Biography
Among the pivotal figures in Chicago’s earliest wave of what became known as post-rock stands John McEntire, a drummer, producer, recording engineer, and multi-instrumentalist. Through his roles in the soulful, jazz-tinged pop combo the Sea and Cake and in fusion experimentalists Tortoise, he contributed to some of the most compelling indie rock of the late ’90s. Alongside producer Jim O’Rourke he emerged as one of the era’s most sought-after collaborators, contributing to sessions or taking supporting parts with the Red Krayola, Stereolab, Richard Buckner, Tom Ze, the Ex, Smog, Mary Timony, and numerous others. McEntire’s output persisted through the 2010s and afterward as he recorded with countless ensembles; in 2022 he joined longtime bandmate Sam Prekop for Sons Of, a duo album of instrumental synthesizer excursions.
Born in Portland, Oregon, in 1970, John McEntire began with drums as his primary instrument. He entered Oberlin College in Ohio as a percussion major in 1987. Growing absorbed by studio-based musique concrete techniques, he redirected his focus toward electronics and joined the Technology in Music and Related Arts program. In 1989 he first linked with the Midwest underground by recording Bastro Diablo Guapo alongside singer/guitarist David Grubbs and bassist Bundy K. Brown in Bastro. Finding his Oberlin coursework unfulfilling, he departed in 1991 and moved to Chicago to be nearer the expanding scene. Reconfigured as song deconstructionists Gastr del Sol, Grubbs, Brown, and McEntire issued The Serpentine Similar in 1993. Although he stayed the preferred drummer until the group disbanded in 1997, Gastr del Sol increasingly served as the principal vehicle for Grubbs’s work with producer Jim O’Rourke, a prolific improviser drawn to experimental electronics.
McEntire’s schedule grew even more crowded with the launch of two enduring projects. In 1993, after drummer Johnny Herndon of Poster Children and bassist Doug McCombs of Eleventh Dream Day concluded their duo studio effort Mosquito, they recruited Gastr del Sol veterans McEntire and Brown. Expanded to a quintet by multi-instrumentalist Dan Bitney, the ensemble took the name Tortoise. Thrill Jockey released the self-titled debut in 1994. Operating without a single leader and deliberately avoiding rock’s customary display, Tortoise fused a taut, angular rhythm section and an undercurrent of electronics with the band’s distinctive, off-kilter melodies. Once Slint disbanded, Tortoise assumed the role of post-rock’s new standard-bearers; McEntire’s additional work with Trans Am and other Thrill Jockey acts reinforced that position. Also in 1993 the Sea and Cake appeared, a song-oriented group led by singer/guitarist Sam Prekop, with McEntire handling both drums and the mixing console at Idful Music Corporation for the self-titled debut.
Tortoise delivered its second album, Millions Now Living Will Never Die, in 1996. The record’s standout piece was the expansive studio creation “Djed,” a twenty-minute composition dense enough to fill an entire release. Although the remaining tracks on Millions did not reach the same scope, the album astonished the independent rock community and surpassed 50,000 copies sold. After Brown’s departure the previous year, the quintet toured the United States, Europe, and Japan with new member David Pajo. Demand for McEntire’s production skills intensified; during 1996 and 1997 he engineered sessions for Stereolab, Come, Eleventh Dream Day, Rome, Trans Am, and Run On, in addition to further Sea and Cake releases. Seeking greater independence, he established Soma Electronic Music Studios inside the Tortoise loft. From this base, and now featuring guitarist Jeff Parker, the band crafted TNT (1998) with then-current computer editing tools.
Throughout the decade’s closing years McEntire engineered recordings for his colleagues—McCombs’s Brokeback & The Black Rock, Sam Prekop’s debut solo album, and Tortoise offshoot Isotope 217—while performing with both earlier associates such as David Grubbs and newer ones such as Smog. He also ventured into film scoring, writing most of the music for director William Ryan’s Reach the Rock in 1999. Tortoise regrouped in 2000 to track Standards, issued by Thrill Jockey the next year. Unlike the studio-assembled approach of the prior album, these pieces originated from real-time ensemble playing. Over subsequent years McEntire accumulated an extensive list of recording credits and guest appearances on albums by Yo La Tengo, Jandek, Jaga Jazzist, Ryley Walker, and many additional artists, while serving as engineer on numerous projects routed through his studio. In 2022 he reunited with Sea and Cake bandmate Prekop for the instrumental electronic album Sons Of.
Born in Portland, Oregon, in 1970, John McEntire began with drums as his primary instrument. He entered Oberlin College in Ohio as a percussion major in 1987. Growing absorbed by studio-based musique concrete techniques, he redirected his focus toward electronics and joined the Technology in Music and Related Arts program. In 1989 he first linked with the Midwest underground by recording Bastro Diablo Guapo alongside singer/guitarist David Grubbs and bassist Bundy K. Brown in Bastro. Finding his Oberlin coursework unfulfilling, he departed in 1991 and moved to Chicago to be nearer the expanding scene. Reconfigured as song deconstructionists Gastr del Sol, Grubbs, Brown, and McEntire issued The Serpentine Similar in 1993. Although he stayed the preferred drummer until the group disbanded in 1997, Gastr del Sol increasingly served as the principal vehicle for Grubbs’s work with producer Jim O’Rourke, a prolific improviser drawn to experimental electronics.
McEntire’s schedule grew even more crowded with the launch of two enduring projects. In 1993, after drummer Johnny Herndon of Poster Children and bassist Doug McCombs of Eleventh Dream Day concluded their duo studio effort Mosquito, they recruited Gastr del Sol veterans McEntire and Brown. Expanded to a quintet by multi-instrumentalist Dan Bitney, the ensemble took the name Tortoise. Thrill Jockey released the self-titled debut in 1994. Operating without a single leader and deliberately avoiding rock’s customary display, Tortoise fused a taut, angular rhythm section and an undercurrent of electronics with the band’s distinctive, off-kilter melodies. Once Slint disbanded, Tortoise assumed the role of post-rock’s new standard-bearers; McEntire’s additional work with Trans Am and other Thrill Jockey acts reinforced that position. Also in 1993 the Sea and Cake appeared, a song-oriented group led by singer/guitarist Sam Prekop, with McEntire handling both drums and the mixing console at Idful Music Corporation for the self-titled debut.
Tortoise delivered its second album, Millions Now Living Will Never Die, in 1996. The record’s standout piece was the expansive studio creation “Djed,” a twenty-minute composition dense enough to fill an entire release. Although the remaining tracks on Millions did not reach the same scope, the album astonished the independent rock community and surpassed 50,000 copies sold. After Brown’s departure the previous year, the quintet toured the United States, Europe, and Japan with new member David Pajo. Demand for McEntire’s production skills intensified; during 1996 and 1997 he engineered sessions for Stereolab, Come, Eleventh Dream Day, Rome, Trans Am, and Run On, in addition to further Sea and Cake releases. Seeking greater independence, he established Soma Electronic Music Studios inside the Tortoise loft. From this base, and now featuring guitarist Jeff Parker, the band crafted TNT (1998) with then-current computer editing tools.
Throughout the decade’s closing years McEntire engineered recordings for his colleagues—McCombs’s Brokeback & The Black Rock, Sam Prekop’s debut solo album, and Tortoise offshoot Isotope 217—while performing with both earlier associates such as David Grubbs and newer ones such as Smog. He also ventured into film scoring, writing most of the music for director William Ryan’s Reach the Rock in 1999. Tortoise regrouped in 2000 to track Standards, issued by Thrill Jockey the next year. Unlike the studio-assembled approach of the prior album, these pieces originated from real-time ensemble playing. Over subsequent years McEntire accumulated an extensive list of recording credits and guest appearances on albums by Yo La Tengo, Jandek, Jaga Jazzist, Ryley Walker, and many additional artists, while serving as engineer on numerous projects routed through his studio. In 2022 he reunited with Sea and Cake bandmate Prekop for the instrumental electronic album Sons Of.
Albums
Singles
