Anika Nilles Graces the Cover of Modern Drummer's September 2026 Issue

Rush touring drummer Anika Nilles is featured on the cover of the September 2026 issue of Modern Drummer. This feature marks her second cover story for the publication, following her first appearance in June 2017. Written by Modern Drummer publisher David Frangioni, the article titled "Putting in The Work and Finding the Feeling of Rush" chronicles her journey from her early days as a YouTube drum artist and touring drummer for Jeff Beck to taking on the drum throne for Rush alongside Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson.

Before her first playing session with Geddy and Alex, Anika had three weeks to prepare an initial list of six songs: "Limelight," "Tom Sawyer," "Caravan," "Subdivisions," "The Spirit of Radio," and "YYZ," with "Red Barchetta" added during their second rehearsal. To learn Neil Peart's parts, Anika muted the drums on stereo track stems so she could focus on locking in with the basslines. She also worked with bass tech Scully and the keyboard tech to map out sampled percussion onto her Roland SPD-SX pads. Because the prep work was confidential, when someone noticed her asking around for a glockenspiel and inquired if she was preparing for Rush, she answered with a simple "No."

A major focus of the interview is Anika's effort to capture Neil's distinct feeling on the kit. While her natural playing style is more laid back, she noted that Neil played more on top of the beat with a snappy, energetic drive. During the fourth day of rehearsals, Geddy expressed that her snare placement on "Tom Sawyer" did not feel comfortable for his bass and vocals:

"It was mostly on 'Tom Sawyer' where we dove into that deep hole of, how should that part feel? And when we played it, Geddy said that it wasn't sitting where it had to sit. It didn't feel comfortable when I was playing it. His bass was not locked in. His voice, for certain rhythmic parts wasn't locked in. My snare was not falling in a place where he was used to hearing it fall into place. So we talked about that stuff a lot. A lot of it was Neil's feeling, and how he played a groove. Actually, a lot of it was the opposite of how I would naturally play. My feeling is more laid back. His feeling was more on top of the beat, really snappy and really energetic."

Determined to make the necessary adjustments, Anika returned to her hotel room that night to process the feedback and internalize the exact feel Geddy was looking for:

"I went back to the hotel after that session, and I just went through all the talks we had, and I tried to figure and really internalize what they told me. I sat in the hotel room, I listened back, and I played the parts on a pillow."

By the fifth day of rehearsal, the groove clicked into place for the band.

In total, Anika learned 46 or 47 songs for the tour, counting "2112" as seven individual tracks. She highlights "Xanadu" as the most challenging song to master due to its shifting time signatures and live variations, which led her to text Geddy directly to clarify specific parts. The article also covers her experience playing the full Moving Pictures album during a three-night stand in Chicago and notes how her earlier adaptation to a double bass pedal (which she began using after breaking her right big toe prior to a Jeff Beck tour) helped her navigate Neil's double bass sections. As Frangioni observes in the piece, her performances pay direct tribute to Neil's clear imprint and legacy on stage.

You can read the entire article directly at the Modern Drummer Website.

Comments

---