Janet Lee Weiss (born September 24, 1965) is an American rock drummer, best known as a former member of

Sleater-Kinney Sleater-Kinney ( ) is an American rock band that formed in Olympia, Washington, in 1994. The band's current lineup features Corin Tucker (vocals and guitar) and Carrie Brownstein (guitar and vocals), following the departure of longtime member ...

and a current member of

Quasi Quasi (phonetics 'kwa - zee') is an American indie rock band formed in Portland, Oregon in 1993 by former spouses Sam Coomes ( vocals, guitar, rocksichord, various keyboards, bass) and Janet Weiss (vocals and drums). Joanna Bolme performe ...

. She was the drummer for

Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks is an American rock band consisting of Stephen Malkmus, Mike Clark, Joanna Bolme, and Jake Morris. Malkmus was the main singer and songwriter behind the influential 1990s indie rock band Pavement. History The J ...

, leaving after the album '' Mirror Traffic'', and contributed to

the Shins The Shins is an American indie rock band formed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1996. The band is the project of singer-songwriter James Mercer, who has served as the band's sole constant member throughout numerous line-up changes. The band's cu ...

' fourth studio album, ''

Port of Morrow The Port of Morrow is the port authority in Boardman, a city in Morrow County, Oregon, United States, on the Columbia River. History In 1958, Morrow County residents approved the creation of a port district by general election. A $500 loan wa ...

'' (2012). She was also the drummer for the supergroup

Wild Flag Wild Flag was an American four-piece indie rock/post-punk supergroup based in Portland, Oregon and Washington, D.C. The group consisted of Carrie Brownstein (vocals, guitar), Mary Timony (vocals, guitar), Rebecca Cole ( keyboards, backing vocal ...

. Weiss is highly regarded as a drummer; ''

Stylus Magazine ''Stylus Magazine'' was an American online music and film magazine, launched in 2002 and co-founded by Todd L. Burns. It featured long-form music journalism, four daily music reviews, movie reviews, podcasts, an MP3 blog, and a text blog. Addi ...

'' listed her in 2007 as number 48 of rock's 50 greatest drummers, while in 2014 ''

LA Weekly ''LA Weekly'' is a free weekly alternative newspaper in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1978 by Jay Levin, who served as president and editor until 1991. Voice Media Group sold the paper in late 2017 to Semanal Media LLC, whose par ...

'' placed her at number 12 in the top 20. In 2016, ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' placed her at number 90 on its list of the 100 Greatest Drummers of All Time, and in 2018, ''

New Musical Express ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' ranked her as number 25 of the top 32 rock drummers.

Early life

Weiss was born in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

, California to a Jewish family, and began playing guitar at the age of 16. According to her interviews, her two elder sisters introduced her "to good music". She left Hollywood at age of 17. She attended

San Francisco State University San Francisco State University (commonly referred to as San Francisco State, SF State and SFSU) is a public research university in San Francisco. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers 118 different ...

and graduated with a degree in photography.

Career

Sleater-Kinney - backstage SXSW 2006 - crop

The Furies

While in college in San Francisco, Weiss became involved in the local club scene, following local bands such as

Camper Van Beethoven Camper Van Beethoven is an American rock band formed in Redlands, California in 1983, later based in Santa Cruz and San Francisco. Their style mixes elements of pop, ska, punk rock, folk, alternative country, and world music. The band in ...

and the Donner Party, and absorbing their punky/DIY ethos. When she was 22, Weiss was invited to learn the drums to join an all-girl trio called the Furies as their replacement drummer for a West Coast tour. The Furies' guitarist found Weiss a drum kit at a local pawn shop, and with one drum lesson and about two weeks practice under her belt, she became the Furies' second drummer. Self-taught as a drummer, Weiss learned her technique by watching the drummers at innumerable live shows, and by studying rock and punk greats like

John Bonham John Henry Bonham (31 May 1948 – 25 September 1980) was an English musician, best known as the drummer for the rock band Led Zeppelin. Esteemed for his speed, power, fast single-footed kick drumming, distinctive sound, and feel for groove ...

and Topper Headon. She moved to

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous ...

in 1989 and soon after began playing with former Donner Party leader, Sam Coomes, in a band called Motorgoat. (Motorgoat disbanded and reformed as

in 1993; Coomes is Weiss's ex-husband.)

Sleater-Kinney

Weiss started playing with Corin Tucker and

Carrie Brownstein Carrie Rachel Brownstein (born September 27, 1974) is an American musician, actress, writer, director, and comedian. She first came to prominence as a member of the band Excuse 17 before forming the rock trio Sleater-Kinney. During a long hiatu ...

in Sleater-Kinney in 1996, after seeing them play a show. Tucker and Brownstein then played her a new song they were working on at the time, "Dig Me Out." Her bandmates later said that she made up a beat so solid "you could practically bang your head against it." Weiss eventually became the band's drummer; she was the fourth in the band's history. Brownstein has described Weiss as "one of the most musically intelligent people I know" and "certainly the most musically gifted member of the band, the one with the largest musical lexicon and sphere from which to draw influence and reference." On July 1, 2019, Sleater-Kinney announced via social media that Weiss would be leaving the group and would not be joining their upcoming fall tour. Weiss said that the band was taking a "new direction" and that it was time for her to exit.

Quasi

Weiss and Sam Coomes formed

in 1993, and the band has remained active both as a duo and a trio, featuring

Joanna Bolme Joanna Bolme (born April 1, 1968) is a multi-instrumentalist (primarily bass guitar) and recording engineer who works with several indie rock bands and artists, mainly in the Pacific Northwest. She has been the bass guitarist for Stephen Malkmus ...

from 2007-2011, for the past 20 years.

The Jicks

Upon the dissolution of Sleater-Kinney in 2006, Weiss joined Quasi bandmate Joanna Bolme in

. She performed on two albums, ''

Real Emotional Trash ''Real Emotional Trash'' is the fourth album by Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks. The album was released on March 4, 2008 by Matador Records. The album was leaked on to the internet January 13, 2008. The album peaked #64 on the Billboard 200. The ...

'' (2008) and '' Mirror Traffic'' (2011). She left the band prior to its tour in support of the latter album.

Wild Flag

Beginning in September 2010, she drummed in

, with

(Sleater-Kinney), Mary Timony (Helium), and Rebecca Cole (the Minders). By December 2013, Wild Flag had disbanded.

Other work

She has also played for Bright Eyes, Junior High, the Shadow Mortons,

the Go Betweens The Go-Betweens were an Australian indie rock band formed in Brisbane, Queensland, in 1977. The band was co-founded and led by singer-songwriters and guitarists Robert Forster and Grant McLennan, who were its only constant members throughout ...

, Sarah Dougher,

Elliott Smith Steven Paul Smith (August 6, 1969 – October 21, 2003), known professionally as Elliott Smith, was an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Smith was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and lived much of hi ...

, and one Goldcard song. She occasionally performs in the duo

Slang Slang is vocabulary (words, phrases, and linguistic usages) of an informal register, common in spoken conversation but avoided in formal writing. It also sometimes refers to the language generally exclusive to the members of particular in-gr ...

, with Drew Grow of Modern Kin. Janet Weiss of Wild Flag

On June 4, 2007, she performed with Bright Eyes on the ''

Late Show with David Letterman The ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by Letterman's production ...

'' before joining the band for their summer European tour.

''Portlandia''

Weiss was part of the production team on the TV show, ''

Portlandia ''Portlandia'' is an American sketch comedy television series starring Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein, set in and around Portland, Oregon, and spoofing the city's reputation as a haven for eccentric hipsters. The show was produced by Br ...

'', working as the permit manager; bandmate Carrie Brownstein was one of the show's creators and lead actors.

Equipment

Weiss plays a vintage Ludwig kit (ca. 1973) in natural maple finish. Specs. as follows: * 6.5x14" Craviotto Snare * 9x13 rack tom * 16x16 floor tom * 14x22 bass drum She played a similar kit at Coachella in April 2008, except the Ludwigs were the Blue Oyster 'Bowling Ball' finish. The Craviotto snare was still natural maple. Cymbals: Zildjian * 14" Quick Beat hi-hats * 20"

crash Crash or CRASH may refer to: Common meanings * Collision, an impact between two or more objects * Crash (computing), a condition where a program ceases to respond * Cardiac arrest, a medical condition in which the heart stops beating * Couch ...

* 22" ride * 20" A Custom crash Hardware: DW Heads: *

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 ...

coated Ambassadors on snare and toms, Powerstroke 3 on bass drum batter. Sticks: * Silverfox MR

Album appearances

Joanna Bolme and Janet Weiss of Quasi - Green Man 2006

– '' Early Recordings'' (1996, Key Op) *

- ''

Dig Me Out ''Dig Me Out'' is the third studio album by the American rock band Sleater-Kinney, released on April 8, 1997, by Kill Rock Stars. The album was produced by John Goodmanson and recorded from December 1996 to January 1997 at John and Stu's Plac ...

'' (1997,

Kill Rock Stars Kill Rock Stars is an independent record label founded in 1991 by Slim Moon and Tinuviel Sampson, and based in both Olympia, Washington, and Portland, Oregon. The label has released a variety of work in different genres, but was originally kn ...

) *

– '' R&B Transmogrification''(1997
Up Records
*

– '' Featuring "Birds"'' (1998, Up) *

– '' The Hot Rock'' (1999, Kill Rock Stars) *

– '' Field Studies'' (1999, Up) *

– ''

All Hands on the Bad One ''All Hands on the Bad One'' is the fifth studio album by the American rock band Sleater-Kinney, released on May 2, 2000, by Kill Rock Stars. The album was produced by John Goodmanson and recorded from December 1999 to January 2000 at Jackpot! St ...

'' (2000, Kill Rock Stars) *

The Go-Betweens The Go-Betweens were an Australian indie rock band formed in Brisbane, Queensland, in 1977. The band was co-founded and led by singer-songwriters and guitarists Robert Forster and Grant McLennan, who were its only constant members throughout ...

- ''

The Friends of Rachel Worth ''The Friends of Rachel Worth'' is the seventh album by Brisbane indie band The Go-Betweens, released 12 years after their sixth, ''16 Lovers Lane''. For this album, Robert Forster and Grant McLennan were joined by all members of American indie ...

'' (2000) *

– '' The Sword of God'' (2001,

Touch and Go Records Touch and Go Records is an American independent record label based in Chicago, Illinois. After its genesis as a handmade fanzine in 1979, it grew into one of the key record labels in the American 1980s underground and alternative rock scenes. ...

) *

– '' One Beat'' (2002, Kill Rock Stars) *

– '' Hot Shit!'' (2003 Touch and Go Records) *

– '' The Woods'' (2005,

Sub Pop Sub Pop is a record label founded in 1986 by Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman. Sub Pop achieved fame in the early 1990s for signing Seattle bands such as Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Mudhoney, central players in the grunge movement. They are oft ...

) *

– '' When The Going Gets Dark'' (2006, Touch and Go Records) * Bright Eyes – '' Four Winds'' (2007,

Saddle Creek Saddle Creek Records is an American record label based in Omaha, Nebraska. Started as a college class project on entrepreneurship, the label was founded by Mike Mogis and Justin Oberst in 1993 (as Lumberjack Records). Mogis soon turned over his ...

) * Bright Eyes – '' Cassadaga'' (2007, Saddle Creek) *

– ''

'' (2008,

Matador Records Matador Records is an independent record label, with a roster of mainly indie rock, but also punk rock, experimental rock, alternative rock, and electronic acts. History Matador was created in 1989 by Chris Lombardi in his New York City apar ...

) *

Conor Oberst Conor Mullen Oberst (born February 15, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter best known for his work in Bright Eyes. He has also played in several other bands, including Desaparecidos, the Faint (previously named Norman Bailer), Commander V ...

- ''

'' (2008,

Merge Records Merge Records is an independent record label based in Durham, North Carolina. It was founded in 1989 by Laura Ballance and Mac McCaughan. It began as an outlet for music from their band Superchunk and music created by friends, and has expanded ...

) *

- '' American Gong'' (2010,

) *

– '' Mirror Traffic'' (2011,

) *

– ''

'' (2011,

) *

The Shins The Shins is an American indie rock band formed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1996. The band is the project of singer-songwriter James Mercer, who has served as the band's sole constant member throughout numerous line-up changes. The band's cu ...

- ''

'' (2012) * Weiss /

Cameron Cameron may refer to: People * Clan Cameron, a Scottish clan * Cameron (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) * Cameron (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) ;Mononym * Cam'ron (born 1 ...

Hill A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. It often has a distinct summit. Terminology The distinction between a hill and a mountain is unclear and largely subjective, but a hill is universally considered to be not a ...

- '' Drumgasm'' (2013, Jackpot Records) *

- '' Mole City'' (2013,

) *

- ''

No Cities to Love ''No Cities to Love'' is the eighth studio album by American rock band Sleater-Kinney, released on January 20, 2015, through Sub Pop. It is the first album following a decade-long hiatus and the band's 2005 release, '' The Woods''. The album receiv ...

'' (2015, Sub Pop) *

- ''

The Center Won't Hold ''The Center Won't Hold'' is the ninth studio album by American rock band Sleater-Kinney, released on August 16, 2019 by Mom + Pop Music. The album was produced by St. Vincent (musician), St. Vincent and is the last album with drummer Janet Wei ...

'' (2019, ''

Mom + Pop Music Mom + Pop Music is a New York City-based independent record label whose current roster includes Courtney Barnett, Madeon, Tom Morello, Porter Robinson, Tycho, Tash Sultana, Sunflower Bean, Beach Bunny, Caamp, Del Water Gap and more. Foun ...

'')

References

External links

* http://www.sleater-kinney.com/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Weiss, Janet 1965 births Jewish American musicians Living people Musicians from Portland, Oregon San Francisco State University alumni People from Hollywood, Los Angeles American rock drummers American women drummers Jews in punk rock Sleater-Kinney members Wild Flag members Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks members The Go-Betweens members 20th-century American drummers 20th-century American women musicians Feminist musicians 21st-century American Jews 21st-century American women Women in punk