Abe Cunningham, born in
SacramentoSacramento is the capital of the U.S. state of California, and the county seat of Sacramento County. Located along the Sacramento River and just south of the American River's confluence in California's expansive Central Valley. With a 2007 estimated population of 460,242, it is the seventh-largest...
,
CaliforniaCalifornia is the most populous state in the United States, and the third largest by area. California is the second most populous sub-national entity in the Americas, behind only São Paulo, Brazil...
on July 27,1973, is an American
musicianA musician is a person who performs or writes music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music:* An instrumentalist plays a musical instrument.* A singer uses his or her voice as an instrument....
, best known as the drummer for the
alternative rockAlternative rock is a genre of rock music that emerged in the 1980s and became widely popular in the 1990s...
band
DeftonesDeftones is an American rock band from Sacramento, California, formed in 1988. Consisting of Chino Moreno , Stephen Carpenter , Chi Cheng , Frank Delgado , and Abe Cunningham .-Early years: 1989-1993:When Carpenter was 15 years old he was hit by a car while skateboarding...
. He is known for his use of
ghost noteGhost notes are musical notes occurring in a rhythmic figure which are purposely deemphasized, often nearly to the point of silence. In popular music drumming these notes are played, "very softly between the 'main' notes," most often on the snare drum in a drum kit:A rhythmic figure may be...
s and other technical drumming techniques.
Abe Cunningham was born on July 27, 1973, in
Long BeachLong Beach is a large city located in southern California, USA, on the Pacific coast. It is situated in Los Angeles County, about south of downtown Los Angeles. Long Beach borders Orange County on its southeast edge....
,
CaliforniaCalifornia is the most populous state in the United States, and the third largest by area. California is the second most populous sub-national entity in the Americas, behind only São Paulo, Brazil...
. When he was young, his family moved to
SacramentoSacramento, an Italian-, Spanish- and Portuguese-language word meaning sacrament, is a common toponym in parts of the world where those tongues were or are spoken....
. He first started drumming in is early teens playing the drums for his band
PhallucyPhallucy was a rock/alternative metal band from Sacramento, California. The band's drummer, Abe Cunningham, later became the drummer with the band Deftones, which is now a worldwide success...
in the early 90s. During this time, he also drummed for the
DeftonesDeftones is an American rock band from Sacramento, California, formed in 1988. Consisting of Chino Moreno , Stephen Carpenter , Chi Cheng , Frank Delgado , and Abe Cunningham .-Early years: 1989-1993:When Carpenter was 15 years old he was hit by a car while skateboarding...
on the side, usually whenever the band had a problem with a drummer who dropped out.
Abe Cunningham, born in
SacramentoSacramento is the capital of the U.S. state of California, and the county seat of Sacramento County. Located along the Sacramento River and just south of the American River's confluence in California's expansive Central Valley. With a 2007 estimated population of 460,242, it is the seventh-largest...
,
CaliforniaCalifornia is the most populous state in the United States, and the third largest by area. California is the second most populous sub-national entity in the Americas, behind only São Paulo, Brazil...
on July 27,1973, is an American
musicianA musician is a person who performs or writes music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music:* An instrumentalist plays a musical instrument.* A singer uses his or her voice as an instrument....
, best known as the drummer for the
alternative rockAlternative rock is a genre of rock music that emerged in the 1980s and became widely popular in the 1990s...
band
DeftonesDeftones is an American rock band from Sacramento, California, formed in 1988. Consisting of Chino Moreno , Stephen Carpenter , Chi Cheng , Frank Delgado , and Abe Cunningham .-Early years: 1989-1993:When Carpenter was 15 years old he was hit by a car while skateboarding...
. He is known for his use of
ghost noteGhost notes are musical notes occurring in a rhythmic figure which are purposely deemphasized, often nearly to the point of silence. In popular music drumming these notes are played, "very softly between the 'main' notes," most often on the snare drum in a drum kit:A rhythmic figure may be...
s and other technical drumming techniques.
Biography
Abe Cunningham was born on July 27, 1973, in
Long BeachLong Beach is a large city located in southern California, USA, on the Pacific coast. It is situated in Los Angeles County, about south of downtown Los Angeles. Long Beach borders Orange County on its southeast edge....
,
CaliforniaCalifornia is the most populous state in the United States, and the third largest by area. California is the second most populous sub-national entity in the Americas, behind only São Paulo, Brazil...
. When he was young, his family moved to
SacramentoSacramento, an Italian-, Spanish- and Portuguese-language word meaning sacrament, is a common toponym in parts of the world where those tongues were or are spoken....
. He first started drumming in is early teens playing the drums for his band
PhallucyPhallucy was a rock/alternative metal band from Sacramento, California. The band's drummer, Abe Cunningham, later became the drummer with the band Deftones, which is now a worldwide success...
in the early 90s. During this time, he also drummed for the
DeftonesDeftones is an American rock band from Sacramento, California, formed in 1988. Consisting of Chino Moreno , Stephen Carpenter , Chi Cheng , Frank Delgado , and Abe Cunningham .-Early years: 1989-1993:When Carpenter was 15 years old he was hit by a car while skateboarding...
on the side, usually whenever the band had a problem with a drummer who dropped out. At at the time when he started learning drums, he also learnt how to play guitar, but growing up with a stepfather (Neil) who played the drums, he took a deeper passion with the drums. Abe's father, Sid, was also a musician and an early influence for Abe before his untimely passing. His influences include
Stewart CopelandStewart Armstrong Copeland is an American musician, best known as the drummer for the band The Police. During the group's extended hiatus from the mid-1980s to 2007, he played in other bands and composed soundtracks.-Background:...
,
Ginger BakerPeter Edward "Ginger" Baker is an English drummer, best known for his work with Cream and Blind Faith...
and
Mitch MitchellJohn "Mitch" Mitchell was an English drummer, best known for his work in The Jimi Hendrix Experience.-Early life and the Jimi Hendrix Experience:...
.
Cunningham is known for his frantic, pounding rhythms on such songs as "Knife Party" and clever usage of tempo ("Mein"), while at the same time refusing to indulge in the double bass drum setup of many metal traditionalists. However, he does use a double bass pedal as part of his kit, as seen in various drum magazines.
Cunningham has been a long time endorseer of Tama Drums and Zildjian Cymbals, and for most of his career, has played the same setup. He has been featured in various ads for Tama and Zildjian and most recently, has become and endorsee of Pro-Mark drumsticks. He has his own signature model; the Abe Cunningham TX916W Autograph Model.
Abe currently lives in
SacramentoSacramento, an Italian-, Spanish- and Portuguese-language word meaning sacrament, is a common toponym in parts of the world where those tongues were or are spoken....
,
CaliforniaCalifornia is the most populous state in the United States, and the third largest by area. California is the second most populous sub-national entity in the Americas, behind only São Paulo, Brazil...
with his family. He has two sons with his ex-wife, Annalynn Seal; Sidney & Daniel. Annalynn made a guest appearance on "MX" singing along with
Chino MorenoChino Moreno is an American musician. He is the lead singer and guitarist in Deftones and Team Sleep.-Biography:...
.
Current Tour Kit (2009-Present):
- Tama Starclassic Bubinga Drums & Zildjian Cymbals:
- Drums – Egyptian Night Mist Finish
- 10x8" Tom
- 12x9" Tom
- 16x15" Floor Tom
- 18x16" Floor Tom
- 22x18" Bass Drum
- 14x6.5" Bell Brass Snare (main)
- 13x8" Starclassic Bubinga Snare
- Cymbals – Zildjian
- 15" K Hi-Hats
- 22" A Custom Ride
- 20" A Custom Projection Crash
- 20" A Medium Thin Crash
- 19" Z Custom Thrash Ride (used as crash)
- 20" Oriental China
- 10" A Custom Splash
- 8" A Custom Splash
- Drum Heads - Remo
Remo is an American drum skin company.Remo may also refer to:* Remo , a member of the Lucchese crime family* Remo language, a Panoan language of Brazil and Peru* Clube do Remo, a Brazilian football club...
- Toms: (10", 12", 16", 18") Clear Ambassadors - top, Clear Ambassadors - bottom
- Bass Drums: (22") PowerStroke 4 (w/Remo FalamSlam) - back, Standard Tama Head - front
- Snare: (14") Coated Emperors - top, Clear Ambassadors - bottom
- Sticks - Pro-Mark
- Abe Cunningham TX916W Autograph Model
With DeftonesDeftones is an American rock band from Sacramento, California, formed in 1988. Consisting of Chino Moreno , Stephen Carpenter , Chi Cheng , Frank Delgado , and Abe Cunningham .-Early years: 1989-1993:When Carpenter was 15 years old he was hit by a car while skateboarding...
- Adrenaline
Adrenaline is the debut album by Deftones, released in 1995 through Maverick Records. The hidden track on the album, "Fist", was produced by Ross Robinson while the rest of album is produced by Terry Date. It was originally titled Communion and some promotional copies did get out, before Adrenaline...
(1995, Maverick Records/Warner Bros. Records)
- Around the Fur
Around the Fur is Deftones' second major label album, released in 1997. The songs "My Own Summer " and "Be Quiet and Drive " were both released as singles with accompanying videos.-Background:...
(1997, Maverick Records/Warner Bros. Records)
- White Pony
White Pony is the third album by Deftones, released in 2000. It is the follow up to Around the Fur, which was released in 1997, and marks a significant growth in the band's sound; incorporating New Wave and shoegaze influences with the alternative metal edge the group had honed and become known for...
(2000, Maverick Records)
- Deftones
Deftones is the fourth album by Deftones. It was released on May 20, 2003 through Maverick Records.Originally to be titled Lovers, singer Chino Moreno decided not to use this title because he thought of it as too obvious to the context of the album. The song "Lovers" does however exist on the UK...
(2003, Maverick Records)
- Saturday Night Wrist
Saturday Night Wrist is the fifth studio album by American rock band Deftones. The album was released on Maverick Records on October 31, 2006....
(2006, Maverick Records)
- Eros (2009, Warner Bros. Records)
External links