ROXY ROCA Welcomes Grammy-winning Grupo Fantasma / Brownout Drummer Johnny Lopez
We are excited to announce the newest member of the ROXY ROCA family! Johnny Lopez, long time drummer for Grammy-winning Grupo Fantasma and Brownout, has joined ROXY ROCA and we can’t wait for you to hear the results.
Most of you already know about Johnny’s wild ride with Grupo Fantasma, starting with a bang way back in 2000 with a sold out show at the former Empanada Parlour in Austin and eventually reaching heights they could have only imagined: being nominated for, and later winning, a Grammy; opening for and backing Prince; working with Spoon; and too many other achievements to list — not to mention holding down the groove for side project Brownout.
But after a decade of nearly non-stop excitement on the road and in the studio, Johnny needed a break to take care of himself and reconnect with family. While closing that musical chapter in his life was not easy, Johnny says he does not regret the decision: “The 2000s were a wild ride and I have so many amazing memories from that time. Still, being home and taking care of myself and my family was clearly the best thing for me to do. It allowed me to deal with the loss of my mother and grandmother in a healthy way and, later, to welcome into the world the most important person in my life: my baby daughter.”
Some time has passed, and now Johnny is ready to finish what he started musically. He says, “I had been playing with friends a little here and there, but when I heard ROXY ROCA I got chills — I knew this was the music I wanted to play. They were looking for a drummer and the timing couldn’t have been better for me.”
Why the change and how has the transition been for ROXY ROCA? We’ll let guitarist Errol Siegel tell you about it: “Alex had been looking to make a change for a couple reasons. Musically, he felt like the band was looking for some things that were outside of his comfort zone. Also, as the band’s profile was getting higher, the physical demands of our touring schedule were getting heavier. We respected his decision, but also knew we would have a very hard time finding somebody who could fill his shoes. All I can say at this point is that we must have some crazy-good karma built up to have this opportunity to transition from one world-class drummer to another.”
Johnny will be making his debut appearance with the band this Friday, June 28 when Hotel Vegas presents HARD PROOF & ROXY ROCA Part 6: The Funk Supremacy with Kalu James. Doors open at 9pm, Kalu James hits the stage at 9:30pm followed by ROXY ROCA at 10:30pm and Hard Proof at midnight. Spread the word: Click ‘I Like It’ on do512 and RSVP on Facebook.