JUNE 2021 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 Roland VAD306 Electronic Drum Kit Reviewed!Marco Minneman • Firefall’s Sandy Ficca • YOYOKA Evelyn Glennie • Frankie Banali Drum Collection 11-Year-Old Drumming Sensation Nandi BushellTHE 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 6 Cover photo by Andrea Southam Contents photo by John Bushell 34 NANDI BUSHELL The seemingly ever-present social-media titan celebrates drums, music, and a boisterous can- do attitude with every post. Discover how she became one of our most important evangelists for drumming, drum gear, and making music, as well as for inspiring others to pick up sticks and start playing. By Michael Molenda 16 MARCO MINNEMANN Germany’s talented interdependence technician focuses on songwriting for the McStine & Minnemann project. By Mike Haid 22 EVELYN GLENNIE Honored by the Queen of England and celebrated the world over for her artistry and educational works, the Scottish master percussionist is also profoundly deaf. By Dana Parker 28 TERRY KEATING The host of YouTube’s Bonzoleum channel is committed to sharing the technique, gear, and groove of John Bonham. By Clementine Moss 46 YOYOKA Acclaimed as one of “100 Japanese People Respected by the World,” the 11-year-old drummer details her work ethic, video techniques, and the joys of jamming. By Michael Molenda 48 HEARTS, MINDS, and EYEBALLS Three social-media stars reveal how they drummed their way to massive online audiences. By Billy Amendola 50 SANDY FICCA Firefall’s drummer for 36 years, Ficca discusses his journey from seeing Ringo on The Ed Sullivan Show to driving the Drifters around in an Eldorado to starting a foundation for young musicians. By Nelson Duffle 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 Syncopated Fills From Chart Topping Drum Fills by Dawn Richardson. 75 Six-Way Independence By Marco Minnemann. Presented by Drum Channel. 76 Three-Against-Four Polyrhythm From Exercises in African-American Funk by Jonathan Joseph and Steve Rucker. 80 Balancing Grunt Work and Creativity By Billy Ashbaugh. 82 MD45 Timeless Tutorial Developing a Musical Concept, from the March/April 1979 lesson by Danny Pucillo. 84 Double-Bass Eighth Notes with Foot Two From Realistic Double Feet by Carmine Appice. GEAR PRODUCT CLOSE-UPS 54 Roland VAD306 Compact Electronic Drumset 56 Gruv Gear VELOC Drum Transport 58 Dream Dark Matter Bliss and Vintage Bliss Cymbals 60 THE MD GUIDE TO SNARE DRUMS Recent releases from Creative Percussion, ddrum, DW, Gretsch, Ludwig, Mapex, PDP, Rogers, Sonor, WFLIII, and Yamaha. 64 DONN BENNETT’S COLLECTOR’S CORNER The Frankie Banali Collection. 68 NEW GEAR ProMark Carter McLean drumsticks, Vic Firth hoodies, Low Boy Custom Beaters. 70 MD45 VINTAGE AD Syndrum from January 1978. 4 AN EDITOR’S OVERVIEW Content Director Michael Molenda on the power of exciting an audience. 6 KIT OF THE MONTH Christian Morissette builds an “all-styles” rig 8 MENTOR Sean J. Kennedy Salutes Ray Deeley. 10 MD45 BACK BEATS From the MD archives: Ten players share their session thoughts. 12 WELLNESS Lauren Moore on experiential healing and drumming. 14 HOME RECORDING Drum miking on the cheap. 86 IN MEMORIAM Rob Wallis and others remember Las Vegas icon Bobby Morris. 88 BACK THROUGH THE STACK John Densmore, December 1982. DEPARTMENTS 54 60 70Modern Drummer June 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 The Power of Exciting an Audience F orgive me for pointing out the obvious, but Nandi Bushell is the youngest drummer ever to grace the cover of this magazine. (Honorable mention to 16-year-old Tony Royster Jr., who appeared on the January 2000 cover along with Dennis Chambers.) In the past, it would have been inconceivable—and, to be honest, all kinds of wrong—to celebrate a pre-teen as a cover artist for Modern Drummer. But the evolution of media culture in general, and, specifically, the carousel of change that is the music business has made it possible for young people to have a monumental impact on instrumental communities, gear manufacturers, and music distribution. Toto guitarist Steve Lukather had one of the most hilarious comments on the new-media landscape, stating, “There’s an embryo on YouTube who can play guitar faster than all of us.” Giggles aside, many of these young musicians possess frightening technique— more than enough of a skill set to send even accomplished players back to woodshedding. But, like many of my peers, when I see ridiculous and inane content pop up on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or TikTok posts that garner bazillions of views, I shed a tear for the collapse of civilization was we know it. In the music community, we’ve gotten to the point where a legendary player can be almost invisible on social media, while someone who posts videos of, say, performing not-awesome snare rudiments while riding a surfboard in a rainstorm can earn a good living via revenue generated by their vast engagement numbers. But that silly stuff is a far different thing than what Bushell and other instrumentalists like her are doing on the same platforms. Bushell has become a significant and colossal evangelist for drums, drumming, rock music, multi-instrumentalists, music education, and the joy and accomplishment of playing an instrument. She has inspired countless people of all ages—especially during the global pandemic—to pick up drumsticks or a guitar or bass or keyboards and get down to the blissful business of making music. Her authentic, over-the-top enthusiasm is catching. Every time I watch one of her videos, I feel compelled to sit behind my kit, or play some guitar or bass. I’ve talked to people young and older who credit Bushell with getting them off the couch and playing again, or starting to play for the first time. It doesn’t hurt that celebrities are also enchanted by Bushell’s energy, and have helped the cause by promoting her. All of this is a very good thing indeed for an industry that has struggled on-and-off to grow the population of active musicians. No one can predict how long Bushell’s very public brand—or even her own musical growth and enthusiasm for performing—will endure on the center stages of media. For now, she really knows how to excite multitudes of people when she’s on the kit. Whether you’re a monstrously technical drummer, a basher, or an idiosyncratic stylist (or perhaps all-of-the-above), you’re foremost a musician who creates music, and affecting an audience is paramount to what we all do. On that score, Bushell has proven herself to be a total badass. Michael Molenda Content DirectorModern Drummer June 2021 6 A Wealth of Options Christian Morissette’s Rig is Ready for Any Style C hristian Morissette is a psychologist in Quebec, Canada, who somehow finds the time to not only pursue his passion for drumming, but also to do session work, run a home studio, teach drum clinics, and even offer group drum lessons for children’s birthday parties. “Active drummers must master all musical styles, and always have the right tones for the job,” he says. “My DW kit and Meinl cymbals offer me an incredible choice of sounds.” Morissette’s main tonal palette is comprised of a DW Collector Series kit with three bass drums (20", 22", and 26"), 10" and 12" rack toms, and 14" and 16" (not pictured) floor toms. Depending on the gig, he can switch between a 5.5x13 DW Aluminum Snare and a 4x13 PDP Eric Hernandez “Panda” Signature Model. His pedal is a DW Double MCD. Drumheads are Evans EC2 and UV1, Guillaume D. Cyr and his drumsticks are ProMark 747B Super Rock Hickory with nylon tips (for rock and pop) and ProMark 7A Long Maple (for jazz). He obviously has a thing for Meinl Byzance cymbals, as he has bonded with the model line for his 10" Dark Splash; 10" Dual Splash; 16", 17", and 18" Jazz Medium Crashes; 20" Dark Ride; 21" Jazz Nuance Ride; 22" Jazz China Ride; and 13" Dark Hi-Hats. Everything is moved and stored in Protection Racket cases. “I use the three bass drums so that I can adapt my sound easily, whether I’m playing live or in the studio,” explains Morissette. “I use the Evans EC2 heads because they sound great for rock and they are easy to tune. For jazz styles, the UV1 heads are the most durable I’ve found. My Byzance cymbals work with any style I am called upon to play. With this kit, I finally found my sound!” — Michael MolendaHAYLEY CRAMER info@WFLiiiDrums.com www.WFLiiiDrums.com ©2021 WFLIII Drums & Percussion LLC All rights reserved. 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