When COVID-19 hit our country I had already worked half a year on booking my 2020 schedule. One day I am playing a gig anticipating a busy summer and the next day told to stay home. No public performances, no gathering of people, no events of any kind. Don’t get me...
If you wanted to find someone who fits the definition of “renaissance drummer,” Cindy Blackman Santana would be the perfect choice. She simply has done—and continues to do—it all. She’s perfectly at home in a rock format, as evidenced by her past work with Lenny...
This past Saturday, September 12 saw the return of one of drumming’s great events: The Modern Drummer Festival. Not held since 2011, this year’s Festival marked the 20th in its iconic history. Of course, given the nature of the times, the 2020 Festival couldn’t be...
The perfect rock ‘n’ roll fantasy movie script would read something like this: In 2006, a cool British mom who has raised her and her husband’s 11-year-old son on classic rock, takes her son to his first concert to see The Cult. The boy is completely blown...
For those who may not know Sam, he was a fixture on the New York City drumming scene for more than sixty years. He was also quite a character, and it’s hardly surprising that “Sam the showman” would make his exit on New Year’s Day of 2014. We lost a genuine drumming...