My First Band Podcast

Mike Felumlee has the special distinction of being both the former and current drummer of Smoking Popes. Between stints in the seminal Chicago punk band, the percussionist spent a few years playing drums in Alkaline Trio. Along the way, he started a solo project, began a record label and stepped away from music for a few years before getting back behind the kit and making his way behind the camera for his Live From The Rock Room music video series. My First Band host Tyler Maas recently joined Felumlee in Rock Room version 2.0 in the veteran drummer’s new home in Milwaukee. After talking about some of his favorite pizzas and burgers in his adopted city, Felumlee went all the way back to his childhood, when his parents bought him a used drum set. Over the course of the long, interesting and incredibly open discussion, he also touched on his pre-Popes projects, the backlash the band has faced through the years, replacing one of his friends in Alkaline Trio, what led to him being kicked out of the group shortly