Kinda, Sorta Have a Huge Crush on Joey Armstrong? 10 Things to Know About the SMWRS Drummer

Green Day [1] released their 13th (!!!) studio album, Father of All, in February, proving that it's possible to keep on rockin' for nearly three decades. But even if frontman Billie Joe Armstrong ever decides to retire (which is pretty unlikely), his legacy will live on through the next generation of Armstrongs. Billie Joe's two sons, Joey and Jakob, are musicians themselves, and at 24 years old, Joey has already released four studio albums with his band. Oh, and did we mention that he's also really cute? Read on for some fun facts about the talented (and totally adorable) drummer.

His Dad Is Green Day Frontman Billie Joe Armstrong

Joey's passion for music shouldn't come as a big surprise, considering that his dad is the legendary punk rock lead vocalist and lead guitarist for Green Day, Billie Joe Armstrong. Joey credits his dad for supporting his career, and Billie Joe even helped Joey's band produce their first studio album [2], Don't Be a D*ck, back in 2011. Of course, Joey doesn't want to just ride on his dad's coattails [3]. "I want to be playing music without my family," he explained to Pure Grain Audio back in December 2015, "so starting off at a young age definitely kinda kick-started me."

His Younger Brother, Jakob, Is Also a Musician

It's clear that performing runs in the family, as Joey's younger brother, Jakob Danger, is also a musician, and his latest project is the band Ultra Q [4]. Luckily, Billie Joe is equally supportive [5] of his two sons. "I'm a fan of their music," he told Beats 1, calling Jakob "a great songwriter," and Joey "an unbelievable drummer."

He Decided to Form His Band After Watching School of Rock

Joey has known his bandmates, brothers Max and Cole Becker, since they were kids, but it wasn't until they watched the 2003 movie School of Rock together [6] that they decided to form a band. "Joey and Max and I have known each other since Joey's fourth birthday," Cole explained to Entertainment Weekly in February 2016. "That's like 16 years! We started playing music when we were nine, because we saw School of Rock and were like, "Oh my god, these kids are so badass! They're playing music and they're only nine years old. There's no reason we can't do this."

He Formed His First Band in 2004

In 2004, Joey formed his first band with Max and Cole, and they originally called themselves The Raining Souls. Eventually, the band decided to rename themselves Emily's Army [7] in honour of the Becker brothers' cousin, Emily, who was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis in 1998. Travis Neumann joined Emily's Army in 2009, but due to creative differences, he left in 2014 and new bandmate Sebastian Mueller came aboard. After releasing their first single, "Miley," (which is an ode to Miley Cyrus [8]), the band rebranded themselves as SWMRS.

He Put His College Education on Hold to Pursue Music

All four members of SWMRS started college after graduating high school (Joey went to University of San Diego to study music for a year before transferring to The New School in NYC), but it wasn't long before they felt the itch to create music together again, and they decided to put their college educations on an indefinite hold [9]. "We all started off going to college," Joey told Vintage Society Music during an August 2019 interview, "and we just started writing songs that we felt could go a little further than just doing Summer tours, so we all decided, yeah, we're going to take a little time off and see where it goes."

He's Released 4 Studio Albums

As Emily's Army, Joey and his band released two studio albums: Don't Be a D*ck in 2011 and Lost at Seventeen in 2013, which were both produced by Billie Joe Armstrong through Adeline Records. Since becoming SWMRS, the band has released two more studio albums: Drive North in 2016, and — most recently — Berkeley's on Fire in 2019, which were both produced through pop punk label Fuelled by Ramen.

His Favourite Drummer of All Time Is Ringo Starr

Joey serves as the drummer of SWMRS, and he draws inspiration from several different drummers whom he admires. However, his biggest influence is the famed drummer from The Beatles [10]. During a February 2019 conversation with Modern Drummer, Joey said, " . . . as I was getting ready to go into the studio to record my band SWMRS' sophomore record Berkeley's On Fire, I began to reflect upon which drummers truly inspired me and why. I thought back to my love of Fabrizio Moretti, Chris Mars, Tré Cool, Brian Chase, Dave Rowntree, and my vote for greatest of all time, Ringo Starr."

He Once Broke His Arm Skateboarding and Had to Play Shows in a Cast

Joey's mother, Adrienne Armstrong, is originally from New Brighton, MN, and her brother, Steve Nesser (who still lives in the Twin Cities), was a former professional skateboarder. Steve owns two skate shops in Minneapolis, as well as a skatepark called Familia Headquarters, and though Joey loves hanging out at the park, he's avoided skateboarding himself ever since he broke his arm while skating [11]. "It was devastating," he confessed during a conversation with The CW Twin Cities in August 2019. "I thought I was this amazing skater . . . I fell, I broke my arm, I missed the jazz band competition, and I had to play a couple shows with a cast on. It was not fun."

He Thinks the Best Drummers Elevate the Songwriter's Creative Vision

According to Joey, the best drummers aren't just the ones who are the most technically skilled [12]. He thinks the ability to take a songwriter's vision and not only execute it, but enhance it, is the mark of a truly great musician. "All of [my favourite] drummers complement writers and have a unique way of approaching a song that sets them apart," he explained to Modern Drummer. "My approach to tracking drums on the record was a new experience, and I wanted to shed some light on it for any drummers out there who may want to experiment with something similar."

For Him, the Ultimate Goal Is Making Music That He's Proud Of

Joey admits that he sets perhaps unfairly high standards for himself, and while he never wants music to lose its fun, he also loves finally being able to say that he's proud of his music [13]. During an August 2019 appearance on The Trap Set With Joey Wong podcast, Joey explained how — even though he's still self-critical — his latest record, Berkeley's On Fire, felt like a true success. "I hate listening back and watching myself play. I hate photos of myself playing," he said. However, he later added, "This last record we came out with is the first record where I can listen, front to back, and be like, 'I said everything that I wanted to say.'"

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