Blake Fleming
| Blake Fleming | |
|---|---|
| Origin | United States |
| Genres | Experimental rock, post-punk, progressive rock, math rock |
| Occupation(s) | Drummer |
| Instruments | Drums |
| Associated acts | Laddio Bolocko, Dazzling Killmen, The Mars Volta, The Rollo Treadway, Future By Now |
Blake Fleming is a drummer known for his involvement with several influential experimental bands.
Born in Alton, IL (birthplace of Miles Davis and home to Robert Pershing Wadlow, tallest man in recorded history) in 1972, Fleming started drumming at age 8, spending several years in fife and drumming corps, bagpipe bands, jazz bands, marching bands and orchestras. While in the Alton Colonial Fife and Drum Corps, Blake studied under Jerry Whitaker, the East Coast Rudimental Snare Drum Champion from West Point.
At the age of 15, Fleming co-founded his first band, Dazzling Killmen. The Killmen toured the US extensively, recording four 7” singles in addition to two full-length studio albums and one live album (Skin Graft/Touch and Go Records). They worked closely with Jeff Tweedy (Wilco, Uncle Tupelo) and Steve Albini (Nirvana, The Pixies, PJ Harvey) and shared the stage with Fugazi, The Jesus Lizard, Neurosis, Helmet, Uncle Tupelo, Sleep, Shellac, Agent Orange, The Bad Livers and Jim O'Rourke.
Dazzling Killmen’s 1994 sophomore studio album, Face of Collapse, was named the "number one heavy record of the decade” by Alternative Press Magazine, the criteria for which included the dexterity of the rhythm section.
Fleming traversed the US with the Japanese progressive punk band Zeni Geva on their 1996 Freedom Bondage tour. Later that year, he moved from St. Louis to New York City and formed the influential instrumental quartet Laddio Bolocko. Laddio Bolocko independently recorded and produced three studio albums, and toured the US and Europe numerous times between 1998 and 2000, earning Fleming the reputation of being a master drummer both in the US and Europe.
After Laddio disbanded the previous fall, Fleming moved to Long Beach, CA in March 2001 to co-found The Mars Volta, and recorded their very first demo recordings (“The Haunt of Roulette Dares” and “Cicatriz ESP”) for Grand Royal (the Beastie Boys’ record label). He also drummed on guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez's first solo album A Manual Dexterity: Soundtrack Volume 1. Fleming then returned to New York City and, in 2002, formed Electric Turn To Me, who toured the US and Europe extensively before splitting up in 2005.
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