We sat down and had a chat with our pals over at i-D! Our web intern Lindsey also put together a list of 10 super influential female drummers for the i-D piece! Click here to see the piece on i-D and check the interview they did with Mindy below!
Hello Mindy! Tell us, where are all the female drummers?
They are everywhere. They are your neighbor, your mom, your girlfriend, and your best friend’s little sister.
What’s the most important thing you’ve learnt through making Tom Tom?
That starting your own company and growing it is a MASSIVE challenge with a MASSIVE reward at the end if you can endure.
If you could give one piece of advice to all female/non-gender conforming drummers, what would it be?
Don’t give a shit what other people think or say about anything you do. Play your music exactly how you want and with confidence from day one.
How can we go about helping to transition novelty to normal?
Representation, permission, and intentionality.
Which features or interviews are you most proud of having secured for Tom Tom?
All of them! Truly. I have loved our interview with Bobbye Hall, ESG’s Valerie Scroggins, Gina Schock, when Jack White interviewed Carla Azar, our resident 11-year-old writer bo-Pah interviewing other girl drummers, etc. It is all so much fun.
Which other zines are you a fan of?
I am a fan of the ladies who run Women in Sound, Got a Girl Crush, MATH magazine, She Shreds Mag, Crybaby Zine, and so many more.
Please, lovely ladies behind Tom Tom… teach us about the undocumented history of female drummers.
While the history of female drummers hasn’t been documented as thoroughly as the history of male drummers, with some dedicated researching, one can find quite a bit of information on female drummers throughout history. Check out this top ten list (in no particular order) of some notable drummers who have inspired other women to get behind the kit!