Working Drummer

Matt Johnson has played on some of the most critically acclaimed records in almost everyone’s collections. He’s also performed on some of the more memorable tours from the early 90s on. From recording the seminal cult-creating album Grace with Jeff Buckley in 1993 at age 22, he’s worked with a wide spectrum of artists over the past two decades including Rufus Wainwright, Martha Wainwright, Elysian...

With the exception of a few high school years, Justin Boyd has spent his entire life in Chicago. From the beginning of his career, he thought it important to be open to all of Chicago’s musical scenes instead of choosing one and staying in it. As a result, his experience there has been incredibly diverse. He disregarded the invisible barrier between North Side and South Side, and has managed to fl...

Rob Hammersmith’s musical journey began at an early age in a small town outside of Buffalo, NY. After a brief detour to California, Rob settled in Atlanta, GA, where his drumming quickly gained attention in the rock underground. Rob spent many years touring and recording with Atlanta rockers “Rockets to Ruin” and toured with “Gunfire 76” featuring “Murderdolls” frontman Wednesday 13. Rob also main...

Ganesh Giri Jaya was born in New Orleans, moved to Atlanta at age 16, spent his early 20’s in L.A. and Portland, and ultimately returned to Atlanta where he has remained for the past 25 years. His career has usually found him drumming and/or singing in cover and tribute bands of various types. He was one of the original members of Yacht Rock Revue and for the past few years has been the singer, dr...

Luis Espaillat is a multi-faceted bassist and musician whose career has spanned many genres and taken him around the world. His unique sound can be heard in all forms of media from shows on network television such as Smallville and King Of The Hill, major motion pictures including S.W.A.T. and American Wedding and even video games including Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 and Project Gotham Racing....

Ganesh Giri Jaya was born in New Orleans, moved to Atlanta at age 16, spent his early 20’s in L.A. and Portland, and ultimately returned to Atlanta where he has remained for the past 25 years. His career has usually found him drumming and/or singing in cover and tribute bands of various types. He was one of the original members of Yacht Rock Revue and for the past few years has been the singer, dr...

Ray Luzier was raised in West Newton, Pennsylvania, a small town an hour outside of Pittsburgh. He began playing drums at age five, and although basically self-taught, he participated in high school jazz, concert, and marching bands. After graduating in 1988, Luzier moved to Hollywood, California to pursue an education at the renowned Musicians Institute. He graduated in 1989 with a degree from MI...

Jake Reed was born and raised in Kansas City and went on to study drumset under two of the great educators of our time: John Von Ohlen at University of Cincinnati and Peter Erskine at USC. While in grad school at USC, Jake gradually worked his way into the LA scene doing live dates and recording sessions with colleagues and mentors alike. He has performed or recorded with Bill Bolman, Johnny Mande...

Evan Hutchings grew up in Ft. Smith, AR and is the son of a preacher. He started playing drums at age 2 and got his first drum set at age 8. It was through hours of watching other drummers play in church that he learned how to play for a song and try to convey a sense of emotion through the drums. After high school, Evan moved to Nashville to attend Middle Tennessee State University and studied wi...

Gerald French was born and raised in New Orleans in one of the city’s most prominent musical families. Over his career, he has played with most of New Orleans musical royalty, including Harry Connick Jr., Charmagne Neville, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, and Dr. John. In 2014, he became the leader of the Original Tuxedo Jazz Band. He is only the fifth person to lead the group in its 107-year history...

Pat Torpey was born in Cleveland, Ohio. At age 7, he first played the drums and in high school, Torpey immersed himself in all available music programs, concert, orchestra, marching and stage bands. In 1983, Torpey moved to Los Angeles and became a regular on the American Bandstand and Solid Gold TV shows performing with artists like Ben E. King, Mike + The Mechanics, Melissa Manchester and Bob Ge...

Ian Chang was born in Hong Kong and moved to New Jersey as a teenager to attend boarding school. He had studied classical piano and percussion in Hong Kong, but quickly became interested in all the other genres New York had to offer. He had begun a pre-college classical percussion program at Julliard, and was on track to attend there after high school, but decided against it at the last minute to...

For more than 24 years, Jeremy Roberson has been perfecting his precise, unpredictable, high-energy style of drumming. Using a combination of techniques, he has developed his own original style, which is as exciting to listen to as it is to watch. His ability to adapt to any genre of music while maintaining precision, timing, and his uniquely smooth style has earned him numerous accolades, and has...

In today’s music landscape, Kevin Kanner is a rare breed of drummer; focused intently and passionately on straight-ahead jazz. While many of his generation have looked for ways to widen the scope of the drumset and the role of the drummer, and cross breed jazz with other genres, Kevin’s musical ambition has remained simple and singular: to swing. Like his heroes, Philly Joe Jones, Mickey Roker, hi...

Finding a drummer with the chops and knowledge necessary to recapture a wide range of various styles authentically, is no small task. To make you believe you’re hearing the original recording is even more rare. Jason Harrison Smith does this and so much more. Currently playing simultaneously with Blues legend Albert Lee and guitar virtuoso Carl Verheyen, Jason’s a busy guy and likes it that way. H...

Doug Auwarter has spent most of his 40-year career in Kansas City and has been equally active as a performer and educator. He began his career playing across spectrum of American music – jazz, rock, funk, etc. In the 80’s he fell in love with Brazilian music and culture, and although he continues to play a wide variety of music, he is known and loved as Kansas City’s resident guru for all things B...

Based in Los Angeles but originally from Long Island, New York, Evan Stone (Drummer/Producer/Bandleader) currently fronts his original project the Translucent Ham Sandwich Band who released their debut album in 2016 entitled: ‘Music From The Future’ which has received airtime on numerous radio and cable television stations around the world.  Evan Stone has toured the United States with trumpeter/b...

Gintas Janusonis is the son of Lithuanian immigrants and grew up in Milwaukee. Berklee brought him to the East Coast and he soon made the jump to New York, where he has been active as a drummer and producer for most of his professional life. His list of credits ranges from jazz greats Branford Marsalis and Kurt Rosenwinkel, to hip hop royalty Wu Tang Clan and Kool G Rap, to singer/songwriter and A...

Kent Slucher was born in Louisville, Kentucky October 19, 1976. With an intensely musical ear he learned to appreciate music at a very young age. Some of the most influential bands for Kent growing up included; Led Zeppelin, KISS, Fleetwood Mac, Bad Company, and Journey. At 19, Kent got his first gig in his father’s band, Uncle Lijah. After that, he played in a top 40 house band hoping to be disco...

Matt Jorgensen was born and raised in Seattle and caught the jazz bug in high school. It sent him to New York in 1992 to study at the recently formed New School, after which he worked around town until 2002 when he returned to his hometown. He has since maintained an active performance schedule as a leader and sideman, playing with many modern jazz greats including Peter Bernstein, Reggie Workman,...

Robert Breithaupt is a veteran of over 40 years in music, as a performer, arts administrator, educator, author, musical contractor, entrepreneur, and visionary in the arts. Breithaupt has performed in diverse solo, small ensemble and orchestral settings and has appeared with a virtual “Who’s Who” of great jazz talents and scores of other noted artists. As drummer/percussionist for trumpet virtuoso...

Steve Fidyk’s career has been a balance between military service in the Army Field and Army Blues bands, civilian life as a member or leader of various creative projects, and academia as an author, clinician, and Artist in Residence at Temple University. The son of a weekend warrior sax player, Steve was encouraged to pursue music from an early age. He began sitting in with his dad’s band and by a...

Originally from upstate New York, Seth began playing drums at the age of three. By age nine, he was sitting in with local bands and even backing up his elementary school choir. He’s been in the Nashville music scene for 15 years and is currently the touring drummer for Keith Urban. Other artists Seth has worked for include Gary Allan, Joe Nichols, Phil Vassar, and Little Big Town. While with Littl...

Justin Chesarek has lived in Atlanta for almost a decade, where he has played with various jazz artists including Gary Motley,Joe Gransden, and singer/songwriter Sam Burchfield. Justin also teaches at two area universities, Kennesaw State and Emory. He grew up near Pittsburgh which, despite its rustbelt identity, has always had a rich music scene and has recently evolved into a more cosmopolitan c...

Kyle Wilkerson is a well-versed and highly versatile drummer/percussion and film composer based out of Nashville, Tennessee. He has played/toured/recorded with many national artists and bands such as Maddie and Tae, Joshua Scott Jones (of Steel Magnolia), Kristen Kelly, Jillette Johnson, Michael Alvarado (of the duo US), Justin Adams, Logan Mize, Adam Sanders, Jonathan Scales Fourchestra, The Luck...