Joe Wong on ‘The Trap Set,’ Scoring for Netflix, and Solo Debut

Joe Wong has been in and out of indie bands since the late 1990s, starting a touring life at the age of 17. He has played drums for the likes of Marnie Stearn, Parts and Labor, and Mary Timony, who we talk about in some detail in this episode, since she produced his recently released debut album Nite Creatures. Joe also has a career in scoring for film and television, composing music for Netflix shows, including Aziz Ansari’s Master of None, Natasha Lyonne’s Russian Doll, and the trippy animated show Midnight Gospel, the latter of which helped inspire his solo debut. 

Check out the psychedelic-tinged video for the first single off of Nite Creatures, “Dreams Wash Away,” featuring animation from Midnight Gospel.He also reveals (a little bit behind) the inspiration for the circular symbol that he uses as his calling card.

Joe Wong is currently the host of the weekly podcast The Trap Set, which he started posting episodes of in 2015, interviewing other drummers. He has since expanded the format to include all musicians. Joe also spent two years at Berklee, followed immediately by a retreat to a farmhouse in Wisconsin, where he says he would play music for 14 hours a day.