John Fell (drummer)
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| John Fell | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | John Whittum Fell |
| Born | May 28, 1961 New York NY |
| Genre(s) | Punk Rock,Rock |
| Occupation(s) | Drummer |
| Instrument(s) | Drums |
| Years active | 25 – |
| Label(s) | Rubric Records, London Records, CBS Records, Warner Brothers, Reptillian, TK Records, Backbone Ltd. |
| Associated acts | Heroine Sheiks, China Shop, Kelly Township, Rope, Mercurial Line, Perfect Strangers, Gentleman Farmers, Cause for Applause |
| Members | |
| Naux,China Shop,Shannon Selberg, The Cows, Norman Westberg, Swans | |
Contents |
[edit] History
John Fell came into prominence in the mid 1980's playing with a band from Miami named Watchdog who had a large following in south Florida. He was one of the first drummers in that area who used an electronic drumset. Due to the incredible demand of electronic drums at this point, he managed to find a great deal of session work with bands ranging from Miami Sound Machine to Perfect Strangers as well as many calls for television and radio work. After two years in Florida, he moved back to his native New York City and found himself working with Naux, from Richard Hell and the Voidoids in a band called China Shop, recording two records. As well as a steady schedule of sessions, Fell played with many bands in the New York area, and often elsewhere.
[edit] Kelly Township
In 1994 he joined a band called Kelly Township that was immediately signed to London Records after then Vice President Russ Rieger demanded their signing, and did a record produced by Ted Nicely of Fugazi, Shudder to Think, Girls Against Boys, and Jawbox fame. When things went badly at London due to internal problems they moved to Reprise Records under Sue Drew and were dropped. Kelly Township explored a mix of drugs and sexuality in their lyrics and were part of a huge frenzy when they first began playing in 1994. Originally the vocals were handled by Ali Smith, later of Speedball Baby, and then were taken over by Ike Machamer, the band's main writer and founder. There were high expectations for Kelly Township, but the band broke up.
[edit] Heroine Sheiks
Shortly after Fell joined ex Cows singer Shannon Selberg and ex Swans guitarist Norman Westberg for a true downtown supergroup called Heroine Sheiks joined by Ultra Bide bassist George Porfiris releasing material on the Amphetamine Reptile label, then Rape on the Installment Plan for Reptilian Records followed by Siamese Pipe for Rubric Records. Critically acclaimed, the records sold well but the band went their separate ways in 2005 after numerous tours.
[edit] Current Bands
Recently Fell has been performing with Kid Congo Powers of the Cramps, Gun Club, and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds along with another downtown legend Jack Martin, who was also in Cause For Applause along with David Lloyd of The Boggs along with Johnathan Toubin formerly of Grand Mal. Fell was not the original drummer for this band and recorded tracks for Say Hey Records but they were never released. Cause For Applause was critically acclaimed and sold well but various problems hampered the groups' success.
[edit] Equipment Used
Always trying new sounds has been a big part of Fell's success. As one of the first to use Simmons Electronic drums along with drum machines live, he often had to resort to complicated fabrication in order to mix the sounds. When MIDI came out he applied it and used it to simplify his set though at this point he was starting to get back into acoustic drums and began a long relationship with Sonor drums. Fell used Sonors in a many different contexts, but using them with Heroine Sheiks was very unusual in the world of Indie Rock which usually finds people using lo-fi gear. He then brought back a Ludwig stainless steel kit identical to the one John Bonham used in the later days of Led Zeppelin that he had owned for many years. It was huge and powerful and complimented the Heroine Sheiks heavy sound perfectly. His cymbal selection varied but usually was Paiste due to endorsement and often included a mix of 2002's and Signature Series.
[edit] Main Drag Music
Fell is co-owner of Main Drag Music located in Williamsburg Brooklyn, where he creates custom snares, and sells drums. He records and plays in the New York area though seems to have stepped out of the world of touring.
[edit] Lists
Fell's drumming has found him on many lists of great drummers, including Piero Scaruffi's 100 Greatest Rock Drummers of All Time and Major Geek Forums, as well as 200 Best Rock Drummers listed in Yugoslavia. "Known as a powerful and exciting player with a knack for rhythmic complexity and speed he has been a vital contribution to drumming."
