Chris Pennie
| Chris Pennie | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 31, 1977 (age 39) |
| Genres | Alternative rock, new prog, mathcore, post-hardcore |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Drums |
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Associated acts | The Dillinger Escape Plan, Coheed and Cambria, Idiot Pilot, Return to Earth, The Armed |
Chris Pennie (born May 31, 1977) is the former drummer for the progressive rock band Coheed and Cambria and former drummer and co-founder of mathcore band The Dillinger Escape Plan.
Pennie began playing drums at the age of 13, and at age 16 decided to pursue music seriously. He grew up in Randolph, New Jersey and graduated from Randolph High School, and spent two years at Berklee College of Music where he received a diploma in Music Synthesis, which focuses on electronic music composition and manipulation.
As far as drummers, Pennie has cited Lars Ulrich and Stewart Copeland as his main early influences. In regard to his current playing, Sean Reinert is one of his biggest inspirations. He's also emphasized on several occasions that listening to and playing a diverse assortment of music has been an integral part in developing his style, noting such eclectic influences as 70's jazz-rock fusion group Mahavishnu Orchestra, technical metal bands Meshuggah, Cynic, and electronic-influenced groups such as Nine Inch Nails and DJ Shadow.
While in high school he was playing in the local New Jersey based band, Prozak. The other 3 members of Prozak were 8 – 10 years Pennie's senior, and in order for Prozak to play the local bars and clubs, Pennie's father would accompany him to the various gigs. Chris played with Prozak from '93 until he began attending Berklee School of Music in '95. He recorded ten songs with Prozak during his time with the band but they were never commercially released.
Pennie also spent time with the pop-punk group Boxer. Formed in 1995 with another Berklee graduate, Jeremy McDowell, they became the first band to be signed to the now famous Vagrant Records. They released one album, "The Hurt Process" in 1998, and broke up in late 1999. Pennie also recorded drums for his former tourmates in experimental metalcore group All Else Failed on their 2004 album "This Never Happened". Pennie describes his band, The Dillinger Escape Plan, as being 'mathcore' where they start each song with no structure and an open palette.
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