The acclaimed documentary "Hit So Hard" The Life and Near-Death story of drummer Patty Schemel is being released April 13, 2012!

When Nirvana burst onto the national scene in 1991, the music they played spoke directly to a generation that had emerged from the Reagan-Bush years angry and disenfranchised. As grunge took off, the music industry was completely transformed in a way nobody expected... especially the young musicians who went from tiny shared Seattle apartments to international superstardom, sometimes overnight. Some handled it well... and some did not. Just three years later, the drug-related deaths of several prominent musicians, capped by the suicide of Kurt Cobain, closed the books on an all too brief era.

As the acclaimed drummer of Courtney Love's seminal rock band Hole, Patty Schemel was right in the middle of all of it. The openly gay woman who always felt "different" never dreamed she would be part of a multi-platinum selling band, touring with legends, or on the cover of Rolling Stone. Or that, thanks to drug addiction, she could lose it all. HIT SO HARD tells the story of Patty's rise to fame (and nearly fatal fall from it), with no punches pulled... and it's one hell of a story.

Told with insider interviews and stunningly intimate, never-before-seen footage shot by Patty and her friends (Patty was given a Hi-8 camera just before Hole's infamous Live Through This world tour), HIT SO HARD is not only an all-access backstage pass to the music that shaped a generation, but a harrowing tale of overnight success, the cost of addiction, and ultimately, recovery and redemption.

"Hit So Hard" Trailer:

Vater Artist Dan Whitesides of The Used took the time to write up his insight into the bands new album that was released March 27, 2012.

Our new album VULNERABLE comes out MARCH 26 it's our fifth studio album and my third with the band. Out of all of our albums I think this one might be my favorite for the simple fact that the songs are amazing. It's such an experimental album, there are so many different types of songs but it all ties in so well and It still has that classic THE USED sound. I think if you like THE USED then you'll love this album and if you don't like THE USED I really recommend checking it out because I'm guaranteeing there's a song in there for any music lover.

One of my favorite tracks is called KINDA TURNIN' ME ON. It has one of the coolest beats on the album; it's a beat that uses kick, snare, hi hat and floor tom to make one of the more original sounding beats on the album. You'll need to listen to it to hear what I mean. I'm a rocker at heart so all of the crazier jams are my favorites. KISS IT GOODBYE is another one that rules. That song stemmed from someone saying "play something sort of crazy" and that beat came right out and we wrote that song really quick.

I think this album is probably the most experimental album we've ever done. Some of the songs were written in our practice space as a full band, some were written on a keyboard, on piano, on acoustic and some we wrote in the studio. I think we work best when we mix things up and sort of keep things fresh. It was cool coming up with electro beats, jamming over the top with real drums and coming up with some interesting beats. It's also fun to just come up with a beat and then Jepha or Quinn will jam out to it and write something that fits well over the top of it. We really do try write in every and any way possible.

Vocally this album is one of the more positive albums we've done. There are definitely some super dark songs but we went in to this album on a positive note so we had no choice but to write a few positive songs.

I've played VATER drumsticks since I was a teenager, so basically since they started making sticks over 1000 years ago! I use the VATER MV-10 stick model.

I love VATER sticks because I'm a heavy hitter, their sticks are hard to break, they weigh the same and they feel solid when you're playing with them. I know that sticks and really any drum gear is expensive but VATER makes a great stick at a great price. I truly believe they are a stick company that really understands drummers and percussionists in general better then any other stick company out there. I'll always be using VATER... even when I'm 2000 years old!

VULNERABLE is available in stores and online now. A huge thank you to Chad Brandolini and to everyone at VATER for all their hard work and support over the years.

Thanks for your time,

-Dan Whitesides

While in California for the 2012 NAMM Show, we popped over to see our good friends at Los Angeles Drum Services. We thought we'd film a quick feature about them to show you what they're all about and give you an inside look into a different and cool side of the drum biz. While there, we ran into Vater Artists Brian Frasier-Moore (Madonna) and Chaun Horton (Natasha Bedingfield/Toni Braxton) who were "working" in the custom hardware shop!

Chris Achzet and Bobby Boos have a combined 50 years in the professional drumming area of the music business. It is this knowledge and skill level that open the door for all the services that LADS provide, From the musician just starting his professional career to music veterans, LADS can handle all your drumming needs. If you can think of a service that could benefit a professional drummer, more than likely LADS provides it.

For more info, visit: www.ladrumservices.com or call: (800) 686-3096