Chris Pennie
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Chris Pennie is the current drummer for the progressive rock band Coheed and Cambria and former drummer and co-founder of mathcore band Dillinger Escape Plan.
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[edit] Background
Chris started playing drums at the age of 13, and at age 16 decided he wanted to pursue music seriously. He spent two years at Berklee College of Music and received a degree in Music Synthesis, focusing on electronic music composition and manipulation.
[edit] Influences
As far as drummers, Pennie has cited Lars Ulrich and Stewart Copeland as his main early influences. In regard to his current playing, Sean Reinert is one of his biggest inspirations. He's also emphasized on several occasions that listening to and playing a diverse assortment of music has been an integral part in developing his style, noting such eclectic influences as 70's jazz-rock fusion group Mahavishnu Orchestra, technical metal bands Meshuggah, Cynic, and electronic-influenced groups such as Nine Inch Nails and DJ Shadow
[edit] Bands
While in high school he was playing in the local New Jersey based band, Prozak. The other 3 members of Prozak were 8 - 10 years Pennie's senior, and in order for Prozak to play the local bars and clubs, Pennie's father would accompany him to the various gigs. Chris played with Prozak from ‘93 until he began attending Berklee School of Music in '95. He recorded ten songs with Prozak during his time with the band but they were never commercially released.
Pennie also spent time with the pop-punk group Boxer. Formed in 1995 with another Berklee graduate, Jeremy McDowell, they became first band to be signed to the now famous Vagrant Records. They released one album, "The Hurt Process" in 1998, and broke up in late 1999. Pennie also recorded drums for his former tourmates in experimental metalcore group All Else Failed on their 2004 album "This Never Happened". Pennie describes his band, The Dillinger Escape Plan, as being 'mathcore' where they start each song with no structure and an open palette.
As for his role in the Dillinger Escape Plan, he and guitarist Ben Weinman, along with now departed singer and bassist Dimitri Minakakis and Adam Doll respectively, formed the band in March of 1997. He and Ben Weinman write the majority of Dillinger's material and Pennie has called Weinman his "musical soulmate."
His style is best described as the juxtaposition of rapid machine-like sequences of rudiments and jazz-inflected expressiveness. Pennie also takes care of a lot of the electronic influence in the band’s material in the studio as well as onstage, triggering effects and loops with footswitch pedals.
Chris began working in the studio with rock band Coheed and Cambria, because regular drummer Josh Eppard had left the band. Due to contractual obligations, Pennie was not allowed to record for Coheed's newest album, Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume Two: No World for Tomorrow. Instead the band recruited Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins for the task.
On June 28th, 2007, Coheed and Cambria announced on their Myspace that Chris Pennie is officially the new drummer for the band.
[edit] Current Projects
Chris is currently lending his talents to the predominately electronic band Idiot Pilot on their upcoming album Wolves. "In addition, the Dillinger Escape Plan's Chris Pennie appears on the album, augmenting several of Wolves' tracks with his drumming prowess. Anderson said the one-two punches of Hoppus and Robinson and Barker and Pennie are bringing something new to Idiot Pilot's established sound."[1]
He has is also the drummer for hard rock band Return to Earth.
[edit] Equipment
Drums: Mapex Pro M Classic
Finish: Bermuda Blue Sparkle
Sizes: 22"20" Bass Drum, 12"x9" Tom, 16"x16" Floor Tom, 14"x7" Snare drum (Mapex "Classic" Sizes)
Cymbals: Sabian - 14" AAX Hats, 16" HHX Evolution 'O-Zone' Crash, 18" AAXplosion Crash, 20" HH Heavy Ride, 16" HH Chinese
Sticks: Vater Power 5B Hickory.
[edit] With Dillinger Escape Plan
- 1997 The Dillinger Escape Plan
- 1998 Under The Running Board
- 1998 Split with Nora
- 1999 Split with Drowningman
- 1999 Calculating Infinity
- 2000 The Dillinger Escape Plan (Reissue)
- 2002 Irony Is A Dead Scene
- 2002 Black On Black: A Tribute To Black Flag (cover of "Damaged, Pt.s I & II")
- 2003 Live Infinity
- 2004 Bring You To Your Knees: A Tribute To Guns 'N Roses (cover of "My Michelle")
- 2004 Miss Machine
- 2005 We Reach The Music Of The Melvins (cover of Honeybucket)
- 2006 Plagiarism (Digital EP, 4 covers, Released on iTunes)
[edit] With Coheed and Cambria
- 2007 Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume Two: No World for Tomorrow (as writer, not performer - Taylor Hawkins plays drums on this recording)
[edit] Others
- 1998 Boxer The Hurt Process
- 2004 All Else Failed This Never Happened
- 2007 Idiot Pilot Wolves
[edit] RETURN TO EARTH
- 2007 Return to Earth "Captains of Industry"
[edit] External links
- Dillinger Escape Plan official site
- RETURN TO EARTH OFFICIAL SITE
- Vagrant Records official Boxer site
- All Else Failed on MySpace
- All Music Guide
- Interview with Chris Pennie by Ferrante's Power Equipment - Picture source
- Interview with Chris Pennie by The Drum Report
- Interview with Chris Pennie by Empty Words
- Interview with Chris Pennie by Silent Scream (Italian)
- Interview with Boxer by Lollipop Magazine
- Sibelius - Software used to create musical example
- Interview with DEP guitarist Ben Weinman
- l Original recordings made from '93 -'95 with Decker, Holden, Pennie, & Zuccolo
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