A former student of Wadada Leo Smith's, Drew Gardner has played with John Tchicai, Rob Brown, Sabir Mateen, Chris Lightcap, Ehran Elisha and many others. His is the musical director of Daria Fain's Dance group. He spent his teenage years playing drums in a punk rock band. In the early 90s he lived in San Francisco, writing and working as a jazz drummer. Since 1996 he has lived in New York City, conducting and experimenting in extensive poetomusical collaborations with his Poetics Orchestra. He is a pioneer of the Flarf poetry movement and a multi-instrumentalist. He has written three books of poetry, the lastest of which is Chomp Away his debut recording as a leader.