Chris Pennie (born May 31, 1977) is an American musician who is the former drummer for the
progressive rock
Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...
band
Coheed and Cambria
Coheed and Cambria are an American progressive rock band from Nyack, New York, formed in 1995. The band consists of Claudio Sanchez (vocals, guitars, keyboards), Travis Stever (guitars, vocals), Josh Eppard (drums, keyboards, backing vocals), an ...
and former drummer and co-founder of
mathcore
Mathcore is a subgenre of hardcore punk and metalcore influenced by post-hardcore, extreme metal and math rock that developed during the 1990s. Bands in the genre emphasize complex and fluctuant rhythms through the use of irregular time signatur ...
band
The Dillinger Escape Plan
The Dillinger Escape Plan was an American metalcore band. The band was formed in 1997 in Morris Plains, New Jersey by guitarist Ben Weinman, bassist Adam Doll, vocalist Dimitri Minakakis, and drummer Chris Pennie. The band's use of odd time sign ...
.
Background
Pennie began playing drums at the age of 13, and at age 16 decided to pursue music seriously. He grew up in
Randolph, New Jersey
Randolph is a township in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States census, the township's population was 25,734, reflecting an increase of 887 (+3.6%) from the 24,847 counted in the 2000 census, which had in turn ...
Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...
where he received a diploma in Music Synthesis, which focuses on electronic music composition and manipulation.
Influences and legacy
Pennie has cited drummers
Lars Ulrich
Lars Ulrich (; ; born 26 December 1963) is a Danish musician best known as the drummer and co-founder of American heavy metal band Metallica. The son and grandson respectively of tennis players Torben and Einer Ulrich, he played tennis in his ...
and
Stewart Copeland
Stewart Armstrong Copeland (born July 16, 1952) is a Scottish-American musician and composer. He is best known for his work as the drummer of the English rock band the Police from 1977 to 1986, and again from 2007 to 2008. Before playing with th ...
as his main early influences. In regard to his current playing,
Sean Reinert
Sean Reinert (May 27, 1971 – January 24, 2020) was an American musician. He was the drummer for the rock band Æon Spoke and the drummer and founding member of the progressive metal band Cynic (band), Cynic until leaving the band in Septemb ...
is one of his biggest inspirations. He has 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 1970s
jazz-rock fusion
Jazz fusion (also known as fusion and progressive jazz) is a music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric guitars, amplifiers, and keyb ...
group
Mahavishnu Orchestra
The Mahavishnu Orchestra were a jazz fusion band formed in New York City in 1971, led by English guitarist John McLaughlin. The group underwent several line-up changes throughout its history across its two periods of activity, from 1971 to 1976 a ...
Meshuggah
Meshuggah () is a Swedish extreme metal band formed in Umeå in 1985. Originally, the band's name was Metallien. The band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist Jens Kidman, guitarists Fredrik Thordendal and Mårten Hagström, drummer To ...
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN and stylized as NIИ, is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland in 1988. Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Trent Reznor was the only permanent member of the band ...
and
DJ Shadow
Joshua Paul Davis (born June 29, 1972), better known by his stage name DJ Shadow, is an American DJ, songwriter and record producer. His debut studio album, '' Endtroducing.....'' was released in 1996.
Biography Early years (1989–1995)
DJ Sha ...
.
Many drummers have cited Pennie as an influence or expressed admiration for his work, including
Brann Dailor
Brann Timothy Dailor (born March 19, 1975) is an American musician, best known as a member of heavy metal band Mastodon, in which he is the drummer and one of three vocalists.
Career
Dailor first started playing in a band called Eviscerati ...
,
Richard Christy
Thomas Richard Christy Jr. (born April 1, 1974) is an American drummer and radio personality, best known for being the former drummer for several heavy metal bands since the early 1990s, most notably Death, and his tenure on ''The Howard Stern ...
of
Death
Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...
,
Peter Wildoer
Karl Peter Wildoer is a Swedish musician who is the drummer for Darkane, Electrocution 250 and Grimmark. He has also drummed for the bands Armageddon, Majestic, Pestilence, Silver Seraph, Arch Enemy, Time Requiem, Soilwork, Gardens of Obscurit ...
,
Dave Witte
Dave Witte (born August 11, 1971) is an American drummer. He is known for his work in numerous extreme metal or hardcore punk bands including Municipal Waste, Melt-Banana, Discordance Axis, Black Army Jacket, Birds of Prey, Burnt by the Sun, a ...
,
Tyshawn Sorey
Tyshawn Sorey (born July 8, 1980) is an American composer, multi-instrumentalist, and professor of contemporary music.
Sorey has received accolades for performances, recordings, and compositions ranging from improvised solo percussion to opera, ...
Architects
An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
Cave In
Cave In is an American rock band that formed in 1995 in Methuen, Massachusetts. The band's lineup solidified with the 1998 release of ''Until Your Heart Stops'' through Hydra Head Records, and their early albums were prominent in the metalcore ...
Ion Dissonance
Ion Dissonance is a Canadian mathcore band from Montreal, Quebec. They are known for their technical style, which switched to a more groove based style with the release of their 2007 album ''Minus the Herd''.
In total, the group have released ...
, Andrew McEnaney of
Structures
A structure is an arrangement and organization of interrelated elements in a material object or system, or the object or system so organized. Material structures include man-made objects such as buildings and machines and natural objects such as ...
, Tobias Persson of
Visceral Bleeding
Visceral Bleeding is a death metal band from Sweden.
Biography
Visceral Bleeding was formed sometime in the late nineties by Peter Persson and Niklas Dewerud. Influenced by bands such as Suffocation and Monstrosity, they performed what they ...
, Stephen Carr of
Exotic Animal Petting Zoo
Exotic Animal Petting Zoo was an experimental mathcore quartet based in Crown Point, Indiana. They released their debut album, '' I Have Made My Bed In Darkness'', on Mediaskare records. Their second album, '' Tree Of Tongues'', was released Aug ...
Candiria
Candiria are an American progressive metal band from Brooklyn, New York. Formed in 1992, the band was part of the second wave of New York hardcore, but subsequently expanded its performance to also play jazz, hip hop and progressive rock.
The ...
, Eric Schnee of Paria, Darren Pugh of Collibus, Eli Litwin of
John Frum
John Frum (also called Jon Frum, John Brum, and John Prum) is a mythic figure associated with cargo cults on the island of Tanna in Vanuatu. He is often depicted as an American World War II serviceman who will bring wealth and prosperity to the ...
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 1993 until he began attending Berklee School of Music in 1995. 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 the first band to be signed to the now famous
Vagrant Records
Vagrant Records is an American record label based in California. It was founded in 1995 by Rich Egan and Jon Cohen. The label focuses on rock, but features artists in a variety of other genres including folk, soul, electronic, and pop. It is home ...
. 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
Metalcore (also known as metallic hardcore) is a fusion music genre that combines elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. As with other styles blending metal and hardcore, such as crust punk and grindcore, metalcore is noted for its use of ...
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.
He and guitarist
Ben Weinman
Benjamin A. Weinman (born August 8, 1975) is an American musician, film composer, and music manager, most notable for being the lead guitarist and primary songwriter of the metalcore band The Dillinger Escape Plan. He was the founder and sole con ...
, along with now-departed singer
Dimitri Minakakis
Dimitri Minakakis ( gr, Δημήτρης Μηνακάκης; born June 16, 1977 in Morristown, New Jersey) is an American musician and graphic designer best known as the original singer of the band The Dillinger Escape Plan from 1997 to 2001. Mina ...
and bass guitarist
Adam Doll
The Dillinger Escape Plan was an American metalcore band. The band was formed in 1997 in Morris Plains, New Jersey by guitarist Ben Weinman, bassist Adam Doll, vocalist Dimitri Minakakis, and drummer Chris Pennie. The band's use of odd time sign ...
, formed Dillinger Escape Plan in March 1997. He and Ben Weinman wrote the majority of Dillinger's material and Pennie called Weinman his "musical soulmate". Pennie also took 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
Coheed and Cambria are an American progressive rock band from Nyack, New York, formed in 1995. The band consists of Claudio Sanchez (vocals, guitars, keyboards), Travis Stever (guitars, vocals), Josh Eppard (drums, keyboards, backing vocals), an ...
, because the drummer
Josh Eppard
Josh Eric Eppard (born December 6, 1979) is an American musician from Kingston, New York and the drummer for progressive rock band Coheed and Cambria. He has worked as a solo rapper under the name Weerd Science and was the drummer for supergrou ...
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters are an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Foo Fighters was initially formed as a one-man project by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl. Following the success of the eponymous debut album, Grohl (lead vocals, guitar) re ...
drummer
Taylor Hawkins
Oliver Taylor Hawkins (February 17, 1972 – March 25, 2022) was an American musician, best known as the drummer of the rock band Foo Fighters, with whom he recorded eight studio albums between 1999 and 2021. Before joining the band in 1997, he ...
for the task. On June 28, 2007, Coheed and Cambria announced on their Myspace that Chris Pennie joined the band.
On November 2, 2011, Coheed and Cambria announced on their Facebook page that Pennie had left the band. Chris also announced he had parted ways with Coheed and Cambria, in order to focus on other projects such as Return to Earth and Fight Mannequins.
Current projects
Pennie lent his talent to the predominantly electronic band
Idiot Pilot
Idiot Pilot is an alternative rock duo from Bellingham, Washington, consisting of Michael Harris and Daniel Anderson.
History
After their previous band, pop-punk outfit Azero Cherry, broke up, high schoolers Michael Harris and Daniel Anders ...
on their 2007 album ''Wolves''. MTV reported: "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, Robinson, Barker, and Pennie are bringing something new to Idiot Pilot's established sound."
Equipment
Drums (Mapex Saturn Series in Black Cherry Sparkle finish):
*20-inch × 22-inch bass drum
*9-inch × 12-inch rack tom
*16-inch × 16-inch floor tom
*7-inch × 14-inch Mapex snare drum
Cymbals (Sabian):
*14-inch HHX Groove hats
*18-inch HHXplosion crash
*19-inch HHXplosion crash
*21-inch HH Raw Bell dry ride
*19-inch Paragon Chinese
Sticks (Vater):
*Vater Xtreme Design 5B
Bass Pedals (Mapex):
*Mapex Falcon double bass pedal
Discography
With Dillinger Escape Plan
*1997: ''
The Dillinger Escape Plan
The Dillinger Escape Plan was an American metalcore band. The band was formed in 1997 in Morris Plains, New Jersey by guitarist Ben Weinman, bassist Adam Doll, vocalist Dimitri Minakakis, and drummer Chris Pennie. The band's use of odd time sign ...
''
*1998: ''
Under the Running Board
''Under the Running Board'' is an EP by American mathcore band the Dillinger Escape Plan, released on October 22, 1998. The album shows a more experimental side, which would later be more developed on ''Calculating Infinity''. This is also the ...
''
*1998: ''Split with Nora''
*1999: ''Split with Drowningman''
*1999: ''
Calculating Infinity
''Calculating Infinity'' is the debut studio album by American metalcore band The Dillinger Escape Plan. Recorded at Trax East Recording Studio in South River, New Jersey, it was produced by engineer Steve Evetts with the band's guitarist Ben Wein ...
''
*2002: ''
Irony Is A Dead Scene
''Irony Is a Dead Scene'' is the third EP by American mathcore band, The Dillinger Escape Plan. It was recorded with Mike Patton and released on August 27, 2002, through Epitaph Records.Cursed, Unshaven and Misbehavin': Live Infinity''
*2004: ''Bring You to Your Knees: A Tribute To Guns 'N Roses'' – cover of "My Michelle"
*2004: ''
Miss Machine
''Miss Machine'' is the second studio album by American mathcore band The Dillinger Escape Plan released in July 2004 through Relapse Records. It is the first release by the band to feature vocalist Greg Puciato and bassist Liam Wilson. ''Miss ...
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the fraudulent representation of another person's language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions as one's own original work.From the 1995 '' Random House Compact Unabridged Dictionary'': use or close imitation of the language and thought ...
*2007: ''Captains of Industry''
*2010: ''Automata''
*2022: ''Oblivion''
Others
*1998: Boxer – ''The Hurt Process''
*2005: Getaway Car – "Getaway Car" Mass Appeal
*2004: All Else Failed – ''This Never Happened''
*2007:
Idiot Pilot
Idiot Pilot is an alternative rock duo from Bellingham, Washington, consisting of Michael Harris and Daniel Anderson.
History
After their previous band, pop-punk outfit Azero Cherry, broke up, high schoolers Michael Harris and Daniel Anders ...
– ''Wolves''
*2010:
The Armed
The Armed (often iconized as ⋈) are an American anonymous hardcore punk collective formed in Detroit, Michigan in 2009. They often feature guests including instrumentalists on their releases. These include Chris Pennie, Nick Yacyshyn, Ben Kol ...
– ''Common Enemies''
*2010: ''New World Man – A Tribute to Rush''
*2011:
The Armed
The Armed (often iconized as ⋈) are an American anonymous hardcore punk collective formed in Detroit, Michigan in 2009. They often feature guests including instrumentalists on their releases. These include Chris Pennie, Nick Yacyshyn, Ben Kol ...
– ''Young & Beautiful''
*2012:
The Armed
The Armed (often iconized as ⋈) are an American anonymous hardcore punk collective formed in Detroit, Michigan in 2009. They often feature guests including instrumentalists on their releases. These include Chris Pennie, Nick Yacyshyn, Ben Kol ...
– ''Spreading Joy''
*2016: Joseph A. Peragine – ''Diagnosis: Schizophrenia''
*2018: Joseph A. Peragine – ''Vol.2 (Diagnosis: Schizophrenia)''
*2018: Joseph A. Peragine – ''Vol.3 (Diagnosis: Schizophrenia)''
*2018: Joseph A. Peragine – ''Vol.4 (Diagnosis: Schizophrenia)''
*2020:
Greg Puciato
Gregory John Puciato (born March 27, 1980) is an American musician best known as the former lead vocalist and lyricist of the metalcore band the Dillinger Escape Plan. He is also the lead singer of the Black Queen and Killer Be Killed, in which ...