Robert Bertelli, better known professionally as Bob Bert (born June 11, 1955), is an American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

drummer A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drums. Most contemporary western music ensemble, bands that play Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, or Contemporary R&B, R&B music include a drummer for purposes including timekeepi ...

Biography

Based in

Hoboken, New Jersey Hoboken ( ; ) is a City (New Jersey), city in Hudson County, New Jersey, Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Hoboken is part of the New York metropolitan area and is the site of Hoboken Terminal, a major transportation hub. As of the ...

, Bert initially came to prominence as drummer for the experimental rock band

Sonic Youth Sonic Youth were an American rock band formed in New York City in 1981. Founding members Kim Gordon (bass, vocals, guitar), Thurston Moore (lead guitar, vocals) and Lee Ranaldo (rhythm guitar, vocals) remained together for the entire history of ...

during the early to mid-1980s. Bert played on the Sonic Youth releases ''

Confusion Is Sex ''Confusion Is Sex'' is the debut studio album by American noise rock band Sonic Youth. It was released in 1983 by Neutral Records. It has been referred to as an important example of the no wave genre. AllMusic called it "lo-fi to the point of t ...

'', '' Sonic Death'', and '' Bad Moon Rising''. After ''Bad Moon Rising'', Bert quit the group. Bert contributed during the last half of the 1980s as percussionist for noise band Pussy Galore. He was a member of Action Swingers in the early 1990s.Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, , p. 588 In the early 1990s, Bert drummed for the Chrome Cranks (which also included Peter Aaron on vocals; Jerry Teel on bass; and William Weber on stun guitar). After the dissolution of the Cranks, Bert joined forces with guitarist Kid Congo, guitarist Jack Martin, bassist/vocalist Jerry Teel and organist Barry London in the rootsy New York City band Knoxville Girls. Throughout, Bert managed to release a handful of recordings by his percussive/concussive vehicle Bewitched. Releases by Bewitched include the ''Chocolate Frenzy'' 12" EP; some albums, including '' Harshing My Mellow'' on No. 6 Records; and the "Hey White Homie" 7" on

Sub Pop Sub Pop is an independent 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 (band), Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Mudhoney, central players in the gru ...

. Bewitched toured with S.Y. and STP (short-lived NYC all-female foxcore band which included PG guitarist Julie Cafritz) during the summer of 1990, the year Goo was released. During the late 1990s, Bert and his wife, artist Linda Wolfe, began publishing '' BBGun'', a

zine A zine ( ; short for ''magazine'' or ''fanzine'') is, as noted on Merriam-Webster’s official website, a magazine that is a “noncommercial often homemade or online publication usually devoted to specialized and often unconventional subject ...

that primarily covers punk rock. In 1998, Bert contributed the liner notes and interviewed

Suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

for the reissue of the band's eponymous second album. Bert played with Five Dollar Priest as well as with the International Shades, which features ex- Live Skull guitarist Mark C. and former Pier Platters shop assistant-turned-keyboardist Dorien Garry among others. In 2011 Thick Syrup Records released the compilation cd ''Bewitched - Bob Bert Presents: The Worst Poetry Of 1986 - 1993'', featuring all tracks Bob Bert recorded with Bewitched. The label also released the last album of the re-united Chrome Cranks featuring Bert on drums. Lydia Lunch Retrovirus W71 06

Bert is now playing with Retrovirus (

Lydia Lunch Lydia Lunch (born Lydia Anne Koch; June 2, 1959)Martin Charles Strong. ''The Great Indie Discography''. 2003, page 85 is an American singer, poet, writer, actress and self-empowerment speaker. Her career began during the 1970s New York City no ...

Weasel Walter Weasel Walter (born Christopher Todd Walter, May 18, 1972) is an American composer, improviser, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and founder of ugEXPLODE Records. Walter's work has been informed by techniques and traditions of music including A ...

, Tim Dahl), who have released studio and live albums, and also with Wolfmanhattan Project with

Kid Congo Powers Brian Tristan (born March 27, 1959), better known by his stage name Kid Congo Powers,Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, , p. 25, 41, 359 is an American rock guitarist, singer, and actor best known as a member of ...

(

The Gun Club The Gun Club were an American post-punk band from Los Angeles that existed from 1979 to 1996. Created and led by singer-songwriter and guitarist Jeffrey Lee Pierce, they were notable as one of the first bands in the punk rock subculture to i ...

The Cramps The Cramps were an American rock band formed in 1976 and active until 2009. Their lineup rotated frequently during their existence, with the husband-and-wife duo of singer Lux Interior and guitarist Poison Ivy the only ever-present members. T ...

, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Knoxville Girls, Pink Monkey Birds) and

Mick Collins Mick Collins (born December 18, 1965) is a musician from Detroit, Detroit, Michigan. Biography Collins first received exposure to early rock and roll music through his family's record collection. Living in Detroit, he was also surrounded by ...

( The Gories,

The Dirtbombs The Dirtbombs are an American garage rock band based in Detroit, Detroit, Michigan, notable for blending diverse influences such as punk rock and Soul music, soul, while featuring a dual bass guitar, dual drum and guitar lineup. The Dirtbombs we ...

). In 2019, Bert released ''I'm Just the Drummer: My Time Behind Sonic Youth, Pussy Galore, Chrome Cranks & BB Gun Magazine'', a book compiling his photographs and interviews he did with artists he collaborated with or that influenced him.

Discography

With Sonic Youth

* ''

Confusion is Sex ''Confusion Is Sex'' is the debut studio album by American noise rock band Sonic Youth. It was released in 1983 by Neutral Records. It has been referred to as an important example of the no wave genre. AllMusic called it "lo-fi to the point of t ...

'', 1982 * '' Kill Yr Idols'', 1983 * '' Bad Moon Rising'', 1984 * '' Sonic Death'', 1984 * '' Death Valley 69'', 1984

With Lee Ranaldo

* '' Between the Times and the Tides'', 2012

Bewitched

* ''Chocolate Frenzy'' 12" EP * '' Brain Eraser'', No. 6 Records * '' Harshing My Mellow'', No. 6 Records * "Hey White Homie" 7"

. * '' Bob Bert Presents: The Worst Poetry of 1986-1993'', Thick Syrup Records 2011

Chrome Cranks

* ''Dead Cool'', CD

Crypt A crypt (from Greek κρύπτη (kryptē) ''wikt:crypta#Latin, crypta'' "Burial vault (tomb), vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, Sarcophagus, sarcophagi, or Relic, religiou ...

, 1995 * ''Love In Exile'', CD PCP, 1996 * ''Oily Cranks'', CD

Atavistic Records Atavistic Records is an American record label based in Chicago, Illinois, known for its no wave and free jazz recordings. Atavistic has released albums by Glenn Branca, Nels Cline, Lydia Lunch, Peter Brötzmann, Ken Vandermark, Pinetop Seven, ...

, 1997 * ''Diabolical Boogie: Singles, Demos & Rarities (1992 B.C.- 1998 A.D.)'' CD, Atavistic Records, 2006 * ''Ain't No Lies In Blood'' CD, Thick Syrup Records 2011

With Lydia Lunch Retrovirus

*''Retrovirus'', Recorded live at the Knitting Factory, Brooklin, NY, Nov 15, 2012 (CD / Widowspeak, 2013) *''Urge to Kill'' (CD / Widowspeak / Rustblade / Brava, 2015) *Live in Zurich (CD / Widowspeak, 2016)

With Wolfmanhattan Project

* ''Smells Like You'', (7", In The Red Recordings, 2015) * ''Blue Gene Stew'', (CD/Album, In the Red Recordings, 2019)

With Jon Spencer and the HITMakers

* ''Spencer Gets It Lit'', (Album, Bronzerat/Shove Records, 2022)