There are now a ton of annual American music festivals. One you may have never heard of though is Chicago’s Wicker Park Fest.

I’m mentioning it here because there are going to be some great bands, with great drummers playing this year…including Isis, Red Sparowes, Russian Circles and many more. *(Don’t mind the “2007″ in the pic above).

This year the fest takes place on July 26th and 27th. Get this, not only does the festival have some pretty cool bands but the entrance fee is a $5 donation! (Proceeds benefit the Wicker Park & Bucktown Chamber of Commerce. For more info, go to www.wickerparkbucktown.com)

Check out the full lineup and more info here.

Another drummer that I’m a big fan of is Aaron Harris of the band Isis. Isis’ music, in case you aren’t familiar, is a blend of post-rock and art rock and has a heavy vibe to it, similar to Tool. A lot of the bands songs have large portions with no vocals, when there are vocals, they are more tonal than traditional, usually not emphasizing words but sounds.

Aaron Harris is the pulse of the band. Usually emphasizing weird accents and including a lot of syncopation into his playing, he tends to push and pull the songs, a bit like a jazz player.  His drumming through odd time sections is usually keeping a steady, simple yet effective approach, until Isis’ last album “In The Absence of Truth”.

After becoming good friends with Tool drummer Danny Carey, as well as tour mates, Aaaron Harris’ playing became noticeably more complex and involved.  His playing on this album defintily shows Danny Carey’s influence but also some new techniques all together. I highly recommend checking out his drumming on this album, it is some of the best I’ve heard in the past few years.

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*(Photo courtesy of Heilsound.com)