Nate Lotz knows who he is and is just as aware of who he is not. This statement permeates his personal and professional life and is a result of considerable investigation on his part. While most music…
Eric Kretz: Carrying the Torch
Some drumming is super brainy. Other drumming sounds like it comes from the center of a guy’s chest. Like many drummers, I appreciate mind-boggling drumming even though I often mutter, “Huh?!” to myse…
Kyle Hughes – Star Quality
Seventy miles south of the Scottish border in northeast England sits Newcastle Upon Tyne. While only roughly a quarter million people inhabit it, it’s still the largest city in the North East of Engla…
Craig Blundell: Forever Progressing
In the middle of rural Italy, in the little town I call home, there’s a small bar run by my friend Tony. I basically grew up in that bar because we were both fanatics about music and equally ann…
Eric Leiderman – Show Time
Two dreams are better than one, especially when both turn into reality and even better when both coincide. Such is the case for Late Night Television Producer and drummer Eric Leiderman. Bitten by the…
Designing Your Dreams: Dream Cymbals is Pushing the Envelope of Modern Cymbal Making
In an industry that’s over 400 years old, it’s hard to imagine how anyone could come along and change the game, but in 2006 Andy Morris was dreaming up ways to do just that. His desire to contribute s…
Connection Is Key: Tying Vintage Design with Modern Performance
Sometimes when you’re searching for the right tool for the job, the solution can be found by looking into the past. As far as modern drumsticks go today, there are hundreds of great options that satis…
Back to Basics – Easy, at home routines to keep you in ship shape
We drummers often practice diligently for days and weeks just so the few hours we are onstage for each performance go as well as possible. We work on timing, technique, rhythms, stickings, independent…
Scott Travis – Delivering The Goods
Throughout Judas Priest’s first decade, the drummer position was always the hot seat. They had had six men behind the kit by the time Dave Holland took over for his ten-year tenure starting in 1980, b…
Nick Knox: March 26, 1958 – June 15, 2018
Longtime drummer for the influential punk band the Cramps, Nick “Nicky” Knox passed away on June 15 in Cleveland, Ohio; he was 60. Born Nicholas George Stephanoff, Knox first hit the scene as drummer …
D.J. Fontana: March 15, 1931 – June 13, 2018
Longtime Elvis Presley drummer D.J. Fontana passed away in Nashville on June 13; he was 87. Born in 1931, Dominic Joseph Fontana began playing drums in the high school marching and by his early 20s, w…
Gene Stone: August 19, 1937 – May 19, 2018
Last month we lost a legendary jazz drummer and musician, a “hep cat” named Mr. Gene Stone. He recorded and played with many greats such as The Don Randi Trio, Claire Fischer, Don Ellis and the Prince…