[Press Release]

San Jose, Calif., November 20, 2008—Eighteen years ago, two drum/percussion magazine professionals, Andy Doerschuk and Phil Hood, lost their jobs with a prominent publishing conglomerate. In an economy that was certainly not thriving, the two men made a commitment to establish their own drum/percussion magazine business.

The result was Enter Music Publishing and over nearly two decades, the company has paradiddled, rolled, and buzzed (never a “rest,” mind you) through every challenge: The result? Today, the company’s drum and percussion magazines, DRUM!, Traps, DRUM Interactive, and HOW TO PLAY DRUMS, are considered some of the best publications in this highly competitive music trade magazine niche. And Hood and Doerschuk have garnered a strong reputation throughout the drum industry.

That’s how Enter Music Publishing, publishers of hip, drum/percussion magazines worldwide, has published the 150th Issue of DRUM! Magazine, its flagship title. One of its biggest issues, DRUM!’s 150th features the top ten cover stories of the magazine’s past fifteen years. Special coverage includes a diverse roster of drummers and percussionists, such as: Pete Escovedo and Sheila E; Chad Smith, Tre Cool, Carter Beauford, Travis Barker, Neil Peart, John Dolmayan, Tommy Lee, Joey Jordioson, Lars Ulrich and many others. The issue, quite possibly, is a great effort toward summarizing modern drum and percussion history in 138 pages.

“I’ve been reading DRUM! Magazine for several years now and it just keeps getting better and better,” said Bart Elliott, founder of www.drummercafe.com, a well-respected online drum community. “I’m especially enjoying the recent 150th Issue, Special Collector’s Edition. They did a really good job in terms of selecting the Top 10 DRUM! cover stories for the issue.”

“It’s been quite a ride (all puns intended),” said Phil Hood, publisher of DRUM! Magazine. “But I don’t think we would change anything that we have done in terms of the evolution of DRUM!, from its editorial to layout. We’ve always been open to changing the magazine’s format and content, which has kept us on the cutting edge. I think this issue documents that fact and we’re quite proud of our result.”

A good example of the magazine’s editorial strategy of innovative reporting is the recently added percussion mini-magazine. The Hand Drum section debuted in the middle of 2008 and has been well-received by the hand drum community. In the 150th Issue, what could be better than taking a percussive stride with Santana’s Percussion Team.

“Hand drumming is the root of all percussion” said. Andy Doerschuk, editor of DRUM! And, “we’re looking for ways to integrate it along with all the styles of music we cover, the gear, lessons and other features of interest to drummers. No other drumming magazines is doing anything like that.”

Well, noted, indeed.

The 150th issue of DRUM! has hit music stores, news stands and Barnes and Noble worldwide.

…is streaming on MySpace music. And, miraculously, it doesn’t suck. Frank Ferrer is listed on the site as the band’s only drummer, which leaves Brain’s status something of a mystery.

Brain, are you reading? What’s going on? What you up to?

The German-language site Jazzdrummerworld.com recently scored an interview with Dave Weckl, sticks down one of our favorite drummers ever. Scroll about half way down this page for the English version. Weckl chats a bit about his latest gigs (no new Dave Weckl Band album in the works, alas), the double-edged swordiness of the Internet, and why good musicians will always survive the tough times of a constantly changing music business. Go read it.

Desperately need to own an Iron Cobra double pedal, but don’t have the cash? Just fill out the form here on Tama’s site, and you’re in the running for one of five pedal packs worth $579.

And if you do manage to win one of them sumbitches, send us an unboxing photo or two.

[Press Release]

MUSICIANS INSTITUTE INSTRUCTOR - SESSION DRUMMER - EDUCATOR - RELEASES iGROOVE PLAY-ALONG AND GROOVE STUDIES FOR DRUMMERS - EXPAND YOUR GROOVE VOCABULARY AND BECOME A GROOVE MASTER!

November 12, 2008: Hollywood, CA: Musicians Institute Instructor and Session Drummer Charlie “The Basher” Waymire has released two new series of groove studies—iGroove101 and iGroove Series Music Minus Drums and Groove Studies.

The iGroove Play-Along and Groove Studies go far beyond traditional play-along books by providing the student with 5 tempos of each chart including versions with and without the click track to give you maximum groove practice. Each section of each song is dissected giving you a “Section Loop” to practice each of the grooves at all 5 tempos. Together, all of this will help to expand your comfort zone so you’ll be comfortable playing these grooves no matter what the tempo.

Each lesson includes an in-depth groove study featuring the basic grooves for each section of the chart as well as many variations for each groove. This will not only help to grow your groove vocabulary, but it will also help you to become a more musical drummer. With the help of the iGroove series, you’ll be able to find the perfect groove no matter what situation your in.

Included with each lesson:

• 25 Music Minus Drums Play-Along Tracks
• Chart for Song (PDF)
• In-Depth Groove Lesson (PDF)
• Chart Reading Lesson to teach you how to read charts (PDF)
• Digital Download—No Shipping, No Waiting
• Each Lesson is only $4.95!

The iGroove101 and iGroove Series are more than just a play-along: it’s a Private Lesson! Plus, there is an extensive resource on BasherTV featuring reading tutorial videos and breakdowns of each of the iGroove101 grooves with scrolling video notation. You won’t find a more complete play-along series!

View the iGroove Trailer at www.thebasher.com/bashertv.html or on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poTTLeVwY2Q

Available at www.TheBasher.com

Charlie Waymire is a faculty member at the Percussion Institute of Technology at Musicians Institute in Hollywood. He is endorsed by Pearl Drums, Paiste Cymbals, Trueline Drumsticks, MXL Microphones, and Factory Metal Percussion. Charlie has toured extensively throughout the United States and Europe, performing a variety of musical styles such as funk, fusion, pop, and rock. Charlie owns and operates his own studio and records and composes music for commercials, television productions, and has performed on the CBS late night program Jimmy Kimmel Live and the Fox television series Malcolm in the Middle.

It’s been only a couple of months since Travis Barker survived a plane crash and was seriously burned, but he’s already back in the studio and playing drums. He made the announcement today on MTV’s Total Request Live (which finally and mercifully has gone the way of the dodo). Barker said, “I’m already playing my drums again….It was like riding a bike. It was really exciting to know I still have my chops. It still felt good. I still can make it around the kit. Everything felt right, so I’m thankful to be able to play.” Shit yeah! Check out the complete interview below:

And she was also inducted into the PAS hall of fame a few weeks ago, but we’re actually more jazzed about the endorsement. We first posted about Hammerax’s cymbals months ago, when the Whipcrash was unveiled, and were duly impressed with the company’s innovation and creativity. Dame Glennie apparently was too. She says:

Life begins with sound and ends with sound. The sense of curiosity that percussionists have seems to be forever magnified and there’s no question that Hammerax has made it a commitment to stretch our imagination and curiosity beyond words. The range of products is fantastic with so many possibilities for their use in countless different musical contexts. I have no limits as to how I use these products—they are simply a great addition to my already expansive range of instruments.

Though we haven’t quite recovered from Muxtape’s unfortunate demise, it was getting to be time to pull our shit together and stop rocking to sleep in the bathtub. We looked at quite a few services that would allow us to stream full songs without getting sued (or at least without getting aggressively sued) and went with the seriously awesome BLIP.fm, a kind of Twitter/Muxtape hybrid. Check out our station here, and if you create one of your own, be sure to friend us up.

[Press Release]

KASABIAN’S IAN MATTHEWS AT ICMP

Incredible Kasabian drummer Ian Matthews recently took time out from completing their latest album in LA to deliver an exclusive drum masterclass at the Institute of Contemporary Music Performance (ICMP).

Ian’s diverse musical background began from the age of four, spanning from jazz to orchestral music, noted to be one of the reasons it was so easy for him to step into the music world of British rockers Kasabian. After forming in 1999, by 2000 they had already taken Britain by storm and their eponymous 2004 debut shifted 700,000 copies in the UK alone and their success since then has simply rocketed. Kasabian have gone on to win awards nothing short of NME’s Best Live Act award and are currently putting the finishing touches to their much anticipated third album, due for release by the end of this year.

The chance to get up close and personal with Ian at this exclusive event was an opportunity that couldn’t be missed and was reflected with the masterclass room being packed wall-to-wall with excited students. Ian was open and honest and showed real passion and dynamism, as he played along to Kasabian hits such as “Club Foot” and “Empire.” Ian even invited Institute bass student Hugh Richardson on stage to join him in an impromptu jam session to exhibit how an effective rhythm section functions. That’s one performance Hugh is certain to never forget!

Drummer Talk hooked all of us up pretty well with photos from PASIC, but if you’ve been eye slobbering for some more, click on over to Meinl’s blog. There are some good shots of Derek Roddy, including the one below:

Sad, sad day, fellow thumpers. Mitch Mitchell, the legendary skinsman behind Jimi Hendrix, is no more. He was found dead in a Portland hotel room earlier today. At this time, it appears the 61-year-old drummer died of natural causes, though an autopsy is planned. We’ll keep you updated as details become available.

Update [11/13/08]: The accolades for Mitch Mitchell are deservedly hitting the Web today. DRUM! has kindly posted a feature the magazine did on Mitchell in 1998. Modern Drummer also posted an excerpt about him from the “Drum Gods” series. Ratt drummer Bobby Blotzer remembers Mitchell here.

Update [11/14/08]: Matt Sorum also pays tribute to Mitchell.

Mitch Mitchell obituaries:

• BBC (includes a short video performance)
• The Guardian
• NME

Be still my thumping heart, some more signature sticks to try out.

First up is the Brian Frasier-Moore model. It’s just under a 5A in the grip but with some extra length for those way-the-hell-out-of-reach crashes. The width of the new Derek Roddy model is between a 5A and 5B, and it features a quick taper to a small acorn tip. The Mike Wengren model is the biggest of the bunch. It’s between a 5B and a 2B with a quick taper to an oval nylon tip, and it comes in a sexy black satin finish. All of them will set you back $14.99 MSRP.

Remember how we went all gaga over Alesis’s new Surge cymbals? Check ‘em out in action:

But not in a full-on porn kind of way. Turns out that Lindiwe Noko, the chick accused of stealing $55,000 from him, is claiming that she and the Cream drummer were an item and that the cash was a gift. Baker says he’ll bare all in court to prove the two were never intimate:

I’ve a scar that only a woman who had a thing with me would know. It’s there and she doesn’t know it’s there….I’m quite prepared to strip. It may well come down to it.”

Sounds like case closed, then. Unless Noko managed to chat up one of his previous paramours. We’ll keep eyes peeled for pics.

Ain’t this a wretched bitch? Here I am about to catch a flight to testicle-freezing Seattle, and the Drummer Talk dudes are hanging at PASIC in Austin. Thankfully, Dave is live blogging as many clinics as he can squeeze into a day and uploading bunches of pics for everyone’s viewing pleasure. Click the PASIC tag on DT to follow along. And click the pic below to read Dave’s post on the Erik Smith clinic.

Jimmy Carl Black, the original drummer in Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention, died on Saturday at the age of 70. Cancer was the culprit. Along with stick wielding, Black also handled some vocals in Mothers. He continued to perform (and sometimes resort to “real” jobs) throughout his fairly long life. Here he is on stage in 2007:

We’ve all heard the stories about Buddy’s legendary temper…but damn. Seriously damn. Here he rips his band a new and very large asshole.

[via Drummerworld]

Even if you watched the Buddy Rich Memorial Concert on the Drum Channel, you still need to check out these cool pics from Michael Lowe, owner of the equally cool website Neil Peart Drumsticks. Our favorite is the shot below of Neil and his cymbal-spankin’ face.

The critically ill drum maker whom we posted about two days ago has died from inhaling anthrax spores. In this follow-up report, the BBC explores the potential dangers of handling animal skins that will be turned into drumheads. From the piece:

Drum makers are at risk, however low, during the preparation of the skin, which involves stretching it over the frame and scraping hair from the hide to give it a smooth finish. The danger lies in inhaling agitated spores or an open wound becoming infected.

Holy damn. Metal legend Vinnie Paul is now a Ddrum endorser and will be unveiling a whole line of signature products at winter NAMM 2009. Vinnie says in the press release:

I’m proud to announce that I am making the move to Ddrum. This opportunity is giving me the chance to expand beyond playing music and bring my own line of kick ass, affordable drums to skin bashers around the world. Simply put, these drums look and sound amazing. Hell yeah!