2 0 2 0 R E A D E R S P O L L R E S U LT S

THE WORLD’SS #1 DRUM RESOURCE

10
WILCO’S R EAS O N
LOVE J I MS TO

GLENN M
C O B B! Y

KOTCHE
MAXING OUT

STONE TEMPLE
PILOTS’
ERIC KRETZ

SEPULTURA’S
ELOY CASAGRANDE
+
VIRGIL DONATI • DEJOHNETTE/LLOYD
APRIL 2020

SOCIAL DISTORTION’S DAVE HIDALGO JR.

GRETSCH BROOKLYN STANDARD SNARE
 mfg
true-cast™
U.S.A.

12 Modern Drummer June 2014

©2020 Drum Workshop, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
June 2013 Modern Drummer 1
 Volume 44 • Number 4
Cover and contents photos by Jessica Alexander
CONTENTS
26 THE 2020 MODERN DRUMMER
READERS POLL RESULTS
It’s that time of year again, when the drummers
of the world show love for the most compelling
players of the past twelve months. Find out how
your favorites did.

44 VIRGIL DONATI
A deep dive into the artistry of the progressive-
drumming master, including tracks from his
latest solo masterwork, Ruination.
by Aaron Edgar

50 SEPULTURA’S ELOY CASAGRANDE

From fourteen-year-old Undiscovered Drummer
ON THE COVER Contest winner to one of the world’s premier
heavy-rock forces, it’s been quite a ride for the
32 WILCO’S Brazilian powerhouse.
GLENN KOTCHE by David Ciauro
There’s no other band in the world that
sounds quite like Wilco. And there’s no other
56 10 REASONS TO LOVE JIMMY COBB
drummer in the world that sounds quite like
In the pantheon of late-1950s master jazz
this month’s cover artist, who’s turned the drummers, no one else had the pure, solid swing
concept of the drumset on its head by feel of Jimmy Cobb. Here we chat with the
employing a maximum number of sound legend about Miles Davis’s Kind of Blue and other
sources to starkly beautiful and boldly classic recordings, new and old.
detailed beats. by Ken Micallef
by Adam Budofsky

LESSONS DEPARTMENTS
64 BASICS 4 AN EDITOR’S OVERVIEW
“Rhythm Basics” Expanded, Part 2 by Andy Shoniker Taking the Reins by Adam Budofsky

66 ROCK ’N’ JAZZ CLINIC 6 READERS’ PLATFORM

Percussion Playing for Drummers, Part 1 by Damon Grant and Marcos Torres Art vs. commerce, Rototom pros
and cons, and more
68 STRICTLY TECHNIQUE
The Ancient European Rudimental Codex, Part 4 by Claus Hessler 8 OUT NOW
Eric Kretz on Stone Temple Pilots’ Perdida

10 ON TOUR
EQUIPMENT Drew Christopherson and Ben Ivascu with Poliça

16 PRODUCT CLOSE-UP 60 IN THE STUDIO NEW COLUMN!

Nashville Veteran Tommy Harden
12 INTERNATIONAL FEEL
INDē RESoArmor Drumset Mobius’s Adrien Brunet
Gretsch Brooklyn Standard Snare
Meinl Thomas Lang and Benny Greb 70 NEW AND NOTABLE 14 MUST-HAVE GEAR
Artist Concept Cymbals The Flower Kings’ Mirkko DeMaio
22 GEARING UP 72 RETAILER PROFILE
Social Distortion’s Dave Hidalgo Jr. Drumbite Music

76 CRITIQUE
Win two tickets to meet Andrew Marshall Jack DeJohnette with Charles Lloyd, Todd
Sucherman with Antoine Fafard, and more

and see Billie Eilish at the Forum in L.A. 82 INSIDE METHODS

Joe Clegg’s You’re So Hybrid: Ableton Live for Drummers

Page 59 86 THE 2019 HOLLYWOOD DRUM SHOW

88 BACK THROUGH THE STACK
Jim Keltner, November, 1981
 AN EDITOR’S OVERVIEW
Taking the Reins Founder
Ronald Spagnardi
1943–2003

M ost months in our Critique department we

include reviews of drummer-led albums. It’s
one way we get to show our support of players
President/CEO Isabel Spagnardi
Senior Vice President Lori Spagnardi
who take no small amount of artistic, professional,
Publisher David Frangioni
and financial risk on themselves. No hiding
Vice President Kevin W. Kearns

Jim Esposito
behind a band name, no blaming the bandleader
for a bad mix; when it’s your name on the cover, Associate Publisher Tracy A. Kearns
consumers have a right to assume that every note
Advertising Director Bob Berenson
and tone have your seal of approval.
Having managed Critique for the better part of Advertising Assistant LaShanda Gibson
three decades, I’ve had the honor of hearing thousands of drummer-led albums. Senior Art Director Scott G. Bienstock
Of course, getting paid to analyze records doesn’t make one an expert in making
Editorial Director Adam J. Budofsky
records. (In fact, actually making records doesn’t even guarantee you’ll become
an expert at it.) But by observing the process for so long, I’ve definitely noticed Managing Editor Michael Dawson
certain qualities shared by drummer-leaders that, even if they don’t always result Editor at Large Billy Amendola
in timeless, commercially successful recordings, certainly go far toward assuring
a quality piece of art. Here are some of my takeaways after seeing how they
approach the challenge. THE MD PRO PANEL/ADVISORY BOARD: Chris Adler, Kenny Aronoff, Eddie
Learn what’s involved in completing the project. Don’t make assumptions, Bayers, Gregg Bissonette, Jason Bittner, Bill Bruford, Will Calhoun, Terri Lyne
even if you’ve contributed to dozens of other people’s recordings and have Carrington, Matt Chamberlain, Jeff Davis, Peter Erskine, Daniel Glass, Benny
Greb, Matt Halpern, Horacio Hernandez, Gerald Heyward, Taku Hirano, Susie
developed your own theories of why they have or haven’t succeeded. As a leader,
Ibarra, Jim Keltner, Paul Leim, Peter Magadini, George Marsh, Pat Mastelotto,
you’ll need to learn the basics of marketing, advertising, booking studio time, Allison Miller, Rod Morgenstein, Andy Newmark, Stephen Perkins, Dafnis
hiring technicians…. Talk to drummers who’ve put out their own albums—there Prieto, Rich Redmond, Brian Reitzell, Jim Riley, Antonio Sanchez, Gil Sharone,
will probably be much you haven’t considered or have just plain gotten wrong. Chad Smith, Steve Smith, Todd Sucherman, Billy Ward, Kenny Washington,
Be the boss (even though you really aren’t). In all your interactions, act like Dave Weckl, Paul Wertico
the person whose dime is being spent, because you are that person. Establish
budgets, expect efficiency, and don’t avoid awkward yet important conversations.
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: SUBSCRIPTIONS:
At the same time, remember that the public is ultimately who you serve—doing Patrick Berkery, Stephen Bidwell, U.S. $32.95, Canada $40.95,
everything “right” doesn’t guarantee that anybody out there will actually buy Keith Carne, David Ciauro, John Colpitts, other international $47.95
what you’re selling. Bob Girouard, Mike Haid, John Martinez, per year. For two-year
Ben Meyer, Ken Micallef, Jeff Potter, subscription prices go to www.
Be realistic, but allow for unexpected success. You want to get freaky and Will Romano, Ilya Stemkovsky, moderndrummer.com.
really push boundaries with your solo project? Go for it! Just don’t be surprised if Lauren Vogel Weiss, Paul Wells. Single copies $6.99.
mainstream audiences are slow to “get” you. Conversely, don’t assume your art will
MODERN DRUMMER magazine SUBSCRIPTION CORRESPONDENCE:
only be appreciated in avant-garde circles. People will surprise you on occasion. (ISSN 0194-4533) is published monthly Modern Drummer, PO Box 274, Oregon,
Avoid obvious attempts at grabbing attention. I’m not saying that you by MODERN DRUMMER Publications, IL 61061-9920. Change of address:
can’t employ a pun in a song title or even slap kazoo on a track. Just don’t fall Inc., 271 Route 46 West, Suite H-214, Allow at least six weeks for a change.
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assume that you don’t have enough confidence in your own compositional and Copyright 2020 by MODERN DRUMMER 8AM–4:30PM Monday–Friday CST,
Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. or visit Subscriber Services at
performance skills. Act like you’re the real deal, and people will view you that way.
Reproduction without the permission of the www.moderndrummer.com.
Get out of the way. If you hire other musicians, choose wisely, and give them publisher is prohibited.
some space to create. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to
Expect some failures. Learn from them. EDITORIAL/ADVERTISING/ Modern Drummer, PO Box 274, Oregon,
ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES: IL 61061-9920.
Listen. Take advice. Or don’t. Just get your ego out of the mix. MODERN DRUMMER Publications,
Communicate. Commend folks. Thank them. And do it sincerely. 271 Route 46 West, Suite H-214, Canadian Publications Mail Agreement
Be a role model. In every way. Fairfield, NJ 07004. Tel: 973-239- No. 41480017 Return undeliverable
4140. Fax: 973-239-7139. Canadian addresses to: PO Box 875, Stn A,
Finally, have fun. With all the stress associated with making a solo recording, Email: [email protected]. Windsor ON N9A 6P2
this can be easy to forget. But you owe it to yourself not to. And that joy will
translate to the music, allowing listeners to feel it too. And in the end, that’s what MODERN DRUMMER welcomes MEMBER: National Association of Music
manuscripts and photos but cannot Merchants, Percussive Arts Society
it’s all about, right? assume responsibility for them.

MODERN DRUMMER ONLINE: www.moderndrummer.com

Adam Budofsky PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES

Editorial Director

Music Key

facebook.com/moderndrummer @modern_drummer

4 Modern Drummer April 2020

March 2020 Modern Drummer 5
 READERS’ PLATFORM

The First Time Art Vs. Commerce

How old were you when you

first started playing drums?
Three years old. Haven’t Twenty-two. I’m now
looked back since! twenty-six.
Herman Watson Aayush Gupta What’s your take?
Four! It’s the best thing Twenty-eight. Well, it’s respectable, Playing music I don’t on the “crap”), but if you
in the world being a Lilia Toktarova but it’s different for like kills me inside. I’d can make it work, then
student of this amazing everybody. I think that rather get a different you’re winning.
instrument. It has given Thirty-seven. if you don’t risk a bit job. I’d be lying to @billraydrums
me so much. @thescript_terhi at some point and you myself and the audience
Aditya Bhagavatula never do the music you if I played something I Somewhere along
Forty-one. love, it’s stupid to be wouldn’t listen to. If you the way, getting a job
Five years old, but I had @sour_purple_cookies a musician. Musician like it, though, more became “selling out.”
to take piano as well per means artist. If you power to you. @pope_george_ringo
my mom. Forty-five. I’m a late never do the art that Enrico Gusella
@tx_injun_joe developer. is in your heart, it’s a Slippery slope. I would
Neil G. Foster clueless career. I did thirty years in have said the same
Seven—thirty years ago @erdoscappon cover-band land and thing not too long ago.
this Christmas. Fifty! worked with a corporate I’m currently doing
Matt White Gary Fryett Everyone wants to call band that put me at both. Sometimes the
others a sellout, until six figures for a bit. In cover gig outweighs
Ten. Fifty-five. they themselves have a the end, those gigs the session work and
Oscar Balza Isabelle Duss wife and kids and realize put some money in original band work. It’s
Oehninger it’s easy to call people my hand for a short work, so take it while
Thirteen. sellouts when you aren’t while. And while I you can.
Aizen Cramp Aniq Fifty-six and I love it. paying your own way. saved some, I passed @skotzo
Natasha Wiggs It’s a luxury position of up many opportunities
Fifteen. youth. that would have seen We all need money to
@asianwiththecurlyhair I still feel like I just Patrick Melville me getting royalties on live. Making it playing
started. album sales. It’s such a drums is a win/win.
Hawk Lopez crap shoot (emphasis Joshua Karis

Rototoms: Oh, How We…Love You?

Obviously ¬¬¬ They sure sounded good on I left them but now I wish I had
Carter McLean Spring Session M. them back!
@tattprguy @KickStrap
The drums themselves are
great, but I really hate the Rototom Bozzio was the best Loved them back in the day,
stand. Bozzio! felt old and cheesy so I gave
@_rywill22 Chris Jansen them away.
Michael Flaherty

Want your voice heard? Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

6 Modern Drummer April 2020

 Dale Bukowski

With Gibraltar’s endless

choices and combinations
of hardware, racks and
mounting accessories,
players around the world
are creating some of the
most ingenious and totally
functional set-ups for their
kits. Like Dale Bukowski
and Steve Downey’s own
original designs featured
here, the only limit is your
imagination!
From simple solutions
to elaborate structures...
dream it, then build it
with Gibraltar.

Steve Downey
Send us pics of your own
Gibraltar rig - find out how:
GibraltarHardware.com
April 2020 Modern Drummer 7
 O UT N O W
Eric Kretz
on Stone Temple
Pilots’ Perdida
STP’s eighth studio
album exchanges the
group’s trademark
driving rock sound for
a melancholy ’60s and
’70s vibe, realized with
an array of vintage
instruments.

Peter McKinnon

8 Modern Drummer April 2020

 More New Releases
W ritten primarily by guitarist Dean DeLeo
and bassist Robert DeLeo during
Stone Temple Pilots’ late-2018 Canadian
chords sound great,” he says, “but once you
get higher you can’t get certain strings in stay
in tune. It was a drag to watch Robert and
tour, Perdida—the Spanish word for loss—is Dean struggle when they had to punch in a
largely defined by lyrics exploring yearning, chord, because they had to tune differently
heartbreak, and ultimately love and hope. just to hit the chord up high. Luckily the
Spending hours in venue dressing rooms to guitars we had worked really well; sometimes
avoid the northern chill afforded time for the in the past it was just laborious.”
entire band, including Jeff Gutt, who joined The same 1958 WFL kit (24" kick, 13" and
as lead singer in 2017, to contribute to the 16" toms) that Kretz used on “Big Bang Baby,” Tame Impala
The Slow Rush
tracks. “We didn’t have any upbeat songs,” Eric “Lady Picture Show,” and other STP favorites (Kevin Parker)
Kretz tells Modern Drummer, “but it was what found space on several tracks. “For modern
Robert was feeling at the time when he came drumsets you have to hit so much harder to
up with the title song. Perdida is great name get the tone out of them,” says Kretz. “This kit
for the album.” is suited for an acoustic vibe and has a nice,
Despite the reflective and vulnerable dry, aged tone to it.”
tone of the band’s first-ever acoustic album On the majority of the album Kretz played
(electric guitars and keyboards make brief his 5" Ludwig Black Beauty snare—a staple
appearances), Kretz says that the recording since his high school days. To muffle the drum
process was far from somber, and perhaps he employed Roots EQ dampeners, which
even more relaxed than during previous helped create an early-’60s British sound. He Makaya McCraven
sessions. “The writing and recording process also experimented with softer sticks, mallets, We’re New Again (A Reimagining
of Gil Scott-Heron’s I’m New Here)
was a lot of fun,” he shares. “When you’re rods, and brushes to facilitate a lighter style (Makaya McCraven)
doing rock and louder records, you’re all in of playing. Zildjian Ks from different decades
the room with electric instruments, bashing provided a dark, moody sound for many
the songs out, trying to figure out tempos tracks; riveted cymbals from the 1970s saw
and all that stuff.” But with couches spread a lot of use as well. “I also used a Custom Dry
throughout the studio, according to the Light ride,” Kretz recalls, “which was pretty
drummer, and acoustic guitars, keyboards, much the only ride on the record, as it has
drums, and hand percussion easily accessible, a beautiful decay. Constantinople hi-hats
the band could take a more contemplative provided a pleasant mid-range.”
approach to recording and consider using After laying down the basic kit parts, Kretz
instruments that wouldn’t necessarily work on added layers of cymbals and additional hand Antibalas
a fast, heavy, electric album. percussion for an understated complement Fu Chronicles
Kretz notes that on previous STP records, to the flute, saxophones, and strings that are (Kevin Raczka, Amayo,
Reinaldo de Jesus, Marcus Farrar)
percussion would only be used on one or two interspersed throughout the album. Sound
songs, usually overdubbed during the chorus effects, such as scraping cymbals or dangling
or on a second or third verse. But on Perdida key chains, offered additional graceful tones.
it’s implemented often and intuitively. Kretz’s “It was about finding sounds I could create
percussion rack, which houses instruments with two hands,” says Kretz. “I pulled out
he’s gathered from around the world through chopsticks, wooden spoons, and anything I
the years, provided plenty of options to could to get a different sound. For one song I
achieve the more subtle sound. Djembes, as even used sandpaper of two different grits.”
well as Dean DeLeo’s 12x12 American Indian When asked if he had a favorite track,
drum, can be heard on several songs, along Kretz pauses and responds, “‘Years’ is really Greg Dulli
with shakers and bells. “It’s about finding special to me. Robert sang on it, and it had a Random Desire
space for everything,” says Kretz. “The record is muffled, rolling beat when we tracked it. He (Jon Theodore)
so delicate and the space between the notes usually sings backup, but it was honest for
so plentiful that when the accents come in, him to sing it. The way the lyrics read out, it’s a
you don’t want to step on them.” beautiful, touching song, and I get choked up
Vintage mics were used to record the hearing it.” Listeners will, too.
percussion and guitars, resulting in an easy, Brandy McKenzie
smooth blend, although there were some
difficulties to overcome. Kretz confides that Eric Kretz uses A&F drums, Zildjian
he felt some sympathy for the band members cymbals, Vater sticks and percussion, and
who had to tune the older guitars and basses. Remo heads and percussion. Khruangbin & Leon Bridges
“You can be in first or fifth position and the Texas Sun
(Donald “DJ” Johnson)

April 2020 Modern Drummer 9

 O N T O UR
Drew Christopherson
and Ben Ivascu
with Poliça

MD contributor Lia Braswell, who recently

replaced all snare drum parts with samples
on tour with the band TR/ST, finds out how the dual
drummers in Minneapolis’s favorite indie-dance-rock
band fare with a similar challenge.

A s Poliça presents their new album, When We Stay Alive, to live

audiences, they maintain the dreamlike soundscapes they’re
revered for while integrating a new, entirely electronic drum setup.
the transition with a positive attitude. “Ben and I both play Roland
TD-50s now,” says Christopherson, “because Poliça wanted to make
a fully electronic album for once. The experience has been, frankly,
Singer Channy Leaneagh and producer Ryan Olson first a blast.” Both drummers say they’re still able to play with their own
collaborated in the band Gayngs back in 2011, and soon after personal style, countering the argument that electronic kits limit a
furthered their musical compatibility in Poliça. With the help of player’s feel.
Chris Bierden on bass and Drew Christopherson and Ben Ivascu “We had to change a lot of things about how we approach
both holding down the beats, they’ve been developing their own playing,” says Christopherson regarding working together as a
unique sound ever since. “We basically improvised our parts on the duo, “things like blast beats and cymbal grabs. But the challenge
first record,” says Ivascu. “Our first practice was the first time we’d all has been really fun. The dynamic range is much bigger with two
been in the same room together.” drummers. It gives us a lot of freedom to go very quiet and minimal
Five full-length albums later, the drummers have reestablished if we want, or to hit it super hard together. Playing with Ben is
Graham Fielder

their roles without giving up their individualism. While Olson solely incredibly fun because he’s able to play a lot of different feels and
contributes to the band’s electronic textures as writer and producer fills that I cannot do myself, but it feels like they’re coming from
offstage, Christopherson and Ivascu create polyrhythms within the me since they are coming from us.” Meanwhile, Ivascu jokes, “The
band’s atmospheric melodies live and in the studio, always taking most challenging part for me has been dealing with Drew’s overall
Josiah Van Dien

care that their kick drums don’t flam, as Christopherson puts it. enthusiasm for everything—but I’ve overcome/embraced it.”
While discussion about the relative benefits of acoustic vs. Whether a band has one, two, or more drummers in the lineup,
electronic drumkits are not likely to end anytime soon (do driving for hours on tour and not getting proper sleep remain
electronics add or take away from performances; do they limit a a challenge. “It’s important to take nights off from the party
drummer’s playing style?), the musicians in Poliça have embraced hang and to get sleep,” says Christopherson. “I have a hard time

10 Modern Drummer April 2020

remembering even those two simple things. But spending a night Totally Gross National Product is actually a little more on my radar
in and watching movies with your bandmates is an excellent way when I’m traveling and playing [music]. The downtime at the venue
[to maintain balance].” before and after soundcheck is a great time to have my face in a
Regarding Polica’s collective warm-up routine, Christopherson computer.”
says, “We slap the insides of our legs like sumo wrestlers to get Admirably, Christopherson makes a point while on tour to go out
the blood flowing right before we go onstage,” while Ben says he on the floor and watch at least some of the other bands on the bill,
utilizes his exercises from high school drumline to loosen his wrists. if not their whole sets. Besides acclimating him to the volume and
Along with his own musical projects, Christopherson runs the feel of the venue, “It helps to ground me in the place and time,” he
record label Totally Gross National Product with Olson, representing says. “For a group of Wisconsin thirty-somethings to finally get to
artists such as Lizzo and Jason Feathers, among others. “Touring go to Europe often, and to see places like Singapore and Finland,
can be a motivating and inspiring time if you let it be,” says we try to be as grateful as we can be for the opportunity.”
Christopherson. “It provides an opportunity to discover new music.

Also on the Road

Thomas Hedlund and Christian Augustin with Cult of Luna /// Kofi Baker with the Music of Cream /// Cindy
Blackman Santana with Santana /// John McEntire with the Sea and Cake /// Brad Morgan with Drive-By Truckers
/// Debbie Knox-Hewson with Nasty Cherry /// Justin Brown with Thundercat /// Michael Cavanagh and Eric Moore
with King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard /// Atom Willard with Against Me! /// Kris Myers and Andy Farag with
Umphrey’s McGee /// Christopher Guanlao with Silversun Pickups /// B.B. Borden with the Marshall Tucker Band

April 2020 Modern Drummer 11

 INTERNATIONAL FEEL

Mobius’s Adrien Brunet

Being from one of the most exotic locales on earth proves to be a helpful
background for a drummer interested in exploring the cross-sections of
world music styles—even one with a heavy-music heart.

W orld-music metal? Sure, why not? The music of French

progressive metal band Mobius has a lot going on—in
addition to the chugga-chug riffs in the djent-style heavy passages,
song before you’ve had a chance to process all that you’ve heard.
Brunet has done his homework, and it’s his unique background
and attention to detail that make Mobius stand out in a sea of
there are odd-time excursions, atmospheric synths, and epic copycat metal groups.
vocal displays from female singer Heli Andrea. But there’s also the
significant presence of a Middle Eastern flavor throughout their new MD: How did all the ethnic sounds enter into the music your
record, Kala (the Sanskrit word for “time”). band makes?
The album is also a showcase for drummer Adrien Brunet, Adrien: I was born in Reunion Island, a French island next to
who brings a developed polyrhythmic vocabulary and good ol’- Madagascar. The important thing when you grow up as musicians
fashioned metal chops to Mobius’s eclectic sound stew. in a tropical island in the Indian Ocean is the cultural background.
On “Abhinivesha,” Brunet throws in some killer Meshuggah-esque Metal and rock are very underground styles in this kind of place,
kick patterns before things give way to tabla-sounding percussion but for those people who want more exotic and ethnic stuff, it’s
and a rocking konnakol/drums section. Big tom flurries end the paradise. You can find a lot of influences in our culture, especially

12 Modern Drummer April 2020

that of China, India, Africa, and Europe. increase tempo in 5 bpm increments. big Indian influences, but we extended
So you have a lot of jazz, reggae, ethnic MD: What about incorporating the ethnic our concepts and sounds to the entire
music, as well as traditional music like zouk, and Middle Eastern flavors into your Middle East. So you can find sitar, duduk,
maloya, and sega. Unconsciously I think it drumming? There’s konnakol and all kinds or Mongolian voice in our songs. For the
inspires us in our creations. of stuff. konnakol part in “Abhinivesha,” I took the
MD: What were you listening to as you Adrien: I’m a big fan of world music or accents of the principal pattern and added
grew up? ethnic jazz music like Hadouk Trio, Tigran specific syllables in 16th notes for Heli [to
Adrien: One day, Guillaume Deveaux, my Hamasyan, or the different projects of Trilok sing]. Then with the band, you have the
buddy who plays keyboards in Mobius, Gurtu. I also like the work of Danny Carey in pattern on snare with guitar, my kick beat
came home with some Nightwish and Tool and Sean Reinert in Cynic, with toms on quarter notes with bass, and the synth
Dream Theater DVDs, and that was and jazzy touches, and it inspires me to does half notes.
the beginning of a long journey with create sort of tribal rhythms. Ilya Stemkovsky
progressive styles and metal prog. The We wanted to compose an album with
drummers who inspired me are Mike
Portnoy, Gavin Harrison, Dennis Chambers,
Jojo Mayer, Matt Garstka, and Benny Greb.
They all have the perfect balance between
technique and musicality and their
own styles.
MD: Are odd times a natural thing for the
musicians in Mobius? Do you practice them?
Adrien: Odd times are a standard in prog
music. I listened to a lot of progressive
music in my life—jazz fusion, rock prog,
metal prog—and it feels natural for me to
incorporate odd times into our music. And
if you add in the fact that we love djent,
Meshuggah, and ethnic music with a lot
of polyrhythms, you can be sure that’s
something we want to share with people.
I have no specific routine for practicing
odd times, but I place a lot of importance
on visualizing and writing things. It helps
me to work on these concepts. I think that
covering Dream Theater songs in the past
helped me familiarize myself with odd times
as well.
For polyrhythms, it’s more a work of
coordination and independence. I’ll isolate
the hands or feet and work on that with the
metronome, and then add limbs one by
one. For example, I’ll work on kick pattern
first, and then add a ride lead. When you’re
comfortable with those, you combine
everything and then groove on it.
MD: What exercises do you use for working
on hand speed and foot technique?
Adrien: I’m not a big technician; I focus on
dynamics control more than speed. But I
take a pattern, write it out, and, again, work
on it with a metronome. I also work on
paradiddles, singles and doubles, double
paradiddles, etc.
For foot technique, my approach is
more to focus on different rhythmic flows.
For example, with my metronome on 90
bpm, my hands do a simple beat and my
feet do different things underneath, like
quarter notes, 8th notes, triplets, 16th
notes, quintuplets, sextuplets, etc. When I’m
comfortable and I can groove with that, I www.RogersDrumsUSA.com Distributed by: Big Bang Distribution 800-547-6401

April 2020 Modern Drummer 13

 MUST-HAVE GEAR

The Flower Kings’

Mirkko
DeMaio
T he Flower Kings—the name alone conjures images of prog-rock
luminaries like Genesis and Yes, who in the late ’60s planted
the seeds for all the fantasy-laden symphonic rock to come in the
point out that the sound that’s most crucial to him is the ride cymbal.
“I spend a lot of time playing the ride cymbal in TFK,” he says, “so it
has to feel good and sound right to my ears. It has to be dark and dry,
following decades. medium weight, and not too washy, characteristics that I’ve found
Swedish prog ensemble the Flower Kings formed in 1994, and in the Istanbul Agop Special Edition Jazz ride and Signature Medium
have since morphed several times, with their latest reincarnation ride, both 22".”
coming in the past year or two. Wielding an arsenal of chops, Italian DeMaio also singles out his custom Oriollo snare drum. “It’s a
drummer Mirkko DeMaio was recruited by TFK founder, composer, 4.5x14 hammered, spun-brass shell with die-cast hoops,” he says, “and
guitarist, and vocalist Roine Stolt in time to record the band’s 2019 it gives me whip-like attack without sacrificing any body or warmth.
release, Waiting for Miracles, a melodic collection with sociopolitical I also ask for Remo drumheads on my kits. They sound perfect to my
lyrical content and extended musical passages that give DeMaio ears and always give me that classic, punchy tone that I love.
room to groove and stretch. “I also keep different-sized drumsticks in my bag,” DeMaio adds. “I
DeMaio had been in touch with the Flower Kings’ leader since often start with a Vic Firth 5B, then move to a 55B, and end up playing
2010, and finally, in 2018, Stolt offered the drummer the opportunity a 2B or larger. It’s not a great feeling when you are playing a 55B and
to join the band on tour in South America and Europe—with no it starts to feel like a 7A in your hands.
audition. “It was weird to not be auditioned,” DeMaio recalls. “I asked “I have my Tama Multi Tool with me wherever I go as well,” DeMaio
Roine, ‘Is it okay if I send you a video of me playing some of the tracks continues. “It’s very helpful on tour, in the studio—everywhere.” Also
from the set list, so you’ll know what my playing will be like?’ He both on the road and in the studio, DiMaio says he habitually plays
accepted, and after watching the video, he said something like, ‘Okay, rudiments on a pad for twenty minutes to warm up. “Eventually I start
now I’m a hundred and one percent sure.’” [laughs] to hit the drums to gain more confidence,” he explains. “On tour I also
DeMaio tells MD that he’d been a Flower Kings fan for years, and stretch my arms, legs, and back, and do the same twenty minutes
had admired Stolt’s contributions to the prog-rock supergroup of rudiments on the practice pad or a pillow, then I try to keep my
Transatlantic. “Playing TFK’s music is a pure artistic experience,” says hands and body warm. That happens mostly in the beginning of the
DeMaio. “It’s something I’ve been missing in my musical journey. Too tour. Then, concert after concert, as I feel more loose, I spend less
often, we’re too focused on the commercial side of music, which is time practicing on the pad and focus more on my inner calm, maybe
important, but we tend to forget tracking in my mind a map of the performance.
about the joy of playing creatively, “Nutrition-wise, I avoid any kind of meal within two hours of the
Indispensables from the heart.” performance, as the digestion process would make me feel hazy. If I
• 22" Istanbul Agop Special
Edition Jazz ride or Signature For the recording of Waiting get hungry, I just eat some fresh vegetables or low-carb fruits.
Medium ride for Miracles, DeMaio added a few “Finally, I bring my gym clothes [on the road],” DeMaio adds, “and
• custom 4.5x14 Oriollo elements to his drumkit, such when I have an hour or more, I’ll work out in a gym near the venue. I
brass-shell snare drum as bells, chimes, stacks, small also bring extra Vic Firth drumsticks, because fans always want some
• Remo heads China cymbals, a gong drum, memorabilia, and I hate to disappoint them. And it’s always good to
• Vic Firth drumsticks Octobans, blocks, a tambourine, have some psychedelic shirts to wear for the shows!” [laughs]
• Tama Multi Tool and timbales, but he’s quick to Mike Haid
• gym clothes

14 Modern Drummer April 2020

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Snare, cymbals, and hardware not included

Zildjian 10" PCS002
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Porter & Davies BC2 Tactile Ludwig Classic Maple Fab 22 110th
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April 2020 Modern Drummer 15
 PRODUCT CLOSE-UP

INDē Drum Lab

RESoArmor Drumset
A trifecta of classic do-all tone, sleek and
innovative hardware, and a gorgeous, nearly
bulletproof finish.

I ndependent Drum Lab (aka INDē) is an American company founded in 2015

by drummer/designer/engineer Josh Allen, who got his start in the industry
reimagining hardware technology for one of the most iconic brands in the
States. With an emphasis on honesty and integrity, Allen now handcrafts
professional-grade kits and snares at his own shop in Michigan that are
meant to produce full, open tones, are lightweight and easy to tune, and
are competitively priced. To provide live/touring drummers with additional
durability, Allen developed a nearly indestructible hand-applied finish, called
RESoArmor, which protects the shell from damage better than a plastic wrap,
but without dampening shell resonance. This finish is available in a nearly
limitless combination of colors, swirls, and sparkles. For this review we were
sent a three-piece RESoArmor shell pack with a 14x22 bass drum and 9x13 and
16x16 toms in Solid Burgundy Sparkle ($2,699).

Specs and Techs Style and Sound

INDē’s proprietary ultra-thin maple shells are Given the traditional sizes and old-school
4.3 mm thick and feature two thin plies with dotted tom heads on this RESoArmor kit,
vertical grain and three thicker plies with I expected that it would be most at home
horizontal grain. The vertical plies allow for easy at higher tunings, à la classic rock legends
transfer of vibration from top to bottom, thus John Bonham and Mitch Mitchell. While it
improving the shell’s sensitivity and resonance. sounded great tuned high, it also sounded
The horizontal plies give the shell the necessary awesomely full yet punchy in the middle and
stiffness to remain perfectly round under lower registers. There was airiness in the tone
drumhead tension. The bearing edges are that pervaded at any tuning, even when the
rounded to maximize shell-to-drumhead heads were cranked beyond the threshold
contact, which adds punch and fatness. of choking on most ply-shell drums. Yet with
The toms came with 2.3 mm triple-flange barely any tension on the heads at all, the
steel rims, and the bass drum hoops are maple drums somehow still managed to produce
with matching inlays. INDē’s proprietary arch pure, focused notes.
lugs and bass drum claws are designed to The decay of these drums was super fast
have minimal mass and no tone-dampening but not overly abrupt, so they spoke with
components, like plastic inserts and rubber a full tone that died down quickly to allow
gaskets. The floor tom legs and bass drum spurs space for subsequent notes to articulate
are attached to the shells via sleek, small BR2 clearly. This experience was consistent at all
tunable suspension brackets, which allow for tunings, even in the medium range, which
maximum sustain as well as sturdy positioning. is often plagued by excessive sympathetic
These brackets can also be adjusted to tweak shell resonance. I didn’t need to add any
the amount of resonance to find each drum’s dampening to the RESoArmor toms at any
specific sweet spot. tuning, and the kick had a huge, full voice
Any combination of Aquarian drumheads that was equally punchy and boomy. Tuned
is offered. Our review kit came outfitted with medium or medium-low, this 14x22 drum
single-ply Texture Coated Power Dot tom could easily fill a midsized room. If you prefer
batters and single-ply Texture Coated resonants. a more focused, chesty thump, simply toss a
The bass drum had a Force I Clear batter, which towel or small pillow inside, and you’re ready
is a single-ply head with an internal muffling to roll. embracing the classic sounds and aesthetics
ring around the perimeter. The front head is a As a huge fan of vintage and modern of drum manufacturing from the past
smooth-white Regulator, which has a 7" circle of drums, I find it incredibly inspiring to see a while introducing a slew of improvements
dampening on the underside. new, forward-thinking company like INDē and innovations to push the instrument

16 Modern Drummer April 2020

into the future. Check out more about the hardware design, tuning, and more, at at moderndrummer.com.
Independent Drum Lab, including Allen’s indedrum.com. You can also check out how Michael Dawson
science-based theories on drum shell and this kit sounds across the entire tuning range

April 2020 Modern Drummer 17

 PRODUCT CLOSE-UP

Gretsch
5.5x14 Brooklyn Standard Snare
A classic maple/poplar option designed to be one
drum you can’t leave home without.

G retsch recently teamed up with endorsing artist Mike Johnston to

develop a snare drum that would be extremely versatile, have a
wide dynamic range, and be able to produce a variety of useful tones at
different tunings. Johnston was also adamant about keeping this model
at a modest price point ($499) that would be accessible by students and
players looking to purchase their first pro-level instrument. Enter the new
Brooklyn Standard snare.

Specs
The soul of the Brooklyn Standard drum is a 5.5x14 6-ply maple/
poplar shell. This shell is great for versatility because the depth
strikes a happy medium between the super-responsive nature
of a shallower drum and the throatier/beefier tones of a deeper
shell. Plus the combination of hard maple and soft poplar gives
you a full, open, and powerful sound that’s a bit warmer and
more focused than a drum made from 100-percent maple.
To amp up this drum’s sensitivity, Gretsch added wider forty-
two-strand wires and utilized sharp double-45-degree bearing
edges instead of the company’s traditional 30-degree profile,
which tends to produce a punchier tone on snares. To help focus
the overtones without eliminating too much resonance, Gretsch
employed 3 mm double-flanged 302 hoops, which are a nod to
the rims that the company used on all of its drums until the mid
1950s. These hoops are a bit more ridged than thinner triple-
flange options, but not as stiff and heavy as die-cast.
Other hardware appointments include eight chromed brass
tube lugs, a quick-release Lightning throw-off that has the
tension knob on the opposite side from the lever, plastic washers
on the tension rods, and a classic Gretsch internal tone control
system that allows you to apply varying degrees of dampening
to the batter head via a large round knob.
The drum is painted in Satin Black Metallic, which gives the
Brooklyn Standard a cool yet universal look that will blend well
with any drumset finish. Gretsch Permatone single-ply heads (by
Remo USA) are included, and each drum is adorned with a black
round badge and an internal ID label signed by Johnston.

Sound
Before I dive deep into the sound of the USA-made Brooklyn
Standard snare, it’s important to state that you’d be hard-pressed
to find a better deal for a drum of this caliber. At just $499, it’s
almost a no-brainer. Okay, now that that’s out of the way, let’s
assess its performance.
I began our test by tuning the batter head medium-high and
the bottom head very high. I kept the dampener disengaged so quiet symphonic or light jazz, the additional snare response might
I could see what we’re dealing with in terms of overtone and sustain be too much. But in any situation requiring backbeats, they allow for
versus attack and snare response. The wide forty-two strand snares greater options for dialing in the desired amount of natural sizzle.
helped control some of the overtones by dampening the bottom The maple/poplar shell had a full, open voice with a nice,
head more than a thinner set would, and they provided a wide bed thick attack. The overtones were plentiful yet tuneful. And the
of white noise beneath each stroke. For some applications, such as internal dampener allowed me to go from wide-open and ringy to

18 Modern Drummer April 2020

completely dead and focused in the matter of a few turns of the to be my first choice for that vibe. But when tuned to pretty much
tension knob. any other tension, especially medium-high and up, this Brooklyn
Tighter tunings brought out more attack and crispness, with drier Standard would be a reliable and dependable go-to for just about
overtone, while lower tunings had tons of tone and chesty punch. any application. Check out a video demo of this drum across the
The only weak point in this drum’s tuning range was in the super- entire tuning range at moderndrummer.com.
low, gushy register; it just didn’t have enough character to my ear Michael Dawson

April 2020 Modern Drummer 19

 PRODUCT CLOSE-UP

Meinl
Artist Concept Super Stack and 16" Sand and 8" Crasher Hats
Specialized pairings designed with two of today’s most
distinct and discerning players.

It’s been thirty years since Meinl first teamed up with one of
its endorsing artists to develop some signature models. While
that original collaboration, the Tri-Tonal series, has since been
of which are still in production today. Recently, award-winning
drummers Thomas Lang, Benny Greb, Anika Nilles, Matt Garstka,
Luke Holland, and Matt Halpern were brought into Meinl’s R&D
discontinued, the company went on to work with other top players department to create some specialized stacks and auxiliary hi-hats.
to develop an array of rides, crashes, effects, and hi-hats, most This month, we’re checking out Lang and Greb’s new offerings.

18"/18" Super Stack tightly the cymbals are held together. For More general-use Byzance Vintage Sand
Top clinician Thomas Lang is a longtime loud, aggressive, midrange barks, you can rides, crashes, and 14" hi-hats followed. Now
Meinl endorser and has collaborated with strike the China on the flange with the the Greb collection includes oversized 16"
the company several times over the years shoulder of the stick. Softer playing on the Sand Hats and tiny 8" Crasher Hats.
on different signature products, like the bow or edge with the tip of the stick elicits The 16" Sand Hats comprise a heavy B20
Generation X Filter Chinas. The most recent slightly subtler yet still trashy tones. The bottom that’s traditionally hammered and
concoction, the Classics Custom Super length of the decay can be adjusted from narrowly lathed and then sandblasted on
Stack, comprises an 18" bottom cymbal with a super-tight and focused “zap” to a more top to give the cymbal a hazy appearance
ten holes cut into the bow and an 18" China sizzling rattle via thumbscrew tension. If and a slightly muted tone. The top cymbal
top that has large holes cut in the bow and your musical situation requires something is very thin and flexible and is lathed on
small holes cut into the flanged edge. Both that’s super bright, fast, and cutting, the the underside only. The top has a raw
cymbals are brilliantly finished and are Super Stack is for you. finish that’s also sandblasted. These hi-hats
made from B10 bronze, which is inherently parallel the crispy, articulate tone of the
bright and loud. 8" Crasher Hats and 16" Sand Hats popular 14" version but have a much lower
Designed to be used with both cymbals Benny Greb has also been developing pitch, softer feel, and wider foot chick. They
positioned upside-down, the Super signature products with Meinl for a number have plenty of presence to cut through
Stack offers a range of tones and textures of years, with his first creation being the denser pop, fusion, and electronic tracks
depending on where you strike and how popular 12"/14" Generation X Trash Hats. while occupying a lower register that allows

20 Modern Drummer April 2020

 them to sink deeper within the mix, rather
than sitting on top.
The 8" Crasher Hats, on the other hand,
are designed to produce high-pitched,
articulate sounds that are a cross between
a controlled hi-hat, a crasher, and a shaker.
There are four pieces to the Crasher Hats: a
raw B20 Byzance bottom, a raw unlabeled
middle cymbal, a B8 bronze disc, and a
Byzance top. These cymbals are to be used
on an auxiliary hi-hat stand but without
using the bottom felt and tension screw
on the clutch. Played quietly, the Crasher
Hats have a subtle cabasa-type tone that
blends perfectly with soft ghost notes on
the snare and foot chicks on the regular
hi-hats. Hit more aggressively, the Crasher
Hats have a bit more bite but without any
high overtones or lingering sustain. Check
out some recent footage of Benny from the
past year to hear this unique combo used
to great effect. They’re incredibly fun and
inspiring.
We will take a look at the rest of the Artist
Concept stacks in an upcoming issue. For
now, check out video demos of these three
The four pieces of the Crasher models at moderndrummer.com.
Hats include a raw bottom (right) Michael Dawson
and a B8 disc placed between the
two top cymbals.

April 2020 Modern Drummer 21

 STAGE
AND UP CLOSE
GEARING UP ON
Social Distortion’s

Dave Hidalgo Jr.

22 Modern Drummer April 2020

ave Hidalgo Jr. joined Ludwig in 2010 shortly after
D becoming a full-time member of legendary punk
band Social Distortion. “It’s pretty rad to become a
part of something that you grew up listening to and
being a fan of,” says Hidalgo. “It’s surreal.”
At the center of Dave’s kit is a Black Beauty snare,
but every once in a while the drummer will switch it
out for a Copperphonic or Supraphonic model. “They
have similar sounds, with one being a little brighter,”
he says. “It’s weird, but on occasion the Black Beauty
gets worn out and stops sounding as vibrant as it
once did. I’ll change the heads and everything, but
it just doesn’t sound right.” That’s when Dave will set
the Black Beauty aside and use the one of the others.
He says that after the Black Beauty sits for a couple of
weeks, it’s back to normal. “It’s crazy, but it’s like it gets
tired and needs a break.”
Hidalgo says he doesn’t like everything too close
to him, so he keeps his setup spread out a bit. He
also tunes for bigger tones. “When I was with Suicidal
Tendencies, it was tighter sounding,” he says. “But the
sizes were evolving to something bigger. The first
time I used a 24" kick, it was the best thing ever. Then
I moved up to a 26". I don’t think I’ll be able to play a
22" again.”

Drums: Ludwig Vistalite in smoke grey Cymbals: Zildjian Heads: Remo Emperor X snare batter and Hardware: DW 6000 series flat-base cymbal
A. 6.5x14 Black Beauty snare with tube lugs and 1. 15" K Light hi-hats Ambassador Hazy snare side; Emperor Coated stands without wingnuts and 5000 series bass
Gibraltar Lug Locks (6.5x14 Supraphonic and 2. 18" K EFX crash tom batters and Ambassador Clear resonants; drum pedal, hi-hat, and snare stands; Pork Pie
Copperphonic are placed on the riser as 3. 19" K crash Powerstroke P3 bass drum batter (muffled with throne
backups) 4. 22" Avedis ride Evans EQ pad) and Ludwig Weather Master clear
B. 10x14 tom on a snare stand 5. 19" K Custom Hybrid crash front with a Dynamo-protected 10" hole Drumsticks: Vater 5B and various brushes
C. 16x16 floor tom and mallets
D. 16x18 floor tom Accessories: Tama Rhythm Watch metronome
E. 14x26 bass drum
Interview and photos by John Martinez
2 3
5
4
B

A E C

D
 ®

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WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
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HALL OF FAME
WINNERS
Nicko McBrain WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNER WINNERS
PAST HALL OF FAME WINNERS
WINNERS
2019: Dave Grohl WINNERS
2012: Phil Collins WINNERS
2005: Stewart Copeland WINNERS
1998: Ringo Starr WINNERS
1991: Art Blakey WINNERS
WINNER
1984: Steve Gadd
2018: Clyde Stubblefield 2011: Jim Chapin 2004: Mike Portnoy 1997: Terry Bozzio 1990: Bill Bruford 1983: Neil Peart
WINNERS
2017: Peter Erskine
2016: Vic Firth
WINNERS
2010: Hal Blaine
2009: Mitch Mitchell
WINNERS
2003: Simon Phillips
2002: Steve Smith
WINNERS
1996: Vinnie Colaiuta
1995: Elvin Jones
WINNERS 1982:
1989: Carl Palmer
1988: Joe Morello
WINNERS
WINNER
Keith Moon
1981: John Bonham
2015: Ian Paice 2008: Ginger Baker 2001: Dennis Chambers 1994: Larrie Londin 1987: Billy Cobham 1980: Buddy Rich
WINNERS
2014: Carmine Appice WINNERS
2013: Bernard Purdie
2007: Jack DeJohnette WINNERS
2006: Charlie Watts
2000: Dave Weckl
1999: Roy Haynes
WINNERS
1993: Jeff Porcaro
1992: Max Roach
WINNERS
1986: Tony Williams
1985: Louie Bellson
WINNERS
WINNER
1979: Gene Krupa

WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNER WINNERS

WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
26 Modern Drummer April 2020
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
WINNERS
ALL-AROUND WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
WINNERS
Vinnie Colaiuta
2. Steve Smith
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
WINNERS
3. Gergo Borlai
4. Gavin HarrisonWINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
5. Rashid Williams
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
STUDIO
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
Vinnie Colaiuta
WINNERS
2. Ash Soan WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
3. Aaron Sterling
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
4. Matt Chamberlain
5. Victor Indrizzo

WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS

WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
Michael Corral

WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS

WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
LIVE
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS Todd Sucherman WINNERS
2. Aquiles Priester
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS 3. Jay Weinberg WINNERS
4. Matt Halpern
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS 5. Mike Portnoy
WINNERS
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS CLINICIAN/ WINNERS
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS EDUCATOR WINNERS
Todd Sucherman
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS 2. Thomas Lang WINNERS
3. Mike Johnston
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS 4. Scott Pellegrom
5. Dom Famularo
WINNERS
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
Mark Schierholz

WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS

WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
April 2020 Modern Drummer 27
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
RS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS

Alex Solca
ROCK JAZZ
Jay Weinberg RS WINNERS
Mark Guiliana
2. Jonathan Barber
WINNERS WINNERS
2. Todd Sucherman
RS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
3. Antonio Sánchez
3. Aric Improta 4. Brian Blade
4. Tucker Rule 5. Marcus Gilmore
5. Mike Portnoy
RS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
RS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
RS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
RS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS

Alex Solca
RS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
RS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
RS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
RS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
RS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
RS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS R&B WINNERS
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS Aaron Spears
2. Rashid Williams
WINNERS
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS 4. Tony Royster Jr. WINNERS
3. Eric Moore
Alex Solca

5. Nate Smith
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
28 Modern Drummer April 2020
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
PERCUSSION
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
Alex Acuña
WINNERS
2. Richard Bravo WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
3. Luis Conte
UP &
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
4. Lenny Castro

COMING
5. Giovanni Hidalgo

WINNERS WINNERS WINNERSJD WINNERS

Beck WINNERS WINNERS
2. Steve Lyman
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS 3.4. WINNERS Josh Roberts
Raghav Mehrotra
WINNERS WINNERS
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS 5. WINNERS David Cola
WINNERS WINNERS

Alex Solca
Matthew Fried

WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS

WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS SOLOING WINNERS
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS Thomas Lang
2. Thomas Pridgen
WINNERS
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS 3. Steve Smith
4. Benny Greb WINNERS
5. Scott Pellegrom
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
April 2020 Modern Drummer 29
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
APP/ONLINE
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS GROOVE WINNERS WINNERS
INSTRUCTION
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS 2.3.WINNERS
Nate Smith
Eric Moore WINNERS WINNERS
MikesLessons.com Steve Jordan

WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS 5.WINNERS Benny Greb/Ash SoanWINNERS WINNERS

4. Stanton Moore
(Mike Johnston)
2. Todd Sucherman’s Rock Drumming
WINNERS
Masterclass forWINNERS
Drumeo WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
3. Dave Elitch’s Getting Out of Your Own Way
WINNERS
5. Thomas Lang’sWINNERS
4. Stanton Moore’s Drum Academy
Drum Universe WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
METHOD
WINNERS WINNERS BOOK WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
Drumset Concepts &
WINNERS
CreativityWINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
WINNERS
by CarterWINNERS McLean WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
2. Jost Nickel’s Snare Book by Jost Nickel
WINNERS
3. 10 Snare Drum WINNERS
Etudes for ImprovisationWINNERS
4. The Paradiddle Book by Maksym Deomin
by Eric Binder WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
5. The Book of Rhythm by Blake Fleming

WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS

RECORDED
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
PERFORMANCE
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
Tool, Fear Inoculum
WINNERS
(Danny Carey) WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
WINNERS
3. Mark Guiliana,WINNERS WINNERS
2. Periphery, Periphery IV: Hail Stan (Matt Halpern)
Beat Music! Beat Music! Beat Music! WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS

John Fell
(Mark Guiliana)
WINNERS WINNERS
4. Thomas Lang, ProgPop (Thomas Lang) WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
5. Antoine Fafard, Borromean Odyssey (Todd Sucherman)

WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS

WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERSDOUBLE WINNERS WINNERS
BASS
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERSAquiles WINNERS
2. Thomas Lang
PriesterWINNERS
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS4. Todd WINNERS WINNERS
3. Jay Weinberg
Sucherman
5. Virgil Donati
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS
30 Modern Drummer April 2020
 REMO CONGRATULATES OUR 2020
READERS POLL WINNERS
STUDIO LIVE CLINICIAN/EDUCATOR
VINNIE COLAIUTA TODD SUCHERMAN TODD SUCHERMAN
ASH SOAN MIKE PORTNOY THOMAS LANG
AARON STERLING SCOTT PELLEGROM
ROCK
MATT CHAMBERLAIN
TODD SUCHERMAN R&B
VICTOR INDRIZZO ARIC IMPROTA AARON SPEARS
UP & COMING TUCKER RULE TONY ROYSTER JR.
STEVE LYMAN MIKE PORTNOY
SOLOING
PERCUSSION
JAZZ THOMAS LANG
MARK GUILIANA RICHARD BRAVO STEVE SMITH
ANTONIO SANCHEZ LOUIS CONTE
BENNY GREB
MARCUS GILMORE LENNY CASTRO
SCOTT PELLEGROM
ALL-AROUND
GROOVE DOUBLE BASS
VINNIE COLAIUTA
STEVE JORDAN THOMAS LANG
STEVE SMITH
STANTON MOORE GERGO BORLAI TODD SUCHERMAN
BENNY GREB/ASH SOAN GAVIN HARRISON VIRGIL DONATI
METHOD BOOK
CARTER MCLEAN, DRUMSET CONCEPTS & CREATIVITY
JOST NICKEL, JOST NICKEL’S SNARE BOOK
RECORDED PERFORMANCE
MARK GULIANA, BEAT MUSIC! BEAT MUSIC! BEAT MUSIC! (MARK GUILIANA)
THOMAS LANG, PROGPOP (THOMAS LANG)
ANTOINE FAFARD, BORROMEAN ODYSSEY (TODD SUCHERMAN)
APP/ONLINE INSTRUCTION
TODD SUCHERMAN’S ROCK DRUMMING MASTERCLASS FOR DRUMEO
DAVE ELITCH’S GETTING OUT OF YOUR OWN WAY
STANTON MOORE’S DRUM ACADEMY
THOMAS LANG’S DRUM UNIVERSE
HALL OF FAME = CATEGORY WINNER
NICKO MCBRAIN

April 2020 Modern Drummer 31

 Wilco’s

Glenn Kotche
Story by Adam Budofsky Photos by Jessica Alexander

For a drum journalist, it was the greatest unboxing ever. Well,

it would have been, if the kit that Wilco drum tech Ashwin
Deepankar was about to unveil was ours to keep. Of course it
wasn’t. It belonged to Glenn Kotche, who in an hour or so was
about to strike, rub, scrape, stomp, flick, smack, caress, and
thump it to astounding effect in service of Wilco’s deep and
daring setlist, to a rapturous Radio City Music Hall audience.

Modern Drummer had been invited by Kotche to performance at the 2006 MD Fest burned in their
check out his gear pre-show, and the anticipation memory banks. Since that time he’s recorded half
as Ashwin walked us across the famous stage to a dozen more Wilco studio albums, as well as a
the kit, which was hidden under large tarps, was bevy of other artists’ recordings (see the music
intense. Glenn had previously shared some of its sidebar on page 42), all of which have allowed him
details with us, and we’d heard the tracks from to further explore sonic and rhythmic reaches.
Wilco’s new album, Ode to Joy, finding it brimming He’s also continued working with his duo with
with bracing drumming performances and Darin Gray, On Fillmore, and with modern classical
kaleidoscopic percussion sounds, some familiar, ensembles, dance groups, and other non-rock
some completely fresh. projects, further widening his total-percussion
Among the items we were most excited about approach.
seeing was a marching machine, a relatively But back to that unboxing—or, perhaps
obscure percussion instrument designed to more accurately, unveiling. Beside his gorgeous
mimic the sound of boots marching, which Colin new Sonor SQ2 Maple drumset, we gaze upon
Campbell, Deepankar, and Kotche had made a dazzling set of commercial and homemade
foot-operable so that it could be played within striking implements, multiple unique shakers that
a full drum groove. Yeah, it’s as cool as it sounds. attach to his hi-hat pull rod, tom “treatments,”
Maybe even cooler. And it’s merely one of the mounted percussion, electronics, and accessories.
many implements Kotche used to bring a unique The urge to leap onto the throne and start playing
flavor to each song on Ode to Joy, which, from a is difficult to control.
drumming standpoint, may represent the most Perhaps more important than the instruments
maximal approach to minimalism we’ve ever themselves, though, is the choreography that
heard. Think Velvet Underground classics like Kotche has developed to play the parts from
“Pale Blue Eyes,” “Venus in Furs,” or “I’m Set Free,” Ode to Joy. As we’ll hear more about below,
but arranged by Max Roach’s M’Boom ensemble. Glenn employed significant overdubbing, and
Kotche’s approach essentially thumbs its nose at only figured out how he was going to approach
the “Less is more/More is less” argument, replacing the layered percussion live after the album was
it with a more honest and exciting declaration of completed. You could spend a half hour just
“Whatever it takes…as long as it’s musical.” describing the various grips the drummer uses to
The lengths Kotche will go to elicit the exact get the job done, or the dancelike movements he
sounds in his head are mythical among Modern uses while bringing Wilco’s beloved songs to life.
Drummer readers, some of whom still have his But of course it’s better to hear Kotche tell it….

32 Modern Drummer April 2020

April 2020 Modern Drummer 33
 Glenn: I started figuring out how to do
these songs live last August. I’d make
videos and send them to Ashwin, like,
“Here’s how this beat is going to go.”
Because everything on the record is
multilayered, I had to make a composite
part to play live, and figure out ways
to incorporate the percussion into the
snare and bass drum parts. So I’d send
him ideas, and then we’d get together
and he’d modify or make things that
replicated sounds from the record.
MD: This was after the writing and
recording phases.
Glenn: Right. [Singer/songwriter] Jeff
Tweedy and I got together at Wilco’s
studio, the Loft, for a couple of weeks in
December [2018]. He’d play a song and
I’d lay down some ideas. I basically had
carte blanche to do what I do.
Typically the way we’d start is, he’d
have a couple drum machines going
through his pedals, a pulse or some
kind of part, and we’d use that as a
guide that I would play to, maybe a bass
drum part for him to create his guitar
part over, and then I’d layer from there.
And then everyone came in at the end
of January, February, and added all their
parts to it.
MD: And then there’s the challenge of
how you’re going to play it all live.
Glenn: Yes. That came about in the
summer. We hadn’t really played in
eighteen months. We did a tour in Europe
in June, but we weren’t really doing any
new songs. We did do a couple at our
festival, Solid Sound, but those we just
kind of worked out; the parts weren’t
necessarily what I’m playing now.
MD: Did every song involve some sort of
planning out in terms of recreating the
recorded versions? Glenn: On Schmilco [2016], for instance, on of a six-piece band. I need to leave space
Glenn: Yup. And it was surprising, too, the tune “We Aren’t the World,” it just felt for people, and anything super flashy and
because there were a couple that I’d good to put the overdubbed tambourine busy doesn’t seem to fit in lyrically or in the
procrastinated on, thinking, “This is easy; it’s accents on the “and” of 1 and the “and” of character of the music.
just a pulse,” but then I’d realize, “Oh, no, it’s 3, and when it came time to play it live, I MD: How about some examples from Ode
next to impossible!” thought, “I can do that with my left foot to Joy?
One of the most fun things for me to do by putting the jingles on the hi-hat.” But Glenn: With this album I also tried to avoid
professionally is to try to replicate these parts. like most drummers, my whole life I’ve any clear-cut backbeats. That’s why I didn’t
It’s a challenge. I mean, I don’t need to go as played the hi-hat on 2 and 4, and just that play “beats” on the record; every part was
far as I do; no one would really know or care little change can make it so much more done individually. Take the first song, “Bright
if that little tambourine part was missing. challenging—it’s just not a thing most Leaves.” It’s just low, high, low, high, but
It’s more for me and the guys in the band, drummers are necessarily used to doing. But when I’m playing the low note I’m playing a
because if it sounds like the record, it feels if you change up one little element, it can high-pitched maraca with it, and when I play
good. I think it’s nice for the audience, too. become really interesting. the snare drum, I’m playing a bass drum with
MD: The multilayered drums on the record MD: You’re challenging yourself in an it. I’m trying to make everything more even.
help put an individualistic stamp on each atypical way, not like if you were trying to We set out to try not to make a rock
song. Even after repeated listens, you’re still… play the most complex fill. It’s a different way record this time. We don’t usually talk a lot
Glenn: …finding those layers, yeah. of getting off. before we make a record, but with this one
MD: Give us an example of how multilayering Glenn: Right. And I do get off that way, too, we did. We wanted it to be personal. We
can result in playing challenges. but a lot of times it just doesn’t fly. I’m part wanted to hear fingers on strings, exhales,

34 Modern Drummer April 2020

 MD: And your kit is all set up.
Glenn: Right. But let me go on a small
tangent for a minute. My approach was
influenced by my time off. Last year I lived
in Finland for eight months. My wife is a
bioengineering professor at the University
of Illinois in Chicago, and she got a Fulbright
grant to do research in Finland. And right
before that, I saw it as the culmination of a
long time collaborating with classical groups
and dance companies. I’d written three
concerti in the previous year. One was for
string orchestra and percussion, which I did
at National Sawdust with the 1B1 orchestra
from Norway. I also wrote the finals concerto
piece for the TROMP percussion competition
in the Netherlands. And then I wrote a
concerto for the Chicago Youth Symphony,
which I was the soloist with.
So I had done these big pieces, which
required a lot of preparation, and then,
boom, my family and I go to Finland. I’d
subbed out anything that I’d booked,
got the time off with Wilco, and was just
taking care of the kids, with no musical
responsibilities. We rented a beautiful house
right outside of Helsinki, in a birch forest
right by the sea. It was perfect. All I did was
read and listen and practice.
Sonor delivered a kit, and after I set it
up, I was like, okay, what am I going to
practice? So I played a game with myself.
This is super dorky, but I thought, what if
no one ever heard me play drums again—if
I never recorded again, never performed
again, never played with another musician
again? Would I still actually play? Yeah, I love
the physical feeling of playing the drums
and unlocking the coordination. So what
would I play? I wouldn’t work on my time—I
wouldn’t have to, because I wouldn’t have
anyone to play with. I wouldn’t work on
the sound of sticks and brushes…. I wanted challenged me as a drummer a lot. This is chops, because I’d have no one to impress.
to avoid doing anything that has baggage. why I’m so psyched we’re doing this story If there was no reason to play except for the
A beat instantly tells people to feel a certain now, because usually it’s the flashier things joy of it, what would I do?
way. If you play this [Glenn taps a standard that get attention. It’s interesting: there’s I was coming off playing those concertos,
rock beat on the table] and then this [plays been more press for this record that’s called and I was like, I love creating these cool
a similar beat but with the accents upside me out individually than for any of the beats. I was investigating some new
down], they both work, but one’s sort of previous three or four records, and I played techniques, so when I was sitting on these
happy, and the other’s different. You’re way simpler this time. I think it’s because bus rides—because we had no car—taking
telling the listener how to feel, and it’s great it’s more distinctive since it’s not beats but the kids to and from school, beats would
that we have that power, but I wanted to pulses. A relatively simple thing might be the pop in my head. Then I’d go to the kit and
avoid that. So if it’s going to have a backbeat, spark that bends the tune a little one way play these beats, which might not have any
I want to obscure it. And when playing this so that people listen more closely, which practical application, because they’re not set
live, it’s tricky when the hi-hat’s just playing might make them pay attention to the lyrics to music.
on 1 and not on 3, and not on 2 and 4. And a bit more closely. And that’s part of our job, It was just for the joy of exploring: what
it’s not even a hi-hat sound—it’s sleigh bells putting on that lens. happens if I do this? And it was so much fun,
or the things I’ve made out of bottle caps or MD: Let’s drill down a little more on how the because it was still composing, but instead of
bells or sea pods. songs were recorded. There would be you composing these eighteen-minute concerti, I
MD: There’s a lot of space in the grooves on and Jeff… was composing a five-second mini piece, but
Ode to Joy. Glenn: …and Tom Schick, our producer/ I was treating it not as a beat as your body’s
Glenn: The parts are very simple, which engineer. used to doing it, but more compositionally.

April 2020 Modern Drummer 35

 Kotche’s Wilco Kit

Drums: Sonor SQ2 Maple ’70s Blue Oyster finish Promark TB6 Heavy wire brushes, Promark SD5 (custom), mounted Korean shamen bells, Meinl
• 8x14 snare Hickory Light multipercussion sticks/mallets, mounted vibraslap, hanging vintage bells, Meinl
• 8x12 tom Promark MT3 Shira Kashi Oak multipurpose felt FX wood handheld waterfall effect (long), Meinl
• 14x14 floor tom mallets, out-of-the-drawer Crackshot leather foot cabasa, Snareweight M80 White on snare and
• 16x16 floor tom mallets, Sonor wood clapper block, Index can M1 White on toms, Meinl double-row 8" mounted
• 6x16 gong drum shaker, Sonor large caxixi, Meinl small caxixi, Meinl wood tambourine, Meinl large back powder-coated
• 14x20 bass drum fiberglass maraca, small bell shaker, four vintage tambourine, Roland SPD-SX sample pad (hidden in
Noah bell shakers, Nexus finger tape, Sonor drum rack) with two BT-1 triggers mounted, 12", 14", and
Cymbals: Zildjian key, hi-hat rod percussion stopper, cymbal sizzlers 16" Roots EQ Solid tone controls, Index 14" wood
• Set of three low crotales designed by Matthew Yeates drumhead, hand-held marching machine designed
(D#, E, F#, or two full octaves of crotales) by Colin Campbell, remote marching machine
• 15" Special Dry hi-hats In stick bag, from left: Promark Cool Rods, designed by Colin Campbell
• 16" Special Dry crash Glenn Kotche threaded rods with springs,
• 20" Kerope ride Promark prototype brown rubber drumset Hardware: Sonor 600 series hi-hat and snare
• 19" Special Dry crash mallets, putty scrapers, Glenn-altered ping-pong stands, 2000 series cymbal stands, and Giant Step
• 6" FX Bel (custom) shaker/Cool Rods, Promark SD7 Hickory Heavy bass drum pedal; Roc-N-Soc round throne
• 12" FX Spiral multipercussion sticks/mallets, miscellaneous
brushes, scrapers, and rubber-tipped sticks, out- Heads: Evans G2 Coated snare batter and 300
Sticks, hand percussion, and accessories (from of-the-drawer Crackshot leather mallets, Promark snare side, G2 Coated tom batters and G1 Clear
left on percussion table): Promark Glenn Kotche Nylon webbed brushes resonants, UV1 Coated gong drum batter, EMAD
Signature sticks, Promark prototype blue rubber Coated bass drum batter and EQ3 NP Smooth
drumset mallets, plastic cooking spatula, Promark Kit accessories from left: Meinl Sleigh bells; White resonant
prototype brown rubber drumset mallets, Zildjian FX Frying Pan, Bell Cymbal, and prototype
laminated cooking chopsticks, Glenn Kotche Chevron Zilbell, vintage Indian hi-hat bells, Meinl Mics: sE Electronics V Kick on bass drum, V Beat
Threaded Dowel Rods with springs, Promark B300 THH1BK hi-hat tambourine, Upcycled Percussion on toms, and V7 X on snare, V Beat on gong drum;
Accent wire brushes, Promark B600 nylon brushes, with hi-hat clutch, Keplinger hi-hat jingles Shure RPM181/C overheads and KSM137 on hi-hat

36 Modern Drummer April 2020

I was thinking about poetry, balancing, than ever these days, because so much more
rhyming, feng shui…just comparing it to of the drumming we hear is programmed,
different things. Like, in Taoism, it’s about and with programming there aren’t those
light and dark. To me that’s kick and snare, limitations of what you can do physically. A
that two-tone thing that’s existed since lot of producers who are programming are
the beginning of drumming. In indigenous taking chances, doing whacky, crazy stuff,
cultures you’ve always got the low sounds which I love. It’s liberating. Though you can
and high sounds. Except now we’re not fall into patterns there as well.
communicating to the next village, or to the I’m super psyched that you think that
soldiers on the front lines to attack. it’s fresh, though so much of what I do
My next solo project, which is happening comes from the original conception of the
later this year, is all based on those beats. drumset. It’s a “kit.” The original kits had all
But when I got to the studio with Wilco these disparate instruments and Foley sound
and the idea came up about not making an effects on them. Because those guys were
overt rock record, I thought, I’ve been doing backing up comedians and dancers and
nothing but beats, so I’m going to do no singers, they had this huge palette, and for
beats at all. [laughs] So that was my frame of me that’s what the drumset is. People are
mind getting into the studio with Jeff. like, “So you play more like a percussion set,”
I set up a very large kit, but not to be and I’m like, “Yeah, but drums are percussion.”
played all at once. It was embarrassingly Drums should be that. Just because there’s
large. It had four elements on which I could not a steady beat throughout the whole
play a low bass sound on, four elements that song doesn’t mean it’s not drumming.
I could play a high sound on, and on top of Because you can go from one texture to
that I would just pull drums out separately. another texture—that’s still drumming. I’m
I used a lot of marching bass drum, or a just using the kit more selectively.
concert bass drum on a stand, which I’d play MD: The drumset evolved into more of a
with marimba mallets or with a maraca or homogeneous thing—by mid century it was
ping pong ball shakers—it’s not going to basically one instrument in different sizes,
sound like a kick drum. And I’d play snare with the same finish or wrap, plus cymbals,
drums that were maybe broken, had detuned which were essentially also the same thing,
heads, or that I’d hit with weird implements just different sizes. It became an instrument.
so that they wouldn’t necessarily sound like Glenn: Right, and that was for very practical
a proper snare drum. And I used the shakers, reasons—for transportation, for economic
sleigh bells, seed pods…. reasons. It just made sense. But I love to
I tried to stick to mostly antique think of kits sculpturally and set them
percussion too. The exception is that some of up in different arrays. Every time I play
those low drums are Meinl ethnic drums with a collaborative show, the drumset looks
vinyl heads. I’d double the concert bass drum totally different, because I have different
with those tom sounds, or play the floor tom needs. Even with Wilco, every record cycle
with preparations on them. I guess you could it changes its appearance, because I have
say I was playing the kit orchestrally. It was new things on it, and things I don’t need
fun to do something completely opposite as much go away. And now it’s easier than
to what I’d been doing the previous nine ever. There are so many different products,
or ten months. I mean, I’ve multitracked on so many different cymbals and sounds. And
every Wilco record, but my way of thinking these days with my solo stuff I’m digging
was more like, here’s the primary beat, and the Sensory Percussion system—now the
here’s the percussion. I’d hear a demo and possibilities are limitless in terms of what
think, okay, I need three tracks: a drumset your sounds can be. My next solo project is
part, then maybe a second drumset part more multimedia-based, because now you
with brushes, then percussion. But this time can do that from the drums. Instead of being
around I was thinking, here’s a pulse part, a drummer, you can be mission control of
and here’s another part that goes with it, or this whole show that you can put on.
here’s a part that goes against it. It was more MD: In his autobiography, Jeff Tweedy talks
about layering different ideas. about how he plays an acoustic guitar that
MD: You mentioned using antique drums, has a very muted sound. What are your
but in a way your whole concept seems very thoughts in terms of your sounds working
modern. Rethinking our knee-jerk reactions within the sounds of the other players in
when sitting at a drumset—your concepts Wilco?
suggest that there are other ways to think, Glenn: My sounds have to cater to the band
that you can free yourself of go-to ideas that setting, for sure. Jeff does that for his own
we’re a slave to for better or worse. specific reason—a bright, ringing guitar
Glenn: Yeah, and maybe there’s more of that doesn’t work with his voice as well. I use

April 2020 Modern Drummer 37

 Zildjian Special Dry cymbals because they go
away so quickly, and they’re dark and fit with
the music more. When I would bring up other
“normal” cymbals, it would drive some of my
bandmates nuts. They just like the darker
sound more, which I like as well. I think a lot
of drummers do, especially now. It’s great,
like a golden age of cymbals right now.
I’ll also use the Roots EQs on the drums
for a half dozen or so songs. Those are good
for that Ringo tea-towel sound, just to get
a different timbre. I’m so glad my new kit
has an 8” deep snare drum, because a high-
pitched snare drum doesn’t sound good with
Wilco. The 8" allows me to have a deep sound
and keep the head tensioned to where it’s
still responsive and fun to play.
And in general I do avoid “store-bought”
sounds. It’s kind of a tenet of my duo On
Fillmore—no sounds where you hear them
and think, oh, that’s an egg shaker. I use a lot
of really old sleigh bells and tambourines,
shakers that are indigenous or that I
customize. Besides my signature sticks, on
the record I used antique brushes, mallets,
and sticks.
For my birthday my wife got me a drumset
from around 1918. It’s a WFL or Ludwig &
Ludwig snare drum. The bass drum is an
old marching drum with a painted head. and sticks do you have?” these metal flyswatters from this company in
It’s got a couple Chinese toms, a Turkish And when I go on tour in Europe or South Germany. The original brushes were literally
cymbal, nested cowbells, a ratchet—it’s a America, they have different stuff in music flyswatters. But I got some of those and cut
proper theater kit. I felt I wanted to play it stores than we do here. Live I use pretty them down to half their length, so they’re
with mallets and sticks of the era, so when much everything Promark makes. But I love these little things with great big heads that
I go to the Chicago Drum Show, or when finding these weird sticks that are used for make you play totally different from how
I’m at Revival Drum Shop in Portland, I’ll ask some Portuguese marching band, or sticks you otherwise would. And they have a top
[owner] Jose Medeles, “What antique brushes made by hand in a shop in Hamburg. I got and a bottom, so if you flip them, you get a

38 Modern Drummer April 2020

April 2020 Modern Drummer 39
 Glenn Kotche
different sound again. versus rubber mallets. When you saw me at the marching machine on a concert bass
Even common things like brushes are just Radio City, I used taped-together brushes, drum set up horizontally, instead of on a
different from how they used to be; they nylon brushes, wire brushes customized piece of wood. Jeff and Tom really dug it, so I
might have used a different-gauge wire with a shaker, or with coins taped to them. was using it quite a bit on bass drum, then on
than they do now. The sticks are fragile and Different kinds of rods, thin and thick, piano benches as a snare drum sound, and
brittle. But they make me play different. And multiple rods at the same time. I have combining those with other bass drums and
when we made this new record, I wanted two different sets of drumset mallets that snare drums to obscure it.
to see what it was like recording with these Promark built for me. I use my signature stick Now, to play it live I thought I could
things. I just love playing brushes; they’re so a lot, but also their SD5s and 7s, which have sample it, but it’s more fun and challenging
useful outside of the context of jazz. I played felt on the ends, just for one song. I have to try to pull stuff off live. So I asked Jim
brushes on at least one or two tracks from all spatulas that I taped together. I use threaded Campbell’s son Colin, who’s a whiz with
the records I’ve made recently. On this Wilco rods with springs on the end. woodworking and works with Third Coast
record I was sometimes using three or four The other players are switching guitars, Percussion, to build me some that I could use
different brushes at the same time, just to get and everyone’s got effects, the keyboards on the road. Then Ashwin got together with
a different sound. Or I’d use multiple sticks have unlimited settings—so why would the him, and they modified a small one that’s
at one time in my hand. Even if it takes you drummer have the same sounds for different connected to a remote hi-hat cable, so I can
just a little bit out of your normal frame of songs? That’s why you’ll see Ashwin come up play it foot-operated. Then I had Sonor build
mind—how you’re striking, and the motion, and put a shaker on the hi-hat for this song, me a 4x16 tom that’s basically like a robust
it all affects the sound. or the bells or the tambourine—single row hand drum, and that’s what the marching
MD: We talk so much about the differences of jingles or double row. We have six or eight machine is sitting on.
in the sound of drums, but what you’re variations of what goes on the hi-hat. Sizzlers MD: Which foot do you play it with?
hitting them with is huge. on or off. Glenn: My right foot. I have four pedals. On
Glenn: After college, when I was touring MD: Tell us about the marching machine. the right I go between my bass drum pedal
all those years in the late ’90s with Paul K Glenn: It’s basically a wooden frame with and the remote marching machine, and on
and the Weathermen and Birddog, with the dowels strung together to replicate feet the left I have my hi-hat and my foot cabasa,
singer-songwriters like Jim O’Rourke, I’d use marching. The dowels drop onto a piece of which I use to replicate some of the drum
a two-piece kit—a floor tom with a cocktail- wood in a ripple effect. As a kid I did a lot of machine sounds and brush parts from the
kit beater underneath and a snare, a hi-hat, drum and bugle corps; I marched with the record, like on “Citizens.” I also have a hand-
maybe a cymbal, because we were traveling Cavaliers, and I remember seeing a Santa held marching machine that I play on one
in rental cars. So since I only had two drums, Clara Vanguard show—actually when I song right now. I put a wooden circle on the
I used a lot of different kinds of rods, sticks, was still a kid, before I marched—and they floor tom and drop the marching machine
brushes, and mallets, and preparations on had a marching machine on the sideline in on it.
the drums, so that the sound on each song the pit. It was hand-held. And I remember I think it’s useful for people to make their
could be totally different. And that carries thinking, that’s such a cool sound. Then I own gear. Whenever I have the time to go
forward to what I do now. stumbled upon it years later on the Steve back to teaching, I’m going to insist that
I think this is probably from my classical Weiss website or catalog, and I bought it. It students try to make or modify their own
training in college with Jim Campbell, finding hangs on my wall in my studio. And one day sticks and mallets. There’s just something
the exact right implement for this sound in before going to a Wilco session, I brought a about customizing and making your own
percussion ensemble—playing a suspended bunch of things just to see what would fit sounds that’s really cool and part of our
cymbal with felt mallets versus yarn mallets in—earth plates, this and that—and I tried history, and I think it’s important for younger

40 Modern Drummer April 2020

April 2020 Modern Drummer 41
 drummers because they will become more songwriters liked what I was doing with the come out of college listening to a lot of the
sound conscious. minimal kits, with the shakers and jingles and drum superstars of the ’90s. After immersing
I want to spark a drummer’s creativity by preparations. I was also doing a lot of free myself in the Velvet Underground to get
example. My last book, A Beat a Week, was improvising after college, sound explorations, ready for the recording, since I knew that
about showing that this beat came because I electroacoustic things. That’s when I came Moe was producing, I was really digging
played in steel band, this one came because up with the prepared snare drum that I used her minimal approach. Also, I loved field
I played timpani, this one I played because on “Monkey Chant” and that I still use. So recordings of African drumming, and that
I learned how Elvin Jones interprets his ride it wasn’t just about the technique and the was also a big influence on Maureen. She
cymbal beat, and I played it on the floor beats, which I love, but more about sound could not be more different from a Weckl or a
tom on this rock song…. My hope is that exploration. Vinnie or a Gadd, and it was nice to have that
you can learn this cool beat, but also about MD: What was the first record you did that influence on me at that time as well.
the mentality of getting into it and applying you felt really good about? MD: Can you talk about some of the players
aspects of it to your own playing. Glenn: There’s a Paul K and the Weathermen that excite you today?
MD: Did you find early in your record-making record called Love Is a Gas, which [Velvet Glenn: Oh, yeah! I love Joe Russo. He’s so free
career that you had an outlet for these Underground drummer] Maureen Tucker and open and musical. It’s a combination
diverse interests? produced. That was right after college, and it of different styles, too, because he’s playing
Glenn: Yes, I realized that a lot of the singer- was a formative thing for me because I had mostly rock but has a jazz background, free

The Beats Explained

Glenn Kotche on his approach to selected Wilco tracks and other
recordings he’s made since his last MD cover story.
“Down I-5” (verse, from case/lang/veirs by Neko Case/ “Rebel Heart” (verse, from Ruins by First Aid Kit)
k.d. lang, and Laura Viers) The first two counts are a recurring statement, and counts 3 and 4 are
I come up with a lot of beats like this that are inspired by something basically variations on the theme of an early snare hit on the “and” of
I could imagine Tony Allen doing—trying to use his vocabulary 3, and then played three different ways. After I played this, [First Aid
but integrating rudimental sticking combinations that I discovered Kit’s] Klara and Johanna Söderberg said they knew they wanted this
when playing Steve Reich’s Clapping Music as a duo between right to be the lead track—something about the presence of the drums
and left hands. So it’s in some middle ground between Afrobeat and and that beat. I bet at its core, though, this is just me regurgitating
classical-inspired rudimental drumming. A tricky beat, but it feels so either some take on Ringo’s “Ticket to Ride” beat, or Tim Welch’s
good to just zone in and repeat it ad nauseam. fantastic groove on Paul K and the Weathermen’s “The Grid.”

“Honey and Smoke” (verse, from case/lang/veirs) “Albion Moonlight” (verse, from Modern Country by
For this I just tried to balance out the first and second halves of the William Tyler)
beat in order to give the song more room to breathe and give k.d. The hi-hat with shaker attachment provides the implied double-
lang’s amazing vocals more space. The first part has snare hits on the time backbeat for this groove (or backbeat if you feel the beat
“and” of beat 2 that mostly happen in a space left by the vocals. For the at q=112 instead). I use the tambourine and floor tom pairing of
second half I displace the snare hit, moving it up an 8th note, and play extreme high and low to provide the counter, regular backbeat
the backbeat on the floor tom, which is less intrusive under the vocals. (or half-time backbeat if at 112). The tambourine/floor tom
combination seems to blend better with the sounds of the other
instruments and offers more contrast and counterpoint to the hi-hat
shaker than a snare sound would.

“Chalk It Up to Chi” (chorus, from Love Letter for Fire by

Sam Beam and Jesca Hoop)
The first half of this beat is essentially a re-orchestrated broken triplet,
taking the sticking of a fill or lick idea and turning it into a pattern
that balances nicely with the more traditional second half of the beat. “Jornada Inteira” (verse, from Happiness of Living by
On Fillmore)
The hands part on this is a two-against-three rhythm. When I filled in
the spaces with the bass drum and orchestrated the hands around
the kit, it gave the song a cool off-kilter vibe. I also tried to not do
the obvious 6/8 beat here and instead thought one in 3/4 would
take the song into more interesting and unexpected areas.
42 Modern Drummer April 2020
improv. Ian Chang, the way he approaches played a percussion festival there ten or on Northern Spy two years ago, and we did
beats and timekeeping, the stuttering and fifteen years ago with +2, which is Moreno, shows at National Sawdust in Brooklyn and
flexibility…. His playing is extremely unusual, producer Kassin, and Domenico Lancellotti. the Wilco festival in Massachusetts, and I
extremely cool and fresh. Chris Corsano, I love Stéphane was double drumming with got to double drum with Stéphane again.
playing with that guy when we improvise, Domenico, and the feel that these guys had Because he’s coming from African and French
but also just watching him in other settings. was unreal. On Fillmore went back in 2013 influences, and then being in Brazil for more
He’s a force of nature physically, the wall of or 2014, and we made a record in Rio with than a decade, he’s got all of that stuff. There’s
sound he can get with two sticks. And it’s not these guys, Happiness of Living. I was double a song he wrote on the record called “Foli Ke”
gimmicks; he’s just a wonderful player. drumming with Stéphane, with Mauro that’s in nine, and I never would have come
Another guy I want to mention is Stéphane Refosco on percussion, and it was incredible up with that way of playing it—subdividing it.
San Juan. He’s in New York now, but he’s a playing with those two guys. They’re both Being exposed to his drumming opened up a
French guy who worked in London, then with David Byrne now—I think they actually lot for me.
moved to Mali and drummed with Amadou played together for the first time on the On But there’s rarely a drummer that doesn’t
and Mariam. And then he met Moreno Fillmore record. So it was Darin Gray on bass, inspire me somehow—even some awful
Veloso, [legendary Brazilian musician] with Stéphane, Mauro, and me as the drum drummers. Just the way they do something
Caetano Veloso’s son, and moved to Brazil, section. And we had different guests come so bizarre and wacky. I’ll think, “That’s kind of
and that’s where I met him. On Fillmore in on different songs. The record came out cool—maybe I’ll try it this way…!”
•
To watch Glenn demonstrate his drum
parts from Wilco’s latest album, Ode to Joy,
go to moderndrummer.com.

“King of You” (verse, from Star Wars by Wilco)

This beat has a reversed backbeat, so the snare hits are on counts 1
and 3. This works better with the guitar parts and the snare drum and
bass drum playing the exact guitar rhythms. The right-hand, hi-hat-
ride part helps to keep all of the upbeat bass drum notes anchored.
“Cave Crickets” (verse, from Happiness of Living)
This beat is basically a loose drum interpretation of Darin Gray’s bass
line with a little added punctuation at the end. I use a cowbell as the
ride and move my left hand between the snare (snares off ) and floor
tom. The bass drum mostly reinforces the right hand.
“The Joke Explained” (verse, from Star Wars)
For this song I constantly displace/delay snare hits at various points
in the verses to go along with the phrasing of the guitar parts. The
hi-hat has a tambourine attached and often takes the place of the
displaced snare hits. This constant interplay between the snare and
hi-hat tambourine really stands out since there is no ride ostinato, but
“Locator” (verse, from Schmilco by Wilco) instead a crisp and dark shaker part that I play with the right hand.
This is half me trying to be Jaki Liebezeit and half just playing around
with Stick Control patterns between my snare drum and bass drum.

“We Aren’t the World” (verse, from Schmilco) “More...” (verse, from Star Wars)
This one is deceptively difficult due to the left foot hi-hat (with This is just the beat that I came up with on the spot, but I later
tambourine attachment) sliding forward an 8th note from where noticed that it’s inspired by my days in steel band back in college
our bodies are used to playing it. But doing that gives the first two at Kentucky. The first four beats are essentially a re-orchestrated
counts a nice linear sound that then all collides and stacks up for the calypso with the accents split between snare drum and floor tom
resolution on the last two counts. The tambourine really sticks out flams. The hi-hat and bass drum parts add a linear or pattern aspect
since the “ride”/right-hand part is just a doubling of the bass drum to the first four counts and then act as anchors for the last two
part, played with a mallet on the floor tom. counts, which have a more straight-ahead double-time feel.

April 2020 Modern Drummer 43

 Virgil Donati
A deep dive into the artistry of
the progressive-drumming master Story by Aaron Edgar
Photos by Alex Solca

E xtreme chops and a superhuman command of rhythm

are part of what make Virgil Donati one of the most
technically masterful drummers on the planet. The list of
and composer on a handful of solo records. His latest,
Ruination, is an incredible display of musicality and technical
mastery. Virgil’s drumming is deep and authoritative,
equally progressive artists Virgil has worked with includes featuring thunderous drum tones and stunningly precise
keyboardist Derek Sherinian and his band Planet X, guitarist rhythms executed with exquisite dynamics. He seamlessly
Tony MacAlpine, and bassist Bunny Brunel. Virgil also leads integrates odd groupings and polyrhythmic phrasing,
his own prog-metal group, IceFish, who deliver satisfyingly resulting in music that’s an adventure to experience.
syncopated, intellectually engaging, and powerfully melodic In the following pages, we’ll explore some of Virgil’s
modern music. creations from his solo records and his band IceFish, with
Virgil also expresses himself beautifully as both drummer commentary from the man himself.

44 Modern Drummer April 2020

“Castle Bastards,” Virgil Donati, Ruination (2019)
The explosive opening track from Virgil’s latest solo record features incredible subdivision switches without getting
in the way of the groove. “I find that the magic happens when you allow your ideas to flow spontaneously,” says
Donati. “Being mindful of the guitar and bass hits here, I could feel an opportunity to creatively juxtapose triplets
and 8th notes.”

“The Last Night That I Lived,” Virgil Donati, Ruination

The first single from Ruination, this song features a composite time signature of 4/8 and 6/8 during the verses. Donati
drives a heavy 16th-based groove and frequently avoids playing the kick on beat 1.

Contrasting the density of the groove, Virgil employs plenty of space, dynamics, and multiple subdivisions in the fills.
Says Donati, “I was just relying on stream-of-consciousness, as I do more often than not.”

April 2020 Modern Drummer 45

 “Revolution,” IceFish, Human Hardware (2017)
This track features a main verse groove in 13/16 that’s notated below as 2/4 and 5/16. Virgil’s mastery of dynamics plays a
big role in laying a funky, syncopated foundation for this complex section. “This was the first song I wrote for the IceFish
record,” says Donati. “The verse guitar riff was the hook that supplied the inspiration for the main groove and for the
direction of the song.”

“Human Hardware,” IceFish, Human Hardware

The title track from IceFish’s debut opens with a wonderful rhythmic contrast between multiple pairs of hi-hats. Virgil’s left
foot lays down a solid quarter note while he riffs in 3/16 with the auxiliary hats. The kick and snare favor a 3/16 pattern.
“This groove manifests a 6/8 over 4/4 effect that resolves every other bar,” Donati explains. “As always, it’s those ubiquitous
ghost notes and other nuances that give it the X factor.”

“Red Air,” Virgil Donati, In This Life (2013)

The bass solo section on this track displays incredible musicianship across the board. The drums build from subtle to pure
rhythmic tension. Recalling this section, Virgil says, “Beautifully played by Doug Shreeve on bass, who jumps onto my 8th-
note triplets, which are flipping back and forth in the last three bars.”

46 Modern Drummer April 2020

“Concerto for Drums,” Virgil Donati, The Dawn of Time (2016)
The Dawn of Time is a brilliant record of orchestral works. “This music,” says Donati, “is about putting aesthetic experience—our
ability to have empathy and compassion for our fellow man—above politics, envy, greed, and everything else in this world.
These are the great stories of who we are, all in this one experience. The drumming is simply serving the composition.”
In this piece, Virgil enters with a powerful flurry of 16th notes that lead into a driving halftime feel. After eight bars, his left
foot sinks into steady quarter notes, on top of which Donati spreads the phrasing to six notes across the bar. Eventually the
phrasing shifts to five and then seven equally spaced notes. “[This is] still a part of that aesthetic experience,” Virgil explains.
“Nothing can communicate this like a symphony orchestra. How else can you get such depth into a piece of music?”

April 2020 Modern Drummer 47

48 Modern Drummer April 2020
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April 2020 Modern Drummer 49

 Sepultura’s
Eloy
Casagrande
Power. Passion. Precision.
Story by David Ciauro Photos by Marcos Hermes
E loy Casagrande was only twenty years old when he joined the legendary Brazilian
metal band Sepultura. The group has roots in metal that date back to the days of
MTV’s Headbangers Ball, and Eloy was born the year that the video for “Dead Embryonic
Cells,” from the band’s iconic 1991 album Arise, first aired. In fact, when Eloy came
into the fold in 2011 (at twenty years old), there were no original band members
remaining in the lineup, and there hadn’t been for five years. Nonetheless, Eloy’s
presence captivated drummers and fans alike, and today he and mainstays Derrick
Green (vocals), Andreas Kisser (guitar), and Paulo Jr. (bass) keep the Sepultura name as
relevant as ever.
Casagrande first caught the attention of Modern Drummer back in 2005, when, at
just fourteen years old, he won MD’s Undiscovered Drummer Contest in the eighteen-
and-under division. Eloy performed at the Modern Drummer Festival that year, and
his career has been in ascendance ever since. He’s the personification of raw power
meeting absolute precision.
Sepultura recently released their fifteenth studio album, Quadra, and will be
spending the next two years touring behind it. The recording was produced by Jens
Bogren (Opeth, Devin Townsend, At the Gates, Between the Buried and Me), and
Casagrande delivers his most ferocious drumming to date, pushing himself to the
physical limit while executing envy-inducing grooves chock-full of melodic sensibility
and polyrhythmic wizardry.
We caught up with Casagrande in the months leading up to the album’s release, a
time he covets for being able to practice in his studio every day and teach clinics and
master classes during which he gets to connect with his fans. If his playing doesn’t say
it for him clearly enough, Casagrande is an intense and passionate man with a hunger
for creative artistic expression. His goal is to continually push himself to seamlessly
Story by Ken Micallef
translate that energy into his performances. All the while he never loses sight of the
creative expression of playing music with other people—and sharing that gift with
Photos by John Fell
audiences to create a memorable experience for all.

50 Modern Drummer April 2020

April 2020 Modern Drummer 51
 MD: Your playing is extremely physical and explosive, yet tasteful the listener engaged. Was the entire band in the room hashing these
and dynamic. Do you practice playing softly with intensity? songs out?
Eloy: My biggest problem in life is trying to play soft! [laughs] I Eloy: Actually, no. Andreas Kisser and I wrote all the music together,
started playing drums learning Brazilian rhythms. Sambas and bossa and then Derrick Green added the lyrics and the melodies. Derrick
novas are played softly. I continue to struggle with playing quietly. lives in L.A. and we live in São Paulo. Andreas and I started writing
When I’m doing drum clinics or master classes, it’s really hard for me the album at the end of last year, and we began by sending each
to play an example of an exercise quietly, but I try! To have a good other ideas. I’d send him some grooves and he’d send me some riffs,
sound on the drums while playing soft is difficult; you have to have so when we got together and started rehearsing we had some place
the right touch. I don’t consider myself a good drummer in terms of to start. It was a really easy album to write because we had a lot to
playing with soft intensity. I’m more about giving a hundred percent. say musically. We weren’t thinking about the past catalog or what
MD: Before we dive deep into the new album, how did you go from types of songs we wanted to write, we just started creating music in
playing sambas and bossa novas to getting into heavier music? the moment, for the moment.
Eloy: When I was eight and just started playing, my first drum MD: Your drum sounds on this record are unusual compared to
teacher only played Brazilian music. My dad gave me four albums: others on the current metal scene. They’re organic and sound more
Deep Purple’s Made in Japan, Van Halen’s 1984, Led Zeppelin IV, and like a percussion section.
AC/DC’s Back in Black. That was my introduction to rock music. Eloy: There are no samples on this record. I had to play all those
But it wasn’t until I was thirteen that I discovered metal bands like parts. It was one of the most difficult recordings of my life. Jens
Metallica, Iron Maiden, and Slayer. My interpretation of metal was Bogren was constantly pushing me and asking so much of me and
that it was strong music, so I felt like I had to play it with power and being so evil. [laughs] He was picky with everything I was playing.
play it loud. That’s something that’s just natural for me, and it creates He was equally concerned with how the drums sounded, and he
energy between the band and the crowd. They give the energy back didn’t want to add samples on the drums, so I had to really nail the
to you, so it’s an adrenaline cycle performances and get the best and
that never stops during the show.
MD: Other than the drums, it looks “I was probably playing harder and more intensely most consistent sound out of the
drums on every performance.
like you hit the gym pretty regularly Jens respected that I had more
as well. Do you work on any during this recording process than I even do live, percussive sounds in how I tuned
drumming-specific muscle groups my drums and instead of using
when you work out? because I wanted all that energy to translate.” three toms with similar tunings, I
Eloy: When I was seventeen or [swapped in] a smaller rack tom
eighteen I started getting inflammation in my tendons, so I started without a bottom head and tuned it high, almost like a timbale. That
going to the gym for the purpose of getting stronger to avoid those actually changed how I had to think about my fills and my parts,
pains. When I’m working out, I don’t think about the drums. I try to because my rack tom is now a new instrument. That took some
take care of my body so that when I’m playing I can give a hundred thinking and adapting with how I approached what I played. I had to
percent of myself. find new vocabulary when writing my parts because I couldn’t just
MD: What’s your approach to playing live shows versus how you play these fast tom fills that I used to do.
play in the studio? MD: With your current touring setup, did you also have to change
Eloy: A lot of metal musicians feel that they have to follow these how you’re approaching older songs?
“rules.” They also think that the fans also have these rules, where Eloy: Yes! I use two floor toms, but one on either side of me. Some
what makes a good musician is someone who is able to reproduce of the older songs with fast tom fills are too fast to play between
or deliver exactly the same show every night. But to me that’s just the two floors, so I have to use the 12" rack tom. It sounds really
BS! I want to be different every day. I get tired of playing the same different, and I like that.
thing. I actually want to forget what I played yesterday and be a new MD: The song “Means to an End” is relentless in terms of the
musician today. drumming. When you have the capacity to technically play whatever
MD: Quadra definitely sounds like a record where the music and you want in a genre in which playing a lot of notes is encouraged,
drums are interconnected and the parts are dependent on each when do you know when to go for it and when to lay back and allow
other. It’s an unpredictable record, with twists and turns that keep sections to breathe?
Eloy: “Means to an End” is more of a
groovy Sepultura song, but it’s also
a pretty intense song. When I was
trying to record that in the studio, I
was dying. It’s not that it’s a fast or
thrash metal song, but if you don’t
play the parts of that song with high
intensity it loses the groove, and
the entire point of that song is the
groove. On some songs I do like to
give more than I do on others. The
last two songs on the album, “Agony
of Defeat” and “Fear, Pain, Chaos,
Suffering,” are more like “ballads”—at
least ballads for Sepultura, meaning
slower songs. I tend to hold off a little

52 Modern Drummer April 2020

more on songs like that to give the vocals and guitar solos more opposite. He likes to live in and respect the moment, and if you’re
space. crying or screaming or dying, that is better than how it sounds. I
MD: You’ll often hear drummers say how in the studio they play love that approach, but on the other side you do sacrifice the sound.
completely differently from how they do live, in order to get the Jens pushed me to the limit to get both the best sound and the best
best sound out of the drums. They’ll play softer or avoid playing performance. He had no problem telling me if he felt that my energy
rim shots. Something tells me that’s not at all how you approach or my sound wasn’t consistent.
recording. MD: Are you tracking to a click?
Eloy: No. I was probably playing harder and more intensely during Eloy: I tracked to a click with Andreas playing along with me. We did
this recording process than I even do live, because I wanted all that five or six takes for each song, and then did one take without the
energy to translate. Each take I was playing, we had to stop and metronome.
retune the drums. After almost every five minutes of playing, we MD: Are the takes that made the record the ones with or without
had to stop and retune. I respect that Jens stopped when he heard the click?
the tuning of the drums changing,
because the end result sounds
incredible. Though sometimes when
I’m warmed up and ready to go, I
Casagrande’s Setup
don’t want to stop. I would discuss Drums: Tama Starclassic Bubinga Heads: Evans coated Genera HD Dry snare
• 5.5x14 metal snare batter and UV1 resonant, clear G2 tom batters
that with Jens and say, “If you don’t • 8x10 tom and Hazy 300 resonants, clear EQ4 bass drum
stop me it’s going to help me give • 10x12 tom (without bottom head) batter with AF patch
a better performance. I understand • 14x16 floor tom
you might lose a little bit of tuning • 16x18 floor tom Sticks: Promark classic 5B wood-tip
• 16x22 bass drum
consistency, but I’d rather have a
Hardware: Tama Iron Cobra Power Glide
good performance.” Jens is a very Cymbals: Paiste double pedal, Iron Cobra hi-hat stand, Roadpro
methodical producer, so I also • 20" 2002 Wild crash stands for all cymbals and snare drum
understand his logic. We struck a • 15" Formula 602 Modern Essentials hi-hat
good balance, and he was really • 19" Formula 602 Modern Essentials crash Electronics: Yamaha DTX drums and EAD10
• 12" Rude Shred Bell stacked on top of 14" Electronic Acoustic Drum Module
respectful of how I played. Rude Blast China
MD: In the studio artists and • 14" PST X Swiss Flanger Stack In-ear monitors: Clear Tune AS-7
producers can sometimes disagree • 20" Formula 602 Modern Essentials crash
on what defines a “perfect” take. • 14" Formula 602 Modern Essentials hi-hat Cases: Bombags
• 20" Formula 602 Modern Essentials ride
Eloy: We recorded in the past with
• 20" 2002 Novo China Cables: Data Link
Ross Robinson, and he’s totally the

April 2020 Modern Drummer 53

 Eloy: I don’t know. That was up to Jens. For
some of the faster songs we actually divided
“Sometimes I feel I put myself at risk when I play live, because I don’t like to
them in half, recording the first part and
then the second part so I could keep my
play the same fills every night. If I had to play identically every time, I would
energy at the highest level. I was playing so
hard that I had trouble keeping my energy end up in a deep depression.”
at the same level. It’s kind of shitty to admit
that for some of the faster songs I needed to the emotion accurately. When it comes to But on most of them I don’t use a click. The
stop halfway through in order to maintain live shows and your desire to stay in the fun part of playing live is that every night the
my power. moment, do you tend to use a click to start show is different, and that’s a good thing.
MD: Well, the recording is permanent, so songs, so that your adrenaline doesn’t get MD: Do you record your shows to listen back
it doesn’t sound like an inability to play the best of you? to them?
the part that you were struggling with as Eloy: I use the click for three or four songs, Eloy: Sometimes I do, and most of the time
much as wanting to put as much energy especially if the songs have some form of I don’t like what I hear. [laughs] Because
as possible into each take so it translated overdubs or sequences like violins or choirs. sometimes you’re feeding off the energy of
a certain crowd, and so the band plays faster
and it makes sense in the moment. But when
“I have 2 requirements for drum cases: an easy I listen back afterwards, then I start being
critical of myself.
fit to minimize set up and breakdown time, and MD: So listening back to shows is more
protection. I recently flew with my entire kit about finding a balance of wanting to
critique yourself in order to improve, but
from the USA to Australia. Shock absorption? also not playing so conservatively that you’re
depriving your audience of the energy and
Not a problem. Need I say more?” passion you put into your performance?
– VIRGIL DONATI Eloy: Right. I really respect the moment, and
I’m good with giving myself some forgiveness
when I listen back to the show. I put it into
perspective and think about how the show
itself was. Sometimes I feel I put myself at
risk when I play live, because I also don’t like
to play the same fills every night. I’m always
challenging myself. I’m playing the same
song 120 times a year, and if I had to play it
identically every time I would hate myself.
It’s so boring for me, and I think I would end
up in a deep depression. I challenge myself
and try to make the best experience for
the audience. The most important thing to
do when playing live is to not think. All the
thoughts I have about the show are before I
get to the stage. Once I’m at my drums, I just
want to live in the moment and be present
and enjoy the music.
MD: As an educator, when you’re planning
your clinics, do you go into them with a
specific point you want the audience to walk
away with?
Eloy: Today, with Instagram and YouTube,
where it’s all about likes and followers and
comments, I believe this generation is
growing up with the wrong idea about what
it means to play music. It’s really sad that
kids are playing music by themselves in their
rooms. They don’t have the artistic vision.
What inspires you on your instrument can
come from outside of music. It can come
from art, books, movies, or culture. I try my
best to explain that you don’t have to follow
WWW.AHEADARMORCASES.COM | 818.727.1127 the rules. You have to go beyond and push
yourself to have an artistic voice on your
instrument.

54 Modern Drummer April 2020

 “Amazing Rock Drum Set history in one
book now for the world to see. Sit back
and enjoy!”- Carl Palmer

Available at Amazon.com
Learn more at www.frangionimedia.com|@FrangioniMedia

in collaboration with insighteditions.com

April 2020 Modern Drummer 55
 10 Reasons to Love
Jimmy Cobb
In the pantheon of late-1950s master jazz drummers, Philly Joe Jones had
by Ken Micallef

rudimental brilliance; Art Taylor an immaculate sense of time-feel burn; Elvin

Jones, combustible triplet ferociousness; Roy Haynes, intellectual brilliance;
and Shelly Manne, musical inventiveness. But when it came to pure, solid
swing feel as deep and wide as the ocean, no one matched Jimmy Cobb.

M iles Davis’s drummer of

choice on the iconic Kind
of Blue album, Jimmy Cobb also
Art Pepper, and Pepper Adams.
The soul survivor (and we
do mean “soul”) of 1959’s Kind
Washington and Lewis Nash to
Jeff Hamilton and Bill Stewart.
Cobb simply knows how to make
recorded the Miles classics Jazz at of Blue sessions, Cobb has also a tune feel good, his powerful
the Plaza, Porgy and Bess, Sketches recorded eighteen albums as a brush work and wide swinging
of Spain, and six others. In fact, leader, including 2019’s This I Dig ride-cymbal beat the very
Cobb is one of the most recorded of You and Remembering U. essence of jazz time-keeping.
drummers of the classic-jazz Now, as then, Cobb’s time We sat with the legend to
era, including albums with mastery is a thing of beauty, discuss some of his most iconic
Cannonball and Nat Adderley, a large, swinging groove recordings, including tracks from
John Coltrane, Wynton Kelly, Wes pendulum that has influenced his two recently released albums
Montgomery, Bobby Timmons, everyone from Kenny as a leader.

“Pistachio,” Jimmy Cobb,

Remembering U (2019)
Opening with a reverse toms–to–snare fill, “Pistachio” courses a
breezy line between Brazilian and Afro-Cuban rhythms, a reminder
of the era when drummers were expected to cover drumset and
percussion rhythms all at once. “That’s a kind of a mambo,” Cobb
says. “My interpretation of Afro-Cuban rhythms was influenced by
the drummers I came up with, guys like Kenny Clarke, Max Roach,
Roy Haynes, Buddy Rich, Gene Krupa, and Shelly Manne.”

“Composition 101,” Jimmy Cobb,

Remembering U
Here, Cobb performs Afro-Cuban punctuations within a straight-
ahead swinging time feel until he hits the solo sections, clearing
the way for pure swing-feel beauty with his typically massive ride
cymbal beat. “It’s a little bit Afro-Cuban and swing feeling up to the
solos,” he explains. “When I came up, a lot of that was going on. I
inherited it. The right hand is doing a rhythm on the cymbal, and
the left is hitting accents on the snare drum. ‘Composition 101’ is
my composition.”

56 Modern Drummer April 2020

“Willow Weep for Me,” Jimmy Cobb,
Remembering U
Slow tempos that aren’t necessarily ballads were once common in
jazz, but have all but disappeared. “Willow Weep for Me” inches it
way forward, with accompaniment by late trumpeter Roy Hargrove.
“When I was first coming up, it was all about playing slow tempos,”
says Cobb. “The older guys who played slow tempos would say,
‘Make sure you keep the tempo, and make sure it’s swinging.’ You
either have a feeling for it or you have to learn it. We didn’t practice
tempos with a metronome, because at that time metronomes
didn’t keep good time. We’d try to stay away from metronomic time
as much as possible. Think in 16ths or, a slow three, or whatever it
takes to get you there. Art Blakey and Max Roach could play really
slow tempos.”

“Cheese Cake,” Jimmy Cobb,

This I Dig of You (2019)
A tumbling mini drum solo introduces the song, followed by Cobb’s
punchy time accompanying his quartet’s springboard performance.
It’s classic Cobb, from popping snare drum accents to a resonant
ride cymbal conveying a Mercedes-classy time feel. Cobb trades
fours with the group at midpoint, then plays a full solo featuring
drumset blasts impressive for a man who recently celebrated his
ninetieth birthday.

“Full House,” Jimmy Cobb, This I Dig of You

Playing an Afro-Cuban beat—right hand percolating on the snare
drum rim, left executing tom accents—Cobb revisits the renowned
Wes Montgomery original he first recorded with the guitar master
on the 1962 album of the same name. “The first time I really played
Afro-Cuban was with Wes Montgomery,” says Cobb. “I met Wes the
day after I left Miles Davis’s band. We recorded Boss Guitar that day
[in 1962]. He wrote a little form for me to follow to go with what he
was playing on ‘Full House.’ But it’s in 3/4.”

“Old Devil Moon,” Jimmy Cobb,

The Original Mob (2015)
On this bubbling Afro-Cuban groove played with the snares off,
Cobb’s timbale-like jabs and pops underpin his immense ride
cymbal pulse. “Back in the old days,” he recalls, “I had an 18" cymbal
and 13" hi-hats on the left side, and a 20" A or K Zildjian ride on the
right. I place the stick bead a quarter way up to the middle of the
cymbal, according to the sound I want. I play near the bell if I’m
playing with the bass drum, or with a bass solo. To play straight four
on the ride cymbal with no accent, you have to concentrate. If you
want it to sound like four you have to play it like four.”

“Lickety Split,” Jimmy Cobb,

The Original Mob
Cobb can still play blisteringly fast tempos, as heard here. “You get
to a place where you can handle the fast tempos,” he says. “You
do whatever you think is needed to handle that tempo through a
whole tune. Sometimes I kind of make it a dance, like Roy Haynes
does. Instead of playing just straight time, make it dance.”

“So What,” Miles Davis, Kind of Blue (1959)

On this, one of the most popular of all jazz standards, the musicians
state the melody, then at the precise moment Miles’ trumpet solo

April 2020 Modern Drummer 57

 begins, Cobb wallops a crash cymbal, says. “[But] Paul had something
opening the way for the solos that extra, a gift. The Lord gives
follow. “That was a mistake!” Jimmy something extra to some people;
reveals. “I hit it and I thought it was too they don’t even have to try. He
much for the room. The engineer let had perfect time.
it ring but lowered the volume in the “I worked at trying to stay in the
booth. Everybody asks me about that. pocket,” Cobb says. “I just listened
Miles liked it. Sometimes Miles would to people that I liked doing it,
ask me to play a note on the snare drum keeping time, and tried to emulate
on 2 or 4 on certain tunes, otherwise he that. Kenny Clarke had it—and
let me do my thing.” some guys I met on the road, even
rock ’n’ roll drummers who had a
good beat.”
“Straight, No Chaser,”
the Miles Davis Sextet, “Oleo,” the Miles
Jazz at the Plaza (1958) Davis Sextet,
Another great jazz standard, composed
by Thelonious Monk, this live version Jazz at the Plaza
of “Straight, No Chaser” recorded at Sonny Rollins’ composition is
New York City’s Plaza Hotel is like a given a dry, torrid treatment here,
white-hot bolt of liquid lightning. Miles’ the rhythm section playing with
finger snaps count in the tune, followed by him, John Coltrane, and searing drive and purpose. The beginning of each solo is marked by
Cannonball Adderley reciting the melody in unison. Miles’ solo takes a sparse approach: Chambers walking bass line and Cobb’s simple
off, supported by one of the greatest rhythm sections in jazz history: accent of 1 and 3 on the hi-hat, before he joins Chambers in attacking
Cobb, pianist Bill Evans, and bassist Paul Chambers. Chambers and the tempo. “I’m playing 1 and 3 on the hi-hat ’til it gets to the middle,”
Cobb maintain a relentless, high-flying tempo throughout, giving each says Cobb, “then I play time. I’d heard Philly Joe do that.”
solo a wide flight path.
We took the opportunity to ask Cobb how Chambers compares to Jimmy Cobb plays Pearl drums and Zildjian cymbals and uses
another master Miles Davis group bassist, Ron Carter. “Ron was trying Remo heads and Vater signature sticks and brushes.
to feel the time where Paul was feeling it—most bass players are,” he

58 Modern Drummer April 2020

Exclusive offer for
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 In the Studio with
Nashville Veteran
Tommy
Harden

Story and photos by Sayre Berman

60 Modern Drummer April 2020

W hen Tommy Harden moved to
Nashville in 1991, he hit the ground
running. “I was a newlywed, and my wife,
years, I did around 500 a year. That was
about as much work as I was physically
able to do.
Lorrie, and I had to decide where to go “Songwriters, producers, engineers,
to best further our musical careers,” he other players…we all talk to each other,”
says. “L.A. and New York were the hip, cool Harden continues. “If you’re hard to work
places, but Nashville not only had a lower with, you’ll wash out quickly. I tell young
cost of living, but it also was known for players that it’s 50 percent ability and
full-band tracking.” Harden’s goal was to 50 percent the hang. You have to bring
be a studio player, but after four months something to the table, musically, but it’s a
in town he got a touring gig with Larry team effort. Everyone wins when the song
Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers. “I had no turns out fantastic.”
audition, but because I was recommended What does Harden attribute his session
by [legendary session drummer] Eddie success to? “My drumming awareness
Bayers, that was all it took,” says Tommy. “I changed when I started writing songs,”
owe so much to him.” he says. “Having my own home studio
After several years with the Gatlin allowed me the luxury of crafting songs
Brothers, Harden went on a three-year and playing on my own demos. I’d play a
stint with country legend Ricky Skaggs. flashy fill, then play it back and wonder
“He has such a high level of musicianship, why I did that, because it was taking away
and he demands the same from his from the song. That was an important
players,” explains Harden. “It was quite an lesson and taught me to always serve the
honor to be in his band.” song.
Once Harden and his wife started “Another thing that taught me how to
having children, the drummer began be a better player was to become the lead
pursuing session work so that he could singer with my own band, Lost Hollow.
be home more often. “It took about two When I’m standing in front of a band
and a half years of really slugging it out playing guitar and singing, I’m expecting
until things finally clicked,” he says. “Then certain things from the drummer. This
about three years in I get a call from a has taught me what not to do when I’m
friend who asked if I wanted to go out with the drummer. As a lead singer, I want
Reba McEntire for a summer tour. I initially someone on drums who will push but at
declined. My buddy pressed on, and I the same time hold me back. Additionally,
eventually agreed.” Little did he know that a drummer should be able to play at a
what was initially a six-week tour would [lower] volume yet maintain the intensity.
turn into a fourteen-year career with the A common mistake with drummers is to
singer. “Keep in mind, this was happening equate intensity with playing loudly. I’ve
after my session work had taken off,” heard some drummers play brushes at a
Harden says. “I would get on a tour bus, go whisper volume but at such intensity that
play an arena, get back home, and drive people in the audience were holding their
straight to a studio for a session. It’s really a breath.”
dream life. Now I’m playing with Alabama Harden didn’t have a home studio
and doing pretty much the same routine.” until he built the house he’s in now. “We
Breaking into the session world is built this home in 1999,” he says. “I asked
difficult, particularly in Nashville. “Folks the contractor to make the basement
need to know that you can come in and ceilings higher than typical. My friend
get the job done expeditiously because Mark Bernstein, who’s a great engineer
there’s a lot of money being spent on a and carpenter in Virginia, stayed with me
recording,” Tommy says. “Of course, the for a couple of months to help finish out
only way you can show that you have what the space. I wanted a really aggressive-
it takes is by doing it. But if they don’t see sounding drum room, so we left the
you, they won’t call you. You have to get cement floors as they were and put some
one or two studios to take a chance on stone on the walls.
you just to get your face in the game. Then “I’m often asked whether my tracks
people start talking about you, and then were cut at Ocean Way, a legendary studio
doors start to open. I started out getting on Music Row,” says Harden. “The folks who
two or three sessions a week, then I’d get subscribe to my YouTube channel think
spurts of momentum, and then it would I’m in a giant room, but it isn’t at all. The
stop. I remember the week it finally started cement floors are a big part of that, but
to click. It was in July 1998. One week I we also took the ceiling down at one end,
had twelve sessions. For the next fourteen which effectively compresses the sounds.

April 2020 Modern Drummer 61

 ”The day after we finished And that’s nothing. There are
the room, I had folks coming guys who’ve been doing this way
to cut drum tracks—I was longer than I have!”
nervous. As a test, I brought As for managing the pace of
in a throne, a kick drum, and the sessions at his studio, Tommy
a pedal. I shut the doors, often takes care of writing out the
sat down, hit the kick, and charts for the other musicians. “I
thought: Oh my gosh, we did it! chart so that the other musicians
That was the kick drum sound will be able to read the song
I’d been hearing in my head. correctly the first time around,” he
The room paid for itself in the says. “I also number each line so
first six months. that when they’re punching in it’s
“I’ve done somewhere in easy to get to a particular spot.
the neighborhood of 7,000 to These are all timesaving tricks. We
10,000 sessions,” Harden recalls. work wickedly fast. That’s what
“If you figure that a master the Nashville session scene is all
session is one to two songs about.”
and a demo is usually five With six kids, Harden says he’s
songs, that’s somewhere in the learned how to make do with the
neighborhood of 35,000 songs. gear he had. “I would love to have
a pair of Coles ribbon mics,” he says. “But the family has to eat! I have
sE 3500 mics on the toms, and they’re great. I have clients all over
Gear Box the world tell me that my toms are some of the best they’ve ever
Drumsets: Yamaha Absolute Maple (home studio) with a 16x24 bass heard. It’s really all about what you do with what you have. First and
drum and 10", 12", and 14" toms; Yamaha Absolute Birch (in cartage foremost, I wanted a great-sounding room. When you get a great
for outside sessions) with an 18x24 bass drum, and 12", 14", and 16" drumkit in a great room, it’s yours to mess up. Just put in the best
toms
mics you can afford.”
Snares: 5x14 Joyful Noise chrome over brass, 4x15 Beier steel, Another part of the equation, of course, is knowing how to hit the
6.5x14 Pork Pie black nickel over brass, 5x14 1923 Ludwig Standard drums. “You’re not sitting behind one instrument,” Harden suggests,
nickel over brass, 1952 Slingerland Radio King, 5x14 1960s Rogers “you’re sitting behind nine to twelve instruments. So you’re going
Powertone chrome-over-brass, 5x14 1960s Slingerland chrome over to hit the ride differently from the snare and the toms. My drum
brass, 7x14 Noble and Cooley, 5x14 Yamaha John Robinson with teacher Jim DeLong would tell me to pull the tone out of the
wood hoops, 6.5x14 1983 Yamaha Recording Custom birch, 5.5x14
toms. That can make all the difference in the world. As a recording
Yamaha Paul Leim chrome over brass, and a 6.5x14 Yamaha Paul
Leim chrome over brass drummer, you must learn how to play consistently, to make the
kick sound great, and to not play the hi-hats too loudly. If you do,
Sticks: Vic Firth 5B they’ll bleed into every mic, which will make the mix engineer’s life
difficult. That engineer will talk to the producer, and then you won’t
Drumheads: Remo Emperors be called again.”

62 Modern Drummer April 2020

April 2020 Modern Drummer 63
 BASICS

“Rhythm Basics” Expanded

Part 2: How to Build Drumset Vocabulary Based on Simple Patterns
by Andy Shoniker

T his is the second lesson in a three-part series that is to be used

in conjunction with the Rhythm Basics educational pack we
produced for the SYNKD customizable rhythm sequencer app,
which is available for iOS devices. This app allows you to create
and edit chains of rhythms comprising subdivisions from quarter
notes to 32nd notes in any time signature, from 1/4 to 21/16. The
Rhythm Basics pack contains nearly 600 fundamental patterns
covering every note position of quarter notes, 8th notes, triplets,
and 16th notes. This first article showed you several ways in which
Rhythm Basics can be expanded to develop more advanced hand
technique. Here we’re going to use the basic rhythms from the pack
to build facility and vocabulary on the drumset.
Exercise 1 outlines the phrase from Rhythm Basics (Rhythm
Chain 16.15) as accents within 16th notes.

In Exercise 8 we’re playing the rhythm chain with the bass drum
beneath a basic 8th-note backbeat groove.
In Exercise 2, simply move the accents to the toms. The right
hand plays the floor tom while the left hand plays the rack tom. (For
all you lefties out there, simply reverse the sticking.)

Exercise 9 is a variation with some ghost notes added on the

snare.

In Exercise 3, we move the right hand from the floor tom to the
ride cymbal and bass drum.

Exercise 10 is a four-bar pattern. The bass drum notated on the

downbeat of bar 1 is optional. Notice how the measures of groove
connect smoothly with the fill in bar 4.

Exercises 4 is a combination of Exercises 2 and 3. Notice the

melodic flow between the various sound sources.

Exercises 5–7 incorporate some 32nd-note fill-ins. These types of

figures create some very cool density. Andy Shoniker is a member of the New York/Paris–
based trio SOTL. He is also the creator of the
SYNKD app for iOS. For more information, visit
www.andyshoniker.com, www.sotl-theband.com,
and www.synkdapp.com.

64 Modern Drummer April 2020

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 ROCK ’N’ JAZZ CLINIC

Percussion Playing for Drummers

Part 1: Congas, Bongos, and Timbales
by Damon Grant and Marcos Torres

A s a working drummer, it’s likely that you’re going to be asked

to play some hand percussion instruments at some point. This
could range from overdubbing a simple 16th-note shaker part to
Next up is the a caballo (translated as “on horseback”). This groove
is similar to a traditional merengue pattern. The a caballo works well
in dance-hall reggae or reggaeton tunes. You can hear it in action on
pulling off more idiosyncratic patterns for congas or timbales. While “Dile” by Don Omar.
you don’t have to spend years of practice time to become a master
percussionist, you should be able to cover some basic grooves. Also,
as a drumset player, knowing the percussion parts for a particular
style or song can help you better understand the music as a whole.
That way you don’t step on the percussionist’s toes. You’ll also more
easily draw on the melodies and rhythms of the percussion parts The fourth pattern you should know on congas is the calypso.
when there’s not someone else playing alongside you. You can hear Ralph MacDonald play this open-toned groove on
This miniseries is broken into two parts. In Part 1 we’re covering the classic Grover Washington Jr. song “Just the Two of Us,” which
the big stuff: congas, bongos, and timbales. Part 2 will address features legendary R&B singer Bill Withers.
handheld instruments like shakers, tambourines, bells, and blocks. The verse part is this:
All of the grooves we’ve included are general suggestions and
should be adjusted based on the requirements of your particular
situation. Remember that serving the song is paramount.

Congas
When playing congas in pop music, you can get away with knowing The chorus part is this:
just a handful of grooves. The most universal pattern is derived from
the Latin tumbao. A pop song that utilizes this groove is “Smooth” by
Santana. (O = open tone, P = palm, T = tips, S = slap, M = muted tone)
The verse part is played as follows.

Bongos
A bongo pattern that works well in most situations is the martillo
(or “hammer”). While it’s commonplace for the bongo player to
elaborate on the martillo with a fair amount of improvisation, you
The chorus part, which utilizes three drums, is played like the should be able to play a simple version of it. This figure can be
following. played with sticks or hands. The martillo was featured in the theme
song to the hit television show I Love Lucy, and you can hear it at the
beginning of “Black Magic Woman” by Santana. (O = open tone, T =
fingertips, TH = thumb)

A more melodic version of this pattern is featured in “Do It Again”

by Steely Dan.

The song “Apache,” by the Incredible Bongo Band, starts with a

soul tumbao pattern played on bongos.

Tumbao grooves can also be interpreted with swung 8th notes,

like in “Build Me Up Buttercup” by the Foundations.
Our next conga groove is often called the “soul tumbao.” In this After the classic drum break at 1:46—famously sampled by the
pattern, the open tones mimic a kick drum, and the slaps mimic Sugar Hill Gang on “Apache (Jump on It)”—the bongos switch to an
a snare. You can hear the soul tumbao on “Inner City Blues” by improvisatory version of the martillo.
Marvin Gaye.

66 Modern Drummer April 2020

Timbales Another figure used often in pop music is the plena bell pattern.
The timbalero in a traditional Latin band is responsible for playing a You can hear this rhythm, with some embellishments, in the Robin
variety of syncopated rhythms on cowbells, blocks, and the sides of Thicke hit “Blurred Lines.”
the drums. These patterns can be executed on the drumset by adding
one or two cowbells to your kit.
The basic cascara pattern that’s normally played on the shell of the
timbales can also be played on a mambo bell while striking the heads
of the drums on beat 4 of each measure (when notated in cut time).
You can hear this pattern in the song “Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Be sure to visit moderndrummer.com to check out our video
Queen” by Santana. Example 12 shows this pattern notated in 4/4, demos of each of these grooves. In Part 2 we’ll cover some
while Example 13 is in cut time. additional bell patterns, as well as common rhythms for shakers and
tambourines.

A slower version appears in “Got to Give It Up” by Marvin Gaye.

Marcos Torres and Damon Grant are the hosts of the “Discussions
in Percussion” podcast. A graduate of Berklee College of Music,
Torres won a Grammy in 2014 for his work with the Pacific Mambo
Orchestra. Grant has performed with Charlie Hunter, Morgan James,
Horacio Hernandez, and Stefon Harris, and he leads his own group,
the Damon Grant Project. Damon was an original cast member of the
Emmy and Tony award–winning show Blast!, and he currently teaches
at his alma mater, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

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April 2020 Modern Drummer 67
 STRICTLY TECHNIQUE

The Ancient European Rudimental Codex

Part 4: The Inverted Flam Tap and Flam Accent
by Claus Hessler

W elcome to the fourth and final column of this series that focuses on a collection of rudiments from the ancient
European legacy of drumming. I hope the input on the authentic double drag interpretation from last month helped
clarify your perception of that old rudiment. The grid of quintuplets, with an open interpretation of the double strokes
inside the phrase, can be an eye-opener.
This time we’re looking at two more Swiss/French patterns: the inverted flam tap (“doublé” or “coup anglais”) and the
flam accent (“batafla”). The inverted flam tap is widespread in traditional Swiss rudimental/Basel drumming, but in most
traditional American texts (Wilcoxon, Pratt, etc.) it’s hard to find. When interpreting the inverted flam tap, utilize some
Basel swing, which has an almost quintuplet-like feel.

The Inverted Flam Tap Notation

Interpretation

Practice Pointers
The following exercise teaches you some alternative variations of the inverted flam tap, while also presenting some
traditional applications borrowed from old-school Basel drumming pieces. Basically, play inverted flam taps all the way
through while adding accents at places indicated by the notation above the staff.
At first, just play the exercise as written, using straight 16th notes. Make sure to take care of the different dynamic
ranges for the flam. Some are accented, while others are not. Also, make sure the flams have consistent spacing from
stroke to stroke.
Once you master this exercise, apply any other basic reading materials, like Ted Reed’s Syncopation or Gary Chester’s New
Breed. You should also practice improvising your own phrases in the style of the exercise.
Once you’re fluent with the inverted flam tap with a straight feel, apply the Basel swing interpretation, as indicated below.

Interpretation Guide for the Inverted Flam Taps

68 Modern Drummer April 2020

 Similar concepts can be applied to the flam accent. A typical way of adding Basel swing to the flam accent follows a
slightly different organization of strokes on a quintuplet grid. In this case, the strokes fall on the first, second, and fourth
partials of the quintuplet.
Again, play flam accents all the way through while reading the slash notation as accents. The stickings should not change.
The flams stay in the same place but aren’t always accented. To make things a bit easier at first, you might want to start by
playing the exercise with a straight triplet interpretation.

A free download of the complete Rudimental Codex poster is available at https://www.percussion-creativ.de.

April 2020 Modern Drummer 69

 Alesis
Strike Pro Special Edition
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all-new dual-zone mesh heads for the snare and toms.
The 16" ride cymbal, 14" crash, and 14" movable hi-hat
are covered with a new thick rubber that creates an
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cymbals offer a large bell for enhanced playability. The
birch snare and tom shells come in standard acoustic
drum sizes, and the lugs are attached directly to the
shell. Additional features include a performance module
with a color LED screen, more than 1,800 drum and
percussion sounds, 136 kits, and 45,000 samples. List
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alesis.com

Tama
Sizzle Touch Hi-Hat Drop Clutch
This drop clutch’s variable setting controls the amount of sizzle
of the partially open sound. Setting the clutch to a more closed
position creates a tighter sound. The lever can be quickly
engaged or disengaged as needed. List price is $74.
tama.com

Innovative Percussion
Gretsch Drew Tucker
Black Copper Snares Signature Mallets
Available in 5x14 and 6.5x14 sizes, these new copper snares have a thin layer These 15.5" mallets, which feature rattan shafts
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combination of warmth and punch. A laser-engraved round-badge logo exposes to create a warm but clear tone. The synthetic
the copper underneath. Additional features include forty-two-strand wires, core provides an expressive sound throughout
45-degree bearing edges, die-cast hoops, and a Snap-In drum key holder. the entire range of the instrument.
gretschdrums.com innovativepercussion.com

70 Modern Drummer April 2020

 Repercussion Technologies
SpeakerHeads
Resonant Head Kit
SpeakerHeads augment a bass drum’s resonant
head with a speaker cone to project the sound more
effectively. Additional features include a removable
foam center cap that regulates the feel without
muting the sound and a specially designed outer
edge that’s tunable for more sonic options.
speakerheads.com

Schagerl
Gomezz Signature Snares
These 8x14 snare drums are offered with .8 mm
copper or .7 mm brass shells. Additional features
include a modified Trick multistep strainer, ten
single-contact solid-brass tube lugs, and antique-
brass metal hoops. Each drum includes a padded
velvet bag.
drums.schagerl.com

JBL Professional
One Series 104-BT Desktop
Reference Monitors
These reference monitors enable users to stream studio-quality audio via
Bluetooth or a standard wired connection. They feature a coaxial driver
that pairs a contoured low-frequency woofer with a soft-dome tweeter for
accurate frequency response, superior stereo imaging, and a wide sweet
spot. Available in white and black finishes, the JBL Professional One Series
lists for $179 a pair.
jblpro.com

April 2020 Modern Drummer 71

 JAZZ DRUMMER’S WORKSHOP
RETAILER PROFILE

Drumbite Music
Jerusalem, Israel
B eing a drum retailer anywhere in the world is
tough. But given the divergent religions and
political instability of the region, the challenges of
operating a drum shop on the border of East and
West Jerusalem are a bit more complex than average.
Assaf Kraus, a professional drummer and the
author of 101 Breaks (Alfred Music), opened Drumbite
in the heart of his native Jerusalem ten years ago
as a full-service music store that’s about 60 percent
focused on drums. The business has expanded since
he opened and now features lessons, a recording
studio, and a performance space, along with a
program that helps musicians market their skills
In addition to Drumbite’s strong customer base in Jerusalem, Monika Borzikova
and secure endorsements, run by Assaf’s wife, says that drummers and other musicians frequently travel from all over Israel to
Monika Borzikova. Monika took the time to share

“
visit the shop. “Customers are often from very northern or southern parts of Israel,
her thoughts on what goes into running a successful distances more than 300 km [a little under 200 miles], from Eilat or Golan Heights,
music retail business in the holy city of Jerusalem. etc. We do appreciate it, and if the customer asks us for special hours that are not
normal working hours, we are keen to provide them with this extra service.”

Running a music store in a city with so much diversity is at perspective. Our teachers do not involve their religious or any
once challenging and magical. We see the challenge in several other orientation in the classes. They are professionals who fully
aspects. The first is the availability of equipment that satisfies the adjust to the needs of a student. People are learning from each
East Jerusalem population, which is mostly Arabic culture. We’re other. Sometimes at the end of the day, you can see a good, quality
speaking about instruments like darbuka, djembe, and other Arabic friendship develop, discussing each point of view after the lessons
instruments. Western Jerusalem is more represented by Western while having a cup of coffee in our store.
culture, so you will find the same portfolio of products as in the U.S.
market. Another aspect is musical education. Lessons in our store There is a thriving community of drummers and bands in
need to be flexible to the needs of secular people and religious Jerusalem. They are our ambassadors, representing our store, school,
people of all beliefs. Our teachers need to be experienced with all and products all over Israel, not only in Jerusalem. In one day, you
those groups. will see artists endorsed through Drumbite doing amazing product
reviews in Hebrew for the Israeli market on social media, then on
What is beautiful about music is that this is an island of one a show in Tel Aviv backlined with equipment from Drumbite. At
language in the sea of different religions, political opinions, the same time another Drumbite artist is visiting Istanbul Mehmet
and cultural differences. Something about music always reduces cymbals, choosing his own line, and spending time with the local
stress from those issues. We hardly face difficulties from a religious crew, while a talented drum student shoots video of a lesson and

Drumbite opened its online store in 2018, but according to Monika Borzikova, most drum and cymbal sales happen in the physical store.
“Drums and cymbals need to be tested, need to be heard on the spot,” she says. “Customers want to come in, see, hear, compare, and choose
the best. Online sales are happening mostly with accessories, hardware, and other drum equipment.”

72 Modern Drummer April 2020

072_RETALER PROFILE APRIL 2020.indd 72 2/12/20 10:10 AM

 can be sometimes uneasy, but their philosophy
is totally different from ours, and we are not
trying to compete with them.

Importing gear from the U.S. and Taiwan is

much better for us than working with the
E.U. market or China. The U.S. dollar–to–Israeli
shekel exchange rate is still better than the Euro,
and shipping costs from the U.S. are sometimes
even cheaper than from the E.U. Over the years
we’ve established many brand and distributor
relationships in the U.S., and it’s really a strong
part of our importing. Over the last year, Taiwan-
based companies have proved that quality and
accuracy are what matter to them, and we do
not mind that goods imported from Taiwan are
a bit more expensive than Chinese products. We
know we have reliable and trustworthy partners
there, which does not always happen with
Chinese imports.

streams it live in high quality all around the We definitely have big sellers. People here
Shopper’s Tip social networks, and then a nice band performs are inclined to Indian and Eastern music and
“Choose a sound, not a brand,” in our store at night. These people are our instruments, and loads of different percussion.
says Monika Borzikova. “Try treasure. That’s a big part of our sales. Istanbul Agop,
to listen for the best sounds, Istanbul Mehmet, and Zildjian are the dominant
and choose whatever you cymbal brands on the Israeli market. Regarding
In general, it is not difficult to import product.
like. Switch between brands drums, the leading brands are still Yamaha,
Most of the challenges involve shipments,
or combine your equipment.
customs clearances, and pricing the products Gretsch, and Pearl. And I would say that we have

”
It is absolutely okay to have
so that you are comparable to the international really influenced the Israeli market with Premier
Zildijan, Istanbul Mehmet, and
market, especially online. In these days of drums.
Sabian in your cymbal setup
and Gretsch and Premier drums Amazon, Alibaba, eBay, [German-based music
in the same kit.” retailer] Thomann, and other big online sellers, it Interview by Patrick Berkery

April 2020 Modern Drummer 73

 SHOWCASE

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WEB
MODERNDRUMMER.COM

74 Modern Drummer April 2020

 the MD Deluxe Stick Bag

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DRUM MARKET For information on how to advertise in Drum Market, please contact
LaShanda Gibson at 973-239-4140 x102 or [email protected].
INSTRUCTION
NYC Drummers: Study with John Sarracco, one of the most Peter Greco Drum Studio “A Serious Studio for the Serious Student”
knowledgeable pros in the NY area. Accepting only the serious- PeterGreco.com (516) 241-9260 Long Island, NY.
minded for drum instruction the professional way. Staten Island
studio locations. 718-351-4031. MISCELLANEOUS
N.A.R.D. Is Back! The National Association of Rudimental Drummers.
Baltimore-Washington: Grant Menefee’s studio of drumming. B.M. Approved by Ludwig. www.nard.us.com.
Berklee College of Music. All styles and levels. Tel: 410-747-STIX.
VINTAGE SHOWCASE
Jeff Indyke now seeking ambitious students. Visit youtube.com/ Ludwig, Rogers, Slingerland, Leedy & Gretsch books by Rob Cook,
Jeff Indyke drums or jeffindyke.com. 516-263-9782. Drumline producer of the Chicago Drum Show & publisher of drummer
516-781-TAPS. biographies. Rebeats 989-463-4757. [email protected],
www.rebeats.com.
If you teach drums, and have not been contacted by Joel Rothman,
please email him:[email protected] View his website: www.
joelrothman.com

April 2020 Modern Drummer 75

 CRITIQUE
RECORDINGS

Charles Lloyd Quartet

Montreux Jazz Festival 1967 Live
JACK DEJOHNETTE at a career crossroads.
By the time master drummer Jack crossover audiences, becoming equally at maintaining astonishingly connected
DeJohnette joined the Charles Lloyd home playing international jazz festivals interplay and attention to form—a very
Quartet in 1966, he’d earned sporadic and sharing the bill with the Jefferson “in” approach to “out.” Especially intriguing
cred with notable jazz leaders. But it was Airplane at the Fillmore West. is the cat-and-mouse play between
his two-year stint with tenor saxophonist/ On this set’s twenty-seven-plus-minute DeJohnette and Jarrett during the pianist’s
flutist Lloyd that truly put him on the version of “Forest Flower,” DeJohnette solos. They’re young, fearless, and sure-
map. Lloyd granted his young sidemen— injects rock-energy backbeats adorned footed. That bond—already strongly
DeJohnette, pianist Keith Jarrett, and with untamed improvisation. During this evident here—would spawn a five-decade
bassist Ron McClure, recently replacing period, Miles Davis had been scoping association that continues today.
Cecil McBee—full freedom, and they out the rising drummer, and DeJohnette A drumming highlight is DeJohnette’s
soared with it. would later escalate that energy when must-hear extended solo on “Sweet
Recorded in fine fidelity by Swiss Miles recruited him to inherit Tony Georgia Bright.” His wildly creative
Radio, the two-disc set captures the style- Williams’s chair. The game-changing spotlight moment explores unorthodox
hybridizing quartet headlining the first outcome was Bitches Brew. drum and cymbal textures—eliciting
Montreux Jazz Festival at the height of While the quartet’s lyrical side is present audible glee from the audience—climaxed
their popularity—Lloyd’s Forest Flower here, the most captivating moments with a blazing tempest. An overdue and
was one of the best-selling jazz LPs of the are avant-garde excursions where the welcome addition to the DeJohnette
decade. In addition, the unit attracted rock quartet explores with open abandon while trophy shelf. (TCB) Jeff Potter

Antoine Fafard Borromean Odyssey

TODD SUCHERMAN’s chops and pocket add thrills to this fusion date.
Fans of Todd Sucherman get to hear him infuse live backbeats over seven in “The Seventh Extinction” drives
Styx music with excitement and precision playing, but the track with assurance, before ending with a quick
those looking for the drummer free of constraints will barrage of fill combos that are over way too soon. Check
find much to enjoy on a new fusion disc from guitarist/ out the lightning-fast singles and perfect flams during his
bassist Antoine Fafard. Along with Gary Husband on breaks in “Time Lapse” and his grooving sidestick comping
keyboards, the musicians are laying down so much under the bass solo in “Inspired Mechanics.” Classic rock
rhythmic information on this set of intricately arranged might pay the bills, but Sucherman’s developed voice on
instrumentals, it’s difficult to choose who to listen to. more note-centric material clearly inspires him—and gets
Sucherman’s combo of snare ghosting and delayed our blood flowing. (antoinefafard.com) Ilya Stemkovsky

76 Modern Drummer April 2020

 Play More
PROG
Progressive Drumming Essentials is an expanded collection
of articles originally written for Modern Drummer magazine.
The book progresses from the fundamentals of odd time signatures
all the way up to super-advanced concepts like implied metric
modulation and displaced polyrhythms. For the most
adventurous modern drummers out there, this is a must-have!

Order your copy now at www.moderndrummer.com April 2020 Modern Drummer 77

 Critique

TAKING THE REINS

Dor Herskovits Flying Elephants
Raised in Israel and based out of Boston, drummer and composer
The Israeli drummer and bandleader twists jazz Dor Herskovits takes listeners on an intentionally disorienting
into a variety of strange shapes. journey through various forms of jazz and rock on his quintet’s
latest release. Despite a tendency to return to Herskovits’s sizzling
swing work on the ride cymbal, many of the songs in this set take
detours through progressive rock (“Magenta”) and cinematic
score territory. On “Recursion,” Herskovits builds a satisfying
solo from the ground up by alternating triplet patterns around
different parts of the kit, including rims, bells, and a host of found
objects, all before leading the quintet back into a series of slick
jazz accents. While much of the material contains sections of pure
manic discovery, expertly drawn ballads like “New Fashioned” give
listeners plenty of space to catch their breath, while the title track
melds funky snare fills and reggae hi-hat stutters into an irresistible
half-time groove. (Endectomorph Music) Keaton Lamle
Rio Sakairi

Other Drummer-Leds to Check Out

Buddy Rich Just in Time: The Final Recording /// Sunny Jain Wild Wild East /// Aaron Dolman Nostalgia and Other
Fantasies /// Greg Essig Numb /// Barrett Martin Group Indwell /// Sebastiaan Cornelissen Bevel Around the Edges ///
Jae Sinnett’s Zero to 60 Quartet Just When You Thought… /// Ralph Peterson’s Gen-Next Big Band Listen Up!

78 Modern Drummer April 2020

April 2020 Modern Drummer 79
 Critique

TAKING THE REINS

Charles Rumback and Ryley Walker
Little Common Twist
Two veteran Midwestern musicians refract jazz
and indie rock into base elements on their second
instrumental LP.

Charles Rumback is a drummer who’s made the rounds

within Chicago’s improvisational jazz scene, while Ryley
Walker is best known for guitar-driven singer-songwriter
work that wanders into experimental jam territory in
live settings. On their second collaborative LP, Rumback
and Walker explore sparse sonic territory. Rumback’s
brushwork moves deftly between heavy shuffles and
light accents, giving Walker plenty of space to stretch
into harmonic discovery. One joy of the album lies in
surrendering to what may sound at first like chaos, only
to slowly discover an idiosyncratic pulse as Rumback
progressively unearths counterintuitive grooves. In other
places (notably, “Idiot Parade”) propulsive Afro-Cuban
rhythms steer the ship confidently from the first beat.
While the drumming is not often meant to be the main
event here, songs like “Ill-Fitting/No Sickness,” with its
manic rim-driven percussion, demonstrate the qualities
that make Rumback such an inviting collaborator. (Thrill
Jockey) Keaton Lamle
Jacob Hand

BOOK
Drumming Outside the Box by Joel Rothman
A treasure trove of varying cymbal and snare combos to expand the possibilities within jazz or rock.
For author Joel Rothman, “outside the box” here means changing up the standard ride cymbal beat found
in classics like Ted Reed’s Syncopation and other educational texts from drumming’s nascent period. Clearly
laid out with easy-to-follow examples of cymbal and snare notation, the material in this book introduces line
after line of changing rhythmic ideas, as opposed to the traditional, static spang-a-lang ride pattern and snare
“melodies” you’re used to seeing. That creates challenges right away, because if you were to play a page from
the top down, it would almost sound like what Philly Joe Jones or Art Blakey were doing on your favorite
recordings from the 1950s, minus the magic of course. Rothman gets into dropping out parts of the triplet,
incorporating sextuplets, and four-bar patterns in 5/4 time, so there’s a lot of meat to work with. But students
can realistically spend years combining just a few ideas presented here, and then adding dynamics and
individual creative spark into the mix. (joelrothman.com) Ilya Stemkovsky

80 Modern Drummer April 2020

April 2020 Modern Drummer 81
 INSIDE METHODS

Joe Clegg’s You’re So Hybrid:

Ableton Live for Drummers
Ellie Goulding’s drummer and music director has taken away
our excuses for not embracing electronic-drumming technology.

F or a dyed-in-the-wool acoustic drum player, it’s been difficult

to avoid the news that professional drumming has become
hybridized. Whether the gig is with a top-of-the-charts pop artist
or a small club grind, the incursion of electronics, triggers, pads,
Ableton rigs, and backing tracks has not just begun; the battle is
over. If you want to remain viable as a professional in the widest
range of contexts, a knowledge of the technologies that fuel current
trends in pop music is essential.
Enter Joe Clegg, an affable, approachable Northern England–
based drummer and music director who’s created a warm and
home-brewed introductory video course on the creative application
of Ableton, pads, MIDI, and triggers to a live performance context.
You’re So Hybrid: Ableton Live for Drummers is a three-and-a-half-hour,
fifteen-segment course that demystifies the process one would
undertake to recreate extremely complex studio recordings and
render them playable live. Clegg has plenty of bona fides, but his
highest-profile gig is drummer/music director for U.K. pop star Ellie
Goulding. And he passed the audition by applying his creative use of
Ableton to Goulding’s recordings.

Jennifer McCord
Clegg’s method is not about pressing play on a laptop and
drumming acoustically along to a click track. It’s also not about
programming a set of static samples and reassigning them between
each song in the set. Clegg’s Ableton method honors the original
song and intent of the producers, while allowing the drummer to
actually play. than hold his own in any acoustic context and clearly loves sound
According to Clegg, Ableton Live for Drummers was created without and making music. He’s leveraged technology to play the songs in
any sponsorship. “I invested the money myself, edited it myself, and his set dynamically, using Ableton to access the heart of the material
took a massive risk doing this on my own terms,” Clegg tells MD from while honoring his own creativity.
his home in Colne, U.K. “I’m not [working for] Ableton—it’s not a What is clear from the videos is that Clegg reached his current
sales pitch for them. But in this moment it’s software that defines live position in the industry with a painstaking attention to detail. The
music making.” work that goes into reproducing the two Clegg originals featured
The series has a bit of a “rough and ready” appeal: the introduction here (the short and pithy “Pyramids” and “Arrival”) can sometimes
and first few segments lean heavily on defending the author’s feel overwhelming, but Clegg doesn’t try to pretend that what he’s
method and approach. But Clegg is a pure drummer who can more presenting is easy. His obvious love for process is infectious, and he’s
made his obsessive attentions a virtue worth cultivating.
For those of us who’ve written off the efforts of drummers in
Study Suggestions Clegg’s position, there is no mystery anymore. This kind of work
“How can we encourage a generation of musicians and drummers “inside the box” is not for the faint of heart. At the same time, Clegg
with Ableton to become artists?” asks Joe Clegg rhetorically. “How has blazed the path through the wilderness. Watching this video
do we make something new? Start with an inquisitive nature with
the sounds that you hear on recordings, on videos, and on the introduces the technology, but also the conceptual underpinnings
radio. What are those sounds, how are they created, and how can I of this kind of work. Clegg’s made the entire process approachable
create them and play them myself? and digestible even for a technology-averse drummer. While there
“If you’ve got Ableton already or Ableton Lite, it comes with a are moments that drag and sections that could have been trimmed,
bunch of drum sample packs—you can get a classic Roland 808
or 909 sample pack from the Ableton website. Load them in, cycle
these flaws are far outweighed by the series’ success in providing a
through them, and familiarize yourself with these sounds. For clear introduction to this technology.
instance, the 808 kick drum is prevalent on the radio; an 808 “I’m super passionate about recreating these wonderful drum
hi-hat sound slightly manipulated starts to sound a lot like a trap tracks that have been made in the studios,” says Clegg. “There’s an art
hi-hat. Do your research about songs and what kinds of sounds to it. I think we should put the same amount of care and craft into it
go into them.
“There’s a good community of Ableton users on YouTube. From because you can now. It’s not a quick solution, but if you want to get
there you can see how to program these standard drum sounds, into it, it’s possible.”
draw MIDI beats, and understand the process of how to create To learn more about You’re So Hybrid, or to purchase the series, go
your own beats within the program. These sounds that you are to gumroad.com/l/joeclegg.
taking for granted on popular songs actually have a source, and
often these sources are easily accessible.”
John Colpitts

82 Modern Drummer April 2020

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Act Now and Save at moderndrummer.com 2020 Modern Drummer 59

June 2019
April 83
 Neil
Peart 1952–2020
Neil Peart, drummer and lyricist for
the iconic progressive-rock band Rush,
passed away on January 7 at the age
of sixty-seven, after a battle with brain
cancer. Peart first was featured on Modern
Drummer’s cover in 1980. Next month
we will present a tribute issue to “the
Professor,” marking his tenth appearance
there in forty years. We hope you will join
us in celebrating the career of one of the
most influential players in the history of
our instrument.

84 Modern Drummer April 2020

April 2020 Modern Drummer 85
 The 2019
Hollywood Drum Show
A year shy of twenty, the popular gathering offered its
usual mix of classic gear, new offerings from contemporary
manufacturers, and thrilling performances.

T he nineteenth Hollywood Drum Show was held this past

October at the Glendale, California, Civic Center. Packed with
booths of vintage and modern drum gear, the show offered a lot
“Inconel” metal alloy drum shell), Billy Blast, Cogs, Doc Sweeney,
Dunnett Classic/George Way, DW, Fever, Gretsch, Jenkins-Martin,
Pfeifer, PDP, Pork Pie, RBH, Tama, and Yamaha. Cymbals were
for the attendees to check out and purchase. In addition, several displayed by Bosphorus, Istanbul Mehmet, Koide (a new company
great drum clinics were held on the main stage. These included making cymbals in Japan), Meinl, Paiste, Sabian, and Zildjian.
an epic drum battle between Jimmy Ford and Randy Caputo, a And accessories from Regal Tip, Techra, Vic Firth, Promark, Remo,
special drum trio by the talented Wackerman brothers, a jazz trio D’Addario, Cymbolt, Drum Flip, Low Boy, No Nuts Cymbal Sleeves,
performance led by Peter Erskine, and a fusion trio performance Rob Cook/Rebeats, Tackle, and Mee Pro were in abundance.
led by Gergo Borlai. Spotted in the crowd were celebrity drummers Collectors and vintage drum buffs could get their hands on a
including Abe Laboriel Jr. (Paul McCartney), Bernie Dresel (Brian number of great vintage drums, cymbals, and spare parts from
Setzer, BERN, the BBB), Rick Latham (Juice Newton, Rick Latham Camco, Gretsch, Kent, Rogers, Ludwig, WFL, Premier, Slingerland,
and the Groove Doctors), Eric Singer (Kiss), Anthony “Tiny” Biuso Zildjian, and Paiste, to name a few. Also in attendance was
(T.S.O.L.), and Jon “Bermuda” Schwartz (“Weird Al” Yankovic). Carl Stewart’s Drums for Drummers, a non-profit organization
For attendees looking to check out the latest gear, there were established to donate drums to underfunded schools.
booths from drum companies Acoutin (introducing the first

Randy Caputo Jimmy Ford

Randy Caputo and Jimmy Ford are no strangers to the Hollywood Drum Show, having appeared
several times. According to Randy, the two met in the mid ’80s at an Anaheim music store, where the
owner suggested they both try out a snare. Randy and Jimmy each played some rudiments, and Randy
thought Jimmy sounded like Buddy Rich while Jimmy thought Randy sounded like Gene Krupa. They
had an immediate connection, so Randy suggested they get together to jam.
Over time, these informal sessions sparked the idea of doing reenactments of the famous Buddy
Rich and Gene Krupa drum battles. Jimmy said playing with Randy was like “old friends getting
together for dinner—a musical conversation.” They intentionally perform with little or no rehearsal so
as to keep it spontaneous and fresh. It was a truly exceptional experience to watch them channel the
spirits of Buddy and Gene.

86 Modern Drummer April 2020

 Peter Erskine Trio
The legendary drummer/author/educator
Peter Erskine took the stage next, along with
Bob Sheppard on sax and Edwin Livingston
on bass. Erskine’s trio played a number of jazz
tunes, including “How Deep Is the Ocean,”
“Twelve,” “Charcoal Blues,” “Cats and Kittens,”
and “You and the Night and the Music.” Peter’s
drumming on a Tama S.L.P. New-Vintage Hickory
drumkit was an exhibition in fluidity of motion,
dynamics, style, and grace. For the first time in
his many years attending the show, Peter also
had a booth at the show, where he was selling
some of his private collection.

Gergo Borlai and his fusion trio with bassist

Anthony Crawford and guitarist Alex Machacek
followed Erskine’s set. Borlai sat behind an
eye-catching red Gretsch USA Custom drumkit,
and his trio performed a handful of Machacek’s
original compositions. The drummer
emphasized two key attributes for all players
Gergo Borlai to master: practice (“Don’t play—practice!”)
and patience.

Last onstage were the

incredibly talented Wackerman
brothers, Chad, John, and
Brooks, each of whom played
onBorlai
a gorgeous DW drumkit.
“It’s been ten years since we
last played together,” noted
Brooks, as their father, Chuck
Wackerman, a renowned music
teacher with more than sixty
years experience, watched
from the audience.
During their performance,
John played a short solo on
vibraphone while Chad played
some melodic ideas on a
Roland SPD-SX multipad. All
three Wackermans addressed
a variety of questions from
the audience. In response
to an audience member’s Brooks Wackerman Chad Wackerman John Wackerman
query about how to improve
musically, Chad responded,
“Learn other instruments,
because it will make you a Story and photos by Bob Campbell
better drummer.”

April 2020 Modern Drummer 87

BACK THROUGH THE STACK
A few years ago, Emil
Richards took me and
my wife to see Buddy
Rich play at a musician’s
night in a restaurant in
Glendale.
All the musicians in town were
there, especially drummers.
So after his set—which was
incredible—we all went back to
see him in the dressing room. I’m
just watching him sitting there
and talking, having been buzzed
on how he played so incredible.
He looked real small and kind of
vulnerable. So I went over and
I said, “Can I kiss you, man?” I
reached down and kissed him on
the cheek. Everybody in the room
was thinking, “What’s Jim doing?
He’s crazy! Buddy’s gonna kill
him!” But he was so gracious and
beautiful. He understood where
I was coming from. He could feel
what I felt in my heart.

Jim Keltner
Modern Drummer, November 1981
moderndrummer.com/archive

COMING NEIL PEART: A TRIBUTE

PATRICK HALLAHAN WITH VANESSA CARLTON
UP IN MD JOSHUA HUMLIE OF WE THREE AND MUCH M
ORE!
12 Modern Drummer June 2014
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