Key MODERN DRUMMER ONLINE: www.moderndrummer.com PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES Founder Ronald Spagnardi 1943–2003 Co-Founder Isabel Spagnardi Publisher/CEO David Frangioni CFO Carolina Frangioni CMO/CRO Tony Terani CTO Jason Mehler Content Director Michael Molenda Managing Director/SVP David Hakim Senior Art Director Scott G. Bienstock Editor at Large Billy Amendola Digital Marketing Manager Ricardo Rodriguez Worldwide Education Dom Famularo Editorial Danny Laverde Director of Special Projects Nic Kubes Archivist Felipe Laverde @ModernDrummer @modern_drummer MODERN DRUMMER SUBSCRIPTIONS: Digital $4.99 Monthly – Get the monthly mag digitally + instant time machine access to 45 yrs of MD issues & articles for just $4.99 per month with no contract. All-Access Digital + Print Delivered US $9.99 (*per month) International $12.99 (*per month) *billed annually. Subscribe today at moderndrummer.com/subscribe modern_drummer How a Dave Weckl Performance Changed My Life I’ll never forget the first time I saw Dave Weckl play the drums. At the time, I had heard Dave on records, but had never seen him play live or on TV. One fateful day, I happened to have the TV tuned to PBS, and there was Dave playing with the Chick Corea Elektric Band. During the song “Rumble,” Dave did a drum solo, and in the middle of the solo, he triggered electronic drums from his acoustic kit. To say I was inspired would be a gross understatement. I was hooked, and that moment of how drums, electronics, technology, and music could all converge so powerfully—and in such an awesome and innovative manner—changed my life forever. In fact, it had a huge impact in forming what would become my life’s work in music technology. Not every story about experiencing Dave’s playing will result in life-changing events, but you’d be surprised at how many do. He is a true, modern-day innovator, and he continues to evolve his own playing, as well as the art of drumming and education. I’m really excited that Dave is making his sixth appearance on the cover of Modern Drummer, and sharing some very powerful insights on how to take one’s craft—in this case, drumming, but it applies to any art form—and continually grow. Dave’s online school—of which I’ve been a member since its inception—is a great learning platform for drummers at all levels. The last year has been challenging for all of us—certainly for Modern Drummer and the community we serve—but things are improving every day. We remain committed to inspiring, educating, and informing our vast world of like- minded, passionate drummers and percussionists of all styles. Keep going and never, ever give up! David Frangioni Publisher/CEOAt Sweetwater, we have a single goal in mind — to make you an ecstatic customer. Everything we do is focused on giving you the absolute-best prices, selection, service, support — and all the many extras we give you every day at no extra charge. From our massive selection of drums and accessories and our free 2-year warranty to the fanatical way we make sure your instrument is enjoyable right out of the case — it’s what we call the Sweetwater Di erence. Call or visit us and experience the Di erence today. DRUMMERS GET MORE WITH SWEETWATER Sweetwater.com | (800) 222-4700 Gator GP-PC2420BD Classic Series Bass Drum Case – $174.99 *Stickers not included.Modern Drummer May 2021 6 Want your voice heard? Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Who Is Your Favorite Post-Beatles Drummer on Any Former Beatle’s Solo Albums? Apparently, the Modern Drummer community loves their post-Beatles drummers. When we reached out on our Facebook page to query you about your favorite drummers on the solo albums of Paul, John, George, and Ringo, we received quite a flurry of comments—even one from drumming icon Mike Portnoy. As always, thanks for sharing your views, and please look out for future Readers’ Platform questions on Facebook. Fab! Alan White for being on both All Things Must Pass and Imagine— as well as “Instant Karma” and Live Peace in Toronto. A Bonus mention for Paul McCartney’s drum solos on “Kreen Akrore.” — Mike Portnoy Pete Best on his 2008 album, Haymans Green. — Bill McCue. Paul McCartney on his first solo album. — Zak Eburne Stoodley Buster Sidebury (Jim Keltner) with the Traveling Wilburys. — John Keith Joe English on Wings over Amer- ica. Best drummer McCartney ever had. — Timothy Eberenz Every time I would hear “Instant Karma,” I’d think, “The drums were perfect. I wonder who plays them?” So one day I looked it up, and I found out it was Alan White. — Tim Shumway Jim Gordon on All Things Must Pass may be my favorite. — Giacomo Fiocchi Ringo Starr on John Lennon/ Plastic Ono Band. — Nick McDonald Alan White on John Lennon’s Imagine. He played to the songs, and he didn’t try to play like he does with Yes. Alan is a very tasteful player. — Mitch Shaivitz Joe English for his tasty playing in Wings and McCartney him- self—the most “Ringo” sounding drummer during and after the Beatles. — Jason Apostoleris Steve Gadd aside, without question the greatest full-time ex-Beatle drummer is Joe En- glish. The drumming on the live version of “Maybe I’m Amazed” takes the prize. English wasn’t just a studio drummer, he be- came a true member of a band. Abe Laboriel Jr. is okay, but English had a style that really sticks out. — William L Duffy One of my prized possessions, signed by Alan White. — Leo R. Dumas Abe Laboriel Jr. on McCartney’s live albums Back in the U.S. and Good Evening New York City. He not only captures the original essence of the tunes, but he adds his own personality and groove to the songs in an in- credibly musical way. — Daniel Heier Jim Keltner—the original fun machine! — Gregory Condemi I am going to go out on a limb here and say that, apart from Steve Gadd on Tug of War, as a drummer the performance I still love the most was Steve Holley on Back to the Egg. —Eric Lowenhar Jim Gordon. He was the best. — Scott Broadhurst In the spirit of this being all about the former Beatles, Paul McCartney not only plays bass, piano, and guitar on both the Beatles and his solo albums, but he also plays the drums. — Chris Turchetti John Bonham on “Rockestra Theme” by Wings. — Tony Steel I’d have to go with Jim Keltner, Alan White, or Andy Newmark. — Rod Colemaninfo@WFLiiiDrums.com www.WFLiiiDrums.com ©2021 WFLIII Drums & Percussion LLC All rights reserved. – KofiBaker The Music of Cream KofiBaker’s Psychedelic Trip WFLIII Drums Artist KofiBaker, The Music of Cream and The Sound of Generations Family Heritage is a Beautiful Thing! Sharing my family’s heritage with drummers has been my life’s goal. Join our family and experience the Sound of Generations. - Bill Ludwig III, Founder Available in 5.5”x14” & 6.5”x14” Learn more at WFLiiiDrums.comNext >