Aaron Burckhard is an American musician who was the first drummer recruited for Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic's rock group that soon came to be known as Nirvana. Burckhard played drums for the band until December 1987. Burckhard was no longer a part of Nirvana by the time band recorded their first demo at Reciprocal Recordings in Seattle on January 23, 1988 (Dale Crover of The Melvins served as his replacement).
Burckhard's dismissal purportedly came as a result of his volatile nature which propelled him into frequent physical confrontations with people. An additional complaint against Burckhard was that he did not take his membership with the band as seriously as Kurt Cobain wanted him to. Burckhard frequently skipped practice, which infuriated Cobain. The last straw occurred when Burckhard got Cobain's car impounded after getting arrested for fighting with a police officer.
Burckhard's drumming can be heard on the first disc of Nirvana's With the Lights Out. He played at the band's first live show, which was a 1987 house party in Raymond, Washington. He also played drums for an May 6, 1987 radio broadcast on KAOS.
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