The National makes its debut performance on Saturday Night Live. Photo from www.billboard.com.

In case you missed it, The National, a revered Brooklyn-based indie band, performed on Saturday Night Live last weekend for the first time. While frontman Matt Berninger is front and center, Bryan Devendorf’s effortless rhythm easily cuts through Berninger’s croonings and the guitarists’ swirling melodies.

Despite being in the background when performing, Devendorf’s confidence, musicianship, and hypnotic patterns never fail to reach the audience. Having played since 1989, Devendorf’s had a lot of time to carve out his unique style and improve his musicality. In addition to playing with The National, Devendorf has performed and/or recorded with a wide variety of artists, including Beth Orton, Bob Weir, Bruce Springstein, Dave Sitek, Emmylou Harris, Gabriel and the Hounds, Norah Jones, Takka Takka, and many others.

Interested in Devendorf’s setup? He plays C&C drums and Istanbul cymbals with Regal Tip sticks. Watch and listen to Devendorf at work during The National’s SNL performance.

Any Devendorf fans out there? What did you think of his, and The National’s overall, debut performance on SNL?