10/01/2026
Ilan Rubin has quietly been a driving force in rock music for decades. I first discovered him while watching an Angels & Airwaves livestream during covid, and I had no idea how versatile this dude is.
You may know him as the new drummer of the Foo Fighters, replacing drummer Josh Freese. What's crazy is it's not the first time Ilan took over after Freese. Freese recorded most of the album Liberation Transimission for the band Lostprophets in 2006 before Rubin stepped in to finish the album and continue with the band. In 2008, Rubin stepped away to become the drummer for Nine Inch Nails replacing, you guessed it, Josh Freese. He was the longest-standing drummer for Nine Inch Nails, but stepped down in 2025 to join the Foo Fighters.
He joined Angels & Airwaves in 2011, and Tom Delonge credits him as a major contributor to the band's writing and sound. He is still an active member today.
While watching an interview with Underoath drummer, Aaron Gillespie (who toured with Paramore from 2013 to 2016), I was surprised to learn that Rubin had recorded drums for Paramore's self-titled album in 2012, which included the Grammy award-winning song, Ain't it Fun.
Rubin has been involved with a bunch of other projects over the years, playing in smaller bands, doing his own solo projects, and even composing scores for movies as a multi-instrumentalist. I was a fan when I first saw him in Angels & Airwaves, but as a drummer who enjoys playing guitar and singing, and is always reaching for new heights, Ilan Rubin is a real inspiration. Plus he plays open-handed like me, which makes him even cooler.
