James Krivchenia is probably best known as the drummer for indie folk juggernauts Big Thief, but he also has a robust solo practice, with a grip of full-length records to his name and a new one on the way tomorrow. On his collaborative forthcoming album Performing Belief, he balances organic looseness with electronic propulsion, sometimes sounding somewhere between Milford Graves and DJ Nate. It’s charged music that looks to a larger history of visionary American music; it has the ability to appeal to Big Thief heads and nonbelievers alike. We wanted to learn more about Krivchenia’s life in music, so we sent him some questions.

Can you remember the first time you heard or discovered music that you felt any real sort of ownership over? 

James Krivchenia: Hmmm. I’ve definitely had lots of waves of discovering and enjoying music with friends where the records really felt like they were made just for us. Elephant 6 records in high school were very big for me. Kind of my introduction into the deep DIY magic and it felt very empowering to think that me and my friends could make our own four-track masterpieces.

I had a Kraftwerk experience early in high school. My friends and I were a good bit high and  found a record player and records of my friend’s dad in the closet at his apartment and set it up and it all miraculously worked. We put on Computer World and I started messing with the simple five-band EQs on the receiver, doing bass and treble moves, and it was blowing all our minds and was massively fun and something clicked there about the malleability of sound—beyond when anything was made, beyond style, it’s all still available to be interpreted, it's just waves. That record still feels extra special to me from that night.

I also grew up worshipping all things Neil Young. The records, the live bootlegs, everything I could get my hands on.

What drummers did you look up to as a kid?

As a kid, I mostly looked up to drummers in my immediate vicinity. There was a high school band in my town called Cabeza Head and I would watch them play and imagine I was in the band. Pat Phee was their drummer. I looked up to my first drum teacher big time. He was a high schooler at the church I went to when I was probably ten or 11 years old. It was my real introduction to the drum kit and he was so cool to me! He showed me tons of music that blew me away.

As I got more deep into things, I became obsessed with people like Levon Helm and Tony Allen. I still look to those two drummers as the core of my drum kit language inspiration. Their unique feel and their amazing ability to play around and with the vocalist. It’s always a conversation with them, the way they are speaking to the phrasing of singing. They know the songs and they are listening and bringing out the energy of the singers.

Were you part of any scenes growing up in Chicago? Did you go to a lot of shows or play in bands?

I was in the micro scene of my high school which had lots of bands but wasn’t really tapped into the amazing Chicago scene when I was that young. Though I was a huge fan of lots of the Chicago stuff—the jazz stuff like Chicago Underground Quartet. 

What kind of music were you excited about when you were working on Performing Belief? 

Oh gosh, so much stuff. I was listening to lots of Natural Information Society—Joshua Abrams’ project. I was deep diving Omar S at the top, compiling mix CDs for myself of my favorites of his singles and album tracks and spinning those a lot. I was listening to a lot of this UK artist Joe. I made a compilation of all my favorite tracks of his that I listened to a lot. Listening and digging on lots of drum focused things as well—lots of Bata drumming. Was deep on a lot of Principe records, kind of studying how they bring a really sticky feel into the world of grid. And so much more.

What are you able to do with this record that you can’t do in Big Thief? 

It’s a whole different process working alone. I’d say that’s the biggest difference, even though the gear and all that stuff is different too. It’s really different to be just in your own lab and in your own head versus being in constant collaboration. I need both of those things. Making a record with Big Thief is so exhilarating because it’s mostly just playing and searching together. When you’re alone it’s more spread out and a slower burn.

With my solo work I’m not tied to the drum set. I’m exploring lots of computer stuff and lots of different avenues of sound making whereas in the band I’m really focused on the songs first and foremost and how to bring power and support to that.

You’ve done some serious, heavy-duty touring. How has your playing changed over the years, as you have performed on progressively bigger stages?

I’ve improved a lot over the years as a musician and a massive part of that is touring. At our busiest, Big Thief was on the road eight or nine months in a year. That level of constant playing—despite your mood, despite if the circumstance are amazing or very challenging, despite your health—makes for big improvement. You learn to be able to find the spirit and the moment no matter what, out of necessity, not just when everything is lined up perfectly. And I’ve definitely taken that experience into my personal practice. I think my confidence has probably strengthened a lot, having to face nerves, those sorts of muscles get stronger from all the touring. And I’ve found my feel a great deal through all that touring. I got a lot more in touch with what kind of playing, what kind of swing just feels natural, and going with that versus trying to be a jack of all trades. 

Do you have any dream collaborators?

Oh my gosh, so many. Honestly, it was a fucking dream to play with Joshua Abrams and Sam Wilkes for this record. So a dream come true on that front. I really wanna do something with Kara-Lis Coverdale at some point—she’s the best. Hmmm, there’s so many folks I’d love to make tracks with. I’d love to be in the studio with Theo Parrish and pick his brain and make something, that would be a dream person for sure. So, so many. Collaboration is the best, lots of fun things in the works as well on that front.

Are there any genres of music you’ve never participated in but still inspire you as a musician?

So many! Probably most music I listen to falls in this category. I’m listening to Don Cherry as I write this. So much “jazz” inspires me deeply. I wish I could claw hammer banjo and be able to jump into those old time sessions. I wish I could play drums in a gospel band behind a choir. There are many deep drumming lineages that I derive great pleasure and inspiration from, and so many ways of feeling groove that are so mind blowing to me that I couldn’t possibly play. With music it really is endless and the older I get the more I like!

Any major non-musical influences at the moment?

I’m watching a lot of cartoons. There’s a cartoon show called Hilda that is absolutely brilliant and hopefully seeping into my work in some way. I just moved back to NYC after having been gone for six years and I can feel the city’s pull and influence on me big time. Just being open to all that energy can be a really big influence on what you’re making.