Image 1 of 1
2026-06-27 Saturday: Drumming with Current >> Music by Dave Schoepke and Michael Brenneis
Drumming with Current melds the ancient, visceral, organic nature of acoustic drumming with technology, both advanced and antiquated, to produce sounds that have never been explored before and can never be experienced the same way again. Drumming with Current features Dave Schoepke and Michael Brenneis, two individuals at the top of their game, in hospitable duo and solo settings that allow untethered creativity and imaginative artifice—all in the pursuit of a heightened musicality.
Dave Schoepke bio:
Dave Schoepke is a uniquely admired and respected drummer and percussionist whose wide-ranging approach always puts meaning and substance ahead of virtuosity. Whether holding down the groove in a prog rock or singer-songwriter band, composing layered avant-garde or meditational music, or letting loose in free and freewheeling improvisational settings, Dave is always hailed for his musicality, professionalism, and his thoughtfulness as an artist and a human.
A lifelong resident of the Greater Milwaukee area, Dave has been a drummer and collaborator with the Willy Porter Band since 2002. He has also had the pleasure of touring with legendary Jethro Tull guitarist Martin Barre, who says, “Dave is a wonderful musician, extremely diligent, caring and an amazing team player on and off the road.”
Dave’s first solo project, Drums On Low (2019), has received acclaimed reviews from Modern Drummer, Recording Magazine, and numerous global on-line music critics. The 400th issue of Recording Magazine featured Dave on the cover and includes a multi-page feature of Dave’s process of writing and recording Drums On Low. Since then, Dave has released two more solo albums and numerous collaborations. A dedicated teacher, Dave has also recorded dozens of instructional CDs for the Hal Leonard Corporation, and has just released a method book with a full year’s worth of daily style workouts called Drum Set 365. A new book, How to Play Rock Drums in 14 Days, was published in late 2022.
Michael Brenneis bio:
Drummer, composer, improviser Michael Brenneis strives to approach music with passion, grace, and fire. Michael leads several projects that perform his own compositions and build a bridge between Jazz, New Music, and Free Improvisation. These groups have attracted some of the most accomplished and adventurous musicians that the region has to offer and include the octet Plutonium, the sextet Tomato Box, and the quartet Executive Tea Set. He co-leads the experimental duo Outside the Sphere with Tony Barba, and The Active Percussion Duo with Geoff Brady. Michael studied music at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Berklee College of Music, and individually with a number of maestros, most notably Alan Dawson. Michael releases recordings of his music with some regularity on his Rattle Tick Buzz record label, most recently The Navigator with Tomato Box, and Uncertainty, a sweeping solo work for drums and synthesizers. More information and download links are available at rattletickbuzz.com.
Michael held his first pair of drumsticks in 1977 and within a couple of years was playing punk gigs in Wisconsin with Juvenile Truth—notably opening shows for Hüsker Dü, B.G.K., Articles of Faith, and The Dicks, among others. The band recorded the self-released “No Enemy” at Smart Studios in 1984, produced by Butch Vig.
The punk spirit of cooperation and its DIY ethic became the foundation of Michael’s musical ethos for years to come. He came to understand that only through musical community could the sounds in his head be fully realized. It also became clear that achieving the technical and musical mastery embodied by early influences including such drummers as Neil Peart, Jackson Spires, Billy Cobham, and Bernard Purdie, would require years of study, dedicated practice, and playing music all the time with everyone imaginable. The development of a unique voice was not paramount during this formative period but became a clear goal upon hearing Tony Williams.
After college, studies at Berklee, and a number of professional gigs Michael dedicated himself to being the pro who knew what every gig demanded, and brought exactly that to the table. It was the culmination of many experiences during this period, however, that sent Michael searching along a slightly different path—one that welcomed maximum creativity without hinging on the necessity of remuneration.
Drumming with Current melds the ancient, visceral, organic nature of acoustic drumming with technology, both advanced and antiquated, to produce sounds that have never been explored before and can never be experienced the same way again. Drumming with Current features Dave Schoepke and Michael Brenneis, two individuals at the top of their game, in hospitable duo and solo settings that allow untethered creativity and imaginative artifice—all in the pursuit of a heightened musicality.
Dave Schoepke bio:
Dave Schoepke is a uniquely admired and respected drummer and percussionist whose wide-ranging approach always puts meaning and substance ahead of virtuosity. Whether holding down the groove in a prog rock or singer-songwriter band, composing layered avant-garde or meditational music, or letting loose in free and freewheeling improvisational settings, Dave is always hailed for his musicality, professionalism, and his thoughtfulness as an artist and a human.
A lifelong resident of the Greater Milwaukee area, Dave has been a drummer and collaborator with the Willy Porter Band since 2002. He has also had the pleasure of touring with legendary Jethro Tull guitarist Martin Barre, who says, “Dave is a wonderful musician, extremely diligent, caring and an amazing team player on and off the road.”
Dave’s first solo project, Drums On Low (2019), has received acclaimed reviews from Modern Drummer, Recording Magazine, and numerous global on-line music critics. The 400th issue of Recording Magazine featured Dave on the cover and includes a multi-page feature of Dave’s process of writing and recording Drums On Low. Since then, Dave has released two more solo albums and numerous collaborations. A dedicated teacher, Dave has also recorded dozens of instructional CDs for the Hal Leonard Corporation, and has just released a method book with a full year’s worth of daily style workouts called Drum Set 365. A new book, How to Play Rock Drums in 14 Days, was published in late 2022.
Michael Brenneis bio:
Drummer, composer, improviser Michael Brenneis strives to approach music with passion, grace, and fire. Michael leads several projects that perform his own compositions and build a bridge between Jazz, New Music, and Free Improvisation. These groups have attracted some of the most accomplished and adventurous musicians that the region has to offer and include the octet Plutonium, the sextet Tomato Box, and the quartet Executive Tea Set. He co-leads the experimental duo Outside the Sphere with Tony Barba, and The Active Percussion Duo with Geoff Brady. Michael studied music at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Berklee College of Music, and individually with a number of maestros, most notably Alan Dawson. Michael releases recordings of his music with some regularity on his Rattle Tick Buzz record label, most recently The Navigator with Tomato Box, and Uncertainty, a sweeping solo work for drums and synthesizers. More information and download links are available at rattletickbuzz.com.
Michael held his first pair of drumsticks in 1977 and within a couple of years was playing punk gigs in Wisconsin with Juvenile Truth—notably opening shows for Hüsker Dü, B.G.K., Articles of Faith, and The Dicks, among others. The band recorded the self-released “No Enemy” at Smart Studios in 1984, produced by Butch Vig.
The punk spirit of cooperation and its DIY ethic became the foundation of Michael’s musical ethos for years to come. He came to understand that only through musical community could the sounds in his head be fully realized. It also became clear that achieving the technical and musical mastery embodied by early influences including such drummers as Neil Peart, Jackson Spires, Billy Cobham, and Bernard Purdie, would require years of study, dedicated practice, and playing music all the time with everyone imaginable. The development of a unique voice was not paramount during this formative period but became a clear goal upon hearing Tony Williams.
After college, studies at Berklee, and a number of professional gigs Michael dedicated himself to being the pro who knew what every gig demanded, and brought exactly that to the table. It was the culmination of many experiences during this period, however, that sent Michael searching along a slightly different path—one that welcomed maximum creativity without hinging on the necessity of remuneration.