ERIK JOHNSON profile picture

ERIK JOHNSON

R.I.P. Tim Russert

About Me

Erik Johnson is a drummer/composer/multi-instrumentalist from Philadelphia, PA. He is a member of The Fractals, a Philly based power trio. The intersection of their Venn diagram of influences contains The Police, Steely Dan, Todd Rundgren, The Beatles, Jeff Buckley, Joni Mitchell, Iron Maiden and Stevie Wonder. The Fractals include three of the four members of the former Interscope Records juggernaut "Huffamoose."Erik has performed or recorded with countless artists in myriad styles. His credits include:Ben Schachter's Trio of Many, George Garzone, Tim Hagans, Jack Walrath, Gary Bartz, John Swana, Jef Lee Johnson, Ralph Bowen, Larry McKenna, Jim Ridl, Jamaaladeen Tacuma, Kurt Elling, Gerald Veasley, Schooly D, Huffamoose, Jim Boggia, Susan Werner, Karan Casey, Mutlu, Joseph Parsons, 4 Way Street, Ben Arnold, Phyllis Heitjan, Lelia Broussard, Liz Longley, Matt Parrish, Tyrone Brown, Dave Posmontier, Tony Marino, Chico Huff, Amber DeLaurentis, Scott and Brian Bricklin, and countless others.Erik has recorded many jingles and has performed and/or written music for films including "Here Comes Huffamoose," Abel Ferrara's "RX Mas," "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" (with The Fractals) and others.I edited my profile with Thomas' Myspace Editor V4.4

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 3/6/2007
Band Website: myspace.com/thefractalstunes
Band Members: The Fractals are: Kevin Hanson, Jim Stager and Erik Johnson. The tunes posted on my page are my original compositions. Kevin writes the tunes for The Fractals.
Influences: Steely Dan, The Beatles, Leonard Murphy, Carl Mottola, Kevin Hanson, Jim Stager, Craig Elkins, John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, Igor Stravinsky, Paul Hindemith, Dimitri Shostakovich, Glenn Gould, Tim Russert, Maurice Ravel, Claude Debussy, Gustav Holst, Dexter Gordon, Keith Jarrett, Tony Williams, Miles Davis, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Brad Mehldau, Glen Campbell, Led Zeppelin, Bonnie Raitt, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, James Brown, Rush, Jeff Buckley, Herbie Hancock, Anthony Jackson, James Jamerson, Willie Weeks, Donny Hathaway, Willie Nelson, XTC, John Swana, Ben Schachter, Iron Maiden, Meshuggah, Prince, Elvin Jones, Billy Higgins, Emily Dickinson, Sid Simmons, Byron Landham, Ari Hoenig, Wallace Stevens, Pablo Picasso, Wassily Kandinsky, Gargano and Martorano, Mark Eckel, John Madden, William Safire's "New Political Dictionary" (brilliant etymology from a pretty conservative bloke--I like him anyway), Bob Costas, Adam Arkin (especially as Adam on Northern Exposure), Jerry Seinfeld, Larry David, Alan Watts, Joe Bastardi, Theodore Fujita, Don DeLillo, fractals, Steven Johnson's book "Emergence," Malcolm Gladwell's "The Tipping Point," Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens, Bertrand Russell, The Philadelphia Eagles, Brett Favre, Tom Brady, Andre Waters (RIP), Steven Hawking, Sarah Silverman, Bill Hicks, Steve Martin, Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z, Zen Buddhism, A Yaqui Way of Knowledge, Rhode Island, many others...
Sounds Like: $%^*(()&$@!%%^(*()
Record Label: Formerly Interscope...now just my own "label"
Type of Label: None

My Blog

another teaching blog...actually, 2 blogs in one (I fired my editor)

A casual survey (with no scientific merit whatsoever) of some friends of mine who are music students has yielded some rather troubling results. Aside from some general negative comments about abstra...
Posted by ERIK JOHNSON on Mon, 19 May 2008 07:45:00 PST

Schachter/Garzone

I heard some beautiful music last week: Ben Schachter's trio with special guest George Garzone. Ben and George are two of the heaviest saxophonists on this lush planet. Their interstellar musical es...
Posted by ERIK JOHNSON on Mon, 05 May 2008 11:35:00 PST

Hope

I started posting a blog bitching about various issues concerning teaching and the related trivial stressors. I then realized how little interest I have in the complaints of other bloggers, unless th...
Posted by ERIK JOHNSON on Mon, 05 May 2008 11:26:00 PST

Jeff Buckley

Man, I really miss Jeff Buckley. I didn’t know him personally but his music marked me indelibly. If you haven’t heard him imagine this: robert plant+breezy whitecap lake+30,000 foot-high...
Posted by ERIK JOHNSON on Mon, 24 Mar 2008 11:07:00 PST

click tracks

I had a revelation about what has changed in my drumming over the years, especially in terms of playing with a click track. At one time my mind's ear would seek out and "listen for" the click. It wa...
Posted by ERIK JOHNSON on Fri, 29 Feb 2008 07:55:00 PST

pro tools

Modern technology can sometimes get a bum rap from music "purists." They often refer to anything that relies on electrical current simply as "technology," as if the word by itself implies modernity. ...
Posted by ERIK JOHNSON on Fri, 18 Jan 2008 10:23:00 PST

A note to myself and other teachers

I had a few teachers in middle school who were simply mean spirited and wholly unkind.  I'll call them "Mr. Science" and "Ms. English."  Mr. Science was nothing short of hostile toward me while he was...
Posted by ERIK JOHNSON on Fri, 04 Jan 2008 07:50:00 PST

language and its concomitant perils

I have always been suspicious of political correctness. It seems that the Bowdlerization of language serves only to drive real feelings underground. When we choose our words in such a fashion that t...
Posted by ERIK JOHNSON on Tue, 11 Dec 2007 03:50:00 PST

Where has my art gone?

I am making a pledge: Next year I am making a return to music that matters...at least to me! Sometimes I lose sight of my inner motivator--he tends to go dormant during stressful times...BUT I AM NO...
Posted by ERIK JOHNSON on Fri, 30 Nov 2007 11:53:00 PST

Revelations...

I got mugged last weekend. Only cost me $50, refused to give up my cymbals...Then I spilled 20 ounces of hot coffee into my G5 yesterday...It's like, dude! WTF?? I'm ready to bag this busy life stu...
Posted by ERIK JOHNSON on Thu, 29 Nov 2007 01:09:00 PST