Bill Rieflin

Bill Rieflin
Birth name William Rieflin
Born (1960-09-29) September 29, 1960
Seattle, Washington
Genres Industrial, experimental rock, alternative rock, heavy metal
Occupation(s) Drummer
Instruments Drums, keyboards, guitar
Associated acts Ministry, R.E.M., Sweet 75, Revolting Cocks, KMFDM, Pigface, Nine Inch Nails, King Crimson, Robbie Williams

William Frederick "Bill" Rieflin (born September 29, 1960)[1] is an American musician.

Rieflin came to prominence in the 1990s for his work mainly as a drummer with many notable groups (particularly in the industrial rock and industrial metal scenes) including Ministry, the Revolting Cocks, Lard, KMFDM, Pigface, Swans, Chris Connelly, and Nine Inch Nails. He worked regularly with R.E.M. following the retirement of Bill Berry in 1997. He is currently a member of King Crimson.

History

Rieflin began his professional career in his hometown of Seattle. In 1975, he was in The Telepaths, a band which played backup for a couple of live gigs by the pre-The Screamers band The Tupperwares.[2] He played drums for The Blackouts starting in 1979. His bandmates included his brother Raymond, Paul Barker, Roland Barker and Erich Werner. Eventually that band dissolved and Paul Barker joined the nascent Ministry. Rieflin's earliest collaboration with Al Jourgensen was on the second single by the Revolting Cocks, You Often Forget. Later, he participated in the creation of Ministry's ground-breaking album The Land of Rape and Honey. He was noted for his performance in the live video In Case You Didn't Feel Like Showing Up (Live) (alongside fellow drummer Martin Atkins). His work with Ministry and its side projects lasted through to the mid-Nineties, though he notes that he was never credited as a member of Ministry proper, always as an "other" musician. Therefore, when he parted ways with the band during the Filth Pig sessions, he did not really quit since he was never an official member.[3]

Rieflin helped Atkins kick off Pigface, the industrial collective that would grow to incorporate hundreds of artists, formed a friendship with labelmate Chris Connelly and founded First World Music. Like Connelly, Rieflin's work has grown beyond his industrial roots. They have collaborated on several recordings; two in particular, The Ultimate Seaside Companion (as "The Bells") and Largo, showcase Rieflin's frequently overlooked keyboard skills.

Living in Seattle gave Rieflin the opportunity to build relationships with other prominent musicians including Robert Fripp and Trey Gunn of King Crimson, Scott McCaughey of the Young Fresh Fellows, Sascha Konietzko of KMFDM and Peter Buck of R.E.M. Fripp contributed to Rieflin's solo debut, Birth of a Giant, which also featured Rieflin singing in something other than a background role. Improvisations from these sessions turned up later on the CD The Repercussions of Angelic Behavior.

Rieflin appeared on all KMFDM records released from 1995–2003 as a drummer, programmer, vocalist and keyboardist. He toured with the band as a bassist in 2002 in support of its comeback album, Attak and performed on the 2011 KMFDM album, WTF?!.[4]

He also drummed for McCaughey's band, The Minus 5, which occasionally included guitarist Peter Buck. Eventually Buck offered Rieflin the opportunity to sit in with R.E.M., who were missing a permanent drummer since the 1997 departure of Bill Berry. The band gave him the live drummer slot in its 2003 tour.[5] They later announced that Rieflin would fill the role indefinitely, though once again as a hired musician rather than as an official member. In recordings, Rieflin also contributed bouzouki, keyboards and guitars to the group, serving as an auxiliary member until R.E.M. disbanded in 2011.

Rieflin formed an experimental ensemble under the name Slow Music in 2005 (including Fripp and Buck) in which he plays synthesizers rather than drums. As the name suggests, its approach is geared toward the musicians leaving space for each other and doing a lot with few notes. All performances are improvised. The group played a small handful of live dates in 2005 and 2006 and went inactive for several years.

Rieflin is involved in a music collaboration project entitled The Humans, which consists of him, Chris Wong, Robert Fripp and Toyah Willcox. The band performed a series of live dates in Estonia in Autumn 2007 and 2009, and released their debut album We are the Humans on May 1, 2009. Another album came in 2013, followed by a small series of double-bill shows with Slow Music in spring of 2014.

Hector Zazou's 2010 album Corps Electriques featured Rieflin, as well as KatieJane Garside, Lone Kent and nu-jazz trumpeter Nils Petter Molvær.

Rieflin has been a regular contributor to Swans since the 1995 album The Great Annihilator, and has played an array of instruments on all their studio recordings since the band reformed in 2010 and released My Father Will Guide Me up a Rope to the Sky. (He is listed as an "honorary Swan" on The Seer).

In 2012, Rieflin performed drums for Robbie Williams's album Take The Crown. Later that year he produced the single Crush Vaccine for Atomic Bride. On December 15, 2012, Rieflin performed live with Atomic Bride for a sold-out show at Crocodile Cafe in downtown Seattle.

In an online diary entry dated September 6, 2013, Robert Fripp announced a new lineup for King Crimson that included Rieflin as one of the band's three drummers.[6] A few days after the first full-length live release of the band with Rieflin on board (Live in Toronto 2015), Fripp announced Rieflin's decision to take a sabbatical from the band, effective March 6, 2016, "a decision supported by all the Crimson Brothers."[7] In early 2017, Fripp announced that Rieflin would be returning alongside of his replacement, Jeremy Stacey. Due to Fripp's desire to stave off complacency after several years of touring, Rieflin "will be focusing on mellotron, keys and fairy dusting, rather than using drums as a main instrument" in the new Double Quartet configuration,[8] thus becoming the band's first full-time keyboardist ever. For the US Autumn 2017 tour dates in October–November, he was replaced by the Seattle-based musician Chris Gibson.[9] He rejoined in 2018.

Discography

Key
Live release Indicates a live release
Name of release year, artist, release title and Rieflin's contribution
Year Artist Title Contribution Ref.
1988 Ministry The Land of Rape and Honey Drums, programming, keyboards, guitar, background vocals [10]
Revolting Cocks Live! You Goddamned Son of a Bitch dagger Drums [11]
1989 Ministry The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste Drums, programming, background vocals [12]
1990 Revolting Cocks Beers, Steers, and Queers Drums, programming [13]
Ministry In Case You Didn't Feel Like Showing Up dagger Drums [14]
Lard The Last Temptation of Reid Drums (two tracks) [15]
1000 Homo DJs "Supernaut" Drums [16]
KMFDM Naïve Drums (one track) [17]
1991 Pigface Gub Drums, guitar, bass, synthesizer, sounds [18]
Lean Juicy Pork Interviewee [19]
1992 Ministry Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and the Way to Suck Eggs Drums [20]
Revolting Cocks Big Sexy Land Drums [21]
Pigface Welcome to Mexico... Asshole dagger Drums [22]
1993 Revolting Cocks Linger Ficken' Good Drums, organ, programming, production [23]
1995 Swans The Great Annihilator Drums, sounds, percussion, 12-string acoustic guitar, sequencing [24]
KMFDM Nihil Drums (three tracks) [25]
Michael Gira Drainland Rhythm programming, keyboards, electric bass guitar, samples, engineering, production, arrangement, studio provision [26]
1996 Ministry Filth Pig Drums (one track) [27]
KMFDM Xtort Drums [28]
Swans Soundtracks for the Blind Drums [29]
1997 Lard Pure Chewing Satisfaction Drums [30]
KMFDM Symbols Drums, programming, percussion, photography, sequencing (three tracks) [31]
1999 Angels of Light New Mother Percussion, piano, bass guitar, organ, synthesizers, acoustic guitar, backing vocals [32]
KMFDM Adios Programming (one track) [33]
Nine Inch Nails The Fragile Drums (one track) [34]
Bill Rieflin The Repercussions of Angelic Behavior Drums, mixing [35]
Birth of a Giant Drums, bass, guitar, production, vocals [36]
2000 Lard 70's Rock Must Die Drums (one track) [37]
2001 Bill Rieflin & Chris Connelly Largo Keyboards, mixing, piano, production, vocals [38]
Land Road Movies Drums [39]
2002 KMFDM Attak Drums, bass, programming, synthesizers, percussion, guitar [40]
2003 Sturm & Drang Tour 2002 dagger Bass [41]
WWIII Drums, vocals, loops (three tracks) [42]
2004 R.E.M. Around the Sun Drums, percussion [43]
2007 Angels of Light We Are Him Drums, bass, guitar, organ, percussion, piano, synthesizers [44]
R.E.M. R.E.M. Live dagger Drums [45]
2008 Accelerate Drums [46]
2009 The Humans We Are the Humans Drums, bass, synthesizers, organ, production [47]
R.E.M. Live at the Olympia dagger Drums [48]
2010 Swans My Father Will Guide Me up a Rope to the Sky Drums, piano, guitar, synthesizers, organ, vocals [49]
2011 R.E.M. Collapse into Now Drums, bouzouki, keyboards, guitar [50]
KMFDM WTF?! Engineering, sounds (one track) [51]
The Humans Sugar Rush Percussion, keyboards, bass, production [52]
2012 Swans The Seer Drums, piano, organ, guitar, percussion, synthesizers, bass, vocals [53]
2014 The Humans Strange Tales Drums, keyboards, guitar, bass, sounds, vocals, production [54]
Swans To Be Kind Drums, percussion, synthesizers, piano, guitar, bass, keyboards [55]
2015 King Crimson Live at the Orpheum dagger Drums, percussion, synthesizers, vocals [56]
2016 Live in Toronto dagger Drums, percussion, keyboards [57]
Swans The Glowing Man Drums, piano, synthesizers, bass, guitar, vocals [58]
King Crimson Radical Action to Unseat the Hold of Monkey Mind dagger Drums, keyboards [59]
2017 Live in Chicago dagger Keyboards [60]
2018 Lead into Gold The Sun Behind the Sun Drums [61]

References

  1. ↑ Tortorici, Frank (1998-09-29). "Revolting Cocks' Bill Rieflin". MTV.com. Retrieved 2017-06-16.
  2. ↑ Reighley, Kurt (2002-05-08), "The Screamers", Seattle Weekly, retrieved 2010-02-19
  3. ↑ Worley, Gail (November 4, 1999). "What a Long, Strange Trip It's Been: The Definitive Bill Rieflin Interview". Ink19.com. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
  4. ↑ "Metropolis Mail Order // WTF?!". January 21, 2011. Retrieved January 21, 2011.
  5. ↑ "R.E.M. Begins Rehearsals With New Drummer". Billboard. 2003-05-12. Retrieved 2017-06-16.
  6. ↑ "Robert Fripp's Diary for Friday, September 6, 2013". Discipline Global Mobile. 6 September 2013. Archived from the original on 28 March 2014. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  7. ↑ Robert Fripp (2013-03-07). "Sunday So What to say?". Discipline Global Mobile. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
  8. ↑ "DGM HQ". Discipline Global Mobile. 13 February 2017. Retrieved 2017-02-24.
  9. ↑ https://www.dgmlive.com/news/Chris%20Gibson%20joins%20Crim
  10. ↑ The Land of Rape and Honey (CD liner notes). Ministry. Sire Records. 1988. 9 25799-2. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  11. ↑ Live! You Goddamned Son of a Bitch (CD liner notes). Revolting Cocks. Wax Trax! Records. 1988. WAX 037.
  12. ↑ The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste (CD liner notes). Ministry. Sire Records. 1989. 9 26004-2. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  13. ↑ Beers, Steers, and Queers (CD liner notes). Revolting Cocks. Wax Trax! Records. 1990. WAX 7063.
  14. ↑ In Case You Didn't Feel Like Showing Up (CD liner notes). Ministry. Sire Records. 1990. 9 26266-2. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  15. ↑ The Last Temptation of Reid (CD liner notes). Lard. Alternative Tentacles. 1990. VIRUS 84CD.
  16. ↑ "Supernaut" (Vinyl liner notes). 1000 Homo DJs. Wax Trax! Records. 1990. WAX 9133. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  17. ↑ Naïve (CD liner notes). KMFDM. Wax Trax! Records. 1990. WAXCD 7148.
  18. ↑ Gub (CD liner notes). Pigface. Invisible Records. 1991. INV 009. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  19. ↑ Lean Juicy Pork (CD liner notes). Pigface. Invisible Records. 1991. INV 012.
  20. ↑ Psalm 60: The Way to Succeed and the Way to Suck Eggs (CD liner notes). Ministry. Sire Records. 1992. 9 26727-2. Retrieved 31 July 2018.
  21. ↑ Big Sexy Land (Vinyl liner notes). Revolting Cocks. Wax Trax! Records. 1992. WAX 017. Retrieved 31 July 2018.
  22. ↑ Welcome to Mexico... Asshole (CD liner notes). Pigface. Devotion Records. 1992. DVN 3. Retrieved 31 July 2018.
  23. ↑ Linger Ficken' Good (CD liner notes). Revolting Cocks. Sire Records. 1993. 9 45407-2.
  24. ↑ The Great Annihilator (CD liner notes). Swans. Young God Records. 1995. YGCD 009. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  25. ↑ Nihil (CD liner notes). KMFDM. Wax Trax! Records. 1995. TVT 7199-2V.
  26. ↑ Drainland (CD liner notes). Michael Gira. Alternative Tentacles. 1995. VIRUS 166. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  27. ↑ Filth Pig (CD liner notes). Ministry. Warner Bros. Records. 1996. 9 45838-2.
  28. ↑ Xtort (CD liner notes). KMFDM. Wax Trax! Records. 1996. TVT7242-2.
  29. ↑ Soundtracks for the Blind (CD liner notes). Swans. Young God Records. 1996. YG01. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  30. ↑ Pure Chewing Satisfaction (CD liner notes). Lard. Alternative Tentacles. 1997. VIRUS 199.
  31. ↑ Symbols (CD liner notes). KMFDM. Wax Trax! Records. 1997. TVT 7245-2. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  32. ↑ New Mother (CD liner notes). Angels of Light. Young God Records. 1999. YG08. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  33. ↑ Adios (CD liner notes). KMFDM. Wax Trax! Records. 1999. TVT 7258-2. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  34. ↑ The Fragile (CD liner notes). Nine Inch Nails. Nothing Records. 1999. 0694904732. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  35. ↑ The Repercussions of Angelic Behavior (CD liner notes). Bill Rieflin. First World Music. 1999. FWD 99.06. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  36. ↑ Birth of a Giant (CD liner notes). Bill Rieflin. First World Music. 1999. FWD 99.03. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  37. ↑ 70's Rock Must Die (CD liner notes). Lard. Alternative Tentacles. 2000. VIRUS 235.
  38. ↑ Largo (CD liner notes). Bill Rieflin & Chris Connelly. First World Music. 2001. FWD 01.10. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  39. ↑ Road Movies (CD liner notes). Land. First World Music. 2001. FWD 01.09. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  40. ↑ Attak (CD liner notes). KMFDM. Metropolis Records. 2002. MET 235. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  41. ↑ Sturm & Drang Tour 2002 (CD liner notes). KMFDM. Metropolis Records. 2003. MET 270.
  42. ↑ WWIII (CD liner notes). KMFDM. Sanctuary Records. 2003. 06076-84636-2. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  43. ↑ Around the Sun (CD liner notes). R.E.M. Warner Bros. Records. 2004. 48894-2. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  44. ↑ We Are Him (CD liner notes). Angels of Light. Young God Records. 2007. YG35. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  45. ↑ R.E.M. Live (CD liner notes). R.E.M. Warner Bros. Records. 2007. 292668-2.
  46. ↑ Accelerate (CD liner notes). R.E.M. Warner Bros. Records. 2008. 418620-2. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  47. ↑ We Are the Humans (CD liner notes). The Humans. 2009.
  48. ↑ Live at the Olympia (CD liner notes). R.E.M. Warner Bros. Records. 2009. 520872-2. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  49. ↑ My Father Will Guide Me up a Rope to the Sky (CD liner notes). Swans. Young God Records. 2010. YG43. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  50. ↑ Collapse into Now (CD liner notes). R.E.M. Warner Bros. Records. 2011. 525611-2. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  51. ↑ WTF?! (Digital liner notes). KMFDM. Metropolis Records. 2011. MET 708D. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  52. ↑ Sugar Rush (CD liner notes). The Humans. 2011.
  53. ↑ The Seer (CD liner notes). Swans. Young God Records. 2012. YG45. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  54. ↑ Strange Tales (CD liner notes). The Humans. Vertical Species. 2014. HUMCD03.
  55. ↑ To Be Kind (CD liner notes). Swans. Young God Records. 2014. YG46. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  56. ↑ Live at the Orpheum (CD liner notes). King Crimson. Discipline Global Mobile. 2015. DGMSP2. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  57. ↑ Live in Toronto (CD liner notes). King Crimson. Discipline Global Mobile. 2016. DGM5013. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  58. ↑ The Glowing Man (CD liner notes). Swans. Young God Records. 2016. YG58. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  59. ↑ Radical Action to Unseat the Hold of Monkey Mind (CD liner notes). King Crimson. Discipline Global Mobile. 2016. KCXP5001. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  60. ↑ Live in Chicago (CD liner notes). King Crimson. Discipline Global Mobile. 2017. KCXP5003.
  61. ↑ The Sun Behind the Sun (Digital liner notes). Lead into Gold. Paul Barker. 2018. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
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