Jay Weinberg

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Jay Weinberg
Weinberg performing with Against Me! in 2012
Weinberg performing with Against Me! in 2012
Background information
Birth nameJay Bradley Weinberg [1]
Born (1990-09-08) September 8, 1990 (age 33)[2]
OriginMiddletown Township, New Jersey, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)Musician
Instrument(s)Drums
Years active2005–present
Member of
Formerly of

Jay Bradley Weinberg (born September 8, 1990) is an American musician who is best known as the second drummer of heavy metal band Slipknot. He is the son of longtime Bruce Springsteen drummer Max Weinberg. He played with the punk rock band the Reveling[3] and toured in 2009 as a drummer with Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, substituting for his father.[4] During 2010, he was briefly the drummer for Madball. During 2011 and 2012, Weinberg played with Against Me!. In 2014, Weinberg replaced Joey Jordison as the drummer for Slipknot, and stayed with the band until his firing in November 2023. In 2024, Weinberg was announced as the touring drummer for Infectious Grooves, filling in for Brooks Wackerman, and he is also currently in Suicidal Tendencies.[5]

Early life and education[edit]

Weinberg is the son of drummer Max Weinberg, who joined the E Street Band in 1975;[4] his mother, Rebecca "Becky" (Schick), was a former teacher.[6] He grew up in Middletown Township, New Jersey.[6] His mother was a Methodist and his father Jewish.[7][8] His sister is Ali Weinberg Rogin (married to Josh Rogin).[9] As a child, he played travel team ice hockey as a goaltender.[6][3][10] At age 9 he first saw the E Street Band on their 1999–2000 Reunion Tour,[3] and saw shows on this and subsequent tours, especially in Europe.[6] Around the same time his father took him to Ozzfest to see Slipknot, which gave him a strong affinity for heavy metal and other intense music genres;[11] his father also exposed him to a wide variety of other music.[6] He began playing guitar at age 9, bass at age 12 or 13.[6] He then started playing drums at age 14, getting only few lessons from his father without much instruction and being mostly self-taught,[3][12][13] using his father's old gear.[11] By the next year he had performed a guest appearance on stage with band The Used and subsequently with punk rockers the Bouncing Souls.[3] He played in the New Jersey metal band Chaosis.[10] He attended Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School where he played on the hockey team for a time, played in a band called Sadie Mae, and graduated in 2008.[6][12]

Weinberg graduated from Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey in 2014.[11][14] He joined the New York punk band the Reveling in August 2008, which plays before small audiences in venues such as the Ace of Clubs nightspot in Manhattan, various spots in Brooklyn, and elsewhere.[6][12][15] With them he does some of the band's songwriting and arranging.[12]

Appearances with Springsteen[edit]

Max Weinberg (standing in front of stage, in black shirt) watches son Jay on the video screen, during "Born to Run" at Giants Stadium in 2008

Jay Weinberg's first appearance with Springsteen was in the summer of 2008, filling in for his father on "Born to Run" at Giants Stadium after having watched many other performances during the Magic Tour.[3] Springsteen's 2009 Working on a Dream Tour posed a problem for Max Weinberg, as The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien in Los Angeles – for which he was the Max Weinberg 7 bandleader – was starting at the same time that the tour would be in progress.[16] Springsteen's manager Jon Landau viewed Weinberg as the "secret weapon" to substitute for his father without losing fan satisfaction.[3] Both Landau and E Street guitarist Steve Van Zandt attributed Jay Weinberg's skills to a genetic gift.[3][17]

Once the initial portion of the tour began in early April 2009, Weinberg played from several songs to half the show on most of the dates.[11][15][18][19] He received a very positive reaction from both audiences and reviewers as a re-energizing "spark plug"[19] for the much-older band,[20] with his vigorous, long-hair-flying style inviting comparisons to Dave Grohl[21] and his potential for replacing his father drawing allusions to Wally Pipp.[10][18] He began playing complete shows in mid-May 2009 during the tour's American first leg, as his father went to California to prepare test runs for The Tonight Show start.[12][20] Modern Drummer magazine's editor said that a college freshman playing on one of the year's biggest rock tours is "certainly a unique story".[12] Weinberg played a number of dates early on in the European second leg of the tour, including at the Dutch Pinkpop festival in Landgraaf, Netherlands in addition to Bonnaroo in Manchester, Tennessee. He also played during a few dates of the American third and final leg. When not needed for the Springsteen tour, he continued to play for the Reveling, often before audiences that were three orders of magnitude smaller; he said of the difference, "I liked the duality of it all ... I like doing this just as much as I like doing that."[15]

Madball[edit]

In February 2010, Weinberg began playing with Madball, a hardcore band based out of New York City.[22] In June of that year, it was announced that he would become the drummer for their upcoming album Empire and a tour.[22] However, in September 2010 the group discharged him, with Madball vocalist Freddy Cricien saying, "I'm letting Jay go [mid-tour] in Canada because I just feel he doesn't represent this band well on a character level."[23] In response, Weinberg said that he had already quit the group by that time, and that "while I really enjoyed playing the music, I do not subscribe to their choice of habits and lifestyle. This past August while on tour in Europe, disturbing events within the band indicated to me that it was time for me to move on."[24] In any case, Weinberg said both he and the group should be proud of Empire.[24]

Against Me![edit]

In November 2010, it was announced that Weinberg would be playing drums with punk rock band Against Me! for their upcoming 2011 shows, covering for regular drummer George Rebelo while he toured with his other band, Hot Water Music.[25] As 2011 unfolded, the arrangement looked to possibly be more permanent.[26] Weinberg also sat in a bit with the band Fences during 2011. In late 2011, Against Me! began recording their first album with Weinberg on drums.[27] However, in December 2012, Weinberg announced via Twitter, without notifying the other members beforehand, that he was leaving Against Me!.[28] Via Twitter, he wished the band well, to which the other three members responded with a picture of a drum machine.[28]

Slipknot[edit]

Weinberg performing with Slipknot in 2016

In 2014, Weinberg became the drummer for Slipknot following the departure of Joey Jordison in late 2013. Although the drummer's identity had not been officially revealed by the band itself, preferring to keep the identity of the new members (a new bassist, confirmed to be Alessandro Venturella, had also joined the band) a secret as they were not official members at that time. Weinberg had been a fan of the band from a young age, and it had given him motive and "a lot to prove" to his bandmates.[29] A former drum technician for the band leaked their itinerary, revealing the drummer to be Weinberg. Venturella was also named on the itinerary, though fans had identified him earlier via his distinctive hand tattoos.[30] Weinberg was eventually officially revealed to be the drummer by Jim Root in an interview with Ultimate Guitar on May 13, 2015.[31]

On November 5, 2023, Slipknot posted on Instagram that they would "part ways" with Weinberg as part of a "creative decision".[32] Weinberg later said he was "blindsided" by being fired.[33]

Discography[edit]

with The Reveling[edit]

  • The Reveling (2008)
  • 3D Radio (2009) (EP)

with Madball[edit]

with Against Me![edit]

with Hesitation Wounds[edit]

  • Hesitation Wounds (2013) (EP)
  • Awake For Everything (2016)

with Slipknot[edit]

Endorsements[edit]

Jay Weinberg currently endorses SJC Custom Drums, Zildjian Cymbals, Evans Drumheads, DW Hardware, Roland, and Vater drumsticks.[34]

References[edit]

  1. ^ @jayweinberg. "Instagram post from November 19, 2023". Instagram. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
  2. ^ @jayweinberg. "Instagram post from September 8, 2022". Instagram. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Greene, Andy (March 27, 2009). "Springsteen's "Secret Weapon": How Jay Weinberg Scored a Spot in the E Street Band". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on March 29, 2009. Retrieved May 15, 2009.
  4. ^ a b "Weinberg to be replaced by his son on Springsteen shows in Europe". Yahoo News. March 22, 2009. Archived from the original on March 27, 2009. Retrieved May 15, 2009.
  5. ^ "Suicidal Tendencies - Introduce New Drummer". Metal Storm. March 2, 2024. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h Lustig, Jay (May 8, 2009). "Jay Weinberg speaks: hockey, drumming and the E Street Band". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved May 16, 2009.
  7. ^ Schleier, Curt (February 6, 1998). "E Street to Conan, Max Weinberg keeps on drumming". Jewish Bulletin of Northern California.
  8. ^ Meggitt, Jane (October 3, 2007). "A good cause for purrs and paws". News Transcript. Monmouth County, New Jersey. Archived from the original on January 2, 2013.
  9. ^ Washington Life: "Society Weddings: Ali Weinberg and Josh Rogin" by John Arundel April 18, 2016
  10. ^ a b c Bream, Jon (May 9, 2009). "The beat goes on". Star Tribune. p. 1E. Archived from the original on October 7, 2012. Retrieved May 11, 2009.
  11. ^ a b c d Wolfson, Melanie (May 4, 2009). "Jay Weinberg Feels 'Super Fortunate' To Play on Bruce Springsteen Tour". MTV. Retrieved May 15, 2009.
  12. ^ a b c d e f Lustig, Jay (May 15, 2009). "Born To Drum: Two generations of Weinbergs do the E Street Shuffle". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved May 16, 2009.
  13. ^ Tsai, Martin (August 13, 2009). "New Gig, but Same Beat for Drummer Max Weinberg". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved September 5, 2009.
  14. ^ Hortillosa, Summer Dawn (May 22, 2014). "MORE PHOTOS: Stevens graduates, including son of celebrity drummer, told to 'remain optimistic'". The Jersey Journal. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
  15. ^ a b c Arroyave, Luis (June 16, 2009). "Springsteen didn't look far for teenage drummer, Jay Weinberg". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 31, 2009.
  16. ^ "Max Watch '09: A Tale of Two Bosses". Backstreets.com. January 16, 2009. Retrieved May 16, 2009.
  17. ^ Brunner, Rob (March 20, 2009). "Springsteen news: Steve Van Zandt talks about the E Street Band's new drummer". EW.com. Retrieved May 16, 2009.
  18. ^ a b Miller, Jay N. (April 22, 2009). "Boss and band cover a lot of ground in Boston". The Patriot Ledger. Retrieved May 16, 2009.
  19. ^ a b Puterbaugh, Parke (May 4, 2009). "Review: 3-hour show rocks 'Steensboro'". News & Record. Archived from the original on May 5, 2009. Retrieved May 10, 2009.
  20. ^ a b Eck, Michael (May 15, 2009). "Bruce Springsteen @ Times Union Center 5/14/09". Times Union. Archived from the original on May 18, 2009. Retrieved May 16, 2009.
  21. ^ Gehman, Geoff (May 2, 2009). "Concert Reviews: Bruce Springsteen". The Morning Call. Archived from the original on May 21, 2009. Retrieved May 10, 2009.
  22. ^ a b "Madball Recruit New Drummer". ThePRP.com. June 25, 2010. Retrieved June 25, 2010.
  23. ^ "Madball Fires Max Weinberg's Son" (Press release). Blabbermouth.net. September 21, 2010. Archived from the original on September 26, 2010. Retrieved September 21, 2010.
  24. ^ a b "Ex-Madball Drummer Jay Weinberg Says He Quit The Band" (Press release). Blabbermouth.net. October 18, 2010. Archived from the original on October 22, 2010. Retrieved October 18, 2010.
  25. ^ McEachnie, Patrick (November 28, 2010). "Against Me! Leave Sire Records, Address Cancelled Tour Issues, And Announce Touring Plans". The1stfive.com. Archived from the original on January 28, 2016. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  26. ^ Gaston, Peter (January 13, 2011). "Watch: Against Me! Rehearse with New Drummer". Spin. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
  27. ^ "Against Me! beginning work on next album". Punknews.org. November 29, 2011. Retrieved March 17, 2012.
  28. ^ a b LeMoine, Adam (December 20, 2012). "Against Me! Drummer Jay Weinberg Quits Band". Ultimate-Guitar.com. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
  29. ^ "Jay Weinberg On Joining Slipknot: "I Had A Lot To Prove To Myself And…". Kerrang!. July 13, 2020. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
  30. ^ "Confirmed: Jay Weinberg is Slipknot's drummer". December 3, 2014. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
  31. ^ https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/interviews/jim_root_seems_like_stone_sour_cant_even_write_a_new_record_they_lost_a_good_writer.html "So VMan and Jay both came to my house and we started rehearsing a couple weeks early before we went on the tour. I sat down with VMan and we really dissected all the songs from the set we were gonna play live and dissected not just the album versions but the live versions and how Paul would approach these songs."
  32. ^ Del Rosario, Alexandra (November 6, 2023). "Slipknot drops drummer Jay Weinberg, the latest longtime bandmember to exit this year". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  33. ^ "Jay Weinberg Says He Was 'Heartbroken And Blindsided' By Slipknot's Decision To Fire Him". Blabbermouth. November 11, 2023. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  34. ^ "Gear". Jay Weinberg. Retrieved December 31, 2021.

External links[edit]

Preceded by Slipknot drummer
2014-2023