How do beings from the planet Peelander replace a drummer? They put a call out on Facebook. Duh.

Peelander Green (AKA Akihiko Naruse) stepped down from his drumming duties with Peelander-Z without so much as a press release, a status update, or even a hastily scrawled note. Where has he gone? There’s no official word from the band, but it’s worth noting that he’s been posting pictures of his newborn since March. That might have something to do with it.

In anticipation of the band’s North American tour this Spring (which is already underway), Peelander-Z reached out to the greater social media community for a replacement—and wait till you see who they picked up. Dubbed Peelander “Nashville” Green, Chris Heaton joined the band just before their numerous performances at SXSW in Austin.

Mr. Heaton was nice enough to sit down and have a chat with me after Peelander-Z’s final South By gig; a family-friendly Peelander-hosted day show called Mad Tiger Fest.

Nihongaku Radio Interview: Chris Heaton of Peelander-Z

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Feel like checking Chris Heaton’s other band? Swing by www.iambecomingthearchetype.com

Want to see if Peelander-Z is playing in your area? Check out www.peelander-z.com

Backing tracks for this interview include “High Five Boy” and “Killer Thunder,” both by Peelander-Z. Both tracks appear on their latest album, Metalander-Z.

Want more Nihongaku Radio? Check out previous episodes right here on Nihongaku. Nihongaku Radio is also broadcast to the world via Colectivo Bunka, a Columbia-based streaming radio station playing a ton of Asian music. Of course, you can also subscribe to the podcast feed via iTunes.