William Kuehn began his career in Madison, Wisconsin, as the drummer for the beloved emo band, Rainer Maria. A Wisconsin native himself, Joe played some of his earliest shows opening for Rainer Maria, so he and William have known each other for about 20 years. William charts Rainer Maria's history, and he tells Joe about feeling like an outsider; falling in love with punk music; living in an East Bay Squat; and traveling through the Middle East.
Kiran Gandhi drummed for MIA while simultaneously earning her MBA at Harvard. She also recently made international headlines for running the London Marathon while bleeding freely. She discusses the impetus behind this action, and she tells Joe about how she plans to integrate her business training and feminist activism with her creative life.
In this bonus mini-episode, Bob Bert talks about the No-Wave scene; the legacy of Sonic Youth's classic album, Bad Moon Rising; and his relationship with his successor in the band, Steve Shelley.
Over the last decade, Joe Plummer has been the drummer of choice for many of the West Coast's most popular and acclaimed rock bands. He talks about growing up as the youngest member of a giant extended family and what he's drawn from his experiences playing with Cold War Kids, The Shins, Modest Mouse, and The Black Heart Procession.
Bob Bert first gained notoriety as the drummer on Sonic Youth's early records. Next, he played with Jon Spencer in Pussy Galore, and he currently works with Lydia Lunch in Retrovirus. He talks to Joe about how he discovered punk and no wave, how his background in visual art informed his musical concept, and he describes the difficult experience of caring for his dying wife.
In this bonus mini-episode, Bun E. Carlos talks about Cheap Trick's search for a singer and the band's classic album Live at Budokan.
In this bonus mini-episode, Matt Chamberlain talks about his obsessive quest to become a great drummer; working with legendary teachers such as Jack Dejohnette; and how he broke through and became one of his generation's most admired and prolific drummers.
As founding drummer of Cheap Trick, Bun E. Carlos laid the rhythmic foundation for one of the most influential and beloved rock bands in history. He charts the band's course from the Midwestern club circuit to international superstardom. He also tells Joe what he's been up to, now that he is no longer actively playing with the band.