Gregg Keplinger is an American drummer, drum maker, and drum tech from Seattle, Washington.
Keplinger began playing the drums at the age of 14, and has played in a large variety of bands ranging across many different styles, from Jazz to New Wave to R&B. [1]
Keplinger began making drums in the late 80's during a break in his own musical activity. During the 90's he teamed with Ayotte Drums to produce his snares, though he now produces them by himself again. Gregg handcrafts snare drums, cymbals, and percussion out of a variety of metals, mainly stainless steel. [2] His drums have been used by the likes of Elvin Jones, Matt Cameron, Dave Grohl, Jeremy Taggart, and Zach Hill. [3] Keplinger is best known for his stainless steel drums, which are often noted for their explosive sound as well as heavy weight and shell thickness (3mm). [4]
Gregg has toured the world as a drum tech for Matt Cameron with Soundgarden and Pearl Jam, Our Lady Peace, and Sunny Day Real Estate among others. [5] He also served as a drum tech in the recording studio on Soundgarden's breakthrough album Superunknown. Matt Cameron stated in the June 1994 issue of Modern Drummer magazine that "Gregg (Keplinger) was in the studio this time to help me out with things, changing heads and putting up cymbals. But one of the biggest things to me was that he would play the drums while I went into the control room and helped dial in the sounds. That saved a lot of time and kept me fresh when it was time to do a take." [6]
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a percussion mallet, to produce sound. There is usually a resonance head on the underside of the drum, typically tuned to a slightly lower pitch than the top drumhead. Other techniques have been used to cause drums to make sound, such as the thumb roll. Drums are the world's oldest and most ubiquitous musical instruments, and the basic design has remained virtually unchanged for thousands of years.
A drum set – also called a drum kit, trap set or simply drums – is a collection of drums, cymbals and other percussion instruments, which are set up on stands to be played by a single player, with drumsticks held in both hands and the feet operating pedals that control the hi-hat cymbal and the beater for the bass drum. A drum kit consists of a mix of drums and idiophones – most significantly cymbals, but can also include the woodblock and cowbell. In the 2020s, some kits also include electronic instruments. Also, both hybrid and entirely electronic kits are used.
A hi-hat is a combination of two cymbals and a pedal, all mounted on a metal stand. It is a part of the standard drum kit used by drummers in many styles of music including rock, pop, jazz, and blues. Hi-hats consist of a matching pair of small to medium-sized cymbals mounted on a stand, with the two cymbals facing each other. The bottom cymbal is fixed and the top is mounted on a rod which moves the top cymbal toward the bottom one when the pedal is depressed.
James Joseph Chamberlin is an American drummer and record producer. He is best known as the drummer for the alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins. Following the 2000 breakup of the band, Chamberlin joined Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan in the supergroup Zwan and also formed his own group, the Jimmy Chamberlin Complex. In 2005, Chamberlin joined Corgan in reforming The Smashing Pumpkins; he eventually left the group in March 2009, though he returned again in 2015 for a summer tour. He performed in the group Skysaw until 2012. He is currently active under the Jimmy Chamberlin Complex name. In addition to his current work as CEO, Chamberlin has joined Chicago jazz saxophonist Frank Catalano for a string of 2013–15 performances in the Chicago area. An EP by Catalano and Chamberlin Love Supreme Collective - EP was released on July 29, 2014.
Daniel Edwin Carey is an American musician and songwriter. He is the drummer for the American rock band Tool. He has also contributed to albums by artists such as Zaum, Green Jellö, Pigface, Skinny Puppy, Adrian Belew, Carole King, Collide, Meat Puppets, Lusk, and the Melvins.
Carl Frederick Kendall Palmer is an English drummer and percussionist best known as a founding member of the rock supergroups Emerson, Lake & Palmer, and Asia. He has toured with his own bands since 2001, including Palmer, the Carl Palmer Band, and currently, Carl Palmer's ELP Legacy.
Matthew David Cameron is an American musician who is the drummer for Pearl Jam. He first gained fame as the drummer for Seattle-based rock band Soundgarden, which he joined in 1986. He appeared on each of the band's studio albums until its break-up in 1997. In 1998, Cameron was invited to join Pearl Jam's U.S. Yield Tour and then became a permanent member of the band. In 2010, Cameron became simultaneously a member of Pearl Jam and the reunited Soundgarden. He remained with Soundgarden until its disbandment after the death of its lead singer, Chris Cornell, in 2017. Cameron, along with guitarist Kim Thayil and Cornell, are the only three members which featured on every Soundgarden studio album.
Sergé "Jojo" Mayer is a Swiss virtuoso drummer born in Zürich and currently residing in New York City.
Matthew Chamberlain is an American session musician, drummer, producer and songwriter.
Thomas Scott "Flip" Phillips is an American musician, songwriter and record producer. He is the drummer, percussionist, keyboardist and co-founder of the bands Creed, Alter Bridge, and Projected.
Stephen Kendall Gadd is an American drummer, percussionist, and session musician. Gadd is one of the best-known and highly regarded session and studio drummers in the industry, recognized by his induction into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 1984. Gadd's performances on Paul Simon's "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" and "Late in the Evening" and Steely Dan's "Aja" are examples of his style. He has worked with other popular musicians from many genres including Simon & Garfunkel, James Taylor, Harry Chapin, Joe Cocker, Grover Washington Jr., Michael Brecker, Chick Corea, Lee Ritenour, Paul Desmond, Kate Bush, Chet Baker, Al Di Meola, Chuck Mangione, Kenny Loggins, Eric Clapton, Michel Petrucciani, and Toshiki Kadomatsu.
Carter Anthony Beauford is an American drummer, percussionist, and founding member of Dave Matthews Band. He is known for his ability to adapt to a variety of genres, and both his ambidextrous and his open-handed drumming styles. He plays the drums and sings backing vocals in the band. Beauford was ranked number 10 by a Rolling Stone magazine reader's poll in 2010 for greatest drummers of all-time.
Akira Jimbo, also transliterated as Akira Jinbo, is a Japanese jazz fusion drummer who combines electronic drum technology and acoustic drums. Aside from his solo work, he is the drummer for the Japanese jazz fusion band Casiopea and has participated in side projects with Keiko Matsui, Shambara, and Brian Bromberg.
Jon Philip Theodore is an American drummer. He is best known as a former member of The Mars Volta and as the current drummer for Queens of the Stone Age. Theodore is also a member of One Day as a Lion.
Rod Morgenstein is an American drummer and music educator. He is best known for his work with the rock band Winger and with the jazz fusion band Dixie Dregs.
Cartland Blake Richardson is the drummer for American progressive metal band Between the Buried and Me, as well as the drummer for Glass Casket. Joining in early 2005, Richardson replaced Between the Buried and Me's former drummer Jason Roe.
Thomas Lang is an Austrian drummer, multi-instrumentalist, composer and record producer. He is the founding member of the Los Angeles-based progressive/avant garde metal band stOrk and is known for his international session work on a wide variety of genres such as rock, pop, jazz, and heavy metal with artists such as Robert Fripp, Peter Gabriel, Robbie Williams and Sugababes, among many others. He is married to music publicist, Elizabeth Lang.
Thomas Armon Pridgen is an American drummer, best known for his role as the drummer of The Mars Volta from October 2006 until October 2009. He is touring with rapper Residente and is the drummer for hardcore punk band Trash Talk, as well as his own project The Memorials.
Ayotte Drums is a drum manufacturer based in Bedford, Quebec. Ayotte Drums was incorporated by Ray Ayotte in 1974, and has been manufacturing drums since 1982. Their drums feature wooden hoops, made of Canadian maple.
Matthew Wolfgang "Matt" Garstka is an American drummer, best known for his work with instrumental progressive metal band Animals as Leaders.