under-rated drummers

[Peter Jeffery]

Sammy Watson -from the band 'The Apex Theory.'    Any Police fans might want to check out a Police inspired tune (just a guess) ....a song called 'That's All."  -amazing stuff.

[Stefanos]

Nicko McBrain is the only one that comes in mind right now.  Maiden are playing the same music for decades, but Nicko's ride cymbal playing and fills keep impressing me. On the other hand, LARS ULRICH really sucks!!! I know many of you will disagree, there is even a book about him-what he played, why he played it etc. Hell, every time I listen to Kill'em all it sounds like Lars himself doesn't know why he's playing whaterver it is he's playing. When I watch Metallica on TV, I think of how GREAT their music is. Lars plays whatever comes in his mind, has NO sense of dynamics, plays open hihats on ballads.......etc, yet the music still sounds good! Incredible musicians, the rest of them. No other explanation. And he's got his signature sticks by ahead and 2 snares (!) by tama. Incredible!

[Carlos Benson]

Jojo Mayer...have you guys seen him??? incredible... :o

[Mark Schlipper]

just  thought of another underrated fella (the list is almost infinite aint it :))

doug scharin - codeine, h.i.m., june of 44, rex
his participation in all of these (h.i.m. being his personal project) is evidence of his versatility.  while there are similarities (especially between codeine and rex) they are different enough to note.  with rex & codeine he pulled off slow, lethargic beats that couldve easily been overplayed to fill space, but it wasnt necessary or warranted to do so, so he kept it minimal.  h.i.m. shows the dub and jazz angle he's capable of.  as well as his production and arrangement skills.  

another guy of note, though not specifically a drummer, is kieren hebden.  he played guitar in fridge, and works alone under the name four tet.  his ability to create great drum parts when its not his main instrument is a testament to his natural gift at music in general.  add to this the fact that hes only now hitting his mid 20's and his early output becomes that much more remarkable.  

[Carn]

Jojo Mayer...have you guys seen him??? incredible... :o

never seen him, but he`s a pretty big name over here in europe, he really mastered the moeller technique, and has some own cool twists with it

[onmyown]

mike crosgrove - alien ant farm : great chops and can play about any style you throw at him with great style.

chris pennie(sp) - dillinger escape plan: chops like no other, ok so maybe like others but hes d*mn good.

jose pasillas - incubus: groovey and has own style of rock!

and speaking of kings x...jerrys sons formed a band called geek a few years back here in houston and his son can drum his ass off too!!

[Matt Self (Gaddabout)]

Ahmir Thompson, a.k.a. ?uestlove, man. He's just where it's at and where it's going to be. Check out the Philadelphia Experiment and The Roots. Very hip. I would like hip hop if this is the direction it's taking.

[SteveR]

Good to see Pat Wilson from Weezer getting some love in this thread even though it was over a year ago.  ;D  Having seen The Weez 5 or 6 times, I can tell you not to judge Pat from his playing on their records.  He really opens up live.  Very good drummer with a lovely Ludwig vintage kit.

One of my all time favorite drummers is Earl Harvin.  He's a UNT 1 o'clock alum and he played in an amazing band called Ten Hands back in the early 90's.  Then he toured and recorded with Seal.  He played on Seal's "Unplugged" MTV thing.  Now he has his own jazz trio.  He has his own very unique sound.    

[Mark Schlipper]

One of my all time favorite drummers is Earl Harvin.  He's a UNT 1 o'clock alum and he played in an amazing band called Ten Hands back in the early 90's.  Then he toured and recorded with Seal.  He played on Seal's "Unplugged" MTV thing.  Now he has his own jazz trio.  He has his own very unique sound.  

Earl's a bada$$ for sure.   Also check out The Black Frames.    Essentially Critters Buggin with Earl on drums instead of Matt Chamberlain.  

[onmyown]

philidelphia experiment is d*mn good stuff...i love it.
ive had the cd for some time. ?uestlove is a good choice for underrated drummers.  ive als o seen him do some unplugged stuff with jay z.  he was reproducing the beats that they make in studios using drum machines and what not...flawless!

[smoggrocks]

Adam Nussbaum - I mentioned him in an earlier "underrated drummers" thread, but I have to mention him again.  Why is this guy heard more often?  Great sound, great chops, and fantastic energy.  He's right at the top of my, "he can play with my band ANY DAY!" list.

Jeff Hamilton - another one of these guys who doesn't seem to be the first name in many "who's your favorite drummer?" conversations, but among those who are familiar with his work, well...we know how serious a player he is.

IMHO, FWIW, YMMV, etc....

those two are monsters. love 'em. i first caught nussbaum at this outdoor jazz fest on the hudson river. the quintet he was in was the only act that did anything remotely 'out' it really seemed to disturb the suburban audience. i loved it! he also used to frequent these jazz jams at a little mexican restaurant a few blocks from my apartment. [actually, here's a good one: before the place became a mexican restaurant, it was a club, and joey caldarazzo and tain watts used to go in there to practice. i pressed my nose up to the window on more than one occasion, but that's as far as the big bouncer would let me go. i thought for sure i'd get tain to sign a drumhead.] word on the street was that nussbaum was extremely cocky, and would tell off drummers who couldn't hang at the jams. that pretty much ate up my resolve, so i never did get to see him in this more relaxed atmosphere, but it woulda been cool.


jeff hamilton is tasteful and fiery at the same time. it's great to watch him play; he really gets into it.  




now you know, i don't know if she's really under-appreciated, but i've noticed, with great sadness, that terri lyne carrington's clinics are always half-empty. it really is a shame. i mean, she's got absolutely nothing she needs to prove, but it seems with the exception of a few deep jazz lovers, she goes by unnoticed. maybe coz she plays on a lot of different gigs?





it's really mindblowing how many fantastic drummers there are out there.

[jayjayselmes]

Ben Gillies - Silverchair very tight drummer he is like a human metronome.

jace

[jdrums]

Chad Hunley - He came out with a solo album where he wrote all the music, and his style is kind of similar to Vinnie Colauita's.  He is a very humble guy.  I took a lesson with him and he told me that he actually hung out with Vinnie, and Vinnie had gave him compliments on his cd!

Glen Sobel - Check out his playing on Jennifer Batten's "Tribal Rage".  He is an amazing player, and he is like the 5th fastest drummer in the world.

Gaetano Nicholosi - He plays with a band called Ironhorse.  I study with him.  He has incredible chops, but very musical phrasing in his solos.  Great teacher as well!

[jdrums]

Okay, I have to mention two more......

Rick May - he plays/played with the band DC Talk.  He wrote and recorded an album with his bud called "The Walter Eugenes".  You got to hear this record!  He plays with so much finesse and musical phrasing, and keeps everything interesting.  He is a monster player live or in the studio, and he should be playing alot more than he is!

Bobby Rock - I think he gets alot of crap because of his eighties band associations, but make no mistake, he is one bad mo fo behind the kit!  Check out his new instructional video - He is doing some independence ostinatos that would make Bozzio proud.   He also released a great solo album called "Out of Body".

[dayvel]

Not only is Jeff Hamilton a fine drummer, but he also told me the most disgusting joke I have ever heard.

[Funkadrummer]

Dino Campanella - Dredg, He's pretty amazing I think always keeps it flowing. Dredg is a melodic - rock w/ an edge.

[bennyleb]

tea party is indeed underrated, as is thier drummer :)  and im not even canadian.

Well... I am! I love The Tea Party. Their drummer, Jeff Burrows, can lay down some pretty killer grooves: Temptation, Sister Awake, Fire In The Head and Lullaby.

IMHO some underrated rock/altern-rock drummers:

Chad Gracey Live â€" I totally agree with everything BretScherm said! However, I think his best work is on Throwing Copper. After that, he sounds good but not very creative. That's where practicing and maybe having a teacher could be helpful for him to evolve as a drummer. I still like Live though and I bought the same ride he's using, a Zildjian K Heavy Ride. I was looking for a warmer sound than my A Ping Ride, but with that clear ping sound.

Steve Hewitt Placebo â€" I saw Placebo live last summer and Steve was spectacular! He's a rock-solid drummer who can do some very nice work with brushes (The Crawl), adding dept and maturity to Placebo's music. The man can also groove: Taste In Men, Pure Morning)!

Eric Carr Kiss â€" I like Kiss' albums they did in the 80's (well... Paul Stanley's songs!) and it's mostly because of him. What a shame that Kiss didn't release Alive III with him on drums.

[Nick]

chris pennie(sp) - dillinger escape plan: chops like no other, ok so maybe like others but hes d*mn good.

I will second that, the guy is inspirational even the last E.P. with patton has some amazing stuff on it, top cover of ‘Come to Daddy  etc...

:)

N

[Jay Northrop]

Matt Cameron - Need I say more than has been said??

Tico Torres - AWSOME drummer.He rocks Bon Jovi to the max.

Sully Erna - He never wanted to be a singer.He is a drummer and a awsome one at that.

And with Eric Carr I am so pissed that Kiss never had an Alive album with him.IMO BEST KISS DRUMMER....

[drumsensae]

I agree with this guy for sure.  
Phil Selway-Radihead
Will Champion-Coldplay
Brady Blade
Billy Martin