On August 27th, 2025, we learned of the sad and unexpected passing of Jim Kimball at the age of 59.
A drummer best known for his work during the ‘80s/‘90s alternative rock period - especially in and around the Ann Arbor/Detroit area — Kimball brought his forceful, yet tasteful, drumming style to many bands throughout his career, including Surreal Estate, Mule, Jesus Lizard, The Denison/Kimball Trio, Firewater, and most recently, the Chicago-based band Ghost Forest. He is probably best known as the drummer in the classic lineup of the legendary Ann Arbor-based post-punk band Laughing Hyenas.
The first three records released on the venerated Chicago independent label Touch and Go and recorded by that lineup — which also featured the late Larissa Strickland (guitar), Kevin Strickland (bass), and John Brannon (vocals) — are mandatory listening for anyone interested in the post-punk, indie rock of that era or rock music born out of Ann Arbor/Detroit.
I first saw the Laughing Hyenas open for Hüsker Dü in Ann Arbor in 1987. Their stage presence was menacing, their sound brutally intense, with Kimball driving it all, attacking his drums with a tribal ferocity I had never witnessed before. Experiencing the Laughing Hyenas was frightening and thrilling at the same time and left me shell-shocked. As good as the Hüskers were, on that night the Hyenas stole the show.
I would see Jim Kimball perform with the Laughing Hyenas many times after that and got to be friends with him and the rest of the band when they took my fledgling band WIG (also from A2) under their wings, inviting us to be their opening band on the East Coast/Midwest leg of their Life of Crime tour in 1990.
As a drummer myself, watching Jim play night after night on that tour was a master class in how to play with brute intensity, yet still maintain feel, finesse, and precision. His style was a unique combination of The Stooges’ Scott Asheton’s caveman stomp and jazz swing. Jim showed me that it doesn’t matter where you’re playing, how you might be feeling that night or how many people are in the audience, you always go out there to slay 100%.
On that same tour, Jim was the victim of a robbery in NYC (that’s a story for another post) and got stabbed through the hand, but still performed the next day with stitches and was no less intense than usual. For Jim, there simply was no dialing back or phoning it in, ever.
As a musician and performer, it’s an attitude I still carry with me to this day.
Details as to the cause of his death are still unknown at the time of this writing, but his passing is a great loss to the music community of Ann Arbor/Detroit and beyond.
Break a lot of kick drum pedals up there, Jim.
RIP, brother.
John Burke is a musician living in Los Angeles. Formerly a member of the ‘90s Ann Arbor alt-rock band WIG, he currently plays with the Altadena, CA-based band Dead Lawn, with a debut album due out soon.