Drummer Live, Europe’s largest drum and percussion festival, is set to take place this summer. An exclamatory and superlative-laden press release brings us all the details.

[Press Release]

The sixth Drummer Live launches in London on the 13th and 14th of June, and the UK’s biggest and coolest drumming show brings you more buzz, more excitement, and more things to do than you can shake a stick at. Check out the most amazing lineup of world-class musicians assembled at a music show; plus there’s a whole host of other activities and the best gear show you’ll ever see.

Drummer Live features the world’s best drummers, and this year’s star studded lineup includes the finest talent, greatest drumming heroes, and most respected names in the business to inspire, inform, and entertain.

Confirmed artists included critically acclaimed Nick D’Virgilio (Spock’s Beard/ Tears for Fears), and top drumming and percussion duo Derrick McKenzie and Sola Akingbola (Jamiroquai), who will be playing both their own material and Jamiroquai tracks as well as explaining how they work together. The organizers are proud to confirm Prince’s drummer, Cora Coleman (plus her bass player husband and fellow Prince band member), will play her first UK drum clinic at Drummer Live.

Headlining Saturday will be drumming supremo Steve Smith (Journey/ Vital Information) and compére for the whole event will be our very own Nicko McBrain (Iron Maiden). Nicko will also be playing on Sunday in a special performance with leading multi-percussionist Pete Lockett (Bjork, Jeff Beck/ Robert Plant/Jarvis Cocker/Peter Gabriel etc) which will be a memorable and unique collaboration guaranteed to be something different. More world-class drummers are to be announced very shortly, so check the show website for the latest news.

New to this years show will be a chance to have a free drum lesson in association with the Institute for Contemporary Performance, and the organizers will be announcing an action packed schedule of seminars, workshops, artist signing sessions, instrument demonstrations, and celebrity appearances. There will be a new retail section offering the chance to buy the very latest gear, plus an exhibition of the most famous drum manufacturers and accessory companies in the business.

Drummer Live is part of the UK’s biggest music exhibition, The London International Music show, which includes The London Guitar Show, Unplugged and Sound Recording and Technology Show. For further information and tickets for Drummer Live, the London International Music show, and for all the latest news and show updates, go here.

Steve Smith

Cora Coleman

It’s not enough that Jack White is a creative guitar player, great songwriter, and lynch-pin member of two really, really good bands. No, now the music gods have bestowed upon him skin-beating skillz, and he’s putting them to splendid use in his new supergroup, The Dead Weather. The band includes his Raconteurs buddy Jack Lawrence on bass, Queens of the Stone Age’s Dean Fertita on guitar, and Alison Mosshart from the Kills on vocals. Jack himself is handling drum duties and doing some singing (…’cause, oh yeah, he’s good at that too). The group’s first single is called “Hang You From the Heavens,” which you can check out below.

And how is Jack’s drumming, you wonder? Fat and loud and nasty—just like we dig.

Kutiman is an Israeli multi-instrumentalist who put out (for free!) an innovative YouTube “album” last week called ThruYou. There are seven songs in the collection, each composed of dozens of unrelated YouTube videos, and the result is quite frankly stunning and gorgeous and more than just a little bit dangerous, which makes it all the better. Check out the first tune below; it features a beat by groove-monster Bernard Purdie.

It’s comforting to know that the future of music is in such safe sticks.

[via TechCrunch]

[Press Release]

Don’t feel too blue. Try a Taye Drums RockPro set in their new Brushed Midnight Blue finish! RockPro has long been a staple in the Taye Drums’ roster. Now with this new finish, you get a kit dressed up for any occasion.

The RockPro combines all the pro features with student pricing. There is no drum set in America that equals RockPro in sound or in value. The cavernous bass drums, musical toms, and crisp snare sound gives RockPro all it needs and more. Constructed from a blend of select basswood and birch, this kit boasts an almost infinite selection of drum configurations. This would be ideal as a second kit or busy drummers, and the price makes it just right for the student on a budget.

Taye RockPro drum set in a Brushed Midnight Blue finish

Dillinger’s new drummer is Billy Rhymer, and he fits right in with DEP’s patented sonic assault. Check out the live HD vid here at Loud Hawk Press.

[via Absolute Punk]

Screen grab of live Dillinger Escape Plan video with Billy Rhymer on drums

Sheila E., the hot high-priestess of Latin-infused drumming, has won top honors on the third season of Gone Country, a reality show in which contestants compete to become country singers. Below is her valiant effort at making hillbilly pop.

Wallet empty but need a couple more quality cymbals? MyCymbal.com and the Memphis Drum Shop are offering great deals on Sabian metal—though there is kind of a catch. The cymbals are from Sabian’s SR2 line, which features “recycled used/returned/refurbished products” that have been factory renewed. All the cymbals started as either AA, AAX, HH, or HHX models, but you can’t be sure exactly what you are getting, because the models are designated only by size and weight (just like in the good old days). So, for example, you can choose from a 20″ Thin, a 20″ Medium, or a 20″ Thick, depending on what kind of sound you are looking for. Check out some vids of the SR2s in action here.

Sabian SR2 cymbals

Wearing one drum-machine ring is grounds for an ass kicking. But four? That’s way geek gangster. We ain’t fucking with this guy.

[via Boing Boing]

Umm, no, not at all likely, but that was a post title that certainly got our sticks hard. Pity it was all a tease.

We gave you a heads-up about Sabian’s “One of 100″ cymbals way back in January, and now the time has come to pony up your cash. The heavily weathered Artisan rides are going for 800 bucks each, a pretty serious price tag to be sure, but one that also apparently gets you access to a Sabian factory tour in 2010….Assuming, of course, that Bill Zildjian hasn’t had the company liquidated by then.

If you manage to snatch one of the dirty beauts, be sure to send us mucho cymbal porn.

[Press Release]

Today, Sabian announces pre-sale availability of the anticipated “One of 100″ cymbal collection. Buried in an undisclosed location near the Sabian cymbal factory in Meductic, eastern Canada, 100 cymbals are undergoing eight months of dry, wet, hot and cold soil conditioning, as part of the company’s “One of 100″ program.

These buried Artisan Medium ride cymbals are the result of hundreds of annual queries from drum enthusiasts regarding the aging of cymbals by burying them in the ground. Sabian’s Peter Stairs, VP of Sales, notes: “Anecdotal comment indicates that aging the cymbals by burying them in soil actually helps shape their sound. We anticipate they will be dirtier looking, and if what the legend says is true, they may be dirtier sounding as well.”

The cymbals in the “One of 100″ collection will be available to the first 100 eligible buyers who submit a purchase submission form on the Sabian Web site. Once dug up, the cymbals will be sonically approved by the Sabian Vault Team, then individually packaged in a deluxe wood box, complete with official documentation of authenticity signed by master product specialist Mark Love. Additional benefits for “Owners of The Hundred” include an invitation to visit the Sabian factory in 2010 to meet the founders of Sabian and tour the factory, early access to new product and printed information from Sabian, invitation to participate in a Sabian focus group and access to an exclusive “One of 100″ forum which includes direct access to Sabian product specialists.

The purchase window for these cymbals opens at 9:00 a.m. A.S.T. on Thursday, March 5, and more details can be found here. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to charity.

Ready to be your best friend...

As part of the rhythm section, you’ll likely spend a lot of time being grouped in with the bass player. The guitarists and singers of this world get to solo on their flaming amps and stand around as a queue of hot sluts forms to blow them, but you and your four-stringed partner have to “hold it down” or “keep it in the pocket” or some such bullshit. You’re like a less racially transcendent Defiant Ones, working together to make sure your Puddle of Mudd cover is a hit at Skeezer’s Bar and Grill next Tuesday. So here are some basic rules to keep the peace:

1. Remember, there is a good chance your bass player is a failed guitarist. This means he either feels rejected or he’s a little dim. Neither scenario is ideal. If it’s the former, make sure you help him sow a deep-seated hatred for the guitarist. Then when you’re asked to just play a woodblock for a song, you can unleash your attack dog. If it’s the latter, just smile and nod when he tells you about his plans to chug a shit ton of Robitussin.

2. It’s highly unlikely you’re going to get more respect than the prick guitarist and dickbag singer, but you’re probably going to be more popular than the bass player. Don’t be a slave to your pity, though. At some point he’s going to say you’re playing too fast or not keeping a steady tempo and you’ll have to remind him that you’re using all four of your limbs while he’s playing with one fucking asshole finger.

3. If your bass player tries to make a “drummers get drool on their SATs Haha”-type joke, try to laugh along. Remember that bass player jokes don’t really exist for the same reason jokes about accountants and civil engineers don’t exist.

4. If your bass player asks you to “get a little funkier” and he is not Flea or a certain crazy motherfucker named Bootsy Collins, you’re in trouble. If you can’t fire him, quit.

5. Don’t ask your bass player to turn down. You should focus on building a solid rhythmic backbone and it can only happen with both of you knowing what each other is doing. But definitely ask him to stop playing the fucking root note on the 1 for every goddamn part.

6. Help your bass player break down and move his equipment for the first few weeks. It’ll be a little inconvenient, but he’ll be so happy someone’s paying attention to him that when you ask for assistance in tearing down and moving your drums he’ll be more than willing to lend a hand. Just make sure he doesn’t start unscrewing your tom heads or anything. Remember, he’s probably a little dim.

It’s been just under a month since we told you about the awesome opportunity DRUM! magazine is giving its readers to pose questions to Neil Peart, and the campaign appears pretty friggin’ successful so far. Check out the press release below.

[Press Release]

Enter Music Publishing, publishers of hip drum magazines worldwide, is experiencing a tremendous response rate to its “Email Neil Editorial Campaign.” Officially launched on February 11, the Neil Peart population has sent questions via [email protected]. Additionally, questions have been sent online or by accessing the Questions page on DRUM!’s YouTube site. The result: 1,000 emails from across the globe.

The emailed questions have varied from the most basic to the highly complex in regard to Peart’s drumming approach. During an initial audit, many questions posed to Peart focused on how his influences have been as well as more technical, such as how he developed such a diverse left hand approach.

“We were very intrigued by the initial results,” said Phil Hood, publisher and one of the founders of DRUM! Magazine. “Neil is just one of those drummers appreciated by drummers of all ages and walks of life so we anticipate a really diverse and cool story. As previously announced, Andy Doerschuk, editor and another founder of DRUM!, will take the questions and create and integrated editorial cover story.

He’s already beginning to get nervous regarding deadline. And, on that note, all emails have to be received by DRUM! Magazine by March 15. Stay tuned, we’ll keep you informed on the “Email Neil Editorial Campaign” as it rolls out.

Ah, just in time to take advantage of recession-era economics, Pearl has unveiled a limited-edition shell pack that retails for $3,399—or about 1,100 extra-value meals at McDonald’s. But, hey, who needs food when you can score a sweet 4-piece in African mahogany? The available drums, all finished in a red mahogany fade, include a 22″ x 18″ bass drum, 10″ x 8″ and 12″ x 9″ toms, and a 16″ x 16″ floor tom. The toms feature chrome super hoops, aluminum optimount tom holders, and Remo clear ambassador heads. Only 30 of the shell packs will be available in the U.S., so start tightening your belt.

Pearl limited-edition shell pack in African mahogany

Rock Band and Guitar Hero not dumbed down enough for you? Just plug in We Rock: Drum King, a forthcoming Wii game for air drummers.

Now this guy can look even more retarded:

We shit you not. And though “supergroup” may be an overly generous and optimistic description of Bun E.’s new band, Tinted Windows, we can totally dig such unabashedly cheesmo pop. It takes either a complete lack of musical integrity or enormous hairy testicles to play music like this. For now, we’ll give Bun a check mark in the big balls box. Check out the promo vid below.

And, no, we don’t mean his drug-addled life is like a horror movie. The former Guns N’ Roses drummer actually has a role in an “action/horror/sci-fi comedy” film called Dahmer vs. Gacy. In it, serial killers Jeffrey Dahmer and John Wayne Gacy go mano a mano to see who is the craziest crazy in the land. Adler’s character is apparently one of the victims.

Awesome. And it’s probably way better than The Rocker.

[via Music Radar]

Peart has donated a signed 14″ Drum Workshop drumhead to help raise some cash for Robert “Bobby” Corrales, a Southern California deputy sheriff who is battling leukemia. The eBay auction is open until March 2, and the top bid at the time of this posting is $511.

Time to smash open those piggy banks, thumpers.

[via BW&BK]

Well, shit. TRAPS magazine, the very sexy and sophisticated sister mag of DRUM!, has ceased publication, an unfortunate casualty of the current economic crisis. The final issue, which features Tony Williams as the cover story, is still in stores and will be on sale until March. Grab it while you can.

[Press Release]

Enter Music Publishing, Inc. today announced that TRAPS magazine is merging with its sister publication, DRUM! Published quarterly since 2007, TRAPS has been widely hailed for its innovative editorial content, including book-length interviews, top writers and photographers, annotated transcriptions and a focus on jazz and rock drumming history. It will suspend publishing immediately. Current subscribers will receive DRUM! magazine subscriptions and be invited to join an upcoming TRAPS web community.

According to publisher Phil Hood, “In this recession it is imperative for us to focus our efforts our flagship product, DRUM! magazine. TRAPS is incredibly popular with its readership, but the downturn, particularly in advertising, makes it impossible for TRAPS to reach its goals in the near term. We are not immune to the forces impacting our advertisers and other publishers.”

TRAPS launched a test issue, featuring drumming great Max Roach on the cover in 2006. It published three issues in 2007, four in 2008 and one in 2009. Other cover stories featured John Bonham, Jack DeJohnette, Roy Haynes, Terry Bozzio, Lenny White, Jeff “Tain” Watts, and Steve Gadd.

“We learned a tremendous amount from the TRAPS experience,” says editor Andy Doerschuk, “and we want to incorporate some of that TRAPS approach in DRUM! as we go forward.”

The final issue of TRAPS, featuring Tony Williams, remains on sale until March.

‘Member when Zildjian’s K/Z hi-hats, which combine a light and cutting top cymbal with a heavy and loud bottom cymbal, were the coolest thing on the planet? TRX is trying to tap into a little bit of that mixing-it-up mystique with the introduction of its DRK/BRT hats. This time around, though, the combination of choice is a bright top cymbal over a dark bottom. According to the press release, the cymbals produce “bright, penetrating closed hi-hat sounds with fuller, more explosive open and half-open sounds.” You can snatch them up in 13″, 14″, and 15″ models.

Lookin’ for some recycled, geriatric rock? You’re going to have look somewhere other than KISS, at least for the time being. According to drummer Eric Singer in the video below, the band doesn’t yet have definite plans to enter the studio, despite persistent rumors.