Billy Amendola

Billy Amendola is the Editor At Large for Modern Drummer magazine whose background as a musician makes him perfect for the job! His passion for music began at an early age and by the time he began working for the magazine in 1997, Billy was already a seasoned studio musician and founding member of the band Mantus. Ron Spangnardi, the founder of Modern Drummer, first hired Billy to help with his drum festival in 1990. Since that time he has worked in several areas of the company including advertising, marketing and associate editor. Not only is Billy able to call on his vast network of drumming friends for their perspectives, but his own deep understanding of the gear and knowledge of playing techniques are of great interest to their readers. Among his playing highlights, Billy performed on Debbie Gibson’s 1987 Out of the Blue album, performed as a member of Ringo Starr’s All Starr Band on a few occasions (sitting in on percussion for the encore) and recorded three studio albums with his band Mantus - which hit the charts with several songs in the 1970s including “Rock It To The Top.”