__________________________________Photos by Charlie Hannah__________________________________ Joy Mullen, aka Joy On Drums, has been playing the drum kit for over 30 years. She was raised by a poet and a percussionist in the orchards of the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia. She studied piano, dance, theatre, and choir in her school years. She discovered drums when her band teacher asked her to fill in for a last-minute band performance when the regular drummer was sick. At age 11 she began taking drums lessons and throughout high school was playing in bands, while organizing shows as a promoter for all-ages punk shows. After high school graduation, Joy was the first female drummer to graduate from the Contemporary Music and Technology program at Selkirk College in Nelson, BC. ____________________________________________________________________________________ She then moved to Vancouver to pursue an active music career as a genre-fluid drummer- writing, recording, touring, and has worked with a wide variety of artists. She has toured internationally and worked with artists such as Cris Derksen, Rae Spoon, Christa Couture, Miss Quincy and The Doers. She has also been an active writing member in her own bands including Basic Instinct, E.S.L., Fortresses, The People Verses and Joyce Collingwood. She has performed at major folk festivals across Canada including Winnipeg Folk Festival, Vancouver Folk Festival, Dawson City Music Festival, Calgary Folk Festival, Salmon Arm Roots & Blues Festival and Planet IndigenUS. _____________________________________________________________________________________ She was invited to perform at the 2013 Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards Show and at The Truth and Reconciliation National Event in Edmonton 2014. Other material she has recorded has been featured in radio, film, and television, including CBC’s Canada Live, 8th Fire, Much Music’s Going Coastal and APTN's Nagawomin The Song with Cris Derksen. ____________________________________________________________________________________ Joy was on the original team that started Girls Rock Camp Vancouver, a non-profit organization aimed at building young girls' self-esteem through musical creation. She also worked at Cory Weeds' Jazz Cellar and programmed events at The Waldorf Hotel and is currently the booking agent at the WISE Hall and Lounge. In 2012, Joy was hired as a guest programmer for Brief Encounters 18, an interdisciplinary performance series. She is currently teaching private lessons at Rufus Drum Shop and specializes in developing curriculum for beginners and young students. She also enjoys making art out of upcycled drum parts and creates fibre-art wall hangings under the moniker of moon.in.the.4th. ____________________________________________________________________________________ Joy (She/Her/Hers) is a white settler currently living on unceded Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh First Nation’s territories.