Cleon Edwards (The Cannabinoids)
After refreshing my memory of Cleon Edwards' drumming with a few YouTube videos, the only way I can describe his style is "next level." He sits back in the groove like a good soul drummer, but shows off his jazz chops with quick flurries that leave you wondering what the hell you've just heard. Check him out every Wednesday night as he drums for RC Williams and The Gritz at The Prophet Bar.

Stefan Gonzalez (Yells At Eels, Akkolyte)
When Gonzalez is playing in his family jazz band, Yells At Eels, his metal influence energizes the music. Likewise, when he's playing in Akkolyte, his thrash band, his jazz chops make it unlike any thrash metal I've ever heard.

Matt Pence (Centro-Matic)
Matt Pence isn't just one of my favorite local drummers. He's one of my all-time favorites. As a producer, every project he touches ends up with the best sounding drums since John Bonham was alive. As a drummer, he makes the most complex rhythms look effortless, and over the decade I've been watching him play, I've never seen him miss a single beat.

Jeff Ryan (Pleasant Grove, Myopic)
What makes Jeff Ryan so great isn't as much his ability to go crazy on the drums, but his ability hold back. He's an expert at creating textures and orchestrating drum parts that build a song. Check out Pleasant Grove's performance of "The Lovers, The Drunk, The Mother" at the Kessler a few years back. The song has one of the most interesting drum parts I've heard.