Pisces Drummers Playlist

Vector drawing of a royal blue drum set with the Pisces symbol on the bass drum head. Background is a light brownish gray brick wall with the text "PISCES DRUMMERS" overtop in a black and royal blue colored font.

Pisces is known for being the most sensitive sign and while some people see sensitivity as a negative thing, I see it as a powerful trait, especially for drummers. For instance, this trait gives Pisces drummers the ability to sense the internal rhythm of the rest of the band. Similarly to Cancer drummers, the Pisces drummers in this playlist feel what the rest of the band is feeling, and from there – create free-flowing beats that can not only stand alone, but keeps everyone interconnected.

Emmy’s Favorite Pisces Drummers

Scott Phillips 2-22-1973 (Creed, Alter Bridge, and Projected)

As a mutable water sign, Pisces is known for using empathy to adapt to people around them. In this modern drummers interview, when asked what the band (Creed) needs from Scott, he says “I think my openness to their ideas, as well as having ideas of my own, are what’s needed in this band. There are some drummers I’ve come across who are pretty headstrong and feel that what they come up with is the only way to do it. But I’ve always been very receptive to the other bandmembers’ suggestions. I think it’s important for me to sit back and listen to a whole song, with or without drums, and be able to add to it without my ego getting in the way.”

In 2004 though, Creed disbanded. The singer, Scott Stapp, left to be a solo artist, while the rest of the band stayed together and formed a new band – Alter Bridge. After going to the 2022 Royal Rumble in Saint Louis, I was reminded of my obsession with Alter Bridge, particularly Edges entrance theme, Metalingus. Sure, I am absolutely obsessed with Miles Kennedy’s voice; but I am even more obsessed with this opening drum sequence. It’s like Scott is revving up an engine, and when I listen to it – I can feel my energy rise up.

The Pisces drummers in this playlist are not all full on all of the time, though. The beauty of Pisces comes from their ability to reach deep into the depths of sound, yet know when it’s time to pull back and let the rest of the band shine.

Jon Fishman 2-19-1965 (Phish)

First of all, I love how Jon Fishman (of the band Phish) is a Pisces drummer, because the fish is Pisces symbol after all. Beyond his namesake though, Jon is one of my favorite Pisces drummers because of his unique style and sound.

In this Drummers Resource podcast interview, Jon mentions that embracing silence is a huge hurdle for musicians (timestamp: about 1 hour and 9 minutes in). “The groove is enough. Silence is enough. If you start with that, you really really are in great shape because you have everywhere to go from there. It can be really terrifying, but terror is great for music.”

I’ve been sitting with this notion for a while because I think many humans struggle with silence, but I especially see how musicians would struggle because their job is to fill silence with sound.

Additionally, concerts are loud. For example, this past weekend, I went to my Pisces nieces 21st birthday party where her dad (a Capricorn Drummer) performed with his band. When I left the bar that night, I realized that my right ear was completely muffled and my ears were ringing. If you’ve ever experienced this after a loud show, you know that silence is downright painful while your ears are ringing. In fact, I was so miserable that I googled “what to do when you can’t hear after a concert?” And the results suggested playing white noise, distracting yourself, and removing stress – sitting in silence was not recommended.

In general, if any zodiac sign is able to embrace, or even simply explore silence – it’s Pisces. Pisces is the last of the twelve zodiac signs, which means they are inherently familiar with endings. Between the ending and the beginning of anything, there is a liminal space which contains silence, and many people don’t know what to do with it.

With this in mind, Jon mentions how embracing silence and moving through fear spaces, allows people to connect with their emotions. Great music ultimately comes from emotion; so, although it’s counter intuitive to create silent parts throughout songs, it’s essential for creating a well rounded – full bodied piece of art.

Pisces Artist FAQ

Additional Pisces Drummers

Daniel Adair 2-19-1975 (Nickelback, 3 Doors Down)
Ed Graham 2-20-1977 (The Darkness)
Lee Stanton 2-20-1990 (Thy Art is Murder)
Maxx Danziger 2-22-1990 (Set it Off)
Kortney Grinwis 2-22-1994 (Favorite Weapon, Chapel)
Alex González 2-24-1969 (Maná)
Chris Fehn 2-24-1973 (Slipknot)
Teddy Campbell 2-24-1975 (The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Also performed on albums by Stevie Wonder, Deborah Cox, and Herbie Hancock)
Shinya 2-24-1978 (Dir En Grey)
Richard Lilies 2-25-1973 (3 Doors Down)
Jonny Quinn 2-26-1972 (Snow Patrol)
Dan Pawlovich 2-27-1981 (Panic at the Disco)
Phil Gould 2-28-1957 (Level 42)
Alex Tanas 2-28-1986 (Magic!)
Joseph Armstrong 2-28-1995 (SWMRS)
Kevin Smart 3-1-1996 (Jake Miller)
Jay Osmond 3-2-1955 (Osmond Brothers)
Johnny Jackson 3-3-1951 (The Jackson 5)
Duncan Phillips 3-3-1964 (Newsboys)
Alex Johrden 3-3-1994 (Chase Your Words)
Donovan Melero 3-5-1989 (Hail the Sun)
Paul Bostaph 3-6-1963 (Slayer, Exodus, and Testament)
Chris Tomson 3-6-1984 (Vampire Weekend)
Scott Sundquist 3-7-1951 (Soundgarden)
Edward R. Warby 3-7-1968 (Ayreon)
Micky Dolenz 3-8-1945 (The Monkees)
Clive Burr 3-8-1957 (Iron Maiden, Trust and Alcatrazz)
Rufus Tiger Taylor 3-8-1991 (The Darkness)
Sean Huber 3-8-1991 (Modern Baseball)
Zakir Hussain 3-9-1951
Johnny Kelly 3-9-1968 (Type O Negative)
Shannon Leto 3-9-1970 (30 Seconds to Mars)
Dave Krusen 3-10-1966 (Pearl Jam)
Vinnie Paul 3-11-1964 (Pantera, Hellyeah)
Luke Johnson 3-11-1981 (Amen and Beat Union)
Max Santoro 3-11-1997 (Thousand Below, Vesta Collide)
Matthew McDonough 3-12-1969 (Mudvayne)
Roy Haynes 3-13-1925 (Snap Crackle)
Jake Goss 3-13-1987 (LANY)
Whistler Allen 3-13-1995 (Hippo Campus)
Mark Falgren 3-14-1988 (Lukas Graham, Aura Dione)
Liv Bruce 3-14-1993 (PWR BTTM)
Roxy Petrucci 3-17-1960 (Madam X, Vixen)
Caroline Corr 3-17-1973 (The Corrs)
Steve Patrick 3-18-1989 (Young Rising Sons)
Nicole Taylor 3-18-1991 (Taylor Red)
Brann Dailor 3-19-1975 (Mastadon, Lethargy)
Jack Dakin 3-19-1996 (Viola Beach)
Carl Palmer 3-20-1950 (Asia, Atomic Rooster, and Emerson)
Evan Ambrosio 3-20-1989 (State Champs)