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Drum News

  • Mike Mangini Launches New Band Monolith After Dream Theater Exit

    Mike Mangini Launches New Band Monolith After Dream Theater Exit

    After departing Dream Theater in 2023, Mike Mangini has wasted no time forging a new musical path. The Grammy-winning drummer has officially announced his new band, Monolith, alongside bassist/vocalist Hernán “Motley” Rodríguez and guitarist Andy Barrow. Their debut single, “Oligarchs,” has already dropped (here’s the video), marking the first taste of the band’s sound.

    Monolith presents a new chapter for Mangini, who is widely recognized for his technical mastery, lightning-fast playing, and precision behind the kit. While details about Monolith’s full lineup and future releases are still emerging, “Oligarchs” provides fans with a glimpse into Mangini’s latest creative direction.

    A New Beginning After Dream Theater

    Mangini joined Dream Theater in 2010 after winning a high-profile audition following Mike Portnoy’s departure. Over the next decade, he played on albums including A Dramatic Turn of Events (2011), Distance Over Time (2019), and A View from the Top of the World (2021), helping the band win their first Grammy Award.

    In October 2023, Dream Theater announced that Portnoy was returning, marking the end of Mangini’s tenure with the band. Mangini later expressed that he understood and accepted the decision, showing no resentment and instead choosing to focus on his personal musical pursuits.

    Monolith’s Debut Single: “Oligarchs”

    The first Monolith release, “Oligarchs,” showcases Mangini’s signature precision and intensity, combined with heavy, groove-driven riffs and powerful vocals from Rodríguez. While Dream Theater fans might expect a similar progressive metal sound, Monolith appears to be carving out its own identity.

    In recent interviews, Mangini has emphasized that he wants to explore new musical ideas and compositions that might not have fit within Dream Theater’s framework. With Monolith, he has the freedom to lead a project on his own terms.

    What’s Next for Mike Mangini and Monolith?

    While no official album release date has been announced, Monolith is expected to drop more music soon. Given Mangini’s reputation for technical excellence, fans are eager to hear how this new band evolves.

    For now, “Oligarchs” serves as an exciting introduction to Monolith and a statement that Mike Mangini’s career is far from slowing down.

  • Nicko McBrain Retires from Iron Maiden Touring After 42 Years

    In a significant moment for the heavy metal world, Nicko McBrain, drummer for Iron Maiden, has officially announced his retirement from live performances after an incredible 42-year run with the band. McBrain revealed his decision following Iron Maiden’s final show of the Future Past tour in São Paulo, Brazil, on December 7, 2024.

    McBrain’s statement, shared via Iron Maiden’s official channels, read:

    “After much consideration, it is with both sorrow and joy, I announce my decision to take a step back from the grind of the extensive touring lifestyle… São Paulo will be my final gig with Iron Maiden.”

    Health Challenges & Legacy

    The decision comes after McBrain suffered a stroke in January 2023, which left him partially paralyzed on his right side. Displaying remarkable resilience, he returned to the stage just four months later. His performance throughout the Future Past tour has been a testament to his dedication and perseverance.

    Frontman Bruce Dickinson honored McBrain during the final show, stating:

    “Nicko’s not leaving the band, but he’s just not playing live with us anymore.”

    Continued Involvement with Iron Maiden

    Though stepping away from live drumming, McBrain has confirmed he will remain involved with Iron Maiden in other capacities, including studio work and special appearances. A successor for live performances is expected to be announced soon.

    Nicko McBrain’s Impact

    McBrain joined Iron Maiden in 1982, debuting on Piece of Mind and becoming a central part of the band’s signature sound across numerous albums. His technical prowess and showmanship have been critical to the band’s global success.

    Fans worldwide have expressed both sadness and gratitude, acknowledging McBrain’s immeasurable contributions to heavy metal drumming.

  • Todd Sucherman Rejoins Sonor Drums After 25 Years with Pearl

    Todd Sucherman
    (image from Todd Sucherman.com)

    In a significant shift in the drumming world, Todd Sucherman, the renowned drummer for Styx, has officially parted ways with Pearl Drums after nearly 25 years. Announcing the move through his social media, Sucherman revealed he is returning to Sonor Drums, the brand he played extensively during his early career.

    Sucherman first played Sonor drums during a recording session at the age of nine and continued using the brand until his early thirties. His return comes at a notable time, aligning with Sonor’s 150th anniversary, making it a powerful homecoming for both the drummer and the drum company.

    Reflecting on his departure from Pearl, Sucherman expressed heartfelt gratitude:

    “I made many true friends at Pearl over the years—plenty of whom I logged many miles performing at drum festivals and clinics all over the world together.”

    While his primary drum kit will now feature Sonor drums, Sucherman clarified that he will continue to use Pearl’s bass drum pedals and Icon Rack System, blending elements of both brands in his live and studio setups.

    Why Todd Sucherman Returned to Sonor Drums

    Sucherman’s decision to return seems deeply personal, emphasizing both nostalgia and quality craftsmanship. In his announcement, he stated:

    “I’m thrilled to return to the drums of my youth, and they are now the drums of my future.”

    Sonor, a German drum company founded in 1875, has long been known for its exceptional craftsmanship, making it a favorite among professional drummers worldwide. The partnership is significant for Sonor as well, with Sucherman’s endorsement aligning perfectly with their 150th anniversary celebrations.

    Todd Sucherman’s Legacy with Styx

    Joining Styx in 1995 and becoming their full-time drummer after the passing of original member John Panozzo, Todd Sucherman has since become one of the most respected drummers in the rock scene. His technical mastery and musical versatility have made him a standout performer, both live and in the studio.

    Beyond his work with Styx, Sucherman has released solo material and instructional content, further cementing his influence in the drumming community.

    What’s Next for Todd Sucherman and Sonor?

    This renewed partnership will likely inspire new creative projects. With Sucherman’s reputation for excellence and Sonor’s legacy of premium drum construction, it’s a collaboration that both drummers and fans will be watching closely in 2025.

  • DRUMMERS: robotic arm allows three-handed drumming!

    Ever sit behind the kit, wishing that you had one more limb to pull off that crazy polyrhythm with? Well, the possibility of that may not be too far away. A team at Georgia Tech’s Center for Music Technology is currently developing robotic prosthetics that can not only be useful to drummers who have lost a limb, but could also allow two-armed percussionists to add a third, fully controlled by the performer’s brain activity.

    Check out the complete Quartz article here.

  • “How VIP do we gotta get?”

    Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, Sir Paul McCartney of the Beatles AND Beck . . . sounds like the start of either an amazing band or a bad joke, right?! Well, no joke here (yet still possibly a bit funny) – the rockstars were turned away from a post-Grammy party on Monday night.

    The three showed up at Argyle in Hollywood, where rapper Tyga was throwing a bash after the awards show. Some playful bickering back and forth went down at the front door, including Sir McCartney exclaiming: “How VIP do we gotta get? We need another hit, guys!” Then he turned and pointed at Beck, saying, “Work on that!”

    With that, they loaded back into a nearby SUV, and scooted off to Hyde Lounge to attend Mark Ronson’s Republic Records party.

    See for yourself:

    Better luck next time, boys!

    Read the full story on TMZ

  • Mike Johnston “Drum Daze” drumset solo

    If you haven’t already heard (which we’re darn sure you have), Mike Johnston of MikesLessons.com is one bad mutha.

    One of our favorite solos of Mike’s is the one he performed at Drum Daze, a drum fest run by Columbus Percussion, on March 30th, 2014, in Columbus, Ohio.

    Check. This. Out.

  • Anybody want the house that Ringo grew up in?

    Ringo Starr home up for auction in Liverpool10 Admiral Grove
    Toxteth, Liverpool

    That’s the address of the house that Ringo Starr grew up in as a child. And according to the BBC, that’s the house ready to go up for auction in March, with a guide price set at £55,000 (approximately $80,384 USD).

    Read the entire BBC article for more.

  • Amaze your friends with these BANG! Drum School “Nasty Licks”

    Mark Feldman and the gang over at BANG! The Drum School consistently put out some of the raddest drumset lessons on the web. We highly recommend checking out their site and diving into ALL of their smokin’ groove and fill lessons, but wanted to take a few minutes to highlight several of our personal favorites.

    BANG the drum schoolSpecifically, we’re going to share some gems from a series that BANG! calls “Nasty Licks.” These are some fantastic sounding beats, fills and solo ideas that are sure to keep you busy for a while in the woodshed. Click on over to each of these, download the sweet PDFs they provide, practice, practice, practice, and then amaze your friends (and enemies) with drumsticks at your next gig, rehearsal or jam session!

    • Nasty Lick #33: RLF all day long!

    • Nasty Licks #40, #41 and #42: Around The Drums–Quickly!

    • Nasty Lick #43: Vinnie Colaiuta on “Joe’s Garage”

    • Nasty Lick #49: Paradiddle-diddle hi-hat madness

    • Nasty Lick #62: 5 Double Stroke Roll and Hand Foot Triplet Combinations

    • Nasty Lick #67: A Vinnie Colaiuta Inspired Triplet Lick

    • Nasty Lick #69: Variations on the Foot-Right-Left Drum Lick as 32nd Notes

    • Nasty Lick #71: Sixteenth-note triplets in groups of five

    Enjoy!

  • The secret to serious groove drumming may just be . . . math!

    jeff porcaro groove math fractalsIn an article for Science magazine, Kerry Klein reveals the results of a Max Planck Institute study, which demonstrated fractals, or patterns that look “self-similar” on many different scales.

    A team headed up by physicist Holger Hennig analyzed the timekeeping of legendary drummer Jeff Porcaro – specifically, his recorded performance on Michael McDonald’s classic song, “I Keep Forgettin’.” What they found was that both Porcaro’s 16th-note rhythms AND dynamic volumes varied throughout the piece (although nearly unnoticeable to the human ear), and that those variations formed fractals.

    “It seems that the timekeeper in the brain not only produces fractal timing,” Hennig says, “but likely also fractal intensity or, in this case, loudness.”

    Click here to read the complete Science article.

  • Nashville Drummer Falls Through Window, Breaks Rib At Gig

    Ty Anderson and his wife were enjoying the Don Kelley Band at Robert’s Western World on Broadway in Nashville, Tennessee this past Friday . . . when the most unexpected of events took place. At the end of a song, drummer Stan Saxon stood up from his drums to thank the audience, and toppled over backwards – falling straight through the glass window behind him!

    On top of that, Ty caught it all on camera:

    The resilient Saxon not only finished his set of music with the band, but he also performed another four hours elsewhere nearby that same day. It wasn’t until the next morning that he learned that he’d actually broken a rib.

    But that still didn’t stop him from drumming at a gig again already that night. Talk about dedication to the music!

  • John Beck’s story-filled percussion collection

    John Beck - Eastman School of MusicTeaching percussion at Rochester, New York’s Eastman School of Music since 1959, John H. Beck has amassed quite the incredible collection of instruments, method books and other items. Beck, technically now retired, spoke recently with the Democrat & Chronicle about gradually sorting through the items and the memories.

    “Almost everything in here has a story,” says Beck. “The stories are what hold me back from getting this done. I open that door and walk in here, and there’s memorabilia all over the place.

    He taught hundreds of students in his years at Eastman, one of the most popular being the legendary Steve Gadd. But about his time with Gadd, he says, “”I didn’t really teach him . . . I just guided him.”

    Read the full D&C story here.

  • Beatles drummer Ringo Starr touring with his All-Starr band

    Getting by with a little help from his friends, Ringo is at it again! Beginning June 3rd, he and his All-Starr band (featuring the likes of Gregg Bissonette, Steve Lukather, Todd Rundgren, Gregg Rolie, Richard Page and Warren Ham) will be on tour once more.

    According to Ringo’s website, here are the current 2016 tour dates:

    Beatles drummer Ringo Starr tourJune 3: Lakeview Ampitheater, Syracuse, NY
    June 4: Seneca Allegany Resort & Casino, Salamanca, NY
    June 5: Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY
    June 7: Bergen Performing Arts Center, Englewood, NJ
    June 8: Cross Insurance Center, Bangor, ME
    June 10: Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion, Gilford, NH
    June 11: DCU Center, Worcester, MA
    June 12: Santander Arena, Reading, PA
    June 15: St. George Theatre, Staten Island, NY
    June 17: Warner Theatre, Washington DC
    June 18: Koka Booth Ampitheatre, Cary, NC
    June 19: Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN
    June 21: Foellinger Theatre, Fort Wayne, IN
    June 22: PNC Pavilion, Cincinnati, OH
    June 23: Fox Theatre, Detroit, MI
    June 25: Pinewood Bowl Theater, Lincoln, NE
    June 26: Hartman Arena, Wichita, KS
    June 28: Paramount Theatre, Denver, CO
    July 1: Humphreys Concerts, San Diego, CA
    July 2: The Greek Theatre, Los Angeles, CA

    Keep tabs at RingoStarr.com for any additions or changes.

  • Aerodrums founders take their product to the Dragons’ Den

    aerodrums box contentAfter their recent appearance on Dragons’ Den, Aerodrums founders Yann Morvan and Richard Lee feel that the show’s investors didn’t quite understand the potential value of their rad little product and company.

    Combining Lee’s love of drumming with Morvan’s real-time motion tracking tech know-how, the two created Aerodrums to allow drummers to “air drum” for real. What this means to a percussionist is suddenly having the ability to practice or perform virtually anywhere. Even silently, as to not disturb those in their apartment building or other surroundings.

    Although impressed by the pair’s computer and high-speed camera wizardry, the Dragons’ Den crew were not entirely sold on the idea of supporting it.

    “Looking back we were not really able to make them understand the size of the market. It is true that musical instruments are not something everyone is interested in, there are a lot of people out there who don’t play music and even less who play drums. But that doesn’t mean it’s a tiny market. We felt their valuation of the company was completely wrong.” – Yann Morvan

    aerodrums closed box with drumsticksIn the end, an offer was indeed made to the Aerodrums team. How did it all pan out? Read this article from The Guardian for all the details!

  • What A Drummer’s Brain Looks Like

    We’ve all heard drummer jokes (here are 23 of the best drummer jokes out there) and some of them ARE pretty darn funny! But science has recently been pointing out some incredibly remarkable differences between the brain of a percussionist and that of just your average Joe.

    The good people at General Electric released this rad video that begins to touch on the neural connections made as a drummer performs:

    For more reading along these lines, check out this I Heart Intelligence post, as well as this from mic.com

    For your additional viewing pleasure, Mickey Hart…

    Brain

  • Bruce Springsteen drummer, Max Weinberg, buys a $2.4 million home in Washington, D.C.

    The Washington Business Journal and Wall Street Journal have reported that the legendary Max Weinberg, famous for his gig as the drummer of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, has purchased quite the new abode in D.C.

    2012-07-12_Springsteen07

    To read more, check out the Washington Business Journal article and the Wall Street Journal article.

  • Introducing Guitar Center’s 27th Annual Drum-Off Winner, Tony Taylor Jr.

    “I didn’t go into this competition half-hearted – I knew what a big deal it was and I really wanted to win,” says Taylor.

    And win, he did! Of thousands of contestants from across the US, Illinois’ own Tony Taylor, Jr. took the title of 2016 Guitar Center Drum-Off winner. According to the announcement on GC’s website, young Taylor took home $25,000 cash, a Roland TD-30KV electronic drum kit, a Roland SPD-SX sampling pad, his choice of a drumset (from DW, Tama, Pearl, Gretsch or Yamaha), a full setup of drumsticks, cymbals, and drumheads, endorsement deals from some top drum manufacturers, a VIP Experience at NAMM 2016, studio time at Converse Rubber Tracks, and a feature in the Guitar Center Buyer’s Guide.

    Check out Tony’s award-winning drum solo:

    Judges for the Guitar Center Drum-Off included Steve Ferrone (Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers), Matt Garstka (Animals as Leaders), George “Spanky” McCurdy (Lady Gaga), Ced Mitchell (Nick Jonas), Cora Dunham (Beyoncé), Glen Sobel (Alice Cooper), Mike Reid (Rhianna), Gerald Heyward (Chris Brown), Tony Royster Jr. (Jay Z), Jim Riley (Rascall Flatts), Dave Elitch (Antemasque) and Nisan Stewart (Dancing With The Stars).

    The event also featured special performances by Taylor Hawkins (Foo Fighters), Mike Mangini (Dream Theater), Clyde Stubblefield (James Brown), Robert Spurt Searight (Snarky Puppy) and Gil Sharone (Marilyn Manson).

  • A playable cardboard drumset?

    Introducing Obilab and their incredible, cardboard, affordable, foldable and portable drumkit!

    Carry this super lightweight rig on your back, set it up in a jiffy and rock out now matter where you’re at. Small enough to fit in an overhead compartment on the airplane, you can take the Obilab kit everywhere you go.

    See/hear for yourself how cool this is . . .

    They’re in the launch phase as we write this, so you’ll likely be hearing much more about them in the near future. Interested in checking them out? Here are some links:

    Obilab.com

    Instagram: @obilab

    Twitter: @ObilabMusic

    Vimeo: @obilab