Todd Trainer is the drummer for the band

Shellac Shellac () is a resin secreted by the female lac bug on trees in the forests of India and Thailand. It is processed and sold as dry flakes and dissolved in alcohol to make liquid shellac, which is used as a brush-on colorant, food glaze and ...

. He also performs as a solo artist under the name Brick Layer Cake. He previously played drums for the bands

Breaking Circus Breaking Circus was a post-punk band from the 1980s, based in Chicago and later Minneapolis, founded by guitarist and vocalist Steve Björklund. History Björklund had played guitar and sang for Chicago punk band Strike Under after a short stin ...

and Rifle Sport, and he played drums with

Scout Niblett Emma Louise Niblett (born 29 September 1973), better known by the stage name Scout Niblett, is an English singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. Niblett debuted in 2001 with her first full-length studio album ''Sweet Heart Fever'', and h ...

in 2005.

Personal life

Trainer resides in

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

, Minnesota and maintains close ties to his parents and sister Terri. His

Italian greyhound The Italian Greyhound ( it, Piccolo levriero Italiano, italic=no) is an Italian breed of small sighthound. It may also be called the Italian Sighthound. History Small dogs of sighthound type have long been popular with nobility and royalty. ...

Uffizi inspired the title of Shellac's fourth studio album ''

Excellent Italian Greyhound ''Excellent Italian Greyhound'' is Shellac's fourth album, released on June 5, 2007. The album's title is a reference to drummer Todd Trainer's Italian Greyhound, Uffizi, who appears on the album's cover. The album was recorded at Electrical A ...

''. He and his dog, along with his band Shellac, were featured in an episode of ''

Dogs 101 Current programming Former programming References {{DEFAULTSORT:Animal Planet original programming Animal Planet original programming American television-related lists ...

'' in 2009 centered on Italian Greyhounds.

Drumming style

Critics generally have favored Trainer's primitive approach to rock drumming. A review in ''The New York Times'' of a 2001 Shellac performance described the "stubborn crack and thud of Todd Trainer's drums", and critic Brent DiCrescenzo wrote that "Trainer beats his drums so primally, you'd swear he's only wearing a loincloth." A review in ''Spin'' of the Shellac album '' Terraform'' declared that Trainer "gracefully resurrects the lost art of the

ohn Ohn is a Burmese name, used by people from Myanmar. Notable people with the name include: * Daw Ohn (1913–2003), Burmese professor in Pali * Ohn Gyaw (born 1932), Burmese Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1991 to 1998 * Ohn Kyaing (born 1944), Bur ...

Bonham stomp".Review of ''Terraform'' by Shellac,

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

, May 1998, p.140, 7/10 rating.

Brick Layer Cake

Brick Layer Cake is the solo project of Todd Trainer, who plays every instrument and sings in a deep, spoken word monotone. The music of Brick Layer Cake features very slow tempos and "drone-like" compositions, which Steve Albini described as follows: “Think of

Nick Drake Nicholas Rodney Drake (19 June 1948 – 25 November 1974) was an English singer-songwriter known for his acoustic guitar-based songs. He did not find a wide audience during his lifetime, but his work gradually achieved wider notice and recognit ...

on downers fronting

Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were an English rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy met ...

, if Black Sabbath played only the good parts of their songs."

Discography

*''Eye for an Eye - Tooth for a Tooth'' (

Ruthless Records Ruthless Records was an American record label founded by Eric "Eazy-E" Wright and Jerry Heller in Compton, California in 1986, where all of the Ruthless trademarks have been owned by Comptown Records, Inc. since 1997. Several artists on the la ...

) 1990 *''Call It A Day'' (

Touch and Go Records Touch and Go Records is an American independent record label based in Chicago, Illinois. After its genesis as a handmade fanzine in 1979, it grew into one of the key record labels in the American 1980s underground and alternative rock scenes. Tou ...

) 1991 *''Tragedy Tragedy'' (Touch and Go Records) 1994 *''Whatchamacallit'' (Touch and Go Records) 2002

References

External links

Touch and Go Records Artist PageMyspace Band Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Trainer, Todd Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American male drummers American drummers Musicians from Minnesota Shellac (band) members American punk rock drummers