Last month, Late Night With Seth Meyers returned for the first time since the writers' strike first began on May 2nd. That meant Fred Armisen's 8G Band returned to the studio stage — and restarted their practice of welcoming a guest metal drummer into their ranks.
First up was Stray From the Path drummer Craig Reynolds, who sat in from October 2nd to October 5th. Next up is Beartooth timekeeper Connor Denis. He will be appearing on Late Night starting tonight, October 30th, through November 2nd.
Denis is just the latest in a long line of metal and hardcore drummers who've done residencies with the 8G Band. Previously, TOOL's Danny Carey, ex-Slayer's Dave Lombardo, Mastodon's Brann Dailor, Dark Angel/Dethklokl's Gene Hoglan, Soundgarden's Matt Cameron, Turnstile's Daniel Fang, Anthrax's Charlie Benante, Gojira's Mario Duplantier, Avenged Sevenfold's Brooks Wackerman, Lamb of God's Art Cruz and many other heavyweights have done guest stints.
"A typical drummer is nervous on Monday, sometimes more nervous on Tuesday, Wednesday is a little better, and on Thursday, they crush it and can't believe the week is over," Late Night producer Eric Leiderman a drummer himself, told Modern Drummer in 2021.
"They're like, 'Thank you. This is the greatest week in my life.' That's mission accomplished for the band and me. The guest drummer goes home with their cue cards of Seth saying their name, plugging their project, and introducing them every night on TV.
"I can't tell you how many players in Grammy-winning bands — who sell millions of records — feel so appreciated and seen from their time on the show, and it makes me feel like I've really done a service to know the experience has elevated them."
Late Night With Seth Meyers airs at 12:35 a.m. EST Monday through Friday on NBC.
