Jason McGerr | |
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 McGerr performing in 2013 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | July 19, 1974 Bellingham, Washington, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Drummer |
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Member of | Death Cab for Cutie |
| Formerly of |
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Jason McGerr (born July 19, 1974) [1] is an American musician, best known as the drummer for the indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie.
McGerr was born and raised in Bellingham, Washington. At age ten, he began learning to play the drums in order to get into his middle school band. By 16, he was playing paid gigs at local bars. In a 2018 interview [2] with KEXP, he stated that he knew he wanted to do drumming professionally when he heard Led Zeppelin's "Black Dog" for the first time at 14. He was an avid fisher growing up, and worked at H&H Sporting Goods, a local fly shop, throughout high school. [3]
McGerr was previously in the bands Krusters Kronomid and Eureka Farm, as well as the jazz trio Rockin' Teenage Combo. [4] In the Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage documentary, McGerr identified drummer Neil Peart as his hero.
McGerr joined the Bellingham, Washington-based indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie in early 2003, to replace drummer Michael Schorr. Two members of the band, Ben Gibbard and Nick Harmer, had previously played in Eureka Farm, where McGerr was Gibbard's replacement. McGerr debuted on Death Cab for Cutie's fourth album, Transatlanticism , released in October 2003, featuring two songs co-written by McGerr. The release of Transatlanticism to critical acclaim and strong commercial performance (and eventual gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America) brought Death Cab for Cutie mainstream success. Speaking in 2003, Benjamin Gibbard notes that he "definitely believe[s] this will be the last drummer we'll ever have. It's kind of come full circle. It makes more sense having him than it has anyone else that's ever played with us." [5]
McGerr was a guest performer on Tegan and Sara's album The Con , released in July 2007, and can be seen recording in studio with them on the DVD entitled The Con DVD by Tegan and Sara. He also played drums for their next album, Sainthood , released in October 2009. [6] McGerr played drums on half of the tracks on Matt Nathanson's 2007 album, Some Mad Hope , and was a guest drummer on Nathanson's 2009 album, Modern Love . McGerr also performed drums on three songs for his Death Cab for Cutie bandmate Chris Walla's debut solo album, Field Manual , released in 2008.
In June 2007, McGerr opened his own recording studio, Two Sticks Audio, located in Seattle. Various act have recorded there, including Smoosh, Barcelona, Only Human, Moros Eros, Grand Archives, David Bazan, Mark Kozelek, Matt Cameron of Pearl Jam, Tegan and Sara, Alligators and Death Cab for Cutie. After the opening of his studio, McGerr began working with Swedish music computer software company Propellerhead Software, on an expansion pack for their software program Reason 4. The pack was "The Jason McGerr Sessions", and it is available as a "ReFill" from the Propellerhead website, and as a stand-alone from the Drummerheads website.
McGerr is an instructor at the Seattle Drum School, and has also helped and mentored teen indie-pop group Smoosh.
McGerr currently plays Gretsch Drums, [7] Remo drumheads, Zildjian (formerly Paiste) cymbals, Vic Firth drumsticks, and Drum Workshop pedals and hardware.
Cymbals: Zildjian
Live:
Studio:
Jason also has a set of 1960s/70s Avedis Hi-Hats that have appeared on several Death Cab recordings. He also has an assortment of cymbals from Zildjian's K Constantinople and A Avedis lines, however the set-ups above are his most used.
His former Paiste cymbal setup was as follows: 14" Formula 602 Classic Sounds Medium Hi-hats; 18" Formula 602 Classic Sounds Thin Crash; 20" Formula 602 Classic Sounds Thin Crash; 21" Masters Medium Ride. [8]
McGerr previously played Craviotto drums and Ludwig Drums.
The Avedis Zildjian Company, simply known as Zildjian, is a musical instrument manufacturer specializing in cymbals and other percussion instruments. Founded by the ethnic Armenian Zildjian family in the 17th-century Ottoman Empire, the company relocated to the United States in the 20th century. Today, it is the largest cymbal and drumstick maker in the world.
Death Cab for Cutie is an American rock band formed in Bellingham, Washington, in 1997. Death Cab for Cutie's music has been classified as indie rock, indie pop, and alternative rock. The band is currently composed of Ben Gibbard, Nick Harmer (bass), Dave Depper, Zac Rae, and Jason McGerr (drums).
Benjamin Gibbard is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known as the lead vocalist and guitarist of the indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie, with whom he has recorded ten studio albums, and as a member of the indie pop band The Postal Service. Gibbard released his debut solo album, Former Lives, in 2012, and a collaborative studio album, One Fast Move or I'm Gone (2009) with Jay Farrar.
Something About Airplanes is the debut studio album by indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie, released August 18, 1998, on Barsuk Records. A tenth-anniversary edition of the album was released November 25, 2008, featuring redesigned artwork, liner notes by Sean Nelson, and a bonus disc including the band's first ever Seattle performance at the Crocodile Cafe in February 1998.
Transatlanticism is the fourth studio album by indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie, released on October 7, 2003, by Barsuk Records. At this point in their career, the group had toured and recorded for nearly a half-decade. With tensions rising, the band decided to take time away from one another; notably, Ben Gibbard collaborated with electronic musician Dntel, and released an album, Give Up, under the name the Postal Service. Death Cab regrouped in late 2002 to create Transatlanticism, which was recorded in a leisurely manner over five-day stretches until June 2003.
We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes is the second studio album by American rock band Death Cab for Cutie. It was released on March 21, 2000, through Barsuk Records. The band, which originally included singer-songwriter Ben Gibbard, guitarist/producer Chris Walla, bassist Nick Harmer, and drummer Nathan Good, formed in Bellingham, Washington in 1997. Their debut studio album, Something About Airplanes, was released in 1998 through Barsuk, after which Good exited the band. Between the two albums, both Gibbard and Walla released music via side projects, ¡All-Time Quarterback! and Martin Youth Auxiliary, respectively.
Barsuk Records is an independent record label based in Seattle, Washington, that was founded by the members of the band This Busy Monster, Christopher Possanza and Josh Rosenfeld, in 1998 to release their band's material. Its logo is a drawing of a dog holding a vinyl record in its mouth.
The Photo Album is the third studio album by indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie, released October 9, 2001 on Barsuk Records.
All-Time Quarterback was a solo side-project of Ben Gibbard, best known as the singer/guitarist for Death Cab for Cutie and as one third of the Postal Service.
Chaos Chaos are an American indie synthpop band based in Brooklyn, New York. The band was formed in Seattle under the name Smoosh in 2000 and adopted their current name in 2012. The band consists of two sisters, who founded the band as children: singer/keyboardist Asya "Asy" Saavedra and drummer Chloe Saavedra. They released three LPs as Smoosh, and have produced two further EPs, several singles, and a fourth full-length album as Chaos Chaos.
Christopher Ryan Walla is an American musician, record producer, and film music composer, best known for being a former guitarist and songwriter for the band Death Cab for Cutie.
Plans is the fifth studio album by indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie, released August 30, 2005 on Atlantic Records.
Eureka Farm was a band from Bellingham, Washington. It began in 1996 with members Arman Bohn (songwriter/guitar), Ben Gibbard (drums), and Nick Harmer (bass). During this time the band went by the name "Shed". Gibbard left the band and was replaced by Jason McGerr (drums) in 1996. The band changed its name to "Eureka Farm" in 1997. Harmer was replaced by Chuck Keller (bass) in 1997, and Caspar Sonnet joined in 1998.
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. After contributing to Bright Eyes' 2020 album, Down in the Weeds, Where the World Once Was, Theodore joined the band in 2022 as their touring drummer.
Joseph William Castillo is an American musician and songwriter. He is best known for being the drummer of the hard rock band Queens of the Stone Age from 2002 to 2012. He is currently a member of Circle Jerks, The Bronx, DOOM Regulator and Zakk Sabbath, with former bands including Danzig, Wasted Youth, Eagles of Death Metal, California Breed, Sugartooth, Zilch, and Scott Weiland and the Wildabouts.
James Patrick Keeler is an American rock music drummer from Cincinnati, who is best known for playing in The Greenhornes, The Raconteurs, and The Afghan Whigs. He plays with both traditional and matched grips.
"Title and Registration" is a song by indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie, the third single from their fourth studio album, Transatlanticism.
"A Movie Script Ending" is a song recorded by the American rock band Death Cab for Cutie for their third studio album, The Photo Album (2001). It was released as the lead single from The Photo Album on February 8, 2002 through Barsuk Records.
Narrow Stairs is the sixth studio album by indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie, released on May 12, 2008 in the United Kingdom and on May 13, 2008, in the United States, on Atlantic and Barsuk Records.
Asphalt Meadows is the tenth studio album by American rock band Death Cab for Cutie. It was released on September 16, 2022, through Atlantic Records.
Media related to Jason McGerr at Wikimedia Commons| Artists | |
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