Jon Theodore

Jon Theodore (born December 1, 1973) is a drummer, formerly a member of The Mars Volta. Best known for his bombastic, multi-textural and dynamic playing style, he has fast become recognized as one of the most talented and creative drummers in mainstream music. In addition to his percussive role, he worked on the arrangements in The Mars Volta's records. On July 30, 2006, it was announced that Jon Theodore would be permanently replaced. He was quoted in Modern Drummer: "It was long overdue and unquestionably the best thing for everyone involved. We had a great run of things, made some decent records, blew it up for a minute, and had some really great times. But the life ran out of it. I’m currently working on some pretty sweet tunes for a new project. The details will follow once it takes shape." This project is rumored to be a collaboration with Zack De La Rocha, although this has yet to be confirmed. It is also rumored that Jon has been working on the debut album of the New Jersey alt-core band Death Museum. Image File history File links Jontheodore5. ... Image File history File links Jontheodore5. ... December 1 is the 335th (in leap years the 336th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... A drummer at practice A drummer is a musician who plays the drums, particularly the drum kit, marching percussion, or hand drums. ... The Mars Volta is an American rock group founded by Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez. ... Modern Drummer is the oldest magazine (still being published) devoted to the subject of drumming and percussion. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

History

Theodore first started playing drums at the age of 15. He was soon involved with his high school concert band at Gilman School in Baltimore, Maryland, and took lessons on a full kit shortly after. It was at this point that he studied percussion and learned how to map arrangements; dedicated practice had already become a daily habit. He also listened to a great variety of music, growing to love the likes of Billy Cobham, Elvin Jones and John Bonham. Gilman School, originally named The Country School for Boys, is a private school founded in 1897 and located in Baltimore, Maryland. ... Flag Seal Nickname: Monument City, Charm City, Mob Town, B-more Motto: Get In On It (formerly The City That Reads and The Greatest City in America; BELIEVE is not the official motto but rather a specific campaign) Location Location of Baltimore in Maryland Coordinates , Government Country State County United... Official language(s) None (English, de facto) Capital Annapolis Largest city Baltimore Area  Ranked 42nd  - Total 12,417 sq mi (32,160 km²)  - Width 90 miles (145 km)  - Length 249 miles (400 km)  - % water 21  - Latitude 37°53N to 39°43N  - Longitude 75°4W to 79°33... Billy Cobham in 1973. ... Elvin Jones Elvin Ray Jones (September 9, 1927 – May 18, 2004) was a jazz drummer. ... John Henry Bonzo Bonham (May 31, 1948 – September 25, 1980), was an English drummer and member of the English rock band Led Zeppelin. ...

Around the end of his time in high school, he joined the band Golden and recorded and toured with them for ten years. It was during this time that he met Cedric Bixler Zavala and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, who were performing their first gig with their experimental dub band DeFacto in El Paso, TX. They became friends and the former At the Drive-In duo would later invite Theodore to join their latin-tinged prog-rock band, The Mars Volta. Theodore was The Mars Volta's drummer from 2001 to 2006, when his permanent departure was announced on July 30. He also played with Royal Trux for a year-and-a-half prior to joining The Mars Volta. Golden is and American rock band formed in 1993 in Oberlin, Ohio. ... Cedric Bixler_Zavala from The Mars Volta onstage in San Francisco, 2002 Occupation: Lead singer of The Mars Volta Date of Birth: November 4, 1974 in Redwood City, CA Band History Phantasmagoria The Dregtones The Fall on Deaf Ears At The Drive-In De Facto The Mars Volta About Cedric Raised... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... See De facto for the Latin expression DeFacto DeFacto were a dub reggae side project of Cedric Bixler Zavala, and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez of At The Drive-In, keyboardist Isaiah Ikey Owens, and soundman Jeremy Michael Ward. ... At the Drive-In (ATDI) was a post-hardcore band from El Paso, Texas from 1993 until 2001. ... The progressive rock band Yes performing in 1977. ... Royal Trux was an American rock band, founded by Neil Michael Hagerty (vocals, guitar) and Jennifer Herrema (vocals). ...

In his spare time Theodore surfs. Buttons Kaluhiokalani at Banzai Pipeline, December 1981 Surfing is a surface water sport in which the participant is carried by a breaking wave on a surfboard. ...

Influences

Theodore draws inspiration from many different forms of music but those most prevalent in his playing are jazz, fusion, and rock. He has also touched upon another factor which adds to his individual style - "Then there's a whole bunch of stuff from Haïti because my dad's Haïtian. My favorite Haïtian drummer is this guy called Azor... ...The Haïtian music that moves me has the drumming from the voodoo rituals. It moves me because the patterns are connected to different spirits; it's a spiritual thing that is interconnected with dancing, sacrifice and devotion. It's fully passionate. There is nothing contrived about it." Jazz is a musical art form that originated in New Orleans at around the start of the 20th century. ... Bitches Brew (1970) by Miles Davis is considered the most influential early fusion album. ... Rock is a form of popular music with a prominent vocal melody accompanied by guitar and drums. ...

In interviews he regularly cites Billy Cobham of The Mahavishnu Orchestra as his main drumming influence: "My all-time favorite drummer is Billy Cobham. I love the way he plays... ...[his] playing is so natural, powerful and dynamic at the same time. I pattern a lot of stuff after him.". He has also been heavily inspired by John Bonham of Led Zeppelin: "He had one of the best feels in the history of rock... ...because [of him] I try and play with as much bombast as I possibly can." Billy Cobham in 1973. ... The Mahavishnu Orchestra was a jazz-rock fusion group that debuted in 1970 and dissolved in 1976, only to reunite briefly from 1984 to 1986. ... John Henry Bonzo Bonham (May 31, 1948 – September 25, 1980), was an English drummer and member of the English rock band Led Zeppelin. ... For the bands 1969 self-titled debut album, see Led Zeppelin (album). ...

He has also mentioned the following:

Elvin Jones (Independent, John Coltrane Quartet)
Keith Moon (The Who)
Phil Rudd (Independent, AC/DC)
Tony Williams (Independent)
Sebastian Thomson (Trans Am)
Tim Soete (The Fucking Champs)
Herbie Hancock (Herbie And The Headhunters)
Doug Scharin (June of '44)
Joseph "Zigaboo" Modeliste (The Meters)
Mitchell Feldstein (Lung Fish)
Damon Che (Don Caballero)
Dale Crover (The Melvins)
John McEntire (Tortoise)
Ryan Rapsys (Euphone)
Brann Dailor (Mastodon)
Elvin Jones Elvin Ray Jones (September 9, 1927 – May 18, 2004) was a jazz drummer. ... Keith John Moon (August 23, 1946 – September 7, 1978) was the drummer of the rock group The Who. ... The Who are an English rock band who first came to prominence in the 1960s and grew to be considered one of the greatest[1] and most influential[2] rock bands of all time, in addition to being possibly the greatest live band ever. ... Phillip Hugh Norman Rudd (born Phillip Hugh Norman Witschke Rudzevecuis) was born on May 19, 1954 in Melbourne, Australia. ... This article is about the band. ... Tony Williams (December 12, 1945 – February 23, 1997) was an American jazz drummer. ... The Trans-Am Series was created in 1966 by the SCCA as the Trans-American Sedan Championship. ... The Fucking Champs are a 3-piece guitar band from San Francisco, California. ... Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an Academy Award- and multiple Grammy Award-winning jazz pianist and composer from Chicago, Illinois, USA. Hancock is one of jazz musics most important and influential pianists and composers. ... June of 44 was an American rock band which was formed in 1994 from ex-members of Rodan, Lungfish, Codeine, Rex, Crownhate Ruin and Hoover. ... The Meters were a band that performed and recorded from the late 1960s until 1977. ... For the musical band, see Lungfish (band). ... Damon Che (b. ... Don Caballero is a critically-acclaimed instrumental math rock group from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. ... Dale Crover Dale Crover is a American rock musician. ... The Melvins are an American rock band that usually perform as a trio. ... John McEntire (Portland, Oregon, April 9, 1970-) is an American drummer and multi-instrumentalist. ... Tortoise, an instrumental rock band, formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1990. ... Brann Dailor is the drummer for Mastodon, an American heavy metal band based in Atlanta, Georgia. ... Mastodon is a heavy metal band from Atlanta, Georgia. ...

Equipment

Drums: Ludwig Stainless Steel Kit
14x10 tom
16x16 floor tom
18x16 floor tom
For other kinds of drums, see drum (disambiguation). ... It has been suggested that Mod orange be merged into this article or section. ... Tom can be an abbreviated version of the given name Thomas. ...

24x14 bass drum A taekwondo sidekick. ...

Jon has stated in interviews that he is still hoping to find a 26x14 stainless steel kick but also enjoys the punchier sound of his current bass.

Prior to the Stainles Steel kit he used:

Fibes Crystallite Acrylic Kit
14x10 tom
16x16 floor tom
18x16 floor tom
26x14 kick

He uses a Ludwig LM402T chrome over aluminium snare drum with aftermarket die cast hoops.

Cymbals: Of recent times Jon has an endorsement contract with Zildjian cymbals. Like most artists his setup varies somewhat over time. It is also possible that you want to know about the Cymbalum instrument. ... Zildjian is a surname of Armenian origin and means cymbalsmith. It is notable for being the name of two cymbal manufacturers: Avedis Zildjian Company K. Zildjian This is a disambiguation page: a list of articles associated with the same title. ...

13" combo hats (eg K top over A New Beat bottom or A Quick Beat bottom over A New Beat top)

2x 19" medium thin crashes from any of the A Custom, Avedis or K lines:
For example, he has on occasion used two 19" A Custom Projections, on others a 19" K Med Thin Dark and a 19" Avedis Med Thin and on still others a 19" A Custom Projection and a 19" Avedis Med Thin. His Zildjian profile states he uses 2x 19" Avedis med Thin crashes.

21" Avedis Sweet Ride with four sizzlers (this cymbal is often used as a crash) A sizzle cymbal is a cymbal to which rivets, chains or other rattles have been added to modify the sound. ...

A "stack of totally busted stuff on a cymbal stand." On the stand are two hi-hats cymbals with holes drilled through them, a splash cymbal with a cracked bell, a Zildjian ZXT Trashformer and various, smaller shredded cymbals with metal washers. A splash cymbal is a small cymbal used for an accent in a drum kit. ...

Jon's Zildjian Artist Profile: http://www.zildjian.com/EN-US/artists/artistDetail.ad2?artistID=1375

Hardware:
Pearl Eliminator single kick pedal (with surf wax; he plays with bare feet), a DW 5000 Hi-hat stand, and DW cymbal stands. The Pearl Corporation is a world leader in the manufacturing of percussion equipment, including drum kits, hand drums, mallet percussion, and other auxiliary percussion instruments. ...

Heads:
Remo coated Ambassador on snare batter, CS black dots on tom and bass drum batters, clear Ambassadors on bottoms of toms and on front of bass drum. Remo is the most prominent drumhead company in the United States, and their product is the most widely used. ...

He has also used Powerstroke 3 bass batters (and, on occasion, as resonant heads, too) with a falam pad.

Sticks: Jon is a Vic Firth endorser, he uses their American Classic Extreme 5B wood tip model.
Jon's Vic Firth Artist page: http://www.vicfirth.com/artists/theodore.html

Discography

With Golden

• Golden
• Super Golden Original Movement
• Golden Summer
• Apollo Stars

With HiM

• New Features
• Five & Six In Dub
• Our Point Of Departure

With Royal Trux

• Veterans Of Disorder

With Will Oldham

• Ease Down the Road

Ease Down the Road is the name of the 2001 sophomore album released by Will Oldham under the moniker Bonnie Prince Billy. ...

With Trans Am

• Illegal Ass EP

With Utada

• Exodus

Exodus is an album by Utada, also known as Hikaru Utada, released in 2004 (see 2004 in music). ...

With The Fucking Am

• Gold

With The Mars Volta

• Tremulant EP (2002)
• De-Loused in the Comatorium (2003)
• Live EP (2003)
• Frances the Mute (2005)
• A Missing Chromosome (2005)
• Scabdates (2005)
• Amputechture (2006)

Cover of Tremulant EP Release on April 2nd, 2002 by Gold Standard Labs, Tremulant EP is the first EP release by the innovative emo progressive rock band The Mars Volta Track Listing 1. ... De-Loused in the Comatorium is the first LP and concept album by the progressive rock band The Mars Volta. ... Live EP is the first officially released live recording from the band The Mars Volta. ... Frances the Mute is the second studio album by progressive rock band The Mars Volta released in the US on March 1, 2005. ... Released on July 12, 2005 and distributed only to radio stations, A Missing Chromosome is a compilation of various non-LP tracks and b-sides by The Mars Volta. ... Scabdates is the second official live recording from the band The Mars Volta. ... Amputechture is the third full length studio album by The Mars Volta released on September 12, 2006. ...

With SaberTooth Tiger

• Death Valley b/w Love Money (GSL 12th Anniversary Single)
• Extinction Is Inevitable LP (2006)