Micah Malcolm grew up playing drums in his youth group at Central Christian Church (where his dad served as a music minister). But once he heard Green Day’s Dookie, his sonic course changed. Now 34, Malcolm is still drumming—in six different local bands, all of which he parses out below. “I couldn’t be in the same band over and over again,” he says. “I like challenging myself.”
THE QUITTERS
Type of band: Progressive punk.
Joined in: 2004.
Drumming technique: Experimental but laid-back.
Breakdown: Malcolm calls The Quitters the most “evolutionary” of his six bands, eventually applying experimental touches to its progressive punk foundation.
ILLICITOR
Type of band: Hardcore punk.
Joined in: 2014.
Drumming technique: Aggressive and loud.
Breakdown: Holding Onto Sound was one of Malcolm’s favorite local bands, so it’s no surprise he joined this spinoff. “They’re so open to do the craziest stuff,” he says.
THE DELTA BOMBERS
Type of band: Rockabilly.
Joined in: July.
Drumming technique: Edgy but polished.
Breakdown: The Vegas greasers are no strangers to the road—their relentless touring recently included a festival in Spain. “To be in an already functioning machine is a really a cool opportunity.”
NEW COLD WAR
Type of band: SoCal punk.
Joined in: 2013.
Drumming style: “Me trying to play as fast as I can.”
Breakdown: Malcolm describes NCW as a punk-rock jam band. “We just like playing music with buds,” he says.
SAME SEX MARY
Type of band: Garage rock.
Joined in: 2017.
Drumming style: Restrained and nuanced.
Breakdown: Having employed a fluid crew of members since 2012, Same Sex Mary recently enlisted Malcolm. “Most of these songs existed years before I was even a part of [SSM],” he says. “I’m just trying to drum appropriately to the tunes and put a little bit of my flair into it when I can.”
FARANGS
Type of band: Progressive/alternative rock.
Joined in: 2018.
Drumming style: Tempered and melodic.
Breakdown: “Any chance to play with Brian Cantrell, I will take,” Malcolm says of the Farangs frontman (who also plays in Same Sex Mary). He adds that the new group has plans to work mostly in the studio, “which is cool for me, because I’m all over the place.”
