David Karl Krusen (born March 10, 1966) is an American musician who is best known for being the first drummer for the American rock band

Pearl Jam Pearl Jam is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. The band's lineup consists of founding members Jeff Ament (bass guitar), Stone Gossard (rhythm guitar), Mike McCready (lead guitar), and Eddie Vedder (lead vocals, g ...

, and for his work on the band's debut album, '' Ten''. Krusen was also a member of the bands

Hovercraft A hovercraft, also known as an air-cushion vehicle or ACV, is an amphibious craft capable of travelling over land, water, mud, ice, and other surfaces. Hovercraft use blowers to produce a large volume of air below the hull, or air cushion, ...

and Unified Theory, and was previously the drummer for Candlebox from 1997–1999 and 2015–2017. Krusen was inducted into the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and ...

as a member of Pearl Jam on April 7, 2017, and being the only former member of the band to be inducted.

Biography

Early life

Krusen was born in

Tacoma, Washington Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Pa ...

and grew up in the town of Gig Harbor along with his two brothers and sister."Dave Krusen"
CandleShop. He was into

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...

and

Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the " Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and developed rhythm and blues into th ...

when he was young, and later got into

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ...

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically dr ...

The Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...

The Police The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For most of their history the line-up consisted of primary songwriter Sting (lead vocals, bass guitar), Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums, percussion). The Polic ...

, and

Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Fu ...

.Acrylic, Kim
"Interview with Dave Krusen of The Kings Royal"
'' Punk Globe''. January 2009. Krusen began playing locally in the

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region o ...

area in 1979 while he was in high school.Greene, Jo-Ann
"Pearl Jam and the Secret History of Seattle Part 2"
'' Goldmine''. ''August 1993'' His first band, Outrigger, was formed with his friends from high school. Throughout the 1980s, Krusen had several stints playing with Seattle area musical acts, including Boibs, Agent Boy, Gary Williams, Tramps of Panic, Liar's Club, Hard Time, and WarmDrive.

Pearl Jam

Krusen was recruited in 1990 by bassist

Jeff Ament Jeffrey Allen Ament (born March 10, 1963) is an American musician and songwriter who is best known as the bassist of the American rock band Pearl Jam, which he co-founded alongside Stone Gossard, Mike McCready, and Eddie Vedder. Prior to his wo ...

and guitarist

Stone Gossard Stone Carpenter Gossard (born July 20, 1966) is an American musician who serves as a guitarist and songwriter for the rock band Pearl Jam. Along with Jeff Ament, Mike McCready, and Eddie Vedder, he is one of the founding members of the band. ...

to be the drummer for

. Krusen was asked to join Pearl Jam after auditioning with the band. Krusen was the first full-time drummer for Pearl Jam, replacing

Matt Cameron Matthew David Cameron (born November 28, 1962) is an American musician who is the drummer for the rock band Pearl Jam. He first gained fame as the drummer for Seattle-based rock band Soundgarden, which he joined in 1986. He appeared on each o ...

. Cameron was unable to fully commit to Pearl Jam due to playing full-time in Soundgarden. Krusen played with Pearl Jam through to the completion of the band's debut album, '' Ten'' in 1991. After the recording sessions for ''Ten'' were completed, Krusen left Pearl Jam in May 1991 and checked himself into rehabilitation. According to Krusen, he was suffering from personal problems at the time, including

alcoholism Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomi ...

. Krusen said, "It was a great experience. I felt from the beginning of that band that it was something special," and added, "They had to let me go. I couldn't stop drinking, and it was causing problems. They gave me many chances, but I couldn't get it together." Vocalist

Eddie Vedder Eddie Jerome Vedder (born Edward Louis Severson III; December 23, 1964) is an American singer, musician, and songwriter best known as the lead vocalist and one of four guitarists of the rock band Pearl Jam. He also appeared as a guest vocalist i ...

said, "Krusen was a real hero...He was going through a lot, but he had something really special." Krusen was replaced by

Matt Chamberlain Matthew Chamberlain (born April 17, 1967) is an American session musician, drummer, producer and songwriter. Biography Life and career Chamberlain was born in San Pedro, California on April 17, 1967. He began learning how to play the drums ...

. On May 16, 2022, at the Fresno, CA show of

Gigaton Tour The Gigaton Tour is a concert tour by the American rock band Pearl Jam. It is the band's first tour since 2018. The tour was originally scheduled to consist of seventeen shows in North America, and fourteen shows in Europe during 2020. However, ...

, Krusen played with Pearl Jam for the second time since leaving the band (the first being Pearl Jam’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction), after

tested positive for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quick ...

Hovercraft

In the mid-1990s, Krusen joined Beth Liebling and Ryan Shinn in the band

under the stage name "Karl 3‒30". Krusen replaced previous drummer Eddie Vedder. With a more technically proficient drummer, the band was now free to play beyond the lo-fidelity noise experiments of its debut release, and play proper shows with structured improvisation and avant experimentalism. While as a member of Hovercraft, Krusen toured with the band and recorded the album ''

Akathisia Akathisia is a movement disorder characterized by a subjective feeling of inner restlessness accompanied by mental distress and an inability to sit still. Usually, the legs are most prominently affected. Those affected may fidget, rock back a ...

'' (1997).

Diamond Star Halo

In 1994 Krusen co-founded Diamond Star Halo with former Candlebox bass player Aaron Seravo. The two were introduced by a mutual friend and discovered they had exactly the same vision for a band. The band was completed by Singer Bo Bligh and bassist Steve Martin the band released their first record in 1995 tilted ''In The Rough'' on Regal Recordings. The album was produced by Cristopher Thorne of Blind Melon and Kevin Martin of Candlebox & was mixed by Kelly Grey. The band enjoyed moderate success but not to the level of their former bands Candlebox and Pearl Jam. After much conflict centering on singer Bo Bligh's drug addictions the band dissolved. There was a later version of the band reformed by Seravo in 2000. Aaron Seravo died of cancer January 9, 2011, surrounded by friends and loved ones, at Stanford University Hospital. Steve Martin died very early in 2011 as well (committing suicide) a few days before Seravo's passing.

Candlebox

Krusen was the second drummer for Candlebox, replacing previous drummer Scott Mercado. Krusen joined in 1997 and recorded the album '' Happy Pills'' (1998) while as a member of the band. Krusen left the band in 1999 and was replaced by

Shannon Larkin James Shannon Larkin (born April 24, 1967) is an American musician, best known as the drummer of Rock music, rock band Godsmack. He replaced the previous drummer Tommy Stewart in June 2002. Prior to Godsmack, he was a member of Amen (American ba ...

of Ugly Kid Joe. Krusen completed eight tracks on the Candlebox record, '' Into the Sun'', which was released in July 2008 and nine tracks on the latest Candlebox record, ''

Love Stories & Other Musings ''Love Stories & Other Musings'' is the fifth studio album by the alternative rock band Candlebox. It was released in 2012 on Audionest. Reception Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic thought the album to be Candlebox's best and richest album, a ...

'', which was released in April 2012. As of 2015 he has rejoined the band.

Unified Theory

Krusen played drums with the band Unified Theory on its self-titled album, issued in August 2000. The band was made up of two ex- Blind Melon members (bassist Brad Smith and guitarist Christopher Thorn) and newcomer Chris Shinn on vocals/guitar. Unified Theory began to form in early 1998. After the first plan to carry on Blind Melon with a new singer didn't work out, Smith and Thorn decided to start a new band and came across vocalist Chris Shinn after moving to Los Angeles. Krusen was already friends with Thorn and Smith. While working on tracks for a second album, delays set the band back, and Krusen grew somewhat frustrated and left. This eventually led to Unified Theory's break-up.

The Hung White Ponies

Krusen played drums with The Hung White Ponies which also included

Rick Rosas Rick "Rick the Bass Player" Rosas (September 10, 1949 – November 6, 2014) was an American musician, and one of the most sought after studio session musicians in Los Angeles. Though largely known for his long collaboration with Neil Young, throug ...

on bass,

Ryan Kralik Ryan may refer to: People and fictional characters * Ryan (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) *Ryan (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) Places Australia * Division of Ryan, an electo ...

on guitar and vocals and Michael G. Ronstadt on Cello. Formed in 2011 by Ryan Kralik, the band released the album ''No Agenda'' in 2011 along with a cover single of CSNY's Neil Young penned classic protest tune ''Ohio'' which also featured Iraq War vet Josh Hisle. In 2012 the concept audio/film album CRAZYTOWN A Visual Music Album was released as both an audio album and a feature film, winning multiple awards in both music and film categories. In 2013, after a west-coast tour, the band released the live concert CD/DVD ''The Hung White Ponies Live at the High Dive'' which documented one of the tours Seattle, WA concerts. Krusen is credited as co-producer on many of the Hung White Ponies releases.

Other musical projects

After leaving Pearl Jam, Krusen teamed up with former Son of Man vocalist Tal Goettling, bass player Matt McClinton, and guitarist Tim Bethune to form the short-lived but highly acclaimed Purple Decade. The band recorded two demo tapes before imploding under the pressures of the Seattle and Los Angeles music scenes. In 2004, Krusen performed with musician Shawn Snyder as part of his backing band. He was a part of a

, Washington-based band called Novatone which released the album ''Time Can't Wait'' in 2005. He was Cheyenne Kimball's drummer from 2005 to 2007 and played on her debut album, '' The Day Has Come'' (2006). He is currently working on a blues/noise-groove, avant-garde record and performing live and in the studio with various artists including Martyr Reef, Toy Robot, George Stanford, Lowlight, Jesse Cole, Foster Timms, Matthias Sturm, La La Birdtime, Dave Giles, Shelby, Carolyna Loveless, Chris Robinson, Puppies and Kittens and John Pringle. He is now touring with Ida Maria and recording her third album due out in 2012.

Equipment

Krusen currently plays

Paiste Paiste (English pronunciation: , ) is a Swiss musical instrument manufacturing company. It is the world's third largest manufacturer of cymbals, gongs, and metal percussion. is an Estonian word that means "shine". Apart from cymbals and gong ...

cymbals, DW,

Gretsch Gretsch is an American company that manufactures musical instruments. The company was founded in 1883 in Brooklyn, New York by Friedrich Gretsch, a 27-year-old German immigrant, shortly after his arrival to the United States. Friedrich Gretsch ...

, Yamaha and C&C Drums,

Remo Remo Inc. is an American musical instruments manufacturing company based in Valencia, California, and founded by Remo Belli in 1957. Products manufactured include drum kits, drumhead A drumhead or drum skin is a membrane stretched ov ...

drum heads, and Vater drumsticks, preferring the SD9 in wood tip.

Personal life

Krusen currently resides near Los Angeles with his wife and two children.

Discography

Pearl Jam discography

Diamond Star Halo discography

Hovercraft discography

Candlebox discography

Unified Theory discography

Novatone discography

Hung White Ponies discography

Contributions and collaborations

References

External links

* *
2013 Audio Interview with Dave Krusen from the I'd Hit That Podcast
{{DEFAULTSORT:Krusen, Dave 1966 births Living people American rock drummers Grunge musicians Candlebox members Pearl Jam members Musicians from Washington (state) Musicians from Tacoma, Washington People from Gig Harbor, Washington 20th-century American drummers American male drummers Epic Records artists Mute Records artists Universal Records artists Warner Music Group artists Hovercraft (band) members