Chris Pennie

Pennie during a photoshoot.

**Chris Pennie** (born May 31, 1977) is an American musician best known for being a founding member and original drummer for metalcore band The Dillinger Escape Plan, and the drummer for the alternative/progressive rock group Coheed and Cambria. Since parting with the band, he has joined with the band Return to Earth, and focused on his own music production company, Fight Mannequins.

## Background

Pennie was born in Lake Hopatcong, New Jersey on May 31, 1977. When he was twelve, he began taking drumming lessons and received a drumkit. At age sixteen, he decided to pursue music seriously. Having grown up in Randolph, New Jersey, he 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.

Pennie has cited drummers 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 has 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 1970s jazz-rock fusion group Mahavishnu Orchestra, technical metal bands Meshuggah, Cynic, and electronic-influenced groups such as Nine Inch Nails and DJ Shadow.

## Music Career

> *For more information, see Coheed and Cambria.*
>
>

While in high school, Pennie played in the local New Jersey based band, Prozak. The other three members of Prozak were 8–10 years older than Pennie, and in order for Prozak to play the local bars and clubs, Pennie's father would accompany him to the various gigs. Pennie played with Prozak from 1993 until he began attending Berklee School of Music in 1995. 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*.

He and guitarist Ben Weinman, along with now-departed singer Dimitri Minakakis and bass guitarist Adam Doll, formed Dillinger Escape Plan in March 1997. He and Weinman wrote the majority of Dillinger's material and Pennie called Weinman his "musical soulmate". Pennie also took care of a lot of the electronic influence in the band's material in the studio as well as onstage, triggering effects and loops with footswitch pedals. Pennie described the band as being 'mathcore' where they start each song with no structure and an open palette.

Pennie became frustrated with The Dillinger Escape Plan, in particular with Ben Weinman. Pennie had previously turned down a Nine Inch Nails job because The Dillinger Escape Plan was 'his baby' but did not turn down Coheed and Cambria because of his frustrations with Weinman and subsequently left Dillinger. On June 28, 2007, Coheed and Cambria announced on their Myspace that Chris Pennie joined the band and their previous drummer, Josh Eppard had stepped down. Due to contractual obligations, Pennie was not allowed to record for Coheed's 2007 album *Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV - Volume Two: No World For Tomorrow*. Instead, the band recruited Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins for the task.

On November 2, 2011, Coheed and Cambria announced on their Facebook page that Pennie had left the band. Pennie also separately announced he had parted ways with Coheed and Cambria in order to focus on other projects such as **Return to Earth** and **Fight Mannequins**.

## Instruments

Drums (Mapex Saturn Series in Black Cherry Sparkle finish):

* 20-inch × 22-inch bass drum
* 9-inch × 12-inch rack tom
* 16-inch × 16-inch floor tom
* 7-inch × 14-inch Mapex snare drum

Cymbals (Sabian):

* 14-inch HHX Groove hats
* 18-inch HHXplosion crash
* 19-inch HHXplosion crash
* 21-inch HH Raw Bell dry ride
* 19-inch Paragon Chinese

Sticks (Vater):

* Vater Xtreme Design 5B

Bass Pedals (Mapex):

* Mapex Falcon double bass pedal

## See Also

* The Dillinger Escape Plan
* Return to Earth
* Fight Mannequins

## References

1. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20110930154332/http://usa.mapexdrums.com/artists/bio.asp?ID=54
2. ↑ http://www.sickdrummermagazine.com/index.php/the-drummers/hall-of-fame/20-chris-pennie.html
3. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/coheedandcambria/posts/10150438070422813
4. ↑ http://www.noisecreep.com/2011/11/02/coheed-and-cambria-drummer-announces-departure