THE WORLD’S #1 DRUM RESOURCE KAREN CARPENTER: CLOSE TO HER DRUMS KAROL G’s GIULLIANA MERELLO OLIVIA RODRIGO’S HAYLEY BROWNELL ALEJANDRO SANZ’ HELEN DE LA ROSA DRUMMER/SONGWRITER ELISE TROUW AND JORDAN WEST WIKTORIA BIALIC LAUREN ELLIS JUNE 2022 ON REVIEW: LUNA PERCUSSION CANOPUS SNARE AND MORE!gretschdrums.com #BroadkastYourMusic J.J. Johnson - Gary Clark, Jr.24 KAREN CARPENTER Scott Gudell finds out more about THE modern pioneer of women in rock drumming by speaking to the authors of the book Carpenters: The Musical Legacy. By Scott Gudell 40 HAYLEY BROWNELL Hayley tells author Danny Laverde about how her involvement in a childhood percussion program led to her majoring in music at college, her drive to become successful in the LA music scene, and her career playing with superstar Olivia Rodrigo. By Daniel ”Ziggy” Laverde 48 HELEN DE LA ROSA Helen shares the ups and downs of her life and career, her insights about attending Berklee School of Music and how that led directly to getting the gig with pop superstar Alejandro Sanz. By Daniel ”Ziggy” Laverde 58 BEHIND THE LEGENDS Legends author Mark Griffith reveals the journey behind creating Kenny Aronoff’s epic new Legends book. By Mark Griffith 28 GUILLIANA MERELLO This young superstar details her growing career in New York City and explains how she learned to play reggaeton music for her gig with Karol G. By Daniel ”Ziggy” LaverdeVolume 46 • Number 6 Cover and contents photos by Felipe Laverde LESSONS 60 BASICS Billy Ashbaugh gives us some valuable touring tips from a real veteran of the road. 64 LESSONS Elise Trouw and Drum Channel share some insight behind creating the drum part for Elise’s song “How to Get What You Want.” 68 CREATIVE PERCUSSION CONTROLLERS Jordan West and Tony Verderosa talk about the use of Hybrid Acoustic and Electronic percussion on modern gigs like Grace Potter and Jordan’s song “Ten Feet Tall.” 72 JAZZ DRUMMERS WORKSHOP Bob Moses continues his exploration of his 8/8 concept and mastering the resolution points in drumming 76 ROCK AND JAZZ CLINIC Modern Drummer is proud to start exploring Joe Franco’s concepts from his legendary book Double Bass Drumming. DEPARTMENTS EQUIPMENT 12 NEW AND NOTABLE Modern Drummer brings you the hottest and newest gear from LP, Porter & Davies, Tracktion, ProMark, and Los Cabos. 16 PRODUCT CLOSE UP Brian Hill and Nic Kubes share reviews from Luna, Canopus, Zildjian, Sabian, and Vic Firth. 4 EDITORS OVERVIEW 6 KIT OF THE MONTH MD reader Ted Price shares the inspiration and creation of his “Frankenstein” Amber Vistalite kit. 8 JAZZ INSIGHTS Peter Erskine tells us about the importance of mentorship, and introduces us to a drummer that he mentored while teaching at USC, Lauren West. 80 NEXT GEN Raghav Mehrotra talks to Polish drumming superstar Wiktoria Bialic while she takes us on a deep dive into her drumming approach and career to date. 84 COLLECTORS CORNER Donn Bennett tells us about Bun E Carlos’ Sgt. Peppers kit, and details Cheap Trick’s live tributes to the iconic Beatles recording. 86 EYE CANDY Modern Drummer takes a look at Todd Sucherman’s Styx kit which is also featured in the book Crash: The World’s Greatest Drum Kits.Modern Drummer June 2022 4 CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Billy Ashbaugh, Donn Bennett, Clayton Cameron, Bob Campbell, Peter Erskine, Dom Famularo, Bob Girouard, Mike Haid, Brian Hill, Daniel Laverde, Raghav Mehrotra, James Petercsak, Tony Verderosa 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 Boca Raton, FL 33427 and at additional mailing offices. Copyright 2022 by MODERN DRUMMER Publications, Inc. EDITORIAL/ADVERTISING/ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES: MODERN DRUMMER Publications, 1279 W. Palmetto Park Rd PO Box 276064 Boca Raton, FL 33427. info@moderndrummer.com 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 and send to info@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, 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 González, 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 Rondinelli, Antonio Sánchez, 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 Founder Ronald Spagnardi 1943–2003 Co-Founder Isabel Spagnardi Publisher/CEO David Frangioni CFO Carolina Frangioni President David Hakim CTO Jason Mehler Senior Art Director Scott Bienstock Content Director Mark Griffith Editorial Michael Finkelstein Editorial Daniel “Ziggy” Laverde Digital Marketing Manager Ricardo Rodriguez Worldwide Education Dom Famularo Director of Special Projects Nic Kubes Archivist Felipe Laverde @ModernDrummer @modern_drummer Subscribe today at moderndrummer.com/subscribe modern_drummer A Salute to Women in Drumming W hile we were planning this month’s Salute to Women in Drumming issue, I happened to be talking with Peter Erskine. We talked about the fact that singling out women drummers could be counter-intuitive, and segregating people by anything other than the way they play is exactly what Modern Drummer would like to avoid, I agreed. However, Peter and I also agreed that at the same time, the drumming community should do whatever we can to make up for years of a male-dominated artform and business. While further researching Modern Drummer’s Salute to Women in Drumming, I stumbled upon a wonderful resource on the subject. Author Angela Smith wrote a remarkable book called Women Drummers: A History from Rock and Jazz to Blues and Country. The book starts in the late 1800s and moves decade by decade into the 2000s and to present day. Ms. Smith covers everyone from jazz great Viola Smith to Janet Weiss of Sleater-Kinney and Wild Flag, and she covers everyone in between. In Angela Smith’s book I learned about important female drummers from Estelle Mae Dilthey to Helen Lewis and Beverly Sexton, the author also brought Dolly Adams and Mary McClanahan to my attention. Of course, Smith’s book teaches us about the great Pauline Braddy, Viola Smith and Honey Lantree. I encourage everyone to check them out, they helped create the artform of drumming, they played in popular bands, and their careers had longevity. Their names should be as well known (to us drummers) as Baby Dodds, Gene Krupa, and Ringo Starr. Today, Sheila E, Terri Lyne Carrington, Cindy Blackman-Santana, Allison Miller, and Sherrie Maricle are carrying on the tradition started by the above mentioned women. I have the utmost respect for these modern greats, they have and will be featured again in past and future issues of Modern Drummer. However, I always enjoy learning about new drummers, no matter what gender, race, musical style, or creed. These “new” drummers can be younger individuals who are just beginning their professional careers, or sometimes older drummers who have (for some reason) gone underappreciated. With all due respect to the acknowledged greats (that we all know and love,) Modern Drummer is always trying to expose some new, well deserved, and talented drummers to the world of drumming. Without new ideas, our artform stalls. And without a complete and thorough appreciation of our drumming past, our artform lacks the roots that keeps it grounded. It’s a tough line to walk. Whether you see Women in Drumming as equally important leaves on the branch, or whether you see Women in Drumming as an essential limb on the tree; They are essential contributors to the tradition of drumming. And what it all comes down to (for me) is this. Can someone play? Has their music and drumming contributed towards, or been a part of, the creative modern drumming tradition? Therefore… Women in Drumming? ABSOLUTELY!!!!!! (And everybody else too!) Changing the world, one drummer at a time! Mark Griffith Content DirectorModern Drummer June 2022 6 Frankenstein Amber Vistalite kit When Ted “Tazz” Price of Greenville, South Carolina describes his kit, we can all harken back to our younger years of mixing several smaller kits to create one big kit. He explains, “Originally, I was playing a Vistalite John Bonham reissue by DDrum with my band III Kings. That is the kit that is seen in the first picture. However, when the band was making plans for a video shoot, I decided that I wanted my drumset to look cool and big. I ended up trading two of my other kits for a Ludwig Bonham Reissue Kit to match my DDrums. Then I bought a Natal 10" Tom to round out the two kits. All of these drums are what now make up my Frankenstein Amber Vistalite kit. The final kit consists of two 26" Bass Drums, (one Ludwig and one DDrum,) the toms are a 10" Natal, 13" Ludwig, 16" Ludwig Floor tom, and two 18" floor toms (Ludwig and DDrum.) My snare is a Palmetto custom 5.5 X 14. I use Pearl and Tama hardware, DW pedals and hi-hat, Sabian Cymbals, and I have a Wuhan China that sits front and Center. GEWA music USA, Inc. | 8787 Snouffer School Road | Gaithersburg, MD 20879 gewadigitaldrums gewadigitaldrums gewadigitaldrums gewadrums.com // G 9 G 5 AVAILABLE AT - Kraft Music - E-Drumcenter - Long Island Drum Center - Drumcenter of Portsmouth GEWA DIGITAL DRUMS – NO COMPROMISESNext >