Craig Jones | |
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![]() Jones performing with Slipknot in 2009 | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Craig Alan Jones |
Also known as |
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Born | [1] Des Moines, Iowa, U.S. | February 11, 1972
Genres | |
Occupation(s) |
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Instruments |
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Years active | 1992–2023 |
Labels | Roadrunner Records |
Formerly of | Slipknot |
Craig Alan Jones (born February 11, 1972), [1] also known as 133, is an American musician. He is the former sampler and keyboardist of the heavy metal band Slipknot, in which he was designated #5 amongst its nine member lineup. Jones joined the band in early 1996, shortly after the band had finished recording its demo album, Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat. . Initially, he was brought in to replace Donnie Steele, one of the two original guitarists, though he moved on to sampling and keyboards. [2] Following the departure of fellow bandmate and drummer Joey Jordison in 2013, Jones was the second-longest-serving member of Slipknot.
On June 7, 2023, Slipknot announced they parted ways with Jones, [3] though the announcement was removed the same day. [4]
Jones joined Slipknot in early 1996, replacing original guitarist Donnie Steele after the recording of the band's debut demo Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat. [5] He was enlisted to the band by drummer Joey Jordison, with whom Jones had previously worked (alongside guitarist Josh Brainard) in the band Modifidious. [6] However, shortly after joining the band, the "electronics and computer genius" moved over to the role of sampler due to the increase in sound effects, background noises/programmed samples and media samples used in the band's music. Mick Thomson replaced him on guitar. [5] Jordison claimed that Jones was happy with the change, noting that "he liked doing that anyway, coming up with all these noises and sounds". [7] Jones' contribution to the band has been described by BBC Music as "provid[ing] samples, speeches and noises as a kind of audio garnish in the band's dark maelstrom". [8]
Jones was given the nickname "133" as a reference to the processor speed of his computer, 133 MHz, which author Joel McIver claims "was considered the state of the art" at the time. [5]
In September 2004, it was announced that Jones would not be performing with Slipknot for a short period of the band's European tour due to a "medical emergency". A statement on the band's official website explained that "Craig Jones #133 (#5) has been suffering incredible pain during the first week of our European tour and has been unable to eat or sleep properly. Therefore, a decision was made for him to return to the States for emergency dental surgery". [9] Speaking about the situation, guitarist Jim Root explained that "We're filling his spot, we've got a picture of him in the dressing room and we miss him every day, [but] we couldn't cancel the tour". [10]
It was announced on June 7, 2023, that Slipknot parted ways with Craig Jones. [3]
Upon joining the band as a guitarist, Jones initially wore women's pantyhose on his head when performing, which was said to give his face a "compressed, robber-like look". [11] This was later changed to an astronaut space helmet with long nails hammered through it. [12] The helmet was later replaced by a bondage mask, and a zipper was also added over the mouth area. [12]
Along with those of Jordison, Root and Thomson, Jones' mask has been acknowledged by fans as having stayed very much consistent over the course of Slipknot's career. For the group's 2019 album We Are Not Your Kind , his mask was slightly modified, with the nails being replaced by screws and being longer at the top of the mask, achieving a mohawk effect.
Jones was often identified by the media as the most quiet and private member of Slipknot, earning him the nickname "The Quiet One". [13] Vocalist Corey Taylor has commented on his demeanour by describing him as "the quietly scary type". [7] Slipknot producer Ross Robinson has added that he "would try to get him to talk and he would just sit and stare at [him]". [14] Loudwire's Graham Hartmann noted that he "almost never speaks" and "keeps people at a distance", theorizing that these qualities inspired the style of his mask. [15] Ian Gittins of The Guardian described Jones as "patently a strange individual", as well as quoting the band's manager's dubbing of the sampler as "the Unabomber", a reference to terrorist Ted Kaczynski. [16]
When asked early in his career about what job he might be working at if not in Slipknot, Jones responded that he'd likely be "driving forklifts in a warehouse all day long", although he has also joked that he would "probably be out killing people", which has earned him the nickname "The Killer". [13] According to Robinson, the latter comment was the first the sampler made in an interview, and it inspired a number of complaints from readers of the publication to which it was made. [14]
Slipknot is an American heavy metal band formed in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1995 by percussionist Shawn Crahan, former vocalist Anders Colsefni and bassist Paul Gray. After several lineup changes in its early years, the band settled on nine members for more than a decade: Crahan, Gray, Joey Jordison, Craig Jones, Mick Thomson, Corey Taylor, Sid Wilson, Chris Fehn, and Jim Root. Slipknot is well known for its attention-grabbing image, aggressive style of music, and energetic and chaotic live shows.
Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat. is the first album recorded by American heavy metal band Slipknot, and their only release with original lead vocalist Anders Colsefni. The album was limited to 1,000 copies, with distribution beginning on October 31, 1996. The band sold the last 386 units through ‑ismist Recordings in 1997. The album has become sought after by fans since Slipknot's rise to fame, and original copies have sold for up to $1,000.
Iowa is the second studio album by American heavy metal band Slipknot. Produced by the band and Ross Robinson, it was released on August 28, 2001, by Roadrunner Records. The title derives from the band's home state, Iowa, which members have stated is one of their greatest sources of inspiration. With much anticipation for the album following the success of their 1999 self-titled debut, pressures on the band were high. Their relationships with each other suffered and this was later described as the darkest time of their career. It was also the first full album to feature guitarist Jim Root after only appearing on one song from their previous album. Despite troubles within the band and with Iowa's development, Slipknot promoted it for almost a year.
Slipknot is the debut studio album by American heavy metal band Slipknot. It was released on June 29, 1999, by Roadrunner Records, following a demo containing a few of the songs which had previously been released in 1998. Later, it was reissued in December 1999 with a slightly-altered track listing and mastering as the result of a lawsuit. It was the first release by the band to be produced by Ross Robinson, who sought to refine Slipknot's sound rather than alter the group's musical direction. This is the only album to feature original guitarist Josh Brainard who left at the end of recording in late 1998 while the band was taking a brief break. Jim Root, who recorded two tracks at this point, would appear full time on subsequent albums starting with their next album Iowa.
Corey Todd Taylor is an American musician, songwriter, author and actor. He is the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Slipknot, in which he is designated #8, as well as the lead vocalist, guitarist, lyricist, and sole continuous member of the rock band Stone Sour.
Christopher Michael Fehn is an American musician. He was a percussionist and backing vocalist for the heavy metal band Slipknot from 1998 to 2019, in which he was designated #3. He was also the bassist for Will Haven from 2010 to 2012.
Donnie Steele is an American musician, best known as one of two original guitarists of the heavy metal band Slipknot. Steele co-founded Slipknot in 1995, performing on the band's debut demo Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat. He left in 1996 and was replaced by Craig "133" Jones, but later rejoined in 2011 as the touring bassist following the 2010 death of Paul Gray. Steele was part of the recording sessions for the band's 2014 album .5: The Gray Chapter, but left at some point before the album was finished and was replaced by Alessandro Venturella. According to Jim Root, some of Steele's bass tracks were used for the album though he did not specify which tracks feature Steele on bass.
Nathan Jonas "Joey" Jordison was an American musician. He was the original drummer of the heavy metal band Slipknot, in which he was designated #1, and the guitarist for the horror punk supergroup Murderdolls.
Mickael Gordon "Mick" Thomson is an American musician. He is one of two guitarists for the heavy metal band Slipknot, in which he is designated #7. Thomson originally met founding Slipknot members Anders Colsefni, Donnie Steele and Paul Gray through their mutual involvement in death metal band Body Pit, later joined in early 1996. Following the departure of bandmates drummer Joey Jordison in 2013 and sampler Craig Jones in 2023, Thomson is now the second longest-serving member of Slipknot.
"Spit It Out" is a song by American heavy metal band Slipknot, released as the second and final single from the band's 1999 self-titled debut album.
"Sulfur" is the fourth single from American heavy metal band Slipknot's fourth album All Hope Is Gone. The single was released on June 15, 2009, after a video was released on April 18, 2009. This was the last Slipknot video to feature their full original lineup with both bassist Paul Gray, who died the next year, and also the final appearance from Joey Jordison who was fired from the band four years later, before his death in July 2021.
Behind the Mask: The Unauthorized DVD is a 2002 unauthorized documentary film about the American heavy metal band Slipknot. This one sided disc charts the creation and rise of the band. It has neither subtitles nor closed captions on the release. The documentary looks at the band's early days, their rise to fame, and what they mean to their fans. Due to licensing restrictions, the film features no music or performances by Slipknot.
Anders Colsefni is an American musician, best known as the original singer and a founding member of heavy metal band Slipknot. Colsefni only appeared on Slipknot's 1996 demo album Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat., performing vocal and additional percussion duties.
.5: The Gray Chapter is the fifth studio album by American heavy metal band Slipknot, released on October 17, 2014, by Roadrunner Records. It was the first studio album by the band in six years and the first not to feature original founding members bassist Paul Gray and drummer Joey Jordison due to the death of Gray in 2010, and Jordison being fired from the band in late 2013, as well as the only Slipknot album to feature original guitarist Donnie Steele on bass, although the tracks he played on are unknown, and the first Slipknot album to have Alessandro Venturella on bass and Jay Weinberg on drums. The album includes six singles and has received commercial success and acclaiming reviews. A standard and deluxe edition of the album was released. It is also the band's final studio album to feature their longtime percussionist Chris Fehn before his dismissal from the band due to a lawsuit in March 2019.
"Left Behind" is a song by American heavy metal band Slipknot. Released as the lead single from the band's second album, Iowa (2001) on October 29, 2001. It was produced by Ross Robinson. The single reached number 30 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, number 24 on the UK Singles Chart and number 5 on the UK Rock & Metal Singles Chart. It was also nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance in 2002.
Sinsaenum is a multinational blackened death metal supergroup, formed in 2016. The band features French guitarists Frédéric Leclercq and Stéphane Buriez, American vocalist Sean Zatorsky in a co-lead role with Hungarian vocalist Attila Csihar, and French bassist Heimoth. Up until his death in late July 2021, American drummer Joey Jordison performed drum duties. Sinsaenum released their debut album Echoes of the Tortured in July 2016.
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, it was released on August 9, 2019, by Roadrunner Records. The title is taken from a lyric in the song "All Out Life", which was released as a standalone single in 2018 and features as a bonus track on the Japanese edition of the album. We Are Not Your Kind is the only Slipknot album to be recorded as an eight-member band, as their former percussionist Chris Fehn was fired from the band in March 2019 after suing the group for alleged unpaid royalties.
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 with in 1998. It is the first studio album to feature percussionist Michael Pfaff, who joined the band in 2019 and is their final studio album to feature sampler and keyboardist Craig Jones and drummer Jay Weinberg before their respective departures in June and November 2023.
To our fans, Slipknot is announcing that we have parted ways with Craig Jones. We wish Jones all the best for the future.
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