He has participated in Holy Romans, International Waters, Ramesh, and currently in Shivery Shakes as a drummer.
He listens to The Microphones, Marmoset, Grooms, and Japanese video game soundtracks from the early 2000’s when he runs out of ideas.
1: You have always been an enthusiastic singer behind the kit. Any other bands you enjoy with singing drummers? Also, how did you hone this insane full body skill?
I never had any interest in singing anything but harmonies for a long time. I couldn’t be a “lead vocalist”, but I really liked what a harmony could do to a melody. It multiplies it’s effect rather than just adding to it. All through high school I enjoyed hearing someone singing and then joining them to make it sort of explode like I’d heard before, so I was always making up harmonies. I would drum along to what I was listening to naturally, so there I was practicing drumming and singing at the same time. When I first tried to sing lead on a song I had written while playing drums it was a little bit harder than I expected, though. I eventually figured out that singing was simply a fifth limb. I had to take it slowly and move from there. As for bands with singing drummers: growing up I had this bad taste in my mouth about Phil Collins, and then in late high school I realized he was the drummer for Genesis and he was only playing drums. It changed how I heard him. Later, I was pretty into Death From Above 1979 initially for the fact that the drummer was singing. There is a band called Sleeping Bag who I really loved even before I realized their drummer was singing/writing the songs. Seeing Georgia Hubley in Yo La Tengo sing was inspirational.
2: The Microphones qualify as a band that floats between unlistenable chaotic noise and wonderful lo-fi folk. You always show me bands that that take more than a few listens to actually begin to appreciate. What draws you to this type of art?
I went to a very religious school growing up. Being a bit overweight and bad at sports made me an outsider and I reacted against everything. If the popular kids were into Limp Bizkit, I was into Rage Against the Machine. If they were into DMX, I was into Dead Prez. If they were into Blink 182, I was into Refused and Fugazi. This put me on a path of putting effort into trying to get ‘into’ things. This obviously can lead to some awful pretentious garbage for the wrong reasons, but it made me form that habit of giving things a few chances and putting some effort into understanding why people liked them (especially if those people liked other things I already liked). When I went to college, I finally found friends who were already with me. Suddenly, I had new people to sit around and discuss music in depth with, which led to a lot of details being pointed out by people I trusted. This experience reinforced a habit of pushing myself to not always rely on my gut reaction to art. Now when I hear something that is initially offputting, it intrigues me.
3: You’ve been on the road a shitload. What are your favorite cities to play in when you guys go on your epic treks?
The past two tours we’ve been on, Tulsa, OK has been amazing. The first time we played there, Hanson was playing next door for Hanson Day (they are from Tulsa). We set up and there were a few people there, but right before we went on, the Hanson show got out and, it being Oklahoma, it started storming and tornado sirens started going off, so everyone rushed into the Dead Pony, so we ended up playing a packed show while water flooded in from under the door. After the show was over, they couldn’t in good conscience make people leave, so everyone hung out after hours dancing to Beyonce, standing on the bar, going nuts. We made some friends in town, and crashed at one of the bartenders’ apartments and stayed up throwing rocks at trains until the sun came up. This past time we played, we played with that bartender’s band and had a great turnout, then we got to go see Broncho play at their warehouse. Our bassist is from Cleveland, so we have a really great time there whenever we play. I consistently look forward to wherever I have friends I don’t get to see in STL, NYC, Chicago, the Bay Area.
Yo La Tengo – Beanbag Chair https://youtu.be/KmUwbR7IPyY
Grooms – Comb The Feelings Through Your Hair https://youtu.be/iBqXXfROenA
Death From Above 1979 – Virgins https://youtu.be/hsJvN_4GlZ8
Marmoset – Golden Cloak https://youtu.be/vB6QoHPU8xw
The Microphones – The Glow Pt. 2 https://youtu.be/kWi4BjzVk6s
Genesis — I Can’t Dance https://youtu.be/qOyF4hR5GoE
Mega Man II – Dr. Wily’s Theme https://youtu.be/WJRoRt155mA
Born In The Wild 