Biography
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Born
30 September 1960
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Born In
Seattle, King County, Washington, United States
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Died
24 March 2020 (aged 59)
Bill Rieflin (born William Frederick Rieflin on 29 September 1960; died 24 March 2020) was an American musician who came to prominence in the 1990s for his work with Ministry, Revolting Cocks, Lard, KMFDM, Pigface, Swans, Chris Connelly, and Nine Inch Nails. He worked regularly with R.E.M. from 1997 and King Crimson from 2013 until his death in 2020.
Rieflin began his professional career in his hometown of Seattle. In 1975, he was The Telepaths, a band which played backup for a couple of live gigs by the pre-The Screamers band The Tupperwares. He played drums for The Blackouts starting in 1979. His bandmates included his brother Raymond, Paul Barker, Roland Barker and Erich Werner. Eventually that band dissolved and Paul Barker joined the nascent Ministry. Rieflin's earliest collaboration with Al Jourgensen was on the second single by the Revolting Cocks, You Often Forget. Later, he participated in the creation of Ministry's ground-breaking album The Land of Rape and Honey. He was noted for his performance in the live video In Case You Didn't Feel Like Showing Up (Live), which featured not only his precision percussion (alongside fellow drummer Martin Atkins), but Rieflin's genteel fashion sense. His work with Ministry and its side projects lasted through to the mid-Nineties, though he notes that he was never credited as a member of Ministry proper, always as an "other" musician. Therefore, when he parted ways with the band during the Filth Pig sessions, he didn't really quit since he was never an official member.
Rieflin helped Atkins kick off Pigface, the industrial collective that would grow to incorporate hundreds of artists, formed a friendship with labelmate Chris Connelly and founded First World Music. Like Connelly, Rieflin's work has grown beyond his industrial roots. They have collaborated on several recordings; two in particular, The Ultimate Seaside Companion (as "The Bells") and Largo, showcase Rieflin's frequently overlooked keyboard skills.
Living in Seattle gave Rieflin the opportunity to build relationships with other prominent musicians including Robert Fripp and Trey Gunn of King Crimson, Scott McCaughey of the Young Fresh Fellows, Sascha Konietzko of KMFDM and Peter Buck of R.E.M.. Fripp contributed to Rieflin's solo debut, Birth of a Giant, which also featured Rieflin singing in something other than a background role. Improvisations from these sessions turned up later on the CD The Repercussions of Angelic Behavior. Rieflin has appeared on most KMFDM records released since the mid-Nineties, credited as a drummer, programmer, vocalist and keyboardist. He toured with the band as a bassist in 2002 in support of its comeback album, ATTAK. He also drummed for McCaughey's band, The Minus 5, which occasionally included Peter Buck. Eventually Buck offered Rieflin the opportunity to sit in with R.E.M., who were missing a permanent drummer since the 1997 departure of Bill Berry. The band gave him the live drummer slot in its 2003 tour. They later announced that Rieflin would fill the role indefinitely, though once again as an "other" musician rather than as an official member.
Rieflin maintained a weblog through the end of 2004. In it, he ruminated on his day-to-day doings and mental state, recounted the exploits of his two cats, Pim and the Egg, and obliquely referred to his fellow musicians.
Rieflin began a music collaboration 'band' project entitled The Humans that consistef of him, Chris Wong and Toyah Willcox. The band performed a series of live dates in Estonia in Autumn 2007 and 2009. The band released their debut album "We are the Humans" on May 1, 2009.
In 2012, Rieflin performed on drums for Robbie Williams's album Take the Crown.
In 2013, Robert Fripp announced a new lineup for King Crimson that included Rieflin as one of the band's three drummers.
Solo discography:
Birth of a Giant with Robert Fripp and Trey Gunn
The Repercussions of Angelic Behavior with Robert Fripp and Trey Gunn
Largo with Chris Connelly
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