Photo Jonathan Stewart Ralph Salmins is one of a kind. With names like Paul McCartney, Aretha Franklin, Elton John, Madonna, James Brown, Tom Jones, Mike Oldfield, Chaka Khan, Quincy Jones, Burt Bacharach, and Alison Krauss, to name a (small) fraction of his credits, Ralph not only has one of the most extensive but
Eric Leiderman truly is a drummer at heart. With a couple of years international touring under his belt, he's had a good dive into the life of a professional drummer; but ultimately desiring a stable lifestyle he decided against an uncertain career in the music industry and opted for TV. Today, Eric is the producer
Around 1986 I had tickets to see Steve Gadd play a drum clinic at a venue called “Blazers” near Windsor but Steve, who was still in his forties, had to pull out after having a blood clot. I was so disappointed, not because I was not going to have the chance to see one of
Born to a musician mother, Larry Aberman was always surrounded by music but struggled to find an instrument he was passionate about. It wasn’t until his brothers band left a drum kit in the house that he discovered the sticks for himself at the age of ten. The upbringing in this musical household, the environment
“Rock compares to jazz like killing someone with a baseball bat vs. putting a pillow over their mouth”. Ian Matthews has both ways down like few others. Coming from a jazz background he swapped the thin sticks for some proper wood and has been the power house behind British Indie Rock band Kasabian for the
Photo by Ed Peers Starting as a young boy from Lancashire with a dream, Joe Clegg has earned his stripes the hard way. From a short time at music college and early touring experiences, Joe struggled with set backs that almost made him give up on his dreams. But family support, hard work
If we look at drummers out there today, we see lots of fast guys, tons of ‘choppy’ guys and some tasty groovers, but when was really the last time you saw a new exciting drummer? A drummer want to listen to as closely as you can, to not miss any idea, any little detail or
“Astonishing and emotionally powerful…” Brian Eno. Born in Switzerland and brought up all over the world, Jojo Mayer was always exposed to a wide range of musical and cultural influences. His father, being a bass player himself, awoke his interest in music and introduced him to jazz. Years later, curiosity and wanting to strive
I remember very clearly standing in the front row at the Music Messe in Frankfurt as a little boy, absolutely mesmerised by the flying hands and feet of Thomas Lang. The speed, precision and independence was simply mind-blowing. But there is much more to Thomas Lang than just the ‘Drum-inator’ we know from his solo
Not often have I met a drummer who has such an extensive and diverse biography: music education, orchestral percussion, jazz, pop, musical theatre, producer, actor, arranger, clinician, art consultant… Jason Sutter can do it all. On top of that he’s one of the most in demand rock drummers America has to offer, having worked for
