This is my 25th year playing percussion/drums. I am currently living in New York City and playing with a variety of bands. This urban jungle has provided an amazing playground of sounds for my ears – more and more I find myself lost in the song of the city – the subway, the traffic, the accents of people speaking languages from all over the world, the way people move when they walk, the way they talk with their hands. The interaction with the constant buzz and movement makes me dance on my drums. I am no longer just “playing music” but rather dancing with the vibrations and energy that has enveloped me.

My goal is to play for the rest of my life. I enjoy sitting in with any style of band, anywhere, and anytime, finding the rhythm and digging deeper into the grooves. My style cannot be categorized into one particular genre; as I create beats that enhance any musical production which I’m involved with. I not only write original drum parts, but also love to collaborate with other artists, transcending ideas to higher levels.

1981 At the age of 8 the music program of the American school I was attending in Jidda, Saudi Arabia gave me a pair of drumsticks and taught me how to play snare, bass, bells and xylophone. I played through-out middle and high school in all forms of public school music programs (concert band, symphonic band, orchestra, pit band, pep and marching bands). 1988 - Grand Forks, N.D. I was asked to be the drummer for “On the Run”. I moved to Florida in 1993 and my main gig was with Marianne Flemming - we played big venues and small clubs, folk festivals and bookstores in Miami, Ft Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Tampa, Tallahassee and Orlando. 1997 - 1999 From Florida I moved to Fargo, N.D. for a year where I played with a cover band. I bumped into my old bass player from “On the Run” and he told me to come out to Vermont to start a band again so a year later I moved to Brattleboro, VT where I took lessons from Stuart Wright. Stuart taught me how to play Jazz, how to read and write drum charts and taught me that one can also play in colors… My playing skills increased to an all new high after working with Stuart and practicing every morning from 5a.m to 7a.m. 2000 - 2002 I moved to Nyack, NY after working about 6 months with Stuart and found the band “3 sides 2 a story” consisting of Roz Zevolla, Mary Ellsworth and me. I played with Roz and Mary for about a year and then moved to NYC in 2002.

2002 - Present My first music gigs after moving to NYC was with Angela Jimenez - We had regular gigs at the C-Note and Janine Avril’s Girl Salon. While I was playing with Angela around 2003 I met Jen Urban the creator of Jen Urban and The Box - an electronic pop rock band - I played with Jen and Mo (bass) for about a year or two - playing gigs at Trash Bar, The Bitter End, CBGB’s and the Metropolitan. 2004 - Sonji saw me playing a gig with Angela and asked if I was available for a couple of shows - we rehearsed one night with gutitar player John Lippi and then played a great showcase for Atlantic Records at Crash Mansion in Manhattan. While all of this was going on Mary Ellsworth, my former band mate from 3 sides 2 a story, started to record her album “Thanks for the Material”, she called me up to play drums and asked if I knew a bass player - Tobi Parks was brought in and the orignal rock band The Binarys was born. The Binarys recorded and had regular gigs performing at live events in Manhattan and Nyack, NY. In 2006 I joined the Tara Lynne Band with TL on Guitar and Vocals and Gerard Kouwenhoven doing his thing on electric guitar - we have regular gigs and have played shows at Buttermilk, Cattyshack, The Trocedero, The Delancey, Perch, The Annex, Hanks Saloon, Kennys Castaways, Don Hills, South Paw and Cabinfest - we have been writing a lot music together in the past year and are currently recording (July 14, 2008).

contact info: tamij @ artheadnyc . com

below is a blurb from my friend Luke G. Burns:
“Back in the days of On the Run (our basement band) Tami’s playing was the piece that made our crazy guitars and slippery bass sound sane. No matter what we threw at her she could always find the right support for it. I imagine her as the skeleton that we hung our craziest musical thoughts, emotions and intuitions on. Her lively energy is something that you could always draw upon when playing in front of a crowd. I am always impressed when I hear her, and am amazed at the new levels she continues to attain. That infectious giggle will always be with me.”

below is a blurb from my friend Marianne Flemming:
“Tami Johnson is a singer-songwriter’s dream-inventive drumming, professional attitude, great listener, and an effervescent personality. ”