Drummer Chris Pennie has announced that he is leaving Coheed and Cambria. The band and Chris say the decision was mutual and because of “creative differences”

Chris had been a member of Coheed since 2007, when he replaced Josh Eppard. He now plans on focusing more time on various other musical projects that he is involved with. These include the progressive rock group Return to Earth and the music production company Chris formed called Fight Mannequins. Chris said that these other projects require his 100% attention and “I feel that this is the right time to make that happen”

Man, Dave Grohl is one cool dude. On October 10th, Jared Champion, the drummer for Cage the Elephant, had to be rushed to the hospital for immediate surgery on a burst appendix. Cage has been opening for the Foo Fighters tour currently running, supporting Wasting Light. Apparently, when Dave Grohl found out about the predicament he immediately called Cage’s tour manager to offer his drumming services. Cage the Elephant excitedly accepted his offer and Dave ended up playing drums for the last 5 songs of the Cage set in Salt Lake City, Utah, at the Maverick Center.

“I had to pinch myself,” says Cage guitarist Lincoln Parish. “I turned around and Dave Grohl is playing the drums. It’s an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime experience. Nobody can replace Jared. But…it’s Dave fucking Grohl. If you’re going to be replaced by anybody, it might as well be the best.” Dave filled in again for part of their set at the Forum in Los Angeles on October 13. What a great story that shows not only the great relationship between the Foo Fighers and Cage the Elephant, but also how talented, kind, and bad-ass Dave Grohl is.

Read More at The Spin

Pearl’s Chad Smith Signature Snare Drum is one of the most popular and recognized snares in the Pearl lineup. Delivering a subtle dynamic range and an exceptionally deep cracking sound, it’s lauded as one of the best overall rock snare drums available, and at a great price. It is one of Pearl’s most sensitive snares and can be quite LOUD! The snare looks as great as it sounds with a black nickel plated steel shell.

I have had the Chad Smith Signature Snare for about 1.5 years now and I could not be happier with its performance. I have received numerous compliments after gigs for the sound of the snare. The Chad Smith definitely shines when both heads are tuned relatively tight. This gives great sensitivity for rolls and ghost notes and an awesome CRACK that will cut through anything your band-mates are pumping out. I play mostly rock and funk and this snare just sounds amazing.

Need a snare that rocks and will cut through the mix with ease? Count on Pearl’s Chad Smith Signature Snare Drum.

Check out these Chad Smith Signature Snare Drums on sale now!

Check out the debut album from my band, the Charlie River Band. We just released this CD and it is now available for purchase through iTunes, Amazon.com, CD Baby and other online retailers.

“There’s a little bit of everything in this up and coming Boston group’s debut release. Poignant lyrics, soulful improvisation and a rock solid rhythm section shine throughout this musical roller coaster of styles.”

“For 20 years people have asked me what my dream band line-up is,” Dave Grohl said in a recent interview. “And now I can say I’m in it!”

Dave is refering to his latest project, Them Crooked Vultures. Formed in 2009 in LA California, the groups members include drummer Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters, Nirvana), vocalist and guitarist Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age), and legendary bassist and keyboardist John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin). The band also features Alain Johannes (Queens of the Stone Age) as a live rhythm guitarist and back up vocalist when touring. Their self titled album was released on November 17, 2009 in the US.

The trio of Grohl, Homme, and Jones started working together sometime around or before 2005. That is when Grohl first made public remarks pertaining to the collaboration stating: “The next project that I’m trying to initiate involves me on drums, Josh Homme on guitar, and John Paul Jones playing bass. That’s the next album. That wouldn’t suck.” The band entered the recording studio in July 2009 and threw down their 14 track album. The single Mind Eraser (No Chaser) was made available to fans that had bought tickets to a live performance and then was offered on iTunes as a free download. The band later made their entire album available to stream through their website themcrookedvultures.com on November 9th. Them Crooked Vultures just finished up their fist USA tour in November and have moved on to a December Europe tour.

Josh Homme confesses “it was the most difficult record I’ve ever made knowing I wanted it to be as good as possible” while Dave Grohl enthusiastically adding: “I consider the album to be the most exciting thing I’ve done in my entire life.” The music is unique and can be described (not surprisingly) as a mix of Zeppelin, Foo Fighters, and Queens of the Stone Age. I can only hope that Them Crooked Vultures will come back to the USA for another tour soon.

Listen to “New Fang” by Them Crooked Vultures below

As I have written about before, the act of drumming can be beneficial to both physical and mental health. An article was just written for the Denver Post about the research of Dr. Barry Bittman, a neurologist who studies the effects of making music on stress levels and mood. Dr. Bittman’s research shows that drumming can be an enjoyable form of exercise. As the Denver Post states, ” He found that people were having so much fun playing on a drum that they did not feel that they were exercising, even though they burned an average of 270 calories in a half-hour. By engaging mind and body, the entire activity was fun and exhilarating, not tedious.”

Dr. Bittman’s study shows that drumming can have some very specific health benefits. The article states:

Bittman’s research between 2001 and 2005 shows that drumming:

• Improves the aerobic and cardiovascular system.

• Strengthens the immune system.

• Improves mood and reduces burnout from workers under stress.

• Reverses the ravages of stress at the cellular level.

• Reduces anxiety, depression and feelings of loneliness.

It is amazing that the simple act of drumming can have so many health benefits. Wouldn’t it be neat if corporations started providing drum circles as a way for their employees to relax and reduce stress levels. I know I would enjoy my work day even more if I could play in a drum circle on my lunch break. Perhaps that is just wishful thinking, but regardless, I encourage everyone to pick up a drum and beat it, tap on your desk along to music or bang out a beat on some pots and pans. It’s good for you! Visit the Denver Post to read the article in its entirety.

Break it Down – Having trouble learning a drum groove that involves all 4 limbs? Try breaking the beat down into its individual parts for each arm/leg. Pick 2 limbs and play those parts. After you can play that no problem, add another part of the groove. Breaking a beat down and then building it back up piece by piece can help you lean even the most complicated drumming patterns.

Practice Frequency > Duration – Many drummers ask about what the “best” practice schedule is. There is no perfect practice schedule and not everyone has the same available time to play. Practice frequency is more important than the total amount of time spent behind your kit. Try to play every day, even if you can only play 10 min or so. The repetition is very beneficial for your muscle memory. Practicing every day for 15 min will help you more than practicing 10 hours straight twice a month.

Now I’m not saying you should only practice for 15 min at a time. Practicing for over an hour in duration is beneficial as it will build muscle mass and increase endurance. If you cant fit in a long practice session, try to sit down and play for just a couple minuets. If you practice every day, I guarantee by the end of the week you will feel more comfortable and at ease playing your kit than when you started.

Aerosmith drummer Joey Kramer will publish an autobiography on June 30th entitled “Hit Hard: A Story of Hitting Rock Bottom at the Top.” Kramer, one of the founding members of Aerosmith, describes his personal experiences battling depression while being part of one of the most popular rock bands in American history.

Below is a video of Kramer discussing the book along with some classic Aerosmith videos and pictures.

Here is a cool video I found of an impressive drum version of the Super Mario Brothers theme. This is surely one talented musician who made this video. The cymbal usage is just awesome. Check it out!

Bass Drum Head – If you are going to cut a hole in your bass drum resonant head remember that this will affect the sound of your bass drum. The larger the hole, the larger the impact on the sound will be. Anything larger than 7″ will sound like there is no head at all.

Know a Golfer? – You can use an old golf club bag to carry your cymbal stands and other hardware.

New Drum Heads – New drum heads will stretch out shortly after being mounted on your drums. Keep this in mind that you probably have to tighten them back up after a couple hours. You may want to tune new heads slightly higher than your ideal pitch at first to anticipate this initial stretching.