Jay Weinberg is an American musician and the current drummer for the
heavy metal band
Slipknot. He is the son of drummer
Max Weinberg
Max Weinberg (born April 13, 1951) is an American drummer and television personality, most widely known as the longtime drummer for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band and as the bandleader for Conan O'Brien on ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' a ...
. He has played with the
punk rock band the Reveling
and toured in 2009 as a drummer with
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...
's
E Street Band
The E Street Band is an American rock band, and has been musician Bruce Springsteen's primary backing band since 1972. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014. For the bulk of Springsteen's recording and performing caree ...
, substituting for his father.
During 2010, he was briefly the drummer for
Madball
Madball is an American New York hardcore band formed in New York City, that originated in the late 1980s as a side project of Agnostic Front. The band developed after Agnostic Front's front man Roger Miret would let his younger half-brother Fr ...
. During 2011 and 2012, Weinberg played with
Against Me!
Against Me! is an American punk rock band formed in 1997 in Naples, Florida, by singer and guitarist Laura Jane Grace. That same year, Grace moved to Gainesville, Florida, which is considered the band's hometown. Since 2001, the band's lineup ...
. In 2014, Weinberg replaced
Joey Jordison as the drummer for
Slipknot.
Early life and education
Weinberg is the son of drummer
Max Weinberg
Max Weinberg (born April 13, 1951) is an American drummer and television personality, most widely known as the longtime drummer for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band and as the bandleader for Conan O'Brien on ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' a ...
, who joined the E Street Band in 1975;
[ his mother, Rebecca "Becky" (Schick), was a former teacher.] He grew up in Middletown Township, New Jersey
Middletown Township is a township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the township had a total population of 67,106, making it the most-populous municipality in the county and the state's 16th ...
. His mother was a Methodist
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...
and his father Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
. His sister is Ali Weinberg Rogin (married to Josh Rogin
Josh Rogin is an American journalist who serves as a foreign policy columnist for the Global Opinions section of ''The Washington Post'' and as a political analyst for CNN. He is the author of the book ''Chaos Under Heaven: Trump, Xi, and the B ...
).[Washington Life: "Society Weddings: Ali Weinberg and Josh Rogin" by John Arundel]
April 18, 2016 As a child, he played travel team ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...
as a goaltender
In ice hockey, the goaltender (commonly referred to as the goalie) is the player responsible for preventing the hockey puck from entering their team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring. The goaltender mostly plays in or near t ...
. At age 9 he first saw the E Street Band on their 1999–2000 Reunion Tour,[ and saw shows on this and subsequent tours, especially in Europe.] Around the same time his father took him to Ozzfest
Ozzfest is an annual music festival tour of the United States and sometimes Europe and later Japan, featuring performances by many heavy metal and hard rock musical groups. It was founded by Sharon Osbourne and her husband Ozzy Osbourne, both ...
to see Slipknot, which gave him a strong affinity for heavy metal and other intense music genres;[ his father also exposed him to a wide variety of other music.] He began playing guitar at age 9, bass at age 12 or 13. He then started playing drums at age 14, getting only few lessons from his father without much instruction and being mostly self-taught, using his father's old gear.[ By the next year he had performed a guest appearance on stage with band ]The Used
The Used is an American rock band from Orem, Utah, that formed in 2001. The group consists of vocalist Bert McCracken, bassist Jeph Howard, drummer Dan Whitesides, and guitarist Joey Bradford. Former members include Quinn Allman, Branden Stei ...
and subsequently with punk rockers the Bouncing Souls
The Bouncing Souls are an American punk band from New Brunswick, New Jersey, formed in 1989. By the time of their acknowledgment by the national punk rock scene, they had reignited a "pogo" element to New Jersey punk rock by playing fast light-h ...
.[ He played in the New Jersey metal band Chaosis.] He attended Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School
The Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School (often abbreviated RFH) is a regional, four-year comprehensive public high school and school district in the eastern United States, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades from the suburban ...
where he played on the hockey team for a time, played in a band called Sadie Mae, and graduated in 2008.
Weinberg graduated from Stevens Institute of Technology
Stevens Institute of Technology is a private research university in Hoboken, New Jersey. Founded in 1870, it is one of the oldest technological universities in the United States and was the first college in America solely dedicated to mechanical ...
in New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
in 2014. He joined the New York punk band the Reveling in August 2008, which plays before small audiences in venues such as the Ace of Clubs nightspot in Manhattan, various spots in Brooklyn, and elsewhere. With them he does some of the band's songwriting and arranging.
Appearances with Springsteen
Jay Weinberg's first appearance with Springsteen was in the summer of 2008, filling in for his father on "Born to Run
''Born to Run'' is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on August 25, 1975, by Columbia Records. As his effort to break into the mainstream, the album was a commercial success, peaking at number thr ...
" at Giants Stadium
Giants Stadium (sometimes referred to as Giants Stadium at the Meadowlands or The Swamp) was a stadium located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. The venue was open from 1976 to 2010, and it primarily hosted sp ...
after having watched many other performances during the Magic Tour.[ Springsteen's 2009 ]Working on a Dream Tour
The Working on a Dream Tour was a concert tour by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, which began in April 2009 and ended in November 2009. It followed the late January 2009 release of the album '' Working on a Dream''. This was the first ...
posed a problem for Max Weinberg, as ''The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien
''The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien'' is an American late-night talk show that featured Conan O'Brien as host from June 1, 2009, to January 22, 2010, as part of NBC's ''Tonight Show'' franchise. O'Brien had previously hosted NBC's ''Late N ...
'' in Los Angeles – for which he was the Max Weinberg 7
Jimmy Vivino and the Basic Cable Band was the house band for Conan O'Brien's late-night talk show '' Conan'' from its debut on November 8, 2010 to the final episode of its 60-minute format October 4, 2018. Guitarist and arranger Jimmy Vivino ...
bandleader – was starting at the same time that the tour would be in progress. Springsteen's manager Jon Landau
Jon Landau (born May 14, 1947) is an American music critic, manager, and record producer. He has worked with Bruce Springsteen in all three capacities. He is the head of the nominating committee for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and recei ...
viewed Weinberg as the "secret weapon" to substitute for his father without losing fan satisfaction.[ Both Landau and E Street guitarist ]Steve Van Zandt
Steven Van Zandt (né Lento; born November 22, 1950), also known as Little Steven or Miami Steve, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and actor. He is a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, in which he plays guitar and mandolin ...
attributed Jay Weinberg's skills to a genetic gift.[
Once the initial portion of the tour began in early April 2009, Weinberg played from several songs to half the show on most of the dates.] He received a very positive reaction from both audiences and reviewers as a re-energizing "spark plug" for the much-older band, with his vigorous, long-hair-flying style inviting comparisons to Dave Grohl
David Eric Grohl (born January 14, 1969) is an American musician. He is the founder of the rock band Foo Fighters, in which he is the lead singer, guitarist, and principal songwriter. Prior to forming Foo Fighters, he was the drummer of gru ...
and his potential for replacing his father drawing allusions to Wally Pipp
Walter Clement Pipp (February 17, 1893 – January 11, 1965) was an American professional baseball player. A first baseman, Pipp played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees, and Cincinnati Reds between 1913 ...
. He began playing complete shows in mid-May 2009 during the tour's American first leg, as his father went to California to prepare test runs for ''The Tonight Show'' start. ''Modern Drummer
''Modern Drummer'' is a monthly publication targeting the interests of drummers and percussionists. The magazine features interviews, equipment reviews, and columns offering advice on technique, as well as information for the general public. ''Mo ...
'' magazine's editor said that a college freshman playing on one of the year's biggest rock tours is "certainly a unique story". Weinberg played a number of dates early on in the European second leg of the tour, including at the Dutch Pinkpop festival
The Pinkpop Festival is an annual music festival held at Landgraaf, Netherlands. It is usually held on the Pentecost weekend (''Pinksteren'' in Dutch, hence the name). If Pentecost falls on an early date in May, the festival is held later in Jun ...
in Landgraaf
Landgraaf (; li, Lankgraaf ) is a municipality in southeastern Limburg, Netherlands, forming part of the Parkstad Limburg agglomeration. ''Snow World'' is the largest indoor ski piste in Europe.
Population centres
* Nieuwenhagen
* Schaesberg ...
, Netherlands in addition to Bonnaroo
The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival is an American annual four-day music festival developed and founded by Superfly Presents and AC Entertainment. Since its first year in 2002, it has been held at what is now Great Stage Park on a farm in M ...
in Manchester, Tennessee
Manchester is a city in Coffee County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 12,213 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Coffee County. The city is located halfway between Nashville and Chattanooga on Interstate 24.
Manchester i ...
. He also played during a few dates of the American third and final leg. When not needed for the Springsteen tour, he continued to play for the Reveling, often before audiences that were three orders of magnitude smaller; he said of the difference, "I liked the duality of it all ... I like doing this just as much as I like doing that."
Madball
In February 2010, Weinberg began playing with Madball
Madball is an American New York hardcore band formed in New York City, that originated in the late 1980s as a side project of Agnostic Front. The band developed after Agnostic Front's front man Roger Miret would let his younger half-brother Fr ...
, a hardcore
Hardcore, hard core or hard-core may refer to:
Arts and media Film
* ''Hardcore'' (1977 film), a British comedy film
* ''Hardcore'' (1979 film), an American crime drama film starring George C Scott
* ''Hardcore'' (2001 film), a British documen ...
band based out of New York City. In June of that year, it was announced that he would become the drummer for their upcoming album ''Empire
An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...
'' and a tour. However, in September 2010 the group discharged him, with Madball vocalist Freddy Cricien
Freddy Cricien (born November 4, 1975), also known as Freddy Madball, is an American vocalist, primarily known as the lead singer of the New York hardcore band Madball. He is also the lead singer of Hazen Street and has a hip hop career from wh ...
saying, "I'm letting Jay go id-tourin Canada because I just feel he doesn't represent this band well on a character level." In response, Weinberg said that he had already quit the group by that time, and that "while I really enjoyed playing the music, I do not subscribe to their choice of habits and lifestyle. This past August while on tour in Europe, disturbing events within the band indicated to me that it was time for me to move on." In any case, Weinberg said both he and the group should be proud of ''Empire''.
Against Me!
In November 2010, it was announced that Weinberg would be playing drums with punk rock band Against Me!
Against Me! is an American punk rock band formed in 1997 in Naples, Florida, by singer and guitarist Laura Jane Grace. That same year, Grace moved to Gainesville, Florida, which is considered the band's hometown. Since 2001, the band's lineup ...
for their upcoming 2011 shows, covering for regular drummer George Rebelo while he tours with his other band, Hot Water Music
Hot Water Music is an American punk rock band formed in October 1994 and based in Gainesville, Florida. Since their formation, the group has consisted of Chuck Ragan and Chris Wollard on shared lead vocals and guitars, bass guitarist Jason Bl ...
. As 2011 unfolded, the arrangement looked to possibly be more permanent. Weinberg also sat in a bit with the band Fences
A fence is a barrier enclosing or bordering a field, yard, etc., usually made of posts and wire or wood, used to prevent entrance, to confine, or to mark a boundary.
Fence or fences may also refer to:
Entertainment Music
* Fences (band), an Amer ...
during 2011. In late 2011, Against Me! began recording their first album with Weinberg on drums. However, in December 2012, Weinberg announced via Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
, without notifying the other members beforehand, that he was leaving Against Me!. Using Twitter, he wished the band well, but the other members in return tweeted a picture of a drum machine.
Slipknot
In 2014, Weinberg became the drummer for Slipknot following the departure of Joey Jordison in late 2013. Although the drummer's identity had not been officially revealed by the band itself, preferring to keep the identity of the new members (a new bassist, confirmed to be Alessandro Venturella
Alessandro "Alex" Venturella is a British musician who is the current bassist for American Heavy metal music, heavy metal band Slipknot (band), Slipknot. He previously has served as a lead guitarist for Krokodil and Cry for Silence. Earlier in ...
, had also joined the band) a secret as they were not official members at that time. A former drum technician for the band leaked their itinerary, revealing that the drummer is Weinberg. Venturella was also named on the itinerary, though fans had identified him earlier via his distinctive hand tattoos. Weinberg was eventually officially revealed to be the drummer by Jim Root
James Donald Root (born October 2, 1971) is an American guitarist. He is one of two guitarists for heavy metal band Slipknot, in which he is designated #4, as well as the former lead guitarist for rock band Stone Sour.
Life and career
R ...
in an interview with Ultimate Guitar
Ultimate Guitar (Ultimate Guitar USA LLC), which is also known as Ultimate-Guitar.com or simply UG, is an online platform for guitarists and musicians. Its website and mobile application provides guitar tablature catalogues and chord sheets. U ...
on May 13, 2015.
Discography
with The Reveling
* ''The Reveling'' (2008)
* ''3D Radio'' (2009) (EP)
with Madball
* ''Empire
An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...
'' (2010)
with Against Me!
* " Russian Spies / Occult Enemies" (2011) (non-album single)
with Hesitation Wounds
* ''Hesitation Wounds'' (2013) (EP)
* ''Awake For Everything'' (2016)
with Slipknot
* '' .5: The Gray Chapter'' (2014)
* '' Day of the Gusano'' (2017) (live album)
* "All Out Life
"All Out Life" is a song by American heavy metal band Slipknot. Released as a single on October 31, 2018 by Roadrunner Records, it is the band's only single that was not included on an album, though it was included on the Japanese release of t ...
" (2018) (non-album single)
* ''We Are Not Your Kind
''We Are Not Your Kind'' is the sixth studio album by American heavy metal band Slipknot. Recorded at EastWest Studios in Hollywood, California with co-producer Greg Fidelman (who previously produced the band's 2014 album '' .5: The Gray Chapter ...
'' (2019)
* ''The End, So Far
''The End, So Far'' is the seventh studio album by American heavy metal band Slipknot. It was released on September 30, 2022, through Roadrunner Records. This is the band's final album to be released through Roadrunner, whom the band signed wi ...
'' (2022)
Endorsements
Jay Weinberg currently endorses SJC Custom Drums, Zildjian Cymbals
:''Zildjian leads here. For people with the surname, see Zildjian (disambiguation)''
The Avedis Zildjian Company, simply known as Zildjian (), is a musical instrument manufacturer specializing in cymbals and other percussion instruments. Founde ...
, Evans Drumheads
D'Addario is a family-owned and operated American multinational company that specializes in musical instrument accessories headquartered in Farmingdale, Long Island, New York.
D’Addario is the world’s largest musical instrument accesso ...
, DW Hardware, Roland
Roland (; frk, *Hrōþiland; lat-med, Hruodlandus or ''Rotholandus''; it, Orlando or ''Rolando''; died 15 August 778) was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became one of the principal figures in the literary cycle known as the ...
, and Vater drumsticks Vater () means "father" in German. It is also a surname. It may refer to:
* Abraham Vater, a German anatomist
** Ampulla of Vater, an anatomic area named after Abraham Vater
* VACTERL association, sometimes called VATER syndrome, a group of cong ...
.
References
External links
2010 Metal Injection video interview with Weinberg about joining Madball
Slipknot's Jay Weinberg - Wikipedia: Fact or Fiction?
2022 video on ''Loudwire
''Loudwire'' is an American online media magazine that covers news of hard rock and heavy metal artists. It is owned by media and entertainment business Townsquare Media. Since its launch in August of 2011, ''Loudwire'' has secured exclusive ...
''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Weinberg, Jay
American drummers
American punk rock drummers
American male drummers
E Street Band members
Jewish American musicians
Jewish heavy metal musicians
People from Middletown Township, New Jersey
Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School alumni
Living people
21st-century American drummers
Madball members
Against Me! members
Slipknot (band) members
Stevens Institute of Technology alumni
Year of birth missing (living people)