Chris Vrenna

Chris Vrenna
Chris Vrenna with his exwife Carrie Borzillo-Vrenna in 2002.
Background information
Birth name	Chris A. Vrenna
Born	February 23, 1967 (1967-02-23) (age 42) Erie, Pennsylvania
Genres	Industrial rock Industrial metal Alternative rock Electronica New prog
Instruments	Drums, Keyboards, Vocals, Piano, Synthesizer, Guitar, Bass
Years active	1980s–present
Labels	Six Degrees Records Waxploitation
Associated acts	Marilyn Manson Tweaker Nine Inch Nails Die Warzau Stabbing Westward Adema Jack Off Jill Scarling. Skinny Puppy KMFDM Billy Corgan Gnarls Barkley The Rasmus Econoline Crush
Website	www.tweaker.net

Chris Vrenna (born February 23, 1967 in Erie, Pennsylvania^[1]) is an American musician, Grammy-winning producer, engineer, remixer, songwriter, programmer, and founder of the electronic band Tweaker. Vrenna also played drums for the industrial/rock band Nine Inch Nails from 1989 until 1997. Vrenna is the current keyboardist of American rock band Marilyn Manson.

Career

In the mid- to late-'80s Chris moved to Chicago, quickly becoming a part of the Chicago industrial music scene and was briefly a member of Die Warzau and Stabbing Westward.

He later reconnected with Trent Reznor, whom he met during High School in Pennsylvania,^[1], when they both were in local Cleveland, Ohio band the Exotic Birds. Also toured as a live drummer for KMFDM during the Money era tours, in 1992. He is currently recording under the name Tweaker, and has released two albums under that name, The Attraction To All Things Uncertain (2001) and 2am Wakeup Call (2004). Tweaker toured select North American dates with Skinny Puppy in 2004.

As producer, remixer, or engineer Vrenna has worked with Lords of Acid, God Lives Underwater, Megadeth, Rammstein, Metallica, The Rasmus, U2, Weezer, P.O.D., David Bowie, Cold, underwater, Scarling., The Smashing Pumpkins, Hole, Marilyn Manson, Rob Zombie, Green Day, Live, Adema, the Wallflowers, TheStart, and Dir en grey. He has also worked with the underground industrial group Pigface and produced songs and albums for underground girl groups TCR, Jack Off Jill, and Rasputina.

Vrenna has also worked on music for several video games, including Doom 3 (as producer with Clint Walsh), Quake 4, American McGee's Alice, Enter The Matrix, Sonic The Hedgehog, Area 51, and Need for Speed Most Wanted. In 2004 he started soundtrack work on Tabula Rasa, a massive multiplayer online game. He also helped compose the theme song to the animated series Xiaolin Showdown.

He can be seen performing in the music videos for the songs Gave Up, Wish, and March of the Pigs on the Nine Inch Nails video compilation Closure, and also makes a brief appearance in The Perfect Drug.

Vrenna won a Grammy award as a member of Nine Inch Nails for "Best Metal Performance" for Happiness in Slavery in 1995 for the live performance of the song on Woodstock '94.

Vrenna was Billy Corgan's programmer for four months in 1997. While he was on tour with the Smashing Pumpkins, Vrenna got a call from Axl Rose, who invited Vrenna to spend time with Guns N' Roses. "I did for a couple weeks, but then decided I didn't want to join the band", said Vrenna.^[2]

Vrenna was chosen to take over the drumming responsibilities for Marilyn Manson after Ginger Fish was injured in 2004 during the Lest We Forget tour. He has now replaced Madonna Wayne Gacy as the permanent keyboardist for Marilyn Manson, and co-produced their latest work, The High End of Low.^{[citation needed]}

Personal life

Vrenna lives in Los Angeles and was recently divorced from his wife, Carrie Borzillo-Vrenna

References

External links

• Official site
• Vrenna's page on the Marilyn Manson Wiki
• Drum It Up, Fuzzball: Chris Vrenna