She Can Tell If You Played Jazz or Punk Just By Looking at Your Drum Head

Joy Mullen has recorded on 25+ albums and played the Juno Awards as a touring drummer. These days, she’s just as likely to be found turning discarded drum heads into fibre art.

“I’m always curious about who the drummer was,” she told Port Moody Pulse. “What kind of music did they play, what were their band dynamics. Sometimes there are set lists or lyrics handwritten on the drum head, tape from different sound treatments, or beer on the drum heads. You can tell if the person played jazz or punk when you look at a drum head.”

At Art Out Side this year, Joy ran an Intro to Drumming workshop and performed an improvised solo set at Grit Cafe. “It is so beautiful in Port Moody,” she said. “Having free accessible art programming really adds quality of life to families and people living in the area.”

Find her at @joyondrums, @artbyjoyondrums, or joyondrums.com.