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NZ Music Hall of Famer, former drummer with Ticket and long time Hello Sailor timekeeper, Rick Ball, talks with Steve Clarkson, who himself drummed with Dave McArtney & the Pink Flamingos, as well as for the Narcs. ...more

Josh Sorenson has been around the block a time or two, playing with the likes of King Kapisi, Nathan Haines, Hello Sailor and The Alan Brown Trio and Hammond Gamble. A Programme Leader at MAINZ (he teaches drums and music technology), band member and session player, he is an inspiration to many an up and coming young drummer, He talks here with fellow specialist Nathan Trainor, who plays in Auckland metal band Fractured and dispenses retail advice in central Auckland. ...more

Alistair Deverick has been in high demand over the last few years and has amassed quite an impressive list of drumming credits to his name. Playing in groups such as The Sami Sisters, The Hot Grits, Bannerman, Lisa Crawley, The Shades, Watercolours, Panther and The Zoo, Lawrence Arabia, Haunted Love, Lucid 3, and his most recent outfit The Ruby Suns – with whom he recently toured around Europe and the US. Alistair doesn’t have a website, Myspace, bandcamp or Facebook page, but he did talk (in person) to Alex Freer before departing for the Red Bull Music Academy – originally scheduled for Tokyo and now being held in Madrid. ...more

Diversely talented avante-garde/punk/industrial/theatrical drummer Kieran Monaghan talks with fellow Wellingtonian and experimental ambient musician Campbell Kneale. ...more

As with his band’s name, Subtract’s drummer Mark Rees likes to keep things simple – and metal. We asked the infamous Darren ‘Dirty’ Mathiassen (drummer for Hollie Smith, Iva Lamkum and Rhombus among others) to pose him some questions. ...more

Alongside writing and performing with independent, creative ensembles (such as The Pyramid Scheme, The Famous Players and Sheba Williams), and rehearsing extensive repertoires with covers groups (primarily in the jazz idiom), Richard Wise continues developing a unique approach to the drums. From residencies with some of Wellington’s finest jazz musicians (such as Nick Tipping, Charmaine Ford, James Illingworth and the Kevin Clark Trio), to studio work with the Vector Wellington Orchestra, to musical theatre and cabaret shows (including the massive Starlight Express tour this year), to performances with an array of artists including the NZSO, he keeps his kit busy. Somewhere in this hectic-enough schedule he also finds time to be a student of psychology, and brew coffee for fellow Wellingtonians. ...more

Wellingtonian Riki Gooch been adding his groove to the music of some of our brightest talents over the past 10 years, notably including as one vital third of the legendary TrinityRoots. He’s been sought out to work with Fat Freddys Drop, Recloose, Bic Runga, Jonathan Crayford, Neil Finn, Rhombus, Chris Cox, Fly My Pretties, Mark de Clive-Lowe and numerous other quality ensembles. More recently he has been developing a style and sensibility all of his own through his solo project, releasing a debut album prevocatively titled ‘Great News for the Modern Man’ under the Eru Dangerspiel moniker in November last year. That percussion-driven project recently exploded into the form of a massive live concert staged at Auckland’s Town Hall. Half arranged, half free-form improvisation, the concert featured nearly 20 musicians in the band plus a small choir in an extravaganza of sound and energy that was complemented by an impressive AV display. Julien Dyne was on stage as well, and in advance NZM asked him to quiz Mr Gooch about his drumming career to date. ...more

Sam Sheppard has recently scored himself endorsements from Paiste and Tama, it seemed like high time we got him to get his kit off for NZM readers. Mark Rees from Subtract asked the questions. Sam Sheppard is the type of drummer whose talent is fuelled by complete passion for his music. Having honed his craft in two of NZ’s top metal bands (8 Foot Sativa and currently Sinate), toured the world, opened for megastars such as Slayer and Motocade, and organised local events such as last years Mammoth Metal Fest, he has built himself quite a reputation. He contributed to 8 Foot’s 2004 album ‘Breed The Pain’, and along with his brother Matt wrote much of the material for Sinate’s first two albums – ‘Beyond Human’ (2005) and ‘Violent Ambition’ (2006). He is now looking forward to recording the band’s third album in Texas later this year with renowned Pantera producer Sterling Winfields. ...more

Sam de Jong is one of those drummers. Y’know, the ones that barely get any lessons, but they’re still really good and the end up doing all the things most drummers can only dream of. Still in his teens, Sam has toured the world, he’s played in packed-out stadia while the multitudes sing along, he’s played in the rain on a soccer field, he has recorded and released albums which he co-produced and has recently secured an endorsement deal with DW Drums. On a mission to keep one of New Zealand’s more successful musical exports relevant to the current worldwide music scene, Sam recently co-produced Parachute Band’s latest release ‘Technicolor’. 2008 has been a big year for the band – they have toured extensively and famously won the Peoples’ Choice Award. However, ‘success’ for Sam is not crowded shows and record sales; it is communicating a positive message through the medium of song ...more

The varied and comprehensive skills of Julien Dyne are employed by a whole bunch of NZ’s favourite outfits. Coming from a family with a strong jazz pedigree, Dyne is best known as the drummer for Opensouls and Tyra & the Tornadoes, but he’s also worked on recordings for Fat Freddys Drop, Ladi6, Nathan Haines, Chris Cox, James Duncan, Hollie Smith, Eru Dangerspiel and Sola Rosa among others. Along with that he has found time to DJ for bFM’s Sunday jazz show, record and produce his solo EP ‘Phantom Limbo’ in 2007 (an album is also underway), and exhibit his intriguing sculpture and paintings. NZM asked fellow drumming whiz Nick Gaffaney (of Cairo Knife Fight and the Anika Moa band among others) to have a chat with this modern Renaissance man. ...more

It was Vaughn Roberts who alerted me to Myele's existence around three years ago, a few months before auditions were due to be held at the (NZ School of Music) conservatorium. "This kid is a mother, grab him!" he told me. Needless to say he flew through at audition time, and has continued flying since day one. Myele has a great work ethic, and is totally fearless musically, a fact borne out by the number of musical colleagues he enjoys the company of (one of my personal favourites is the group with Jonathan Crayford). The future of drums in NZ is firmly in the 20 year old hands of Myele Manzanza, believe it! ...more

Paul came to learn the drums from me as a schoolboy, but clearly continued his education outside of the studio and the classroom to become one of the country's favourite rock drummers. ...more

Our paths have taken us our separate ways since, and I've enjoyed from afar his contributions to TrinityRoots, Rhombus, Hollie Smith, Age Pryor and a number of other groups. ...more

Chris O'Connor is everywhere. ...more

Lance Philip teaches drums and percussion at the Wellington School of Music... ...more

Over summer I was lucky enough to spend some time with Benjamin Cole roaming around the New Zealand countryside while playing (as Shaky Hands) some killer shows with Shihad and The Datsuns. ...more

Ricky Boyd is a Wellington-based drummer. Formerly of The Accelerants he is currently playing with Good Laika and Ricky Boyd & the Boomshack Band while also making a name for himself as an educator with a unique approach. ...more

n the past few months Bruce Morley has played at Government House with The Dominion Centenary Concert Band (DCCB); Auckland University with the Prohibition Big Band; the Kings Arms with poet Murray Haddow; the Whitianga Scallop Festival with Tauranga’s Kokomo; Luxembourg Gardens with the Vitamin S Free Improvisation Collective; an art gallery fundraiser for a Warwick Broadhead theatrical extravaganza and the annual Concert Band Festival in Auckland Town Hall. ...more

Nick Gaffaney is just 28 years old but he has been playing drums for 22 of those years. He hints that his start on the calf bladder was mystic, but really it came at primary school in Christchurch through the visit of a local drum tutor and Nick was hooked. ...more

Hailing from New Plymouth, Agent emerged on the NZ music scene early in 2003. Combining a mixture of hard rock, metal, alternative and funk, they didn't mess around and independently released EP 'The Pheng Nom Shakedown' later that year. ...more

Mark Rees of Subtract chats with a fellow ex-Cantabrian - Gasoline Cowboy's Scott Mason - following the independent release of their self-titled EP. ...more

Heavy Jones Trio's Myles Allpress chats to Lucid 3's drumming producer/engineer. ...more

Fresh from winning APRA's 40th Silver Scroll songwriting award here, Evermore are currently in the running for five Australian music industry ARIA awards. Evermore's 18 year old drummer Dann Hume took time out to discuss the finer details of his drumming with Aidan Bartlett from The Midnight Youth, runners up in this year's Smokefreerockquest... ...more

The Have's Mike de Marie has a rockin' good chat with Daniel Pooley, The D4's hard-drumming Beaver ...more

Cold By Winter drummer Scotty Rocker catches up with Matt Clark midway through the recording of The Bleeders' debut album. ...more

Gordon Marr takes on NZM columnist Frank Gibson Jr... ...more

When Marcel Rodeka was 11 years old, he volunteered to hit a big bass drum with a mallet 12 times in a school play. ...more

When I think of Elemeno P, it's not their catchy melodies or dynamic guitar riffs that catch my attention, but the super-phat, driving grooves that are the backbone to all their songs, and are a signature trait of Scotty Pearson. ...more

Drummer Jay Dougrey, recently ex of Sommerset, interviews Snapcase's latest addition Ben Lythberg. ...more

Wash sticksman Gavin Kerr talks to session player and Eight drummer Paul Russell, on playing the pillows, the secret to feel, and the full-body approach...y'know?. ...more

Tom Atkinson, drummer for SJD, HMX, one million dollars and Foghorn talks to Splitter's Wayne Bell, session drummer to the stars, including Bic Runga, Greg Johnson and Dave Dobbyn. ...more

My now most live music-goers in the central North Island will have experienced Earl Pollard's creativity as the drummer with 'Bullfrog Rata and the Undergators'. Earl would be one of the most sensitive sidemen I have seen play, and also had the pleasure to know personally. ...more

At 28, Nigel Bateman is one of the Wanganui's most in demand drummers. ...more

Rene Corbett, a recent graduate of the Contemporary Music Course at the NSOM and drummer in Sound Works, interviews Nelson's hardest working drummer, Chris Pierson. ...more