Meet Chris Johnson, the newest addition to the Oracle Band lineup.

A drummer for the vast majority of his life, he began playing drums when he was in 4th grade down in St. Mary’s County in southern Maryland, although his influences extend even further back, to watching the drumline of his sister’s high school marching band when he was only in the third grade.

A lifelong resident of Maryland and currently residing in Baltimore, Chris is well versed in music theory as well as the practical arts. After spending some time at IUP (Indiana University of Pennsylvania...located somewhere in the mountains between Altoona and Pittsburgh), he currently attends UMBC in Baltimore.

Chris’ early performances included work with his Leonardtown High School jazz and symphonic band, the tri-county honors band, and percussion ensemble at Leonardtown H.S., IUP, and UMBC

Chris currently works as a sales associate at Music and Arts, attends classes at UMBC, and still manages to find time to perform with Oracle, as well as do sound for a group called “The Pigz”, and perform with a local Baltimore rock band “Chasing Scarlette” . Oh yeah...he also TEACHES drums! Whew...makes you tired just thinking about it!

Of course this is business as usual for Chris, whose drive and energy are constant and omnipresent. He doesn’t smile much while playing...he has this intensity that comes from a focus on the song at hand to make it sound perfect. (We’ll keep working on the smiling thing though)!!!

When asked what kind of music he listens to in his own personal time, he replies with a plethora of styles that include “Rock, Funk, Hip-Hop, Ska, Metal, Progressive, Instrumental, Electronic (sometimes), and Contemporary Gospel… almost anything!” His favorite bands and artists display an eclectic and diverse list...Dave Matthews Band, 2-pac, Incubus, Citizen Cope, Eminem, James Taylor, The Mars Volta, Apocalyptica, Pink Floyd, Chili Peppers, Beatles, Bob Marley, Tool, A Perfect Circle, Cee-lo Green, Kylesa, Deftones, Katatonia, Liquid Tension Experiment, Opeth, Porcupine Tree…wow...now that’s an interesting list!

His current drum kit is a classic...a 1965 Ludwig “Fab 4” made famous by...well...you can probably figure that one out!

More recently Chris has become involved in recording and audio engineering, and has started putting together a home studio. He has recorded a variety of artists covering genres including Rock, Country, RnB, Rap, and even Klezmer! He also auditions tapes for all types of instrumentalists and vocalists, always on the lookout for talent.

As mentioned earlier, Chris also teaches drums, so if you or someone you know is looking for a private teacher that can take a well rounded approach to all aspects of percussion and drumming, both theoretical as well as practical, Chris is your guy!

After performing with Oracle for a few months, we asked Chris what he thought about his future with the band. He told us, “I’ve had a blast playing with Oracle so far. They have a great outlook – it’s all about playing great music and having fun doin it! They all seem to legitimately enjoy doing what they do, and I hope to continue with them well into the future!!”

So do we!!!