Jon Theodore
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Jon Philip Theodore (born December 30, 1973) is an American drummer. He has been the current drummer for
Queens of the Stone Age Queens of the Stone Age (commonly abbreviated as QOTSA or QotSA) is an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1996. The band was founded by vocalist and guitarist Josh Homme shortly before he returned to his native Palm Desert, California. ...
since 2013, and is also known for being the drummer for
the Mars Volta The Mars Volta is an American Rock music, rock band formed in 2001. The band's only constant members are Omar Rodríguez-López (guitar, producer, direction) and Cedric Bixler-Zavala (vocals, lyrics), whose partnership forms the core of the ban ...
from 2001 to 2006. Known for his explosive, multi-textural playing style, Theodore was a member of both Golden and Royal Trux before joining The Mars Volta in 2001. Theodore remained within the band for five years, recording the band's first three studio albums, '' De-Loused in the Comatorium'' (2003), '' Frances the Mute'' (2005) and '' Amputechture'' (2006), before departing at the request of guitarist and bandleader Omar Rodríguez-López. Theodore subsequently formed a collaboration with
Rage Against the Machine Rage Against the Machine (often abbreviated as RATM or shortened to Rage) was an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1991. It consisted of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim ...
vocalist
Zack de la Rocha Zacharias Manuel de la Rocha (born January 12, 1970) is an American musician, rapper, singer, songwriter, and political activist. He is best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the rock band Rage Against the Machine. Through both Rage Against ...
, entitled One Day as a Lion, and performed on
Incubus An Incubus () is a demon, male demon in human form in folklore that seeks to have Sexuality in Christian demonology, sexual intercourse with sleeping women; the corresponding spirit in female form is called a succubus. Parallels exist in many c ...
frontman
Brandon Boyd Brandon Charles Boyd (born February 15, 1976) is an American musician, best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Incubus, with whom he has recorded eight studio albums. In addition to his work with Incubus, Boyd has released two solo alb ...
's solo album, '' The Wild Trapeze'' (2010). In 2012, Theodore replaced his Mars Volta successor Thomas Pridgen in the supergroup Giraffe Tongue Orchestra, though by 2015 the lineup had reverted to Pridgen on drums. In 2013, Theodore joined Queens of the Stone Age, replacing longtime drummer Joey Castillo after he was fired by Josh Homme. After contributing to the closing track on the band's sixth studio album, '' ...Like Clockwork'' (2013), Theodore become a full member of Queens of the Stone Age for the album's accompanying tour. He has since recorded the albums, ''
Villains A villain (also known as a " black hat", "bad guy" or "baddy"; The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.126 "baddy (also baddie) noun (pl. -ies) ''informal'' a villain or criminal in a book, film, etc.". the feminine form is villai ...
'' (2017) and '' In Times New Roman...'' (2023). Theodore performed the drums on Bright Eyes' 2020 album '' Down in the Weeds, Where the World Once Was'', and toured with them until 2022.


Biography

Theodore grew up in the
Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...
area. His father is of Haitian descent, which influenced his drumming patterns. He first started playing drums at the age of 15. He was soon involved with his high school concert band at
Gilman School Gilman School is an all-boys independent school, independent, day school, day, college preparatory school located in the Roland Park neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland, United States. There are three school divisions: Lower School, grades pre ...
in
Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...
, and took lessons on a full kit shortly after. It was at this point that he studied percussion and learned how to map arrangements; dedicated practice had already become a habit. He also listened to a great variety of music, growing to love the likes of
Billy Cobham William Emanuel Cobham Jr. (born May 16, 1944) is a Panamanian–American jazz drummer who came to prominence in the late 1960s and early 1970s with trumpeter Miles Davis and then with the Mahavishnu Orchestra. He was inducted into the '' Mode ...
,
Elvin Jones Elvin Ray Jones (September 9, 1927 – May 18, 2004) was an American jazz drummer of the post-bop era. Most famously a member of John Coltrane's quartet, with whom he recorded from late 1960 to late 1965, Jones appeared on such albums as ''My Fa ...
and
John Bonham John Henry Bonham (31 May 1948 – 25 September 1980) was an English musician who was the drummer of the rock band Led Zeppelin. Noted for his speed, power, fast single-footed kick drumming, distinctive sound, and feel for groove, John Bonh ...
. He studied at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Ohio. Around the end of his time in high school, he joined the band Golden and recorded and toured with them for ten years. He also played with Royal Trux for a year and a half. It was during this time that he met Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodríguez-López, who were performing their first gig with their experimental dub band De Facto in El Paso, TX. They became friends and the former
At the Drive-In At the Drive-In was an American post-hardcore band from El Paso, Texas, formed in 1994. The band's most recent line-up consisted of Cedric Bixler-Zavala (vocals), Omar Rodríguez-López (guitar, vocals), Paul Hinojos (bass), Tony Hajjar (drums ...
duo would later invite Theodore to join their Latin-tinged
progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog) is a broad genre of rock music that primarily developed in the United Kingdom through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early-to-mid-1970s. Initially termed " progressive pop", the ...
band, The Mars Volta. Theodore was The Mars Volta's drummer from 2001 to 2006. On July 30, 2006, it was announced that Jon Theodore would be permanently replaced. He was quoted in ''
Modern Drummer ''Modern Drummer'' is a monthly publication targeting the interests of drummers and percussionists. The magazine features interviews, equipment reviews, columns offering advice on technique, and information for the general public. ''Modern Dru ...
'': "It was long overdue and unquestionably the best thing for everyone involved. We had a great run of things, made some decent records, blew it up for a minute, and had some really great times. But the life ran out of it. I'm currently working on some pretty sweet tunes for a new project. The details will follow once it takes shape." In 2012, Mars Volta bassist Juan Alderete stated, "I love Jon, and I do keep in touch with him. Jon was unhappy and when someone is unhappy, someone has to pull the trigger; and it's Omar's band so he did just that. ..They had to let him go because he wasn't into it as much as they wanted him to be." Theodore has also completed a collaboration with
Zack de la Rocha Zacharias Manuel de la Rocha (born January 12, 1970) is an American musician, rapper, singer, songwriter, and political activist. He is best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the rock band Rage Against the Machine. Through both Rage Against ...
of
Rage Against the Machine Rage Against the Machine (often abbreviated as RATM or shortened to Rage) was an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1991. It consisted of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim ...
entitled One Day as a Lion. Their first EP was released on July 22, 2008. In January 2012, he joined Giraffe Tongue Orchestra, replacing fellow former Mars Volta drummer Thomas Pridgen. He recently played as Dam Funk's touring drummer during his Fall 2012 US Tour. A press release from the band
Queens of the Stone Age Queens of the Stone Age (commonly abbreviated as QOTSA or QotSA) is an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1996. The band was founded by vocalist and guitarist Josh Homme shortly before he returned to his native Palm Desert, California. ...
revealed that Theodore would contribute drums on their upcoming album '' ...Like Clockwork''. He played on the title track on the album, which was the first Queens album to reach number one on the ''Billboard'' 200. It also reached number two on the
UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...
and was nominated for three
Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...
, including Best Rock Album. Following the release of the album in 2013, he became the permanent drummer of Queens of the Stone Age. In 2018, Theodore performed drums on certain sections of the score for the video game ''
Red Dead Redemption 2 ''Red Dead Redemption 2'' is a 2018 action-adventure game developed and published by Rockstar Games. The game is the third entry in the ''Red Dead'' series and a prequel to the 2010 game ''Red Dead Redemption''. The story is set in a fictiona ...
''. His Queens of the Stone Age bandmates Josh Homme and
Michael Shuman Michael Jay Shuman, also known as Mikey Shoes,Michael Shuman biography
thefade.net Retrieved: 20 ...
also are featured on the score. In 2024, Theodore made his 7th appearance as a guest performer with The 8G Band on
Late Night with Seth Meyers ''Late Night with Seth Meyers'' is an American late-night news and political satire variety talk show hosted by Seth Meyers on NBC. The show premiered on February 24, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. Airing w ...
.


Influences

Theodore draws inspiration from many different forms of music but those most prevalent in his playing are
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
, fusion, and
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 ...
. He has also touched upon another factor which adds to his individual style – "Then there's a whole bunch of stuff from Haiti because my dad's Haitian. My favorite Haitian drummer is this guy called Azor... The Haitian music that moves me has the drumming from the voodoo rituals. It moves me because the patterns are connected to different spirits; it's a spiritual thing that is interconnected with dancing, sacrifice and devotion. It's fully passionate. There is nothing contrived about it." In interviews he regularly cites
Billy Cobham William Emanuel Cobham Jr. (born May 16, 1944) is a Panamanian–American jazz drummer who came to prominence in the late 1960s and early 1970s with trumpeter Miles Davis and then with the Mahavishnu Orchestra. He was inducted into the '' Mode ...
of The Mahavishnu Orchestra as his main drumming influence: "My all-time favorite drummer is Billy Cobham. I love the way he plays ... isplaying is so natural, powerful and dynamic at the same time. I pattern a lot of stuff after him." He has also been heavily inspired by
John Bonham John Henry Bonham (31 May 1948 – 25 September 1980) was an English musician who was the drummer of the rock band Led Zeppelin. Noted for his speed, power, fast single-footed kick drumming, distinctive sound, and feel for groove, John Bonh ...
of
Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1968. The band comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist-keyboardist John Paul Jones (musician), John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham. With a he ...
: "He had one of the best feels in the history of rock ... because f himI try and play with as much bombast as I possibly can." Theodore has also mentioned the following drummers and musicians as influences:
Elvin Jones Elvin Ray Jones (September 9, 1927 – May 18, 2004) was an American jazz drummer of the post-bop era. Most famously a member of John Coltrane's quartet, with whom he recorded from late 1960 to late 1965, Jones appeared on such albums as ''My Fa ...
,
Neil Peart Neil Ellwood Peart ( ; September 12, 1952 – January 7, 2020) was a Canadian and American musician, known as the drummer, percussionist, and primary lyricist of the rock band Rush (band), Rush. He was known to fans by the nickname "the Profe ...
,
Keith Moon Keith John Moon (23 August 1946 – 7 September 1978) was an English musician who was the drummer for the rock band the Who. Regarded as one of the greatest drummers in the history of rock music, he was noted for his unique style of playing and ...
, Phil Rudd, Tony Williams, Sebastian Thomson, Tim Soete,
Herbie Hancock Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American jazz musician, bandleader, and composer. He started his career with trumpeter Donald Byrd's group. Hancock soon joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he helped to redefine the role of ...
, Doug Scharin, Joseph "Zigaboo" Modeliste, Mitchell Feldstein, Damon Che,
Dale Crover Dale Crover (born October 23, 1967) is an American rock musician. Crover is best known as the drummer for Melvins and has also been the drummer for Men of Porn, Shrinebuilder, Crystal Fairy and, for a brief time, Nirvana. He is also guitar ...
, John McEntire, Ryan Rapsys and Brann Dailor.


Discography

;With Golden *''Golden'' *''Super Golden Original Movement'' *''Golden Summer'' *''Apollo Stars'' *''Rhythm & Beat Jazz 12"'' ;With HiM *''New Features'' (2001) *''Five & Six In Dub'' (2000) *''Our Point Of Departure'' (2000) ;With
Hikaru Utada , also known mononymously as Utada, is a Japanese and American singer, songwriter, and producer. She is considered to be one of the most influential and best-selling musical artists in Japan. She is best known by international audiences for w ...
*"Kremlin Dusk" (2004) ;With Royal Trux *'' 3-Song EP'' (1998) *'' Veterans of Disorder'' (1999) ;With Will Oldham *''
Ease Down the Road ''Ease Down the Road'' is the seventh studio album by American musician Will Oldham, and the second under his moniker Bonnie 'Prince' Billy. It was released on Palace Records on March 19, 2001. Domino Recording Company also released a UK limit ...
'' ;With Trans Am *''Illegal Ass EP'' *'' The Red Line LP'' (2000) ;With The Fucking Am *''Gold'' (2004) ;With The Mars Volta *'' Tremulant'' (2002) *'' De-Loused in the Comatorium'' (2003) *''
Live Live may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Live!'' (2007 film), 2007 American film * ''Live'' (2014 film), a 2014 Japanese film * ''Live'' (2023 film), a Malayalam-language film *'' Live: Phát Trực Tiếp'', a Vietnamese-langua ...
'' (2003) *'' Frances the Mute'' (2005) *'' Scabdates'' (2005) *'' Amputechture'' (2006) *'' Landscape Tantrums'' (2021) ;With SaberTooth Tiger *''Death Valley b/w Love Money (GSL 12th Anniversary Single)'' *''Extinction Is Inevitable LP (2006)'' ;With Omar Rodríguez-López *'' Se Dice Bisonte, No Búfalo'' (2007) – "La Tiranía de la Tradición" *''
Old Money Old money is a social class of the rich who have been able to maintain their wealth over multiple generations, in contrast with new money whose wealth has been acquired within its own generation. The term often refers to perceived members of th ...
'' (2008) – "Population Council's Wet Dream" & "Family War Funding (Love Those Rothschilds)" *'' Arañas en La Sombra'' (2016) *'' Some Need It Lonely'' (2016) – "Bitter Sunsets" & "Zophiel" *'' Gorilla Preacher Cartel'' (2017) – "Buying Friendships" ;With One Day as a Lion *'' One Day as a Lion'' (EP, 2008) ;With Holloys *''Art Wars'' (2009) *''Make It Happen'' (2009) ;With Brandon Boyd *'' The Wild Trapeze'' (2010) ;With Puscifer *'' Conditions of My Parole'' (2011) *''
Money Shot A money shot is a moving or stationary visual element of a film, video, television broadcast, or print publication that is disproportionately expensive to produce or is perceived as essential to the overall importance or revenue-generating poten ...
'' (2015) ;With Queens of the Stone Age *'' ...Like Clockwork'' (2013) – "...Like Clockwork" *''iTunes Festival: London 2013'' – EP (2013) *'' ...Like Cologne'' – EP (2013) *''
Villains A villain (also known as a " black hat", "bad guy" or "baddy"; The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.126 "baddy (also baddie) noun (pl. -ies) ''informal'' a villain or criminal in a book, film, etc.". the feminine form is villai ...
'' (2017) *'' In Times New Roman...'' (2023) ;With Life Coach *''Alphawaves'' (2013) ;With Mini Mansions *''Leeds Festival'' (2019) ;With Bright Eyes * ''Down in the Weeds, Where the World Once Was ''(2020) ;With Kirk Hammett * ''Portals'' (2022)


References


External links


Golden's Page on Epitonic


* * Him in Allmusic
Jon Theodore In Taringa

Zildjian Artist Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Theodore, John 1973 births Living people Oberlin College alumni Gilman School alumni American musicians of Haitian descent Place of birth missing (living people) The Mars Volta members 20th-century American drummers American male drummers 21st-century American drummers 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians Musicians from Baltimore Queens of the Stone Age members One Day as a Lion members Drummers from Maryland