Joey Waronker
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| Joey Waronker | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Joseph Waronker |
| Born | May 20, 1969 |
| Origin | Los Angeles, California |
| Genres | Rock and Roll Pop Indie rock |
| Occupations | Drummer Songwriter Producer |
| Instruments | drums percussion |
| Years active | 1989 - date |
| Associated acts | Walt Mink Ima Robot |
Joseph "Joey" Waronker (born May 20, 1969 in Los Angeles, California) is an American drummer and music producer. He is the son of record producer Lenny Waronker and singer/actress Donna Loren; his younger sister is musician Anna Waronker; and his grandfather is record executive and professional violinist Simon Waronker. He has three other sisters.
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[edit] Early life
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Please help improve this section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page. (June 2007) |
Waronker grew up in Pacific Palisades, California. Growing up, he had contact with drummers Steve Gadd and Jeff Porcaro. Later, as he contemplated a career in music, due in part to being exposed to KISS at the age of seven, he approached Jim Keltner for guidance.[1] His parents attempted to dissuade him from following a musical path, but they eventually submitted.[1]
Waronker is credited as a contributing musician in the liner notes of Arlo Guthrie's 1981 album Power Of Love, as part of a children's chorus backing Guthrie on David Mallett's "Garden Song".
During the 1980s, Waronker looked at pursuing other careers, saying that he wanted to be a musician "as a little kid, but I kind of grew out of it as a teenager. I wanted to do anything but be a musician."[1]
[edit] Drumming career
Waronker's first professional project was the indie group Walt Mink in 1990, which he formed at the age of 21 while attending Macalester College. The band's name is taken from that of a former psychology professor at Macalester.[2]
[edit] Beck and The Smashing Pumpkins
Left-handed[3] Waronker first became known in the late 1990s for his work with Beck (on Odelay, Mutations, Midnite Vultures, Sea Change, Guero and Modern Guilt), and was also a session drummer on The Smashing Pumpkins' 1998 album Adore. Although he only contributed to three songs on the album, Waronker was invited to become the band's full-time drummer (at least for the subsequent tour) but declined as his financial requests were not met.
In 2003, he played a few shows on the Australia and Japan legs of the Sea Change tour, playing only a few shows in Australia and Japan.[4] He also played with Beck in South America in December 2007, and in Japan in March 2009.[5] Waronker has bemoaned the months of downtime at the end of the tours, which meant that he was unable to make sufficient money from his work.[1]
[edit] Elliott Smith
In 1998, Waronker played drums on two songs ("Bled White" and "Bottle Up and Explode!") on Elliott Smith's XO album. He also appeared on "Stupidity Tries" on Smith's next release, 2000's Figure 8.
[edit] R.E.M.
Waronker's first experience of R.E.M. occurred in 1985, when he was 15 years old and the then-quartet were performing at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. The band had known of Waronker as a high school student.[6]
In October 1997, R.E.M.’s drummer Bill Berry left the band in pursuit of a quieter life. Seven months later, as R.E.M. rehearsed in Athens, Georgia for a tour in support of that year’s Up album, Waronker was asked to come and play with them. His first performance with his new employers was in Washington, D.C. at the Tibetan Freedom Concert at RFK Stadium.
Between 1998 and 2002, Waronker toured with R.E.M. and appeared on two albums, 1998's Up and the 2001 release Reveal.
[edit] Other work
Waronker became a member of Ima Robot for a short period in the early 2000s. He has also collaborated as a musician or producer with Nina Persson of The Cardigans, Tracy Bonham, Johnny Cash, Tonic, Nelly Furtado and Leona Naess.[7] He has his own recording studio, The Bank, where he has produced artists such as Eels, Other Lives, Lisa Germano, The Incredible Moses Leroy, Judd & Maggie, and Priscilla Ahn.
He played on Willy DeVille's 2004 album Crow Jane Alley, and on Paul McCartney's Chaos and Creation in the Backyard (2005), in which he played bongos, bass drums and shaker. He also played drums on "Get Free" from The Vines' debut album Highly Evolved.
Waronker is to join Thom Yorke, Nigel Godrich, Mauro Refosco and Flea in a band to play material from Yorke's album The Eraser as well as other original pieces. The band does not have a name yet but is due to perform for the first time in Los Angeles on October 4 and 5 2009.[8]
[edit] Equipment
Waronker has an endorsement contract with Istanbul Agop Cymbals and C&C Custom Drum Company. He can be identified in live performances by his personal crest, which is located on the skin of his bass drum (see image, right).
[edit] Soundtrack work
In 1996, Waronker scored Miguel Arteta's movie Star Maps, followed by Chuck & Buck in 2000 and The Good Girl in 2002. He has also scored several documentary movies for AMC, including 2002's Lost in La Mancha. Other Waronker compositions have appeared in the drama Alias, the sit-com Malcolm in the Middle and on FOX Sports.
His drumming performances have appeared in a number of scores, including Man on the Moon (1999), Badly Drawn Boy's About a Boy soundtrack (2002), Collateral (2004), Dawn of the Dead (2004), and Walking Tall (2004).
[edit] Personal life
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Please help improve this section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page. (June 2007) |
Waronker attended Macalester College, from which he graduated in 1993. He is married to the sculptor Lizzy Waronker, with whom he lives in Silver Lake.[9]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Joey Waronker interview with The A.V. Club, January 24, 2001
- ^ Untitled Document
- ^ BenFolds.org - Joey Waronker
- ^ Beck Sea Change Ensemble, Sydney Harbor, 3/22/03 sur Flickr : partage de photos !
- ^ New Beck - "Chemtrails" - Stereogum
- ^ R.E.M. | Fiction: An Alternative Biography, Virgin (2002). ISBN 1-85227-927-3
- ^ Tracy Bonham News
- ^ Dead Air Space
- ^ http://www.mcdsp.com/users/usr_waronker.html
[edit] External links
- Joey Waronker pictures and biography
- Pictures of Waronker at flickr.com
- AllMusic profile
- IMDb profile
- LastFM.com
- Tama Drums, Hardware & Accessories
- Interview with The A.V. Club
- Tama interview
- Interview with Gig City
- Record Production.com
- Discogs.com - Waronker's discography
- New York Times filmography
