Drumming News :
Stephen Perkins Opens His Personal Drum Archive for a Special ArtistFirst Auction
For more than four decades, Stephen Perkins has built his career around rhythm. As the drummer of Jane’s Addiction and Porno for Pyros, and through projects ranging from Banyan and Infectious Grooves to The Panic Channel and numerous collaborations, Perkins has developed a distinctive musical voice shaped by rock, funk, percussion, improvisation, and experimentation.
Now, a significant part of that history is leaving his personal archive.
The Stephen Perkins ArtistFirst Collection, presented through ANALOGr, features personally played drum kits, percussion instruments, touring equipment, road cases, and other pieces connected to different chapters of his career. Preliminary bidding opened August 20, with the auction launching September 10, 2026.
A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Watts Conservatory of Music, where Perkins serves as a board member, teacher, and performer.
Rather than simply offering vintage or collectible drums, the collection tells the story of a working musician. Many of the instruments were used in recordings, music videos, tours, rehearsals, and live performances, carrying the wear and modifications that come from years of playing.
A Career Told Through Drums:
Perkins was born in Los Angeles in 1967 and began playing drums at eight years old. In 1986, he became a founding member of Jane’s Addiction alongside Perry Farrell, Dave Navarro, and Eric Avery.
His playing became an important part of the band’s identity, particularly on Nothing’s Shocking and Ritual de lo Habitual. Perkins combined powerful rock drumming with funk, tribal percussion, unusual rhythmic patterns, and a strong instinct for dynamics.
His career soon expanded beyond Jane’s Addiction. He joined Infectious Grooves, formed Porno for Pyros with Perry Farrell, Peter DiStefano, and Martyn LeNoble, and later developed projects including Banyan and The Panic Channel. He also toured with Methods of Mayhem and worked with a wide range of musicians, including Nine Inch Nails, Sheryl Crow, Jewel, Love and Rockets, Rob Wasserman, and Dhani Harrison.
The drums in the ArtistFirst collection reflect that journey.
2011 DW Custom — Black Gun Metal Sparkle: HERE
One of the largest and most extensive kits in the collection is this 2011 DW Custom finished in Black Gun Metal Sparkle.
Built with maple shells and mahogany interiors, the kit includes dual 20″ x 20″ kick drums, six toms, a 20″ x 16″ gong drum, two 4″ x 12″ ratas, a 13″ x 7″ wooden timbale, and a 14″ x 6″ Mapex Steel Deluxe snare. DW 9000-series hardware completes the setup.
The kit was used by Perkins on Jane’s Addiction’s The Great Escape Artist tour and for final recordings involving Jane’s Addiction and Porno for Pyros. It also served as Perkins’ home-studio kit at Perkins Palace for approximately 10 years.
The collection includes:
- 8″ x 7″, 10″ x 8″, 12″ x 10″, and 13″ x 11″ toms
- 14″ x 12″ and 16″ x 14″ floor toms
- Two 20″ x 20″ kick drums
- 20″ x 16″ gong drum
- Two 4″ x 12″ ratas
- 13″ x 7″ wooden timbale
- 14″ x 6″ Mapex Steel Deluxe snare
- DW 9000 legless hi-hat stand
- DW cymbal and tom stands
- Roc-N-Soc Motion Throne
The kit is listed in excellent condition.
DW “Chip Away” Raw Kit: HERE
Among the collection’s more unusual pieces is the DW “Chip Away” Raw Kit, an assorted percussion setup built around raw-finish drums and designed to be played standing.
The kit includes a 21″ x 16″ LP drum, 14″ x 14″ and 16″ x 16″ raw drums, and a 16″ x 14″ Remo concert/marching bass drum, along with DW stands and floor-tom legs.
Perkins used the setup as an onstage standing kit during the 1997 period when Flea toured with Jane’s Addiction. It also became closely associated with “Chip Away,” a song Perkins has performed with this type of percussion setup for decades.
The instrument is signed “Stephen Perkins 1997,” adding another personal detail to an already distinctive piece of touring history.
2003 DW Mirror Wrap Kit:
The 2003 DW Mirror Wrap kit connects directly to Jane’s Addiction’s Strays era.
Constructed from maple, the kit features a striking Mirror Wrap finish and a large ten-shell configuration, including multiple shallow toms, two floor toms, a 22″ x 18″ kick drum, and a 13″ x 7″ snare.
Perkins used the kit for the “Just Because” music video, the recording of Strays, Jane’s Addiction touring, and backstage use over several years. It was also featured in Drummer’s Life.
The collection includes:
- 10″ x 5.5″, 12″ x 6″, 10″ x 8″, 12″ x 8″, and 14″ x 10″ toms
- Additional 10″ x 8″ and 12″ x 8″ toms
- 14″ x 12″ and 16″ x 14″ floor toms
- 22″ x 18″ kick drum
- 13″ x 7″ snare
- DW 5000 hi-hat stand
- Cymbal and double-tom stands
- Roc-N-Soc throne
It is listed in very good condition.
2010 DW Jazz Series — Titanium Satin: HERE
The 2010 DW Jazz Series represents a different side of Perkins’ playing.
Finished in Titanium Satin and built with maple shells, the kit includes four toms, a 22″ bass drum, two 14″ x 6″ timbals, and a distinctive 14″ x 8″ wood snare finished in Blue Marine Pearl.
Perkins used this kit during the recording of Jane’s Addiction’s The Great Escape Artist. It also traveled into other musical settings, including sessions with Dhani Harrison, an appearance connected with Conan O’Brien, and the Summer Moon tour with Nikolai Fraiture of The Strokes.
The kit includes:
- 12″ x 8″ and 13″ x 9″ toms
- 16″ x 16″ and 18″ x 16″ floor toms
- 22″ x 16″ bass drum
- 14″ x 8″ wood snare
- Two 14″ x 6″ timbals
- DW cymbal boom stands
- DW double-tom and hi-hat stands
- Ludwig timbal snare stand
- DW drum throne
The kit is listed in excellent condition.
2008 DW Tribes Kit — Exotic Series: HERE
The 2008 DW Tribes Kit is one of the collection’s most visually distinctive setups.
From DW’s Exotic Series, the kit features a Candy Stripe Padouk finish, with shells constructed from padouk maple and reinforced with park ply. Its configuration includes six drum shells, three snares, three ratas, and a timbal.
Perkins used the kit on the Nine Inch Nails/Jane’s Addiction “NINJA” tour and for Jane’s Addiction demos.
The collection includes:
- 8″ x 4.5″ and 10″ x 5″ toms
- 13″ x 9″ tom
- 15″ x 13″ and 18″ x 14″ floor toms
- 20″ x 18″ kick drum
- 14″ x 5″ maple snare
- 13″ x 6″ snare
- 14″ x 5″ DTS Free Floating snare
- Three ratas
- Timbal with mounting arm
- DW and PDP hardware
It is listed in very good condition.
DW Acrylic Kit: HERE
The collection also reaches into Perkins’ most recent touring years with a DW clear acrylic kit.
The seven-shell setup includes six toms, a 20″ x 16″ kick drum, and a 14″ x 10″ DW Oyster snare. The transparent shells give the kit a distinctly modern appearance, while its configuration remains firmly rooted in Perkins’ expansive approach to percussion.
This kit was used during the Porno for Pyros final tour in 2023–2024, Jane’s Addiction’s 2023–2024 touring period, and recent studio recordings for both bands.
It includes:
- 8″ x 7″, 10″ x 8″, 12″ x 9″, and 13″ x 10″ toms
- 14″ x 12″ and 16″ x 14″ floor toms
- 20″ x 16″ kick drum
- 14″ x 10″ DW Oyster snare
Percussion, Congas and Other Pieces:
The collection extends beyond conventional drum kits.
Among the percussion instruments are 1993 Meinl Marathon Congas, a Remo Mondo Conga Snare, and mini congas. These pieces highlight the importance of hand percussion in Perkins’ musical vocabulary and his willingness to move beyond a traditional drum-kit setup.
There are also acrylic drums, a DW Trashcan Raw Kit, rolling baskets, touring equipment, and road cases connected to Jane’s Addiction.
For collectors, the road cases may be among the most evocative objects in the archive. Unlike a pristine piece of showroom equipment, a touring case records the practical side of a musician’s life: transportation, setup, breakdown, backstage rooms, and countless miles between performances.
From the Stage to a New Generation:
The significance of the collection ultimately goes beyond the names attached to the instruments.
A drum kit can become associated with a particular record, tour, video, band, or period of a musician’s life. After years of use, though, even important instruments can eventually spend more time in storage than onstage.
The ArtistFirst collection gives these instruments another opportunity to be played.
For musicians, they offer the unusual chance to own equipment personally selected and used by Perkins. For collectors and fans, they provide physical connections to important moments in alternative-rock history.
And for the Watts community, the sale has another purpose.
Supporting the Watts Conservatory of Music:
Perkins became a board member and music teacher at the Watts Conservatory of Music in 2024. The organization provides free music lessons and works to make music education accessible regardless of age, background, or financial circumstances.
The Conservatory was founded by David Moss, Flea, Norwood Fisher, and Julie Harelson and is based at Verbum Dei Jesuit High School.
Perkins contributes as a teacher, performer, and board member, working alongside David Moss, Fernando Pullum, Julie Harelson, Becki Barabas, and Norwood Fisher.
A portion of the proceeds from the ArtistFirst collection will support the Conservatory and its continuing mission to create musical opportunities in the Watts community.
That gives the auction a fitting sense of continuity. Instruments that have spent decades helping one musician develop his voice can now help provide the tools for someone else to discover theirs.
More Than Memorabilia:
Stephen Perkins’ career has taken him from the Los Angeles alternative-rock scene to major stages, recording studios, collaborations, drum clinics, master classes, drum circles, and educational programs. As a member of Jane’s Addiction, he has also been recognized with a Hollywood Walk of Fame star alongside his bandmates.
His ArtistFirst collection captures that career in physical form.
The worn finishes, used heads, unusual configurations, road cases, and personalized setups reveal a side of music history that is rarely visible in album credits. These are working instruments, shaped by the demands of touring and recording and by a drummer whose approach has always treated percussion as something expansive and exploratory.
For anyone interested in the history of Jane’s Addiction, Porno for Pyros, alternative rock, or Stephen Perkins’ unique approach to rhythm, the collection offers something more meaningful than memorabilia.
These are drums that were played.
And now, after decades on stages and in studios, they have the opportunity to begin another chapter.
Learn more HERE
