Tri-Cities drummer set to join legendary band Guns N’ Roses for world tour

After 19 years, the iconic rock band Guns N’ Roses has parted ways with longtime drummer Frank Ferrer. They’ll be joined by an Eastern Washington drummer this spring.

The band posted an update on its social media platforms on March 19 thanking Ferrer for his time in the band, stating his departure was amicable.

Ferrer’s last performance with the band was in Nov. 2023, the last Guns N’ Roses show before a year off. They kick off a new world tour in May.

Fans speculated about who could replace Ferrer, mostly looking at drummers with existing connections to the band.

Guns N’ Roses confirmed on March 20 its new drummer is Isaac Carpenter, who got his start right here in Tri-Cities.

Tri-Cities drummer Isaac Carpenter

Carpenter saw initial success through his Tri-Cities-based band Loudermilk in the late ’90s and early ’00s. He was joined by Davey Ingersoll, Mark Watrous and Shane Middleton.

Originally a Guns N’ Roses cover band (under the name .22s and Tulips, while they were in high school), the four-piece band became Loudermilk before releasing original music. The band was signed to American Recordings for a time, and toured with massive bands like Mötley Crüe and Megadeth, according to various reports on the band’s history.

Loudermilk later evolved into Gosling, a project with the same members but a different core sound.

In more recent years, he has been the drummer for AWOLNATION and other projects including Duff McKagan’s Loaded, with Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan. He’s also collaborated with other notable artists over the years, including Adam Lambert.

This story was originally published March 20, 2025 at 2:40 PM.