Al Sobrante
| John Kiffmeyer | |
|---|---|
Kiffmeyer performing with Green Day in 1990
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| Background information | |
| Also known as | Al Sobrante |
| Born |
July 11, 1969 El Sobrante, California, United States |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) |
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| Instruments | Drums |
| Years active |
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| Associated acts | |
John Kiffmeyer (born July 11, 1969), known professionally in music as Al Sobrante, is an American musician, best known as the former drummer for the punk rock band Green Day. His name of Al Sobrante is a reference to his hometown, El Sobrante. His work with Green Day resulted in about 961,000 albums sold, which are mostly from the compilation album 1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours.
Kiffmeyer was born in California on July 11, 1969. His first exposure in the punk scene was as the drummer of the band Isocracy. The group was popular in the East Bay, and mainstays at the famed club, 924 Gilman Street.
Kiffmeyer is most well known for his time in Green Day; after Isocracy broke up, he joined Mike Dirnt and Billie Joe Armstrong to form Sweet Children, which was later renamed Green Day. Because of his experience and knowledge of the underground community, Kiffmeyer was able to get the young band on its feet by placing calls to friends, among them prominent figure of the East Bay Larry Livermore. The first few performances took place at Contra Costa College, where Kiffmeyer was a journalism student. On the strength of an early performance, Livermore vowed to release a Green Day record on his Lookout! Records. The group's first full-length effort, 39/Smooth, would feature a Kiffmeyer original, "I Was There", which documented the band at that place in time. Being a fan of Ozzy Osbourne, it was he who inspired the mini-covers of some famous songs, such as "I Don't Know" by Ozzy Osbourne and "Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynyrd Skynyrd during the bridge of "Disappearing Boy," a practice that is still carried out today.
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