Patty Schemel
Encyclopedia
Patricia Theresa Schemel (born April 24, 1967) is an American drummer
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....

, most notably known as the drummer of the alternative rock band Hole
Hole (band)
Hole is an American alternative rock band that originally formed in Los Angeles in 1989. The band is fronted by vocalist/songwriter and rhythm guitarist Courtney Love, who co-founded Hole with former songwriter/lead guitarist Eric Erlandson...

 from 1992 until 1998.

Early music career

Schemel learned to play drums after her father bought her a drum kit
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....

 at age 11. Her influences were listed as Echo & the Bunnymen
Echo & the Bunnymen
Echo & the Bunnymen are an English post-punk band, formed in Liverpool in 1978. The original line-up consisted of vocalist Ian McCulloch, guitarist Will Sergeant and bass player Les Pattinson, supplemented by a drum machine. By 1980, Pete de Freitas had joined as the band's drummer, and their debut...

, AC/DC
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...

 and Wire
Wire
A wire is a single, usually cylindrical, flexible strand or rod of metal. Wires are used to bear mechanical loads and to carry electricity and telecommunications signals. Wire is commonly formed by drawing the metal through a hole in a die or draw plate. Standard sizes are determined by various...

, Annaliese Morgan, among other punk rock bands, and at age 15, along with her brother Larry, formed her first band, Sybil, which was later renamed Kill Sybil due to the artist of the same name
Sybil Lynch
Sybil Lynch is an American R&B/pop singer, more popularly known as Sybil.-Career:Sybil has been recording since 1986 and is best known for her covers of Dionne Warwick's hits "Don't Make Me Over" and "Walk On By," which were released in 1989 and 1990, respectively...

.

In 1987, she joined Doll Squad, an all-female punk rock band from Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...

. Along with bassist Annette Billesbach, lead guitarist Cathy Watson, rhythm guitarist Helen Halloran and vocalist Mara Dralle, Schemel was one of the original members of Doll Squad before their 2008 reunion. The band was initially active from 1987 to 1989 gaining an indie following in Seattle, playing alongside Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...

, and releasing one self-released demo tape.

Hole and Celebrity Skin issue

It has been noted that Schemel was considered by Kurt Cobain
Kurt Cobain
Kurt Donald Cobain was an American singer-songwriter, musician and artist, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the grunge band Nirvana...

 as Nirvana's drummer after the departure of their drummer, Chad Channing
Chad Channing
Chad Channing is an American musician who is best known for being the drummer of the band Nirvana from 1988 until 1990, during which time they recorded and released their debut album Bleach...

. However, after Dave Grohl
Dave Grohl
David Eric "Dave" Grohl is an American rock musician, multi-instrumentalist, and singer-songwriter who is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter for Foo Fighters; the former drummer for Nirvana and Scream; and the current drummer for Them Crooked Vultures...

's audition, Schemel became Cobain's second choice, but he and Schemel developed a close friendship.

After the departure of Hole
Hole (band)
Hole is an American alternative rock band that originally formed in Los Angeles in 1989. The band is fronted by vocalist/songwriter and rhythm guitarist Courtney Love, who co-founded Hole with former songwriter/lead guitarist Eric Erlandson...

's original drummer Caroline Rue, frontwoman Courtney Love
Courtney Love
Courtney Michelle Love is an American rock musician. Love is the lead vocalist, lyricist, and rhythm guitarist for alternative rock band Hole, which she formed in 1989, and is an actress who has moved from bit parts in Alex Cox films to significant and acclaimed roles in The People vs...

 recruited Schemel and she joined the group in 1992. Schemel's first work with the band involved the recording of their fourth single, Beautiful Son
Beautiful Son
"Beautiful Son" is a song by American alternative rock band Hole, written collectively by frontwoman Courtney Love, lead guitarist Eric Erlandson and drummer Patty Schemel. The song was released as the band's fourth single in April 1993 on the European label City Slang...

, on which she also played guitar on the b-side "20 Years in the Dakota." Most notably, she played drums on Hole's sophomore and most successful album to date Live Through This
Live Through This
Live Through This is the second studio album by American alternative rock band Hole. It was released by Geffen Records on April 12, 1994, just four days after frontwoman Courtney Love's husband, Kurt Cobain, was found dead in their home....

. She later went on to tour with the band for the promotion of Live Through This, which featured dates at the Reading Festival, Big Day Out
Big Day Out
The Big Day Out is an annual music festival held in several cities in Australia and New Zealand in late January. It started in Sydney in 1992, spread to Adelaide, Melbourne and Perth by 1993, with the Gold Coast and Auckland joining in 1994...

 and Lollapalooza
Lollapalooza
Lollapalooza is an annual music festival featuring popular alternative rock, heavy metal, punk rock and hip hop bands, dance and comedy performances, and craft booths. It has also provided a platform for non-profit and political groups. The music festival hosts more than 160,000 people over a...

. While on tour in April 1995, Schemel became the first woman ever to appear on the cover of Drum World magazine. Around this time, she also recorded with Phranc
Phranc
Phranc is an American singer-songwriter whose career has spanned several decades.-Biography:She began her performing career in the late 1970s and early 1980s punk scene in Los Angeles...

, playing drums on the Goofyfoot
Goofyfoot
Goofyfoot is an EP by folk singer-songwriter Phranc, released in 1995.Recorded in Olympia, Washington with session musicians including Donna Dresch and Tobi Vail, as well as members of Satan's Pilgrims, Goofyfoot is an independent tribute to the surfer-punk ethic of the Californian coast. It covers...

EP. In 1996, Schemel played drums on Hole's cover of Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac are a British–American rock band formed in 1967 in London.The only original member present in the band is its eponymous drummer, Mick Fleetwood...

's song Gold Dust Woman
Gold Dust Woman
"Gold Dust Woman" is a song from the best-selling Fleetwood Mac album Rumours. It was written and sung by Stevie Nicks and released as a B-side to the "You Make Loving Fun" single...

, which was the first song on the soundtrack to The Crow: City of Angels
The Crow: City of Angels
The Crow: City of Angels is a 1996 action film directed by Tim Pope. It is a sequel to the 1994 cult film The Crow.-Plot:The film is set in Los Angeles, where drug king Judah Earl controls it all...

. She also sang backing vocals and appeared prominently in the video for the song. During this time, Schemel and Hole bassist Melissa Auf der Maur
Melissa Auf der Maur
Melissa Auf der Maur is a Canadian rock musician from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Her career has included 5 years as bassist with the band Hole and she later toured with The Smashing Pumpkins for their 2000 tour. Her second solo album, Out of Our Minds, was released on March 30, 2010. She is also a...

 formed a short-lived side project called Constant Comment. The band played a small number of shows before disbanding.
Hole became active again in 1997 and entered the studio to record Celebrity Skin
Celebrity Skin
Celebrity Skin is the third studio album by American alternative rock band Hole, released worldwide by Geffen Records on September 7, 1998 and one day later in the United States...

, the follow-up to Live Through This. Schemel worked on the writing of the album's material - especially "Awful", which she composed most of - with Love, guitarist Eric Erlandson
Eric Erlandson
Eric Erlandson is an American musician known as the co-founder, former songwriter and lead guitarist of alternative rock band Hole.-Early life and career:...

, and Auf der Maur, however, left the band before the album was recorded. All her parts on the album were performed by a session drummer provided by producer Michael Beinhorn
Michael Beinhorn
Michael Beinhorn is an American musician and record producer.Beinhorn started his professional career as a musician, playing keyboards in Bill Laswell's Material during the 1980s...

 and she was eventually replaced by Samantha Maloney
Samantha Maloney
Samantha Maloney is an American musician best known for playing in the bands Hole, Mötley Crüe, Eagles of Death Metal and in Peaches' live band "The Herms".-Early career:...

 for the album's tour. However, due to her contribution to the writing of the album and its demos, Schemel's name and photo were still included on the album sleeve.

Reasons for Schemel's departure from Hole were disputed, with Courtney Love claiming that Schemel's then drug habit was to blame, which supported circulating rumours at the time, however, Schemel insisted it was due to "musical differences." In fact, Schemel left Hole due to personal and musical differences between her and Celebrity Skin producer, Michael Beinhorn. She claimed that Beinhorn was "totally psyching [her] out in the studio" and after a meeting with the band, Beinhorn brought in a male session drummer, to which she felt "betrayed by the band." She subsequently left before the final recording sessions for the album.

A documentary about Schemel's life (entitled Hit So Hard) will be premiering in New York and Los Angeles in March 2011. It includes interviews with all four members of Hole as well as archival footage of the band that Schemel taped during her tenure. In a recent interview, Schemel stated that the documentary answers all of the questions fans may have regarding the Celebrity Skin situation.

Other musical works

After her departure from Hole, Schemel embarked on a number of musical projects. In 2001, she joined Courtney Love's short-lived project Bastard, which included Veruca Salt
Veruca Salt (band)
Veruca Salt is an alternative rock band founded in 1993 in Chicago, Illinois. Since its inception, the band's line-up has included vocalist-guitarist Louise Post. Guitarist Stephen Fitzpatrick has been with the band since 1999 and drummer Kellii Scott has worked with the group on and off since 1999...

's Louise Post on guitar and Gina Crosley of Rockit Girl. The band, though they recorded a few demos, became nothing and disbanded shortly afterwards. She also recorded with Juliette Lewis
Juliette Lewis
Juliette Lewis is an American actress and musician. She gained international fame for her role in the 1991 thriller Cape Fear for which she was nominated for both an Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress...

's punk rock band Juliette and the Licks
Juliette and the Licks
Juliette and the Licks was an American rock band led by actress Juliette Lewis. Other band members included guitarist Craig Fairbaugh and guitarist Emilio Cueto, bassist Jason Womack and drummer Ed Davis. Their popular songs include "You're Speaking My Language" and "Hot Kiss"...

, with who she played drums on their debut 6 song EP ...Like a Bolt of Lightning before leaving the band prior to the recording of their second album, You're Speaking My Language
You're Speaking My Language
You're Speaking My Language is the first full-length album by Juliette and the Licks, released on May 17, 2005.-Track listing:# "Intro" - 0:23# "You're Speaking My Language" - 2:14# "Money in My Pocket" - 3:08# "American Boy, Vol...

. Schemel - and her brother Larry - were also key composers and performers on Courtney Love's solo album, America's Sweetheart. She has also toured with Imperial Teen
Imperial Teen
Imperial Teen is a San Francisco-based indie pop group made up of Roddy Bottum primarily on guitar/vocals, Will Schwartz primarily on guitar/vocals, Lynn Truell primarily on drums and backing vocals, and Jone Stebbins primarily on bass and backing...

.

In early 2010, she formed a new band, Green Eyes.

Personal life

Schemel was born the middle child of three children and grew up in Marysville, Washington
Marysville, Washington
Marysville is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. The population was 60,020 at the 2010 census. Marysville is known as "The Strawberry City" due to the large number of strawberry farms that once surrounded the city in its earlier days. Over the past decade, and continuing...

, close to Seattle where she would later become musically active.

Schemel is openly
Coming out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....

 lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...

, commenting to Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...

 that "it's important" and that she's "not out there with that fucking pink flag or anything but it's good for other people who live somewhere else in some small town who feel freaky about being gay to know that there's other people who are and that it's OK." One of Schemel's girlfriends acted as Courtney Love's personal assistant during Hole's 1994–1995 world tour, while promoting Live Through This
Live Through This
Live Through This is the second studio album by American alternative rock band Hole. It was released by Geffen Records on April 12, 1994, just four days after frontwoman Courtney Love's husband, Kurt Cobain, was found dead in their home....

. Also in the mid-90's, according to an inside source, Patty was in a brief relationship with drummer Polly Johnson of 764-HERO
764-HERO
764-HERO was an American Indie rock band from Seattle, Washington, signed to Up Records. The band's name, suggested by a friend, is taken from the Washington State Department of Transportation phone number for reporting HOV lane violators ....

. Patty now resides in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...

 with her wife, Christina Soletti. In 2010, Soletti gave birth to their first child, a daughter.

In the early 1990s, Schemel developed a drug addiction to heroin. She also refused to be part of close friend Kurt Cobain's drug intervention in March 1994, claiming that doing so would be hypocrisy, as she "was strung out [...] how dare I go there and say anything about someone else's abuse when I'm doing it too." On March 18, 2010, Schemel appeared in bonus footage for the VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...

 program Sober House with Dr. Drew discussing her addiction and sobriety. She also took part in the MusiCares MAP Fund benefit concert in 2010, which is focused on women's recovery from drug addition to sobriety.

Along with still doing music, she owns a dog walking/boarding/daycare business. She also appeared in an episode of LA Ink
LA Ink
LA Ink is an American reality show on TLC that follows the events of the High Voltage Tattoo tattoo studios in Los Angeles, California...

.
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