John Kiffmeyer

John Kiffmeyer was the first drummer for Green Day, a punk rock band consisting of Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool. He has a nickname, Al Sobrante, which is named after his hometown of El Sobrante. He was born in California, USA, on July 11, 1969. He got involved in music from an early age and first appeared on the punk scene when he became the drummer of a band called Isocracy.

Kiffmeyer departed from that band to help form Green Day. He is famously known for his time with Green Day during the bands formation and early years. Due to the contacts that John had at that time, he was able to make Green Day strong, build up an audience and get them on their feet firmly. Green Day played at a couple of gigs, thanks to John, and they caught the attention of Larry Livermore, who signed them to Lookout! Records.

In 1990, Kiffmeyer departed from Green Day to attend college at Humboldt State University in Arcata, California, USA. Currently, he lives in San Francisco with his wife, Greta, and his son, Lolo.