Slingerland Drum Kit Played by Mark Pickerel and Barrett Martin of the Screaming Trees

This limited, edition Slingerland Buddy Rich signature 5-piece drum kit was formerly owned by Mark Pickerel (birthdate unknown), the original drummer for the musical band Screaming Trees and later for Truly, and by Barrett Martin (b. 1967), the subsequent drummer of Screaming Trees during their most commercially successful period. 

The drum kit was built in Nashville, Tennessee, with full hardware pack, solid shell snare drum, and finished in white marine pearl. The set is named after legendary drummer Buddy Rich (1917-1987) who frequently played Slingerland brand drums. He achieved success playing with Big Band stars such as Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Tommy Dorsey, Frank Sinatra, Duke Ellington, Nat King Cole, Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, and Dizzy Gillespie, as well as helming his own big band. His iconic “BR” crest appears on the bass drum logo head.  

Taking their name from a guitar distortion pedal, Screaming Trees were formed in Ellensburg, Washington in 1985 by singer Mark Lanegan (b. 1964), guitarist Gary Lee Conner, bassist Van Conner (b. 1967), and drummer Mark Pickerel (birthdate unknown). Barrett Martin (b. 1967) replaced Pickeral in 1992 and was the drummer on the band’s most successful albums.  

Screaming Trees is one of the bands that pioneered the Grunge musical style. Despite finding early success and being one of the first Grunge bands to sign with a major label, Epic Records in 1989, due to their erratic output, Screaming Trees never saw the same level of success as other Northwest bands like Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Pearl Jam. 

Following the June 25, 2000, opening concert for the Experience Music Project, now MoPOP, the group announced their official breakup. After the breakup, Lanegan pursued a successful solo career and worked on other projects including Queens of the Stone Age and, after moving to Ireland in 2021 announced a new collaborative project Dark Mark vs. Skeleton Joe with Joe Cardamone of The Icarus Line. Van Conner went on to form the bands VALIS and Musk Ox, and Gary Lee Conner formed a new band in 2010, Microdot Gnome, and in 2020 released two solo endeavors, Revelations in Fuzz and The Opposite of Christmas.