James Krivchenia
James Krivchenia | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Krivchenia performing with Big Thief | |
| Born | James Foster Krivchenia December 8, 1988 |
| Alma mater | Berklee College of Music |
| Musical career | |
| Origin | Chicago, Illinois |
| Occupation(s) | Drummer, percussionist, engineer, producer |
| Instrument(s) | Drums, percussion instrument, vocals |
| Years active | 2014–present |
| Labels | Left Door Tapes, Reading Group |
| Website | jameskrivchenia |
James Foster Krivchenia (born December 8, 1988) is an American musician and producer, best known as the drummer of the American indie rock band Big Thief. Krivchenia joined Big Thief in 2015 following his work with the band as a sound engineer.[1] Krivchenia later produced the band's fifth studio album, Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You (2022), which received a nomination for Best Alternative Music Album at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards.[2] In addition to his work with Big Thief, he is also a regular collaborator of Mega Bog as a longtime engineer, co-producer and percussionist and has released three solo albums: No Comment (2018), A New Found Relaxation (2020), and Blood Karaoke (2022).
Early life and education
[edit]Krivchenia was born in Minneapolis and raised in Chicago.[3] He began playing drums in his elementary school music class and went on to attend Berklee College of Music in Boston.[4]
Career
[edit]Krivchenia moved to New York following his graduation from Berklee, where he played in local bands and worked as a sound engineer at various recording studios.[3][4] Krivchenia met Adrianne Lenker, Buck Meek, and Max Oleartchik (of Big Thief) in 2015 through mutual friends and was hired to engineer the band's debut studio album, Masterpiece.[3] He replaced the band's original drummer in 2016, even though they had never heard him play.[5] He has played drums on every subsequent Big Thief release.[6]
In 2022, Big Thief released Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You, a double LP produced by Krivchenia, what garnered widespread acclaim.[7] Krivchenia had conceived of the recording plan in 2019, which involved sessions in four different locations: Upstate New York; Topanga, California; the Colorado Rockies; and Tucson, Arizona. This plan intended to capture the various dimensions of Lenker's songwriting and the band's dynamic playing on a single record.[8] The album received nominations for Best Alternative Music Album at the 65th Grammy Awards, while the song "Certainty" received a nomination for Best Alternative Music Performance.[2]
Discography
[edit]Solo albums
[edit]- No Comment (Left Door Tapes, 2018)
- A New Found Relaxation (2020)
- Blood Karaoke (Reading Group, 2022)
With Big Thief
[edit]Main article: Big Thief § Discography
- Capacity (Saddle Creek, 2017)
- U.F.O.F. (4AD, 2019)
- Two Hands (4AD, 2019)
- Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You (4AD, 2022)
With Mega Bog
[edit]- Dolphine (Paradise of Bachelors, 2019)
- Life, and Another (Paradise of Bachelors, 2021)
- End of Everything (Mexican Summer, 2023)
References
[edit]- ^ Naddaff-Hafrey, Benjamin (November 9, 2017). "The Lore Of Big Thief".
- ^ a b "2023 GRAMMY Nominations: See the Complete Winners & Nominees List". November 15, 2022.
- ^ a b c Menking, Laura (October 26, 2017). "An Interview With Big Thief's James Krivchenia".
- ^ a b Dybal, Michelle (January 21, 2020). "Drummer with OPRF roots branches out".
- ^ Mirisola, John (April 25, 2022). "Big Thief Returns to Its Roots".
- ^ "James Krivchenia Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio &..." AllMusic. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
- ^ Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You by Big Thief, retrieved December 12, 2024
- ^ "The official website for independent record label 4AD". 4AD. Retrieved December 11, 2024.