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Guns N’ Roses<\/a> bassist Duff McKagan<\/a> praised the band’s new drummer Isaac Carpenter<\/a> in a recent fan-submitted Q&A and explained how he combines the best of the\u00a0group’s two classic-era drummers, Steven Adler<\/a> and Matt Sorum<\/a>.<\/p>\n “I have known Isaac since he was in his first band called Loudermilk,” McKagan said in the Q&A, which you can watch below. “They were in high school. They’re from Washington state, so not far from Seattle. And I’d heard about the band. They got signed to American Records \u2014 Def Jam, basically, Rick Rubin’s label. And they made a record. And they were, like, 18 years old. I think I met Isaac when he was 19. And I loved his band Loudermilk.”<\/p>\n McKagan eventually recruited Carpenter for his solo band, Loaded, and\u00a0the drummer performed on their 2011 album\u00a0The Taking<\/em>.\u00a0“Like nine years later, I needed a drummer for\u00a0Loaded, and Isaac’s name came up,” McKagan explained. “He was coming through somewhere I was at, and he came and we played together. And [I told him], ‘I have this tour. Would you wanna do it?’ And he was in. Then he and I made The Taking<\/em> record. He and I wrote a lot of the songs for that record together in his garage.”<\/p>\n READ MORE: Who Is Guns N’ Roses New Drummer Isaac Carpenter?<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Carpenter proved useful to McKagan in other, non-musical ways as well. “I wrote a lot of my book, believe it or not \u2026 He had this couch in his garage that was really old and it would hurt my back,” the bassist said. “And it’s where I found I could write my darker sections of my book better ’cause I was in physical pain. So I’d actually come over to his house just to use his garage and that couch to write. So I’ve known him for a long time, I guess.\u00a0When you think about it \u2014 25 years. And it’s great to have him in the band. It’s fucking awesome.”<\/p>\n Guns N’ Roses announced<\/a> Carpenter as their new drummer back in March,\u00a0one day after announcing the exit of Frank Ferrer<\/a>, who’d played with them since 2006.<\/p>\n When asked what Carpenter brings to the band\u00a0that might have been previously missing, McKagan said: “I’ll tell you what Isaac brings to the band. No commentary on Frank, ’cause Frank’s a lovely guy. Isaac has got this ability, though, to swing and groove that only a few drummers have. Steven had it as well, Steven Adler, and Matt is a great, solid drummer with amazing fills, and Matt’s amazing. They’re both amazing drummers. And Isaac somehow blends both of those two guys and adds his own thing. So he adds a new sort of excitement to the songs. And the groove and swing of the songs right now with Isaac is super impressive and super fun.”<\/p>\n READ MORE: Every Guns N’ Roses Song Ranked Worst to Best<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Carpenter played his first show<\/a> with Guns N’ Roses on May 1 in Incheon, South Korea. Their current tour, titled\u00a0Because What You Want & What You Get Are Two Completely Different Things, is scheduled to run through the end of July. They have not yet announced North American dates.<\/p>\n Guns N’ Roses have had over 20 musicians in the band since they formed in 1985, so we compiled a list of al of them below.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Gallery Credit: Lauryn Schaffner<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Subscribe to Loudwire on YouTube<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nDuff McKagan Explains What Isaac Carpenter Brings to Guns N’ Roses<\/h3>\n
Watch Duff McKagan’s Guns N’ Roses 2025 Tour Q&A<\/h3>\n
All 24 Musicians Who’ve Been in Guns N’ Roses<\/h2>\n