Joey Waronker.html



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.

Early life

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

During the 1980s, Waronker looked at pursuing other careers. "I didn't want to be a musician. I mean, I did 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

On the drum stool

Walt Mink

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 name "Walt Mink" is the name of a former psychology professor at Macalester. ²

Beck and The Smashing Pumpkins

Left-handed³ Waronker first became known in the late 1990s for his work with Beck (Odelay, Mutations, Midnite Vultures, Sea Change, Guero and Modern Guilt), and was also a session drummer on The Smashing Pumpkins' 1998 platinum 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.

Waronker toured with Beck, but at the end of the tours, there would be months of downtime. "I wasn't really making ends meet, so I figured either I had to get a job or try to play and make money playing. So that's when it started. It sort of took a while, and at first I was really down on it, trying to figure out what I would rather do. I was never really aggressive about it, but after I started putting out feelers, people started calling, and I would hang out more and get work."¹

In 2003, Waronker joined Beck on his Sea Change tour, playing only a few shows in Australia and Japan.⁴ In December 2007, he appeared again with Beck in South America. He also plays on Beck's 2008 single Chemtrails from his album Modern Guilt. ⁵

Elliott Smith

In 1998, Waronker played drums on two songs ('Bled White' and 'Bottle Up and Explode!') on Elliott Smith's XO. He also appeared on 'Stupidity Tries' on Smith's next release, 2000's Figure 8 (the song was one of three recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London).

R.E.M.

Main article: Joey Waronker and R.E.M.

Between 1998 and 2002, Waronker toured with R.E.M. and appeared on two albums (1998's Up and the 2001 release, Reveal) after the departure of Bill Berry in late 1997.

Ima Robot

Waronker became a member of Ima Robot for a short period of time in the early 2000s.

Other collaborations

Waronker played on Willy DeVille's 2004 album Crow Jane Alley. He has also worked with Johnny Cash, Nelly Furtado, Leona Naess, and in 2005 appeared on Paul McCartney's Chaos and Creation in the Backyard, playing bongos, bass drums and shaker. He also played drums on "Get Free" from The Vines' debut album Highly Evolved.

Equipment

Joey Waronker's personal crest is located on his bass drum.

Waronker has an endorsement contract with Istanbul Agop Cymbals.⁶

He can be identified in live performances by his personal crest, which is located on the skin of his bass drum (see image, right).

Behind the console

In 2002, Waronker began to focus more on production, basing himself at his recording studio, The Bank, where he has produced such artists as the Eels, Lisa Germano, The Incredible Moses Leroy, Judd & Maggie, and Priscilla Ahn.

As early as 1996, Waronker scored Miguel Arteta's movie, Star Maps, followed in 2000 by Chuck & Buck and The Good Girl in 2002. In 2003, AMC invited him to score several documentary movies, including 2002's Lost in La Mancha. Other Waronker compositions have appeared in the drama Alias, sit-com Malcolm in the Middle and on FOX Sports. His drumming performances, meanwhile, have appeared in several scores: 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), for example.

His musical collaborations include Nina Persson of The Cardigans, E of the Eels, and Tracy Bonham.⁷

Personal life

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 Elizabeth. The couple have a pit bull named Lana and four cats in Silver Lake.⁸

References

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