Drummer, music educator and long-time Seal Beach resident Matt Johnson appears with Emmy Award- and Golden Globe-winning comedian/actress/singer Jane Lynch (Glee, The 40-Year Old Virgin, Best in Show) in See Jane Sing, an evening of musical comedy that explores Ms. Lynch’s love of the beauty and absurdity of American standards and show tunes, at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015, at 8 pm. Johnson is a member of the Tony Guerrero Quintet, which has served as Ms. Lynch’s band on the See Jane Sing tour since November 2014. The quintet serves dual roles on the program, both opening the show as a stand-alone act and backing Ms. Lynch in her delightfully irreverent cabaret performance.
“We were originally hired as Jane’s back-up band, but by the end of the first rehearsal, she offered us the opening slot as well,” recounts Johnson, a Seal Beach resident since 1996. “We had great chemistry from the first day we met. It is a pleasure performing with Jane, who is a consummate entertainer and incredibly hard working but also has a great sense of fun.”
Considered one of the West Coast’s most versatile drummers, the Los Angeles Times called Matt Johnson, “a hurricane on sticks!” He has performed with a wide range of musical personalities, including singers Julie Andrews and Andy Williams, comedians Rich Little, Steve Allen and the Smothers Brothers, surf rock pioneers Jan and Dean, and big band legends Billy May and Les Brown. Johnson also currently tours with American icon, actor and singer James Darren (Gidget, Guns of Navarone, Deep Space Nine). A noted music educator as well, he has served as Instructor of Drum Set Studies at Fullerton College for 23 years and the Idyllwild Arts Academy’s Summer Jazz Workshop. Johnson currently serves as Representative to the Industry for the California Alliance for Jazz – California’s premiere organization for the advancement of jazz and jazz education. He is an Artist/Clinician for Mapex drums, Paiste cymbals Roland U.S. and Aquarian drum heads.
For more info on Matt Johnson, visit www.DrummerMattJohnson.com
The Carpenter Performing Arts Center is located on the campus of CSULB. For tickets and information visit http://www.carpenterarts.org.
