According to NME, Foo Fighter frontman, Dave Grohl, will be making an appearance in the upcoming Muppet Movie.  Grohl will be playing a replacement drummer in the Muppet band for Animal who is away attending anger management classes.

Many say that the muppet Animal was created with the Who's late great drummer Keith Moon in mind .

Grohl's friend and comedian actor Jack Black will also be making a cameo appearance in the movie along with pop superstar Lady Gaga.

The movie is directed byJason Segel of the television show How I Met Your Mother and the popular comedy films I Love You Man and Forgetting Sarah Marshall.

Former Asia drummer performs at the Englert

BY EVAN CLARK | OCTOBER 29, 2010 7:15 AM

The drum solo is an art that is sadly losing steam in the rock world today. Gone are the days when Jon Bonham of Led Zeppelin performing epic solos extending over an hour, or Rush’s Neil Pert furiously banging his sticks as his drumset spins upside down. But despite a new era of electronic beats and samples, legendary drummer Carl Palmer isn’t fazed.

“I think with technology there’s a lot more available to drummers,” Palmer said. “There’s a lot more equipment than when I started, but I’ve started using some electronic drums here and there and I think the influence from technology on players is on the cutting edge. However, I still prefer to play the way I’ve always played, plain and simple.”

Palmer, the drummer for the past super-groups like ’70’s progressive rock legend Emerson Lake & Palmer and 80’s pop rock giant, Asia, will perform with backup instrumentation at the Englert Theatre, 221 E. Washington St., this Saturday night at 8 p.m.

Carl Palmer and his band have been going strong since 2001, recording three albums, including one released October this year. This fall marks the beginning of Palmer’s second US tour with the group and will be followed up with an Asia reunion tour starting in 2011. Palmer plans to play plenty of Emerson Lake & Palmer (ELP) classics this Saturday, accompanied with classical music renditions as well as a video and projections show that Palmer feels will give it, “more of an art rock feel.”

“It’s very unique and I don’t think there’s another band playing like us at the moment.” Palmer said.

Palmer’s progressive rock style of percussion has influenced a wide range of drummers both new and old. Fellow drummer and Palmer fan Mike Frahm was turned onto Palmer by his father, who also played drums.

“My dad has a bunch of ELP records that he let me borrow growing up,” Frahm said. “Their songs were always like 20 minutes long, but Carl’s rhythm and drum solos were always what stood out to me. I’d say Carl Palmer and Garth from *Wayne’s World* inspired me to pick up drumming.”

Palmer is widely known for his intense percussion performances and exuberant drum solos, which have been staples of his live shows. He’s equally known for his ability to rip off his shirt during his solos and while losing articles of clothing has become something of a rarity these days, Palmer never knows what will happen at any given moment during his performances.

“I recently ripped my shirt off at a big music festival this summer,” Palmer said. “But it’s all in the moment, so we’ll just have to see what happens.”

Shirt or no shirt, the 60-year-old Palmer doesn’t see himself putting down the sticks anytime in the near future.

“People only retire when they’re doing something they don’t like,” Palmer said. “As long as I can maintain my standard I’ll keep playing and the minute I can’t do it anymore, I’ll stop. But I think that day will never come.”

5 Ways Being a Drummer Makes You A Better Entrepreneur by Eric Schechter
Is it any surprise that some of the most accomplished entrepreneurs these days are also drummers? Off the top of my head I can think of at least 7 or 8 super affiliates/accomplished entrepreneurs (and one amazingly talented Social Media Manager) that can drop a face-melting drum solo while simultaneously brainstorming new business ideas, setting up a brand new site, and negotiating a grueling 10 page contract. Pretty impressive, huh? But it makes sense. You see, drummers are a different breed than most regular humans. We posses unique traits that have allowed us to find success where others have found failure. True story. Now you might still be skeptical of the claims I am making, which is understandable as most people disregard drummers’ opinions due to many factors (the most apparent one being jealousy). It’s ok, we’re used to it However, I’ve put together 5 solid reasons that back my point up pretty well if you ask me…but I’ll let you decide for yourself. Here goes…

1-Drummers Love Their Job and It Shows. You have to live and breathe drumming if you truly want to be successful at it. Once the glitz and glam of being a drummer (i.e the automatic coolness factor, getting all the girls etc..) wears off, you have to really love what you do in order to master the trade and stand out from the crowd. Same goes with being an entrepreneur (and an affiliate for that matter). It’s easy to be attracted to this industry when you hear about the flexibility in work hours, being your own boss, and of course the money. But once you see what it really takes to make it as an entrepreneur, you truly have to LOVE the lifestyle if you want any chance at being successful. As drummers, we understand that completely, and thus are one step ahead of the game.

2-Drummers Are No Strangers To Hard Work and Practice. Whether it’s practicing rudiments, paradiddles, or a new stick spinning trick to impress the ladies, mastering the art of drumming takes time, hard work and a TON of practice. It means putting in long hours even when you’re tired and your fingers are bloody and callused. Why? Because it’s a passion and as drummers, we wouldn’t have it any other way. The successful entrepreneur has the same mindset. They know they can set their own hours and don’t have to answer to anyone but themselves. But they also understand that the people who think that way, are the ones who do the bare minimum just to get by, if that. To make it in this business (the entrepreneurial business that is..) your success and failure is entirely up to YOU. Whether it’s staying up til 4am working on a business plan, or split testing your sales pages over and over again to make sure you are getting the highest conversions possible, it all comes down to…you guessed it – hard work and practice.

3-We Know How To Stay On Beat. In other words, we focus – really, really well. Learning to move each body part completely independently of one another is no easy task for a new drummer. It takes sitting down for hours upon hours every single day, focusing on every single aspect of your movements. Which is exactly why our talent for focusing soars above most others – because it’s been ingrained in our heads since the minute we picked up sticks and a practice pad. As an entrepreneur, focus is of the utmost importance to the success of your business. Lacking focus can cause you to forget minor but very important details, spread your resources way to thin, and/or limit your ability to stay on task. However, if you started drumming before you were an entrepreneur, that commitment to focusing would just be a natural part of everything you do.

4- Drummers Are the Backbone of the Band. It is our job to keep everyone together, on task, and of course on time. If the drummer misses a beat, the whole band is negatively affected. Because of that, both our leadership and our accountability skills are developed from the get go. It’s practically a requirement as a drummer, so we take it very seriously. Similarly, you as an entrepreneur are the heart and soul of the businesses you build. If you miss a HUGE meeting, the whole business is affected. If you decide to take a month or two off, the ENTIRE business feels it. If you show up to work wasted everyday, you can be certain that your company will be on thin ice most of it’s life. Honing these skills as a drummer gives us a competitive edge in everything else we do.

5-Great Drummers are Diamonds in the Rough. And like successful entrepreneurs, are very high in demand. Not to sound cocky or anything, but we drummers, are used to people wanting us. Why? Because lots of drummers out there are flaky, have an issue with commitment, and to be honest..just aren’t very good. Therefore, most bands go through them like Kleenex. So when a kick-ass drummer comes around, a band will do anything to get them to join.

So what’s the point I am trying to make here? As an entrepreneur, especially a successful one, you will get hundreds (if not thousands) of people pitching you to join them for new “amazing” opportunities. When that happens, you not only have to understand how to separate the good opportunities from the bad ones, but also evaluate the timing of each and be confident if you decide to say “No”. Because most great drummers have A LOT of experience getting pitched to, we can easily spot a crappy band that needs a lot of work, from one that has a real shot at making it. And that my friends gives us yet another edge that most entrepreneurs don’t get a lot of experience with until later on in their careers. Booyah.
At this point, you’re probably thinking, “Wow that SOB actually made some sense. I can’t believe it…Why the hell did I pick up the flute instead of the snare drum in grade school!?” Try not to beat yourself up too much about that…you still have what it takes to succeed. You just don’t have the inherent abilities that us drummers have that give us that competitive edge.
Just remember, the next time you are iffy about going into business with a fellow entrepreneur, ask them if they play the drums. If they do, you know you just hit the lottery and will more likely than not, have a very successful venture with them moving forward.

The original post can be found HERE
Drummer2Drummer would like to thank Eric for his allowing us to post this terrific article!

Keith Moon, the drummer with The Who rock group, died yesterday of a suspected overdose. He was 31.

He was found dead in bed at his flat in Curzon Street, Mayfair, London, by his fiancee, Annette Walter-Lax.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said last night: "His personal doctor was called and he certified Moon to be dead. He was taken to the Middlesex Hospital this evening." Police were last night informing Mr Moon's relatives.

Moon was best known for his entirely justified reputation as the wild man of rock. What was less publicised was his reputation among fellow musicians as one of the most distinctive and influential drummers which rock music has ever produced.

For 15 years he made up a vital quarter of The Who, who on their best nights were the greatest live rock band in the world. Without Moon it is impossible to conceive of The Who continuing.

According to his close friend and publicist, Keith Altham, Moon died in his sleep "apparently of natural causes, though of course there will be an inquest." He had attended the British premiere of the film The Buddy Holly Story, and gone on to a club before returning to his flat.

The rest of The Who have been worried about Mr Moon's health for some time, though his death comes at a time when he seemed to have recovered from the excesses of earlier years. Six months ago he was summoned back to England from Malibu, California, where he then lived, and told by the band that he should remain in England and work with them full time. Since then he seemed to have literally sobered up and put a great deal of energy into a new job as publicist for Shepperton Studios, which The Who recently acquired.

In this capacity he went to Mauritius earlier this year for a meeting with Indian film producers. It was characteristic of Moon that he was ejected from the plane in the Seychelles on the way home – though this was nothing by comparison with earlier exploits which included crashing cars into swimming pools or hotel lobbies or causing havoc at Hollywood parties by dressing up in a Nazi uniform.

At a party in Los Angeles I overheard an American writer asking Keith whether he regarded himself as one of the all-time great drummers. He replied with a disarming grin: "I'm the greatest Keith Moon-type drummer in the world."