Hank Shteamer is a writer, editor, podcaster and musician. He was born in 1978 in a suburb of Kansas City, MO, where his family still resides. Hank has been an NYC resident since 1998 and currently lives in Brooklyn.
Hank contributes to various online and print outlets, including The New York Times, Pitchfork and TIDAL; see here for samples of recent work, including pieces from his recently launched Substack newsletter. He writes bio copy for artists, liner notes for recordings, scripts for live events and a variety of other editorial material, and also takes on freelance editing projects.
He formerly held the title of Senior Music Editor at Rolling Stone, where his own work also regularly appeared. He was an executive producer on RS’ 500 Greatest Albums podcast, and wrote and hosted a 2021 episode on Alice Coltrane’s classic 1971 album Journey in Satchidananda. Previously, he served as Music Editor for both The Messenger and Time Out New York. In March of 2011, Hank published his first book, an in-depth study of Ween's Chocolate and Cheese album for the 33 1/3 series. Earlier that same year, he began producing an online interview series called Heavy Metal Bebop, which examines the connections between jazz and heavy metal. The series relaunched as a podcast in February 2019. For more than a decade, he blogged about music and other topics at the now semi-dormant Dark Forces Swing Blind Punches (recently relaunched on Substack).
In 2015, with help from the Northern Spy and Aqualamb labels, Hank produced a deluxe, limited-edition vinyl box set reissuing the early work of the brilliant and underrated Cleveland post-hardcore band craw. Since 2000, he has contributed to publications and websites including GQ, Pitchfork, The New York Times, Modern Drummer, AllMusic.com, The Wire, Jazz Times, Noisey and Stereogum, covering jazz, heavy metal, rock & roll, experimental music and many other styles. He has also written liner notes for releases on record labels such as Resonance, Skin Graft, Smoke Sessions and Intakt.
Hank graduated from Columbia University in 2001 with a B.A. in English and magna cum laude honors. During college, Hank worked as a DJ at WKCR 89.9 FM New York, Columbia's student-staffed radio station and one of the world's most respected jazz broadcasting outlets. During this time, he interviewed jazz artists such as Steve Lacy, Rashied Ali and Grachan Moncur III on air. Since graduation, he has maintained a close relationship with the station and still hosts the occasional program.
Hank has played the drum set for more than 25 years. In high school, he taught himself the instrument by studying drummers in bands such as Helmet, Clutch and June of 44. Hank is one third of an unusual heavy-rock band called STATS, featuring guitarist Joe Petrucelli and bassist Tony Gedrich. STATS have released two EPs and toured the U.S. several times; in 2015, they released their first full-length LP, Mercy, on the New Atlantis label.
In 2016, Hank formed a new project, Skryptor, with craw's David McClelland and Tim Garrigan, formerly of Dazzling Killmen, You Fantastic! and other projects. Skryptor's first album, Luminous Volumes, came out in 2019 via the Aqualamb, Skin Graft and Sleeping Giant Glossolalia labels. Hank has also performed, recorded and toured with Aa, Psalm Zero, Bat Eats Plastic, Super Lucky Cat, Hexa and others. He currently makes solo music under the name Lake Geode, and sings karaoke whenever possible.
Learn more on this episode of the Heavy Hole Podcast, this episode of the Crash Bang Boom Drumming Podcast, this episode of the God Ween Evan Podcast and this episode of the 5049 Podcast.