M O D E R N D R U M M E R M A G A Z I N E • • YEARS Of Excellence 4545 THE WORLD’S #1 DRUMMING RESOURCETHE WORLD’S #1 DRUMMING RESOURCE Mapex Saturn Rock Kit • PDP Concept Select Snares September 2021September 2021 Matt Sorum • John Kelly • Minna Koskenlahti Corky Laing • Hugh Syme’s Rush Art Guide to Percussion Instruments Russ Russ MillerMiller Sessions! Soundtracks! Signature Gear! Solo Albums! The Incredible Journey of a Diversified DrummerEXTENDED FOOTBOARD mfg U.S.A.CONTENTSCONTENTS 28 RUSS MILLER Russ Miller has built a successful and multi-faceted career by following a plan, and building everything up “one brick at a time.” Learn how the always- working session pro, product designer, and educator made it all happen. By Sarah Hagan 18 MATT SORUM Get a sneak peek at what you’ll be reading in Matt Sorum’s autobiograpy, Double Talkin’ Jive, and how he managed to record the new solo album by ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons. By Rich Scanella 24 MINNA KOSKENLAHTI Finland’s experimental percussionist details the concepts and performance of her stark, spooky solo-percussion album, Toinen/Other. By Michael Molenda 40 JOHN KELLY It has been one year since Quiet Riot’s Frankie Banali passed, and John Kelly talks about stepping into the shoes of a legend. By Alex Grossi 44 MD45 CLASSIC INTERVIEW Bernard “Pretty” Purdie holds court. Excerpted from MD’s November 1985 issue. M O D E R N D R U M M E R M A G A Z I N E • • YEARS Of Excellence 4545 THE WORLD’S #1 DRUMMING RESOURCETHE WORLD’S #1 DRUMMING RESOURCEVolume 45 • Number 9 Cover and contents photos by Rob Shanahan LESSONS 70 AUTHENTIC LATIN RHYTHMS By Alex Acuña. Presented by Drum Channel. 74 ROCK PATTERN EXERCISES By Carmine Appice. Excepted from Rudiments to Rock. 80 16TH-NOTE-TRIPLET HAND AND FOOT PATTERNS By Ron Spagnardi. Excepted from Building Bass Drum Technique. 84 MD45 TIMELESS TUTORIAL “The Drummer as Entertainer” by Bruce Matheson, June 1996. DEPARTMENTS 4 AN EDITOR’S OVERVIEW Content Director Michael Molenda on Creative Calamities. 6 WELLNESS The courage to connect. 8 STYLE COUNCIL Alsace’s Custard Pie gets funky. 10 ART ROCK Hugh Syme on the art design of Rush albums. 12 MD45 BACKBEATS “Rock doc” drummers on the record. 14 HOME RECORDING Making friends with vocalists. 15 KIT OF THE MONTH Bill Ruck’s Muppet tribute to his wife. 16 TRIBUTE Corky Laing “plays” with his heroes. 86 IN MEMORIAM Kenny Malone and Joey Jordison. 88 BACK THROUGH THE STACK Tony Thompson, December 1985. GEAR 50 NEW GEAR 64 Audio, Gretsch, Latin Percussion, Rogers, Sabian, Tama, and Vic Firth. By Michael Molenda 52 PRODUCT CLOSE-UPS Mapex Saturn Four-Piece Rock Shell Pack. By Jon Christ PDP Concept Select Series Snare Drums. By Dana Parker 56 GUIDE TO PERCUSSION INSTRUMENTS Cool goodies from Dunlop, Gon Bops, Latin Percussion, Louson, Meinl, Pearl, and Toca. By Michael Molenda 60 DONN BENNETT’S DRUM VAULT Logo Heads. By Donn Bennett 64 DRUM SHOW ROUNDUP Check out the Chicago and Music City Drum Shows. By Bob Campbell 68 MD45 VINTAGE AD ROC Drums from May 1986.Modern Drummer September 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. All rights reserved. Reproduction without the permission of the publisher is prohibited. 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. 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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, Carmine Appice, Kenny Aronoff, Bill Bachman, Eddie Bayers, Gregg Bissonette, Jason Bittner, Bill Bruford, Will Calhoun,Terri Lyne Carrington, Matt Chamberlain, Peter Erskine, Dom Famularo, Daniel Glass, Alex Gonzales, Danny Gottlieb, Benny Greb, Matt Halpern, Horacio Hernandez, Gerald Heyward, Taku Hirano, Jonathan Joseph, Jim Keltner, Paul Leim, Peter Magadini, Pat Mastelotto, Rod Morgenstein, Andy Newmark, Carl Palmer, Stephen Perkins, Dafnis Prieto, Rich Redmond, Brian Reitzell, Jim Riley, Bobby Rondinalli, Antonio Sanchez, Cindy Blackman Santana, Chad Smith, Steve Smith, Todd Sucherman, Billy Ward, Kenny Washington, Dave Weckl, Paul Wertico, Dennis Wolfe 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 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 AN EDITOR’S OVERVIEW @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 Creative Calamities R ingo put a very fine point on it when he sang, “It don’t come easy.” Sure, there are lucky schmoes who seem to attract celebrity, accolades, and riches without appearing to have much talent, or even an ounce of ambition. But that’s probably not you or me. We’re stuck. We have to put our shoulders against the wheel and work hard for our achievements. If you’re seeking a top-tier career as a sideperson or session musician, establishing yourself is especially brutal during a global zombie apocalypse that’s disrupting, devastating, and perhaps forever changing the revenue streams available to musicians. Artists who predominantly work in local clubs and bars don’t have it any easier. Indoor shows, festivals, and concert tours continue to be cancelled or rescheduled due to the Delta variant, and many gigging musicians are scrambling for other ways to generate revenue. Even if you’re someone who just likes to jam with friends, working up the mojo to practice your chops can be difficult at times. Job and other life stresses can slam right into your best intentions and put a pause on your musical endeavors. For all of his success, cover artist Russ Miller is really not much different than any accomplished and ambitious drummer. He worked it. Hard. Whether experiencing successes or failures, Miller learned from them all, and he always had a career plan in clear focus—even if that plan was a pivot. Whatever your relationship to your drum kit or your musical vocation, Sarah Hagan’s interview with Miller [p.28] should be inspiring. Miller was very open about the ups and downs of his career trajectory, and he shared how he moved past adversity to achieve his goals. It’s a good lesson. After all, everyone who lives a creative life will encounter blocks—maybe even massive blockades—to manifesting art. It happens to writers, painters, filmmakers, playwrights, game designers, and choreographers. It happens to famous artists, working pros, and aspirational newbies alike. No one is immune to the occasional beatdown. The trick is in how you move past the thrashing. I’m certain that many Modern Drummer readers know a talented player who simply can’t get out of his or her own way. That’s a sad place to be, because not only is the individual messing themselves up, they also may be cheating the community from enjoying their talents. Those individuals may need a lot of work and support to reclaim their productivity. For less terminal moments of artistic despair—those periods of writer’s block or skill-set ceilings—a bit of optimism that the desolation is temporary can be comforting. In other words, screw it all, and get back on that horse. Create. Push through. Make it happen. Russ Miller did not surrender. Ever. In fact, none of our musical heroes took a whipping and gave up. Please absorb that reality in your own creative life. I believe that every musician has something to say. Maybe it’s just a couple of short sentences, and maybe it’s an entire novel, but someone in the community of musicians—perhaps even a lot of someones—will get inspiration from your piece of art. That is, unless you allow adversity to put the brakes on, and you produce nothing. Don’t be that person. All musicians are elevated when good works are made, released, and shared. Let’s hear yours. Michael Molenda Content DirectorModern Drummer September 2021 6 ~~~~~~~~ Wellness ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Wellness ~~~~~~~~ The Courage to Connect By Lauren Monroe I n honor of National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, I want to look at the very uncomfortable topic of suicide. I realize this article isn’t something you would normally find in a musicians’ magazine, but think about it—how many incredible artists, musicians, comics, and other creators have we lost to suicide? How many of us reading this right now have had thoughts of ending it, or have felt a sense of relief imagining not waking up in the morning? These thoughts cross the minds of countless people every day. Most of us don’t act on them, but many have, and, for whatever reason, some of these people have lived to talk about it—such as Kevin Hines. On September 25, 2000, Hines, then 19, jumped off San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge. He took the bus to the bridge that day, and remembers being visibly distraught, but was mocked by some of the other riders. On his walk up the pathway, Hines wept, but contemplated not jumping, reasoning that if any person showed they cared about him, he would not commit suicide. Still crying, he was passed by a police officer and bridge workers, but no one stopped him to see if he was okay. After a woman with a German accent asked him to take her picture, but didn’t comment about his tears, Hines threw himself over the railing. “When my hands left that rail—as soon as I left the bridge—I thought, ‘I don’t want to die,’” he told Time. Amazingly, Hines survived, and a witness to the event stated that a sea lion kept him afloat until the Coast Guard arrived. Perhaps even more miraculously, he fully recovered from injuries to his legs, ankle, ribs, and spine. Today, he is an author, activist, and public speaker who has appeared at thousands of college campuses and high schools to share his story and advocate for mental health and suicide prevention. I’d like to stop here, so we can have a good look at just how important we are in the eyes of those who are fragile. Ask yourself, would you care enough to approach a stranger—or even an acquaintance—who is distraught, and see if they are okay? What would stop you? I can think of a list of reasons we could conjure to support not caring. We say to ourselves things such as, “They might be crazy,” “I don’t want to be responsible,” “I’m too busy to stop,” and “It’s none of my business.” Sound familiar? It’s time to change the narrative in our mind and understand we can be a part of the solution with awareness, compassion, and having the right information to pass onto others. Some Fast Facts that Make It Real Suicide is a major public health concern. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (INMH), suicide was the tenth leading cause of death overall in the United States in 2019, claiming the lives of more than 47,500 people. That year, suicide was also the second leading cause of death amongst people between the ages of ten and 34 (that’s right—ten year olds), and the fourth leading cause of death for those between the ages of 35 and 44. In addition, there were nearly two-and-a-half times as many suicides in America in 2019 (47,511), as there were homicides (19,141). Take a moment to visualize your friends, your neighbors, your family, and those you come into contact with every day. Suicide is a community issue. It is complicated and tragic, but it is often preventable. How We Can Help Look for warning signs, and don’t be afraid to ask someone if they are okay, or if they are feeling suicidal. It’s a misconception that it’s better not to ask, as studies show that if we can talk about it, we can save a life. Emotional markers to look for are depression, a lack of interest in activities that were once enjoyed, irritability, anger, anxiety, shame or humiliation, and mood swings. Verbal markers include talk about killing themselves, their life having no purpose, feeling like a burden, feeling stuck, and not wanting to exist. Behavioral markers consist of isolating from others, not communicating with friends and/or family, giving away possessions, writing a will, acting recklessly, increased aggression, increased alcohol and/or drug use, searching “suicide” on the Internet, and gathering materials such as pills or a weapon. If a person is thinking of suicide, it’s important to ask them if they have a plan. If they say “yes,” assist them in seeking immediate help. They can walk into an emergency room or call 911. Or, you can direct them to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline/Veterans Crisis Line (1-800-273-8255) or Crisis Text Line (text HELLO to 741741). In addition, help can be as close as your smartphone via free therapy apps. The new notOK app is a “digital panic button” that brings users immediate support via text, phone call, or GPS location. Virtual Hope Box lets patients and providers tailor content for the purposes of coping, relaxation, distraction, and positive thinking. You can also help those in need create a Crisis Response Plan . According to a recent clinical study, a CRP reduces the risk of suicide by 76 percent, and all it takes is answering five questions: [1] My personal warning signs. Examples: feeling depressed, drinking too much, not being social, sleeping a lot. [2] My self-management strategies. Examples: Reduce or eliminate alcohol and recreational drug intake, Remove firearms from the house, call a friend, start exercising, play drums. [3] My reasons for living. Examples: Family, friends, pets, things you love and would miss. [4] My social support. Examples: mentors, friends, trusted family members, therapists, support groups. [5] My crisis contact numbers. It’s a good strategy to write out a CRP for yourself and carry it in your wallet or bag. Have it handy if you need it, or if an opportunity arises where you can show it to someone who should make their own Crisis Response Plan. Stay Connected If you’re reading this now, and feeling alone, contemplating your life’s worth, and having thoughts of suicide, please reach out and take the steps to connect. Use some of these resources, and please know there are people who really care—even if you haven’t met us yet. There is always another door, a way out, and a new direction. If you can’t see it, someone else will—and can—show you the way.Next >