[1] Born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, Kiermyer first gained attention in 1994 with his album Solomon's Daughter, featuring tenor saxophonist and former John Coltrane bandmate Pharoah Sanders.

Known mostly for his particularly expansive style of drumming and the passionate spiritual focus of his music, he has performed and recorded with many prominent jazz musicians and musicians from other cultures, including Umdze Lodro Samphel, Dewey Redman, Don Alias, Jeff Bhasker, Reggie Workman, John Abercrombie, Aaron Parks, Bobo Stenson, Tisziji Muñoz, Randy Brecker, Gary Bartz, Azar Lawrence, Gene Perla, Joe Lovano, Keyon Harrold, Nat Reeves, George Garzone, Chris Gekker, John Esposito, Otto Gardner, Davis Whitfield, Geraud Portal, Isaiah Collier, Dave Douglas, Yasushi Nakamura, Jovan Alexandre, Billy Harper, Emilio Modeste, Lawrence Clark, Juini Booth, Benito Gonzalez, Vernon Reid, Drew Gress, Fima Ephron, Evan Flory-barnes, Dave Fiuzcynski, Famoro Dioubate, Umdze Lodro Samphel, Eric Person, Anthony Cox, Benny Barbara, Bob Mover, Michael Stuart, Hassan Hakmoun, John Stubblefield, John Rojak, Hill Greene, Dom Richards, Ivan Symonds, T.V.

[2] Mostly self-taught, Kiermyer cites the early influence of drummers Baby Dodds, Sid Catlett, Minor Hall, and Gene Krupa.

Having reached a turning point in his evolution, Kiermyer spent much of 2001 to 2010 in remote Himalayan regions of Nepal and India on various solitary Buddhist meditation retreats, following the instructions of his teacher Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche.

Usually performing and/or recording as a quartet or quintet, the band has included at various times: saxophonists Gary Bartz, Billy Harper, Isaiah Collier, Jovan Alexandre, Ben Solomon, George Garzone, Lawrence Clark, Emilio Modeste, Linda Sikhakhane, Abraham Burton, Boris Blanchet and Michael Troy - trumpeters Randy Brecker, Keyon Harrold, Josh Evans, Giveton Gelin and a cameo by Roy Hargrove a few weeks before his untimely passing.

Pianist Aaron Parks, guitarist Eric Schenkman, vocalist and flautist Melanie Charles and producer/songwriter and singer Jeff Bhasker have also been guests on recordings with the band.

"[8] Emancipation Suite, released in 2022 only on limited edition LP, was chosen as one of Down Beat Magazine's best albums of the year "Scatter the Atoms That Remain calls for universal freedoms such as it enacts."