About
For a percussionist and composer as energetic, inquisitive and versatile as Glenn Kotche, it’s his sense of balance—his ability to thrive in different and seemingly disparate worlds—that really makes him stand out as a musician. Since 2001, Kotche has been the rhythmic anchor in Wilco, one of the most beloved rock bands on the planet. His first studio outing with the Chicago- based band was the breakthrough Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, and has continued over the course of 10 albums, including the Grammy-winning A Ghost Is Born and six more Grammy nominations along the way. As a drummer, he has appeared on over 180 recordings by artists as diverse as Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, KD Lang, Neko Case, Laura Viers, First Aid Kit, Radiohead’s Phil Selway & Ed O’Brien, Jim O’Rourke, Andrew Bird, Iron and Wine, Neil Finn, Low, Sylvan Esso and Beck.
As a composer, he has been commissioned by many artists including Kronos Quartet, Yo Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble, Bang on a Can All-Stars, Eighth Blackbird, Third Coast Percussion, So Percussion, Carnegie Hall, TROMP International Competition, the Chicago Youth Symphony, the Berkeley Ballet Theater, Cross-linx Festival and Roomful of Teeth as well as many other ensembles, individuals and organizations. Unsurprisingly, Kotche has drawn the praise of his peers from all corners of the musical spectrum. “I could never find another drummer who was Glenn Kotche,” Jim O’Rourke told Time Out Tokyo in 2013, “because there isn’t.” In the program notes for Ilimaq, a piece written in 2012 specifically for Kotche, composer John Luther Adams observed, “…in the hands of a musician like Glenn, the drum set is a one-man percussion orchestra.”
Kotche has done cross-disciplinary collaborations with the likes of writer Karl Ove Knausgård, director Johan Renck, choreographer Danielle Agami, actor Jon Hamm, chef Rick Bayless, WNYC’s Radiolab, Notre Dame’s Engineering Dept., Delta Faucets and Thunderlab digital media company. In 2015 Kotche commissioned composer John Luther Adams resulting in the 50 minute solo tour de force, Ilimaq. He has also created several sound installations for institutions such as MASSMoCA, Artpark in NY, Chicago’s Pritzker Pavilion and Eindhoven’s Van Abbemuseum.
Since 1998 he’s been half of genre-bending duo, On Fillmore, along with Darin Gray. He is also a member of the bands Saccata Quartet and Loose Fur. In 2000 Kotche started his weekly video post, the Drum Beat Project – a multi-year process piece that explores the compositional and educational possibilities of drum beats.
“Mr. Kotche’s command of mood and texture from hard-edged aggression to gamelanlike sensuality.”
[The New York Times on Migrations premiere at Carnegie Hall]
Starting with 2002’s collage-like Introducing, Kotche’s solo work traces an arc of creative growth and vitality that reflects this wide swath of influences. On Next (2002), he explored improvised rhythms on prepared drum kit installations. Mobile, released on Nonesuch Records in 2006, implied the travel-oriented theme of its title, ranging wide with vibraphone, kalimba, hammered dulcimer and crotales; Pitchfork found it “…as rooted around high-brow concepts as it is in rhythmic dynamicity and melodic bemusement.”
Eight years later, Adventureland and it’s companion, Fantasyland (Cantaloupe Music) proves that Kotche’s quest for new musical horizons still brims with the wonder of discovery— even as he stresses the importance of staying grounded.
“It’s a constant struggle,” he says, “but for me as a person and a musician, I’ve always needed that balance. I’ve been in rock bands since I was a kid and I’ve been playing in orchestra and concert band settings since then too. I’ve always had both sides, and they somehow balance each other. With Wilco, I’m creating something with five other musicians; it’s a collaborative community. When I compose, it’s all me, so there is a whole different set of challenges. Obviously these are two very different avenues of musical expression, but at the same time, they inform each other. When I play with Wilco, it’s more than just laying down a beat. I’m thinking in terms of colors and textures. And I’m sure being a rock drummer influences my composing. Many of my pieces have more rhythmic energy than anything else at its core. They explore different ideas and questions I have about rhythm.”
“What I have to say as a composer comes directly from who I am as a person. The experience of being a drummer has a strong impact on what I do musically as does having a background in experimental improvised music; they both, along with my sound installations, and cross-disciplinary collaborations play into what I compose. I have a degree in classical percussion but I’m not a trained composer, so I bring a different approach and perspective. When I’m composing, I try to remind myself to bring it back to who I am as an artist, musician and drummer – and draw from those experiences. That leads to something that is certainly interesting for me to explore, and is definitely honest.”